This year, try to focus on working smart instead of hard. These strategies will show you six smart ways to run your small business.
Get Free Publicity from Local Media
Image via Flickr by NASA Goddard Photo and Video
Marketing campaigns can cost a lot of money. Instead of exhausting your budget on expensive campaigns, try taking advantage of local media to get free exposure.
Holding special events often attracts news stations that want to produce human-interest stories.
Learning how to write a good press release should also help attract more attention from local media organizations.
Your press release should include:
- A catchy, informative headline
- The date
- At least one quote
- A summary of your event, product, etc.
- A short history of yourself and your company
- Your contact information
As you gain experience, make contact with more people in the media so you can get even more exposure for your next event.
Find a Partner with Complementary Skills
It’s difficult to run a growing business without help. That’s why many entrepreneurs seek business partners who have skills and personality traits that complement their own.
For instance, you might have great management skills, but you’re not the best at analyzing data. It may help to find a partner who excels at data analysis. Maybe you write awesome smartphone apps, but feel anxious when trying to make business connections. You may need a partner who can make connections while you build future products for your small company.
You can’t do everything on your own. When recruiting help, find someone who brings important skills to your business.
Make a Useful App for Your Customers
Mobile apps have become a driving force in customer relations. Having a website isn’t enough these days since 85 percent of people prefer mobile apps over mobile websites. Your small business needs an app that helps customers take advantage of your products and services.
Key features for your small business app include:
- Simple navigational tools
- Easy access to information about your business and products
- Access to an online store
- Ability to connect with customer service in real time
If you include those features in your app, more people will want to use it.
Make Social Media Work for You
Social media can help grow your business’s popularity while improving customer service. Benefitting from social media takes much more than setting up a few accounts, though. You need to create unique, interesting content that encourages people to share your posts. You also need to take advantage of social media analytics that will teach you about your audience and how effective your posts are.
If you’ve ever wanted to buy an iPhone 6 for business use, social media apps give you the perfect reason. Provided you have equipped your phone with a reliable network, you will be able to check on your social media accounts wherever you are at any time. Some of the most useful apps for making social media work for you include:
- Hootsuite
- Analytiks
- Buffer
Try these and other services so you’ll know you’re getting as much as possible from social media.
Focus on Customer Services
Most customers care more about service than anything else. Research shows that strong customer service is a crucial driving force between loyalty and profits.
It’s important to recognize that not all customers expect the same things. Some consumers prefer customer services that are handled by real people. Others prefer communicating via email and online chat.
Know what your target market wants so you can customize your services to meet their needs.
Do a SWOT Analysis to Identify Opportunities
A SWOT analysis will teach you about your business’s:
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Opportunities
- Threats
Performing a SWOT analysis will reveal things that you might not have known about your business and industry. The results will help you recognize threats and weaknesses that could limit growth. They will also reveal strengths and opportunities that will help your small business thrive.
Use all of this information to revise your goals, so you can transform your small business into a growing company.
Which of these strategies do you think would work best with your small business? Do you already use any of them to help run your business?
