What You Need to Know to Take Your Small Business Over the Top!
Running a small business is both satisfying and challenging. But if you feel like you are working hard and still not making headway towards your business goals, it can seem like the walls are closing in.
If you’re looking for ways to become more profitable and boost your company’s visibility in your niche, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some of our top tips for small business success:
1. Put the Word Out!
There are many ways to build your business, but no matter what industry you are in, word-of-mouth goes a long way to attracting new clients. Consumers today often look for online reviews and testimonials to help them make informed choices. To that end, you should be actively encouraging your existing satisfied clients to rate and review. There are many avenues through which to accomplish this, some are industry-specific, like Angie’s List for contractors and home services, and Trip Advisor or Yelp for the hospitality industry, but if you have a Google listing or a Facebook page you can start collecting great reviews right away. This will help build your online reputation and raise your profile.
2. Go Lean and Cut Operational Costs
If you work solo, or with global customers, and if you don’t necessarily need to have a brick-and-mortar location, consider going virtual or signing up for a coworking membership. The savings on office space alone will tip the scales on your profitability. Flexible office space affords you all the benefits of a fully-equipped office without the huge overhead of leaseholds and the cost of technology. You’ll have all the amenities at a fraction of the cost, and the option to scale your office space as needed. The freedom you will feel? Priceless.
3. Go Mobile
Is your website mobile-friendly? Do you have a mobile strategy? The reality of today’s consumer behavior is that most of us surf, research, and purchase using our mobile devices. If your website is not responsive, you may be missing out on an audience you never even thought you had. Create a digital advertising campaign that focuses on mobile through SMS and mobile display. Apple Pay and Google Wallet are infiltrating the market once dominated by Square and PayPal, and by accepting mobile payments you are opening a whole new world of convenience for you and your customers that might mean new business coming your way.
4. Embrace the Cloud
If you are not yet in the cloud, you should make it a priority. Not only does it make your data and business applications more secure, it allows you to work from just about anywhere. It also lowers your IT spend over the long-term as cloud software and storage is paid on a per-user, as-needed basis. You’ll only pay for what you use in the storage department, and you can rest easy knowing that your data and that of your customers is safe and secure, no matter what happens. Look into services such as Microsoft Office 365 for business, which charges a monthly per-user fee for complete access to the latest versions of the Microsoft apps you already know and love. A major bonus Office 365 offers its business clients is Skype for Business, which can cut your communications spend and streamline your customer relationship management.
5. Work Smarter, Not Harder
To maintain your sanity in today’s business world, you need to think seriously about your work-life balance. Schedule your working hours, making sure you are allowing time for yourself outside of work. If you are concerned about missing calls or losing a potential sale, consider a professional answering service or a virtual office package, either of which will free you from your phone and allow you to actually have a worry-free life, knowing that when the important calls come in, they will be answered promptly and professionally, 24/7/365.
Green Hills Office Suites, Enabling Small Business in Nashville, TN
If you live and work in the Nashville area, drop by Green Hills Office Suites for a tour. We’d love to show you what we do and how we do it, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses with real solutions for all your business needs.
