Big companies have the tools to create a lot of hype, but they also have a lot of resources. As a small-business owner, you cannot rely on same methods. You should rely on convenience and accessibility in order to sell your product or services. Here’s what you need to work on in order to become a convenient provider and build a firm relationship with your customers.
Website
You probably hear this one everywhere, so I won’t dwell on it for too long. Yyou need to make a website that gets your brand values across effectively and is in keeping with your brand image. Avoid sloppy designs, or simply making a website just for the sake of having one. Treat it as you would treat your own brick-and-mortar store. Your website also needs to feature responsive design so it works well on smartphones and tablets.
Finding a good hosting service should be one of the priorities if you want pages to load at a normal speed. Furthermore, add a blog to your website, since it has more than one purpose — it gives your visitors the information they need, and it allows you to build a reputation as an industry expert, all the while providing you with great SEO opportunities.
Digital Marketing
As a small-business owner, you should primarily focus on digital marketing. First of all, there is a high chance the majority of your users are people who spend more time on the Web than watching TV or looking at billboards. Secondly, TV shows are already overflowing with commercials, so there is a good chance your campaign will go unnoticed on that medium.Digital marketing gives you more control over targeting your intended audience, plus you have a clear overview of just how many people saw your ads, what they clicked on, and what specific landing page layout had the highest conversion rate. This also means you should have well-developed social network profiles where you will share the content from your website.
Customer Engagement
Once you have built a website and made a digital marketing plan, it’s time to move on to other ways to influence your sales. Customer engagement, on the other hand, can be a potent sales tool if done right. Since you are a small-business owner, every transaction is precious, which means you’ll have to go beyond simple customer service to improve customer engagement.
You should communicate with your customers, using email, social media, or in blog comments, and do not use form responses too often, as people feel more appreciated when they talk to an actual person. You can address the customers by their name, and track their devotion and purchases, so that you can reward the trust they place in your brand. See how Facebook games encourage engagement by rewarding the users with in-game perks, and try to use such a model in order to encourage your customers.
Employee-Based Incentives
Customers are not the only ones that need to be encouraged to act; you need to work on the motivation of your workers as well. You can do this by using the old-school approach, and organizing an employee-of-the-month contest. Remember to offer a tempting prize, something that would motivate your employees to give their fullest effort each month. Another way to incite collective efforts is to set a goal for the entire team, and say everyone will be rewarded if the goal is achieved. Lastly, you can use individual incentives: Anyone who puts in extra work and earns your company more business reaps the benefit of those earnings as well.
Altercentrism
One thing you can never guarantee your employees is perspective. As a small business, , mutual endeavors are crucial for creating a firm foothold. One issue you may encounter is a lack of determination, since workers might have doubts when it comes to success. In other words, give them a reason to work more. Altrocentric leadership is another way to motivate your workers. Even though they are working for you, they can still build their own reputation, so they know they won’t be left with nothing if things go south.
Quality Work Environment
Finally, you need to maintain a healthy work environment, have an organized and neat office, and if possible, some decent equipment. It shows perspective, professionalism, and that you care for both your company and your employees. Basically, know where you can save money, and when you should spare no expense for the sake of appearances. For example, you should buy a quality printer, but you can save money by recharging cartridges.
Also, do not allow office disputes to escalate, since it will only build up stress. After all, you are the employer and sometimes you cannot mediate; sometimes you must make tough decisions.
