You’re up and running but how do you grow your business?
In today’s post, I’m going to offer suggestions of How To Grow Your Business. Some of these suggestions will be free, some will need to be a business expense and some will simply take time.
So here’s 7 suggestions – How To Grow Your Business:
- Word Of Mouth – Tell your friends, family, neighbours, sports club members or any other social physical connections you have. In most cases, these close contacts would want to support you in your new venture and would like to help you grow your business. Some of them maybe natural connectors or introducers and can spread the word for you or put you in touch with people who are looking for your services. For example, if you need to get your vehicle repaired, you may ask your family for suggestions of who they recommend as a good mechanic/garage. The same applies to your business. AND IT’S FREE!
- Printed Material – Business cards, leaflets/flyers these are going to cost money to get artwork prepared and then printed – however, albeit this is a medium that has been struggling over recent years with the development of social media, don’t forget not everyone is on social media, so printed material can still work. For example, many cafes now have an area for local trades to put their business cards. If you are another local trade – or your business would be of benefit to local tradesmen, then get your business cards/leaflets in a place where your target audience will be. In this case many trades visit cafes and there’s your target audience.
- Business Website – There used to be a time when if you’re in business, you’re expected to have a website because it suddenly gives your business credibility. It is still the case now plus you need to have additional online facilities such as Social Media channels, Videos and all this is great if people can find you on Search Engines – if they can’t then it’s like having a shop front with nobody walking past. Search Engine Optimisation is key to having your website found for targeted keywords – ie: business services and business locations served. Now not everyone can build their own website but there are free options available online, which are as simple as drag and drop your content and images.
- Social Media – This isn’t a quick fix and takes time and effort – but it also depends on you being you. People buy from people – and people they like and trust, so you need to get your personality and genuine integrity across in whichever social media avenue you choose. How do people make their decision to buy from a list of electricians? Are they qualified? Are they safe? Would I trust them to work on my house? Do I feel like I know them? If you’re aware of an electrician who posts videos of his work, videos of himself, tweets regularly, is active on facebook and other social media platforms, then you would probably choose them over someone that you don’t know.
- Be Proud Of Your Achievements – Broadcast these to the world, if you’ve done an excellent job for a customer and they are pleased with your work, ask them to write a brief review or testimonial for you. Add your reviews to your website, social media channels and If you haven’t already get them on Google Reviews too.
- Business Networking – This scares a lot of people. Why? Because it means standing up and speaking about your business in front of other business owners. It can be quite a nervous experience when you do it for the first time. But believe me – it gets easier! Business Networking groups are like an extended sales force for your business. Because they want you to find business for them, they will find business for you – so that you’re almost obliged to pass business their way. However, as long as you’re in the right networking group with the right types of people, again this will just happen naturally for you.
- Partner Channels – this isn’t creating a “Partnership” on a business level but merely working with another business that compliments your own. For example, a plumber and an electrician would work well together but there would not be any chance of taking work from the other as they actually compliment each other.
Well, I hope these 7 suggestions of How To Grow Your Business are of help and if you would like to suggest any more, please feel free to comment below and we’ll update the list.
Don’t forget we are accountants and not marketing experts but these tips on How To Grow Your Business, should help from a basic level. From an accountancy perspective, item on how to grow your business should include things like watching your costs and expenses – can you reduce these in anyway? It’s great to increase your revenue but try and keep an eye on your costs as well as the income. Of course, Maze Accountants can help with that for you and your business too.
