Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
If your business isn’t continuously growing
and attracting new customers, it won’t be long before you’ll be facing
financial problems. In the last year, many businesses around the world have
gone bankrupt or seen drastic drops in sales and traffic due to the global pandemic. Though some sectors have flourished, many businesses were forced to
adapt to working remotely or trying new tactics for sales in quarantine.
However, the pandemic is drawing to a close, and fortunately, there are several
different things you can do to improve growth and attract more consumers to
your brand. Many of these strategies can be used simultaneously. Here are a few
ways you can grow your business steadily over time.
Pay For Sales Services
Businesses are starting to outsource their
sales needs, relying on professional sales teams to help them grow their
brands. Many business owners may hesitate at the thought of outsourcing their
sales, but the benefits often outweigh the costs. This is particularly true
when a company is struggling to build a strong sales team, or can’t find ways
to reach out to new areas and audiences to contact potential customers.
Utilizing lead generation
services can help you grow your business in a local community or
throughout the global marketplace. When you outsource to a third-party service,
you will sit down with a marketing team to outline the basics of your business
and the goals you hope to obtain through increased sales. This will help you
get what you expect out of the relationship you form with your third-party
sales team. Be sure to select companies that have strong reputations in their
field and come recommended by client companies that are also having success.
Pursue Your Philanthropic Interests
Today’s consumers look for brands that show a
measure of corporate responsibility, so taking on a cause that’s important to
you can give your brand a positive shine. You can do this in a number of
different ways. One example might be to partner with an established
organization and find a way to link their cause to your products. If your
business focuses on women’s fashion, you can partner with an organization that
supports breast cancer research.
Alternatively, get involved with events in
your own community. You can host a food drive or sponsor a scholarship program
for disadvantaged youth. Any philanthropic effort will help increase visibility
for your business and help you build a positive image for your company. If your
company already locally or ethically sources your products, consider applying
for a Corp B certification. Becoming corporation B certified will show your
consumers that you are practicing sustainable business, and it will give you
access to the Corp B community so you can create meaningful business
partnerships to attract even more socially and environmentally conscious
consumers.
You Do Need a Website
If your business isn’t growing as much as you
hoped, the problem may have something to do with your web presence. It can help
to have a commercial web designer look at your website to ensure it looks
professional, provides an easy user interface, and complies with the latest SEO practices. In addition to these aspects of a quality site, you should also have
a blog on your site to which you post on a regular basis. All of your blog
posts should be relevant to your products, and each post should contain a good
mix of related keywords. Your blog posts will be essential in helping you
appear higher in organic search results. Blog posts can be great for linking
back to your site from your social media accounts, which will also help
increase traffic to your site and therefore your online shop.
Be sure that your website is updated
regularly, and try to tailor it to the needs of your consumers. If customers
are visiting your site primarily for help with a product, consider implementing
a chat option for quick assistance. If you have an online shop you could create
a login feature to improve customer loyalty by offering content and discounts
specifically for members. There are many ways you can optimize your site to
both draws in new customers and retain existing customers. No matter what, be
sure your website looks good and fits the brand of your company as well as the
aesthetic you are trying to get across.
Social Media Isn’t a Waste of Time
You must also maintain a constant social media presence. This is a good place to share links to your blog posts because it
will drive your social media followers to your external website. Posts should
be relevant to your brand as a means of helping you to establish yourself as an
authority in your field. Your followers will be encouraged to come to you when
they have a question that’s related to your area of expertise, and that can
lead to the purchase of your products.
Additionally, when you interact with your
followers, they will feel valued. They will be more willing to tag your brand
in their posts and share your posts on their own timelines, exposing your brand
to more consumers. You can even use platforms like Instagram Reels or Stories
to post short videos that customers make of their testimonials about your
product. Customers will love to be featured on your company account, and it
will encourage others to check out your products as well. Be sure you put
together a strong social media team that can not only produce high-quality
posts on a regular basis but can keep up with trends, particularly those among
your customer base. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other potential consumers
on different platforms and tailor your posts to them.
Reduce Customer Churn
Growing your business isn’t just about
attracting new customers. You should also be making an effort to bring former
customers back to your business. You can do this by ensuring you’re offering
quality customer service that will keep most of your customers happy.
Additionally, send them an email that asks how they’re enjoying the products
they bought from you, or you could ask them to rate your business. This gives
you an opportunity to interact with them after they leave your business or
complete a purchase. You should also reach out to customers after several weeks
to find out how you can meet their needs. In an SMS message or email, notify
them about upcoming sales, new products, or other promotional events. The
promise of a free gift or a discount will often be enough to bring them back.
You can also try a customer loyalty rewards
program to keep your customers coming back for more. Customer loyalty programs
can offer consumers first-access to new products, or discounts on regular
items. Another way to improve customer loyalty is to showcase customer
testimonials on social media and your website. This will not only encourage
other customers that your company is trustworthy, but may also inspire them to
make their own testimonials or tag your company in their own posts. The higher
the engagement, the better of a community you will create around your product and
brand, and the more customers you will keep.
You shouldn’t expect every marketing strategy
to work well for your business. Some of these suggestions may take time to
work, while others may not work well at all. Having the patience to use a
system of trial and error may feel stressful, but it’s the best way to find out
what will work for your business.
