Anne-Marie Saint-John, Alva, Long Island City, NY >
How to Grow a Small Business
Whether you’ve been there and done it before or you’re just starting out life as a budding entrepreneur, this article is designed to help you find new ways to grow your business. Some of these tips for business growth may seem elementary, but when combined with an effective business plan and activities to help you with marketing your small business, they serve as an effective set of rules that can guide your actions and key business activities. Furthermore, if you’ve already set up your company, this article may help you understand where your organization has opportunities to improve.
#1 Deliver an incredible customer experience
No matter how great your products or services are, if your customer experience or support is lacking, it will be hard to grow your business. Every contact counts. From the moment your customers place an order to the fulfillment of those orders, you must make the process as easy and efficient as possible for them.
Communication is key.
Let your clients know they’re valuable to your business. If they encounter any issues, be sure to address them as graciously and as quickly as possible.
#2 Establish loyalty
This is fundamental for growing your business. Consider the time and costs involved in acquiring a new customer. You need to do everything possible to get them to continue using your company. and encouraging loyalty is key. If you can, offer a loyalty scheme or discounts for future orders. Always follow up a completed transaction with a thank-you email, so your customers know you value their business.
#3 Understand your demographics
Getting to know your customer demographics takes time, but it’s a worthwhile investment. You can only develop a great marketing plan for your business once you understand who your customers are, identify their needs and challenges, and ensure you address their needs and questions adequately in all your offerings.
Conducting surveys and asking for feedback are great ways to understand what your customers really think of your business. Survey Monkey is a good tool; Google also offers a free tool for this. Only through this process of gaining honest feedback can you truly tailor what you offer and maximize your future opportunities for success, continuously improving your business.
#4 Use social media
It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in. Building a social media presence can help you appeal to a wider audience, developing a loyal base of followers online. It gives you an additional channel to reach people, promote your business, and find new customers online. If you into your small business marketing plan, it can be a low-cost way to advertise your company and its products or services online.
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#5 Business networking is key
Face-to-face networking isn’t always possible. However, if it is, attend local business networking events. It’s a great way to grow your small business – the more people who meet you and hear about your business, the better. Most business owners prefer to do business with local people they’ve met in person. Always try to add value to these relationships and nurture them wherever you can. If you can refer their business to others, it’s a great way to kickstart the relationship.
While most in-person network events are unable to run, there are plenty of ways to . It’s a great way to find customers, but also a vehicle for collecting future employees or forming new business collaborations.
#6 Take out a loan if it’s justified
If you need a business loan to get started or expand, do not hesitate to apply for one. A loan to raise funds for your small business is a tool that can help you grow your business.
Finding the right bank to support your business is key. Writing a good business plan is also essential if you want to go down this route.
#7 Be active in your local community
Larger, more established companies often have corporate social responsibility statements. As a small business, you want to be known for the right reasons. Being active in your area by giving back to your local community is a great way to achieve this. You don’t need to spend a lot of money; there are plenty of ways you and your team can support local community projects, groups, and events without having to hand over any money.
This will humanize your business and raise local awareness. Knowing that they work for a company that cares about giving back to the community, as well as the bottom line, will boost the morale of your employees.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
There is no a single recipe for success, but if you take all of the steps described in this post, your company will benefit in a multitude of ways. Marketing your small business is a proven way to grow it, but there are lots of ways you can do this besides paying for ads.
Keep close to your customers and focus on building relationships rather than profits.
