Starting and growing your own business can be a painfully slow process at times – maybe sales aren’t going the way you hoped, or you’re having a tough time reaching customers. But don’t worry! We’ve come up with a few ways in which you can give your startup a bit more oomph for its business growth.
Get Online
In the world today, there’s no chance of making yourself known if you’re not online. With so many other companies and businesses out there, your company will easily get drowned out by the rest if you don’t make yourself heard, and without using the internet to your advantage, there’s no chance of you being seen amongst the crowd. It’s important for every business to have a website that people can easily access, explaining what you do, what you offer, when you’re available, contact details, and every little thing you can imagine – this is the place to really let your passion and dreams for the business out and make people aware of it.
It’s also important to use social media – it’s almost impossible to find someone who doesn’t use it nowadays, and so it’s the easiest way to reach as many people as possible. Keeping it modern, fresh and posting regular updates about your company and what is going on, as well as offers and products, is important to keep people interested and engaged. The more they know about your business, the more likely they are to trust it and the more likely they are to use it or buy from it. Being digital is critical to business growth.
Consider Your Advertising
Marketing will play a major role in the success of your business growth. You have to be able to reach people – no customers means no income.
If you haven’t already put some advertising in place, it’s certainly a wise idea to do so – and if you have, there may be some options you haven’t considered. Use Google, social media such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as physical advertising space in newspapers, magazines, posters and even in the windows of local businesses. Reaching out to as many people as possible is the best thing you can do, and even though advertising can cost quite a bit of money, it’s worth it and will quickly pay itself off with the more people you reach.
Update Your Mode of Transport
This is particularly relevant if your company has a delivery service or needs to drive out to people’s houses, but is still important for those who don’t. Investing in a vehicle like a van is a good idea, as it allows you to be able to transport things easily, especially if you’re considering using local markets as a way to advertise yourself and sell your business. It also means you can advertise without the effort – placing your logo with a catchy slogan and image onto your van is a great way to attract people’s eyes.
Getting a van, however, does come with a few expenses – for example, van insurance is a big thing to consider, but using a website like Quotezone.co.uk will allow you to find the best option in terms of policy features and pricing. Simply fill in one short form and they will do the rest of the work for you.
Keep Developing
Even if business seems slow, that doesn’t mean you should slow down your production – keep your business relevant, and don’t stop developing new ideas and new products. Just because you may not be getting too much traffic right now, doesn’t mean you won’t soon – everyone experiences highs and lows, and if you start to hold back, not only will it affect your motivation and belief in your business (and make you depressed in the long run), but it will appear to prospective customers like you don’t care about your business, or you’ve lost passion for it.
Make sure you keep that original burst of energy and love you had for your business blossoming and showing in everything you do! Generating new products also gives you new chances to grab people.
Word of Mouth
One of the quickest ways a business can grow is through word of mouth – that’s right, that means getting out and speaking to people! Whether that means advertising yourself at a local market or fair, or in the local shops, or talking to people face to face. Don’t forget about family members and friends – it may feel odd to go to them for help with your business, but you might know someone who’s the member of a club, or has a good position of influence, or knows someone who is looking for the exact service or product you’re supplying. Don’t hold back! Once people start to see how great your business is, they’ll recommend and talk to their friends and family, and your numbers will grow.
Remember – don’t worry if you’ve hit a slump in your business growth. Take it as a positive experience – keep challenging and pushing yourself, and you’ll reap the rewards soon, for sure. Good luck!
