While the primary focus of 2020 has been the survival of small businesses, we’re taking a look toward 2021 with an eye on growth. As we move through what are hopefully the final stages of the pandemic, it’s time to formulate a strategy to ensure the growth of our businesses. In this two-part series we’ll dive into seven growth strategies to incorporate in the coming year.
Define Your Ideal Customer
“Your ideal customers are those who are most likely to be happy with their purchase(s), to come back for more, and to spread positive word of mouth about your business.” Creating an ideal customer profile will help you to better understand and market to the people that will drive the most revenue toward your business.
- Give your customer a name
- Put a face to their profile
- Add their demographic information
- List their psychographic and socioeconomic attributes
- Include a quote from the customer
- Add their goals, pain points, and motivators
- Add the type of communication channels they would prefer to use
Refresh And Improve Your Online Presence
“A strong online presence allows you to build your brand and gain the credibility that you need to attract more customers. Along with making your business readily accessible, online presence also gives your customers an easy way to find out more about what you have to offer.” Performing a periodic refresh to your website and social media profiles is necessary to maintain your presence and grow your brand online, but there is much more you will need to do.
- Integrate your professional and personal accounts
- Optimize your website for mobile
- Maximize user experience (UX)
- Protect your customers' data
- Focus on networking
- Create valuable content
- Get listed on web directories
Engage With Your Audience On Social Media
“Social media engagement is more than just the accumulation of followers across social platforms. Businesses that focus on building their social media engagement can benefit from better marketing reach and ROI, and a greater brand awareness that makes it easier to attract new customers.” Increasing your social media engagement will have a direct impact on your ability to attract new customers and maintain long-term relationships.
- Talk About Your Topic (Not Just Your Brand)
- Join Question & Answer Sessions
- Share Other People's Content
- Make Your Posts Visual
- Add Relevant Hashtags (#) to Your Posts
- Create Polls & Surveys
- Run Contests and Giveaways
Let Quikstone Capital be your small business funding partner!
