It’s easy to see why growth is always on the minds of small business owners. Given that most small businesses close their doors within a year of opening, it’s only natural that proprietors would seek to grow their enterprises in an expedient manner. However, if this is your first foray into owning a business, rapid growth may be easier said than done. Fortunately, with the right tips at your disposal, growing a fledgling small business in a timely manner can prove more feasible than you think.
Work with a Dedicated Marketing Company
Being a skilled business owner doesn’t always equate to being a skilled marketer. While you may be well-versed in the particulars of small business management, you may not be particularly adept at marketing that business. So, if this situation sounds familiar, it may be in your best interest to reach out to a dedicated marketing agency.
The right marketing agency will assist you in building brand awareness across a number of channels. From the digital space to print media to television to radio, knowledgeable marketers will help guide and implement your promotional efforts on a variety of fronts. For best results, seek out marketing agencies that have ample experience with businesses in your particular industry. A healthcare-related business, for example, would do well to enlist the services of a healthcare marketing agency.
Be Active on Social Media
In 2022, no small business can afford to ignore the benefits of an active social media presence. Not only can social media function as a convenient tool for keeping customers informed, it also stands to bring the existence of your business to the attention of thousands of potential customers. Furthermore, if you think that your leading competitors aren’t active on social media, there’s a good chance you’re deluding yourself.
So, if you’ve yet to use social media to your business’s fullest advantage, now would be the time to get on top of this. If you haven’t already done so, create accounts for business on every social media mainstay, and once these accounts are set up, make sure to update them on a regular basis. While the ideal number of daily updates varies by platform, each of your accounts should be updated at least once a day. Just keep in mind that when it comes to platforms that emphasize short-form posts (i.e., Twitter), multiple daily updates are preferred. Furthermore, lest you stress over the prospect of creating new posts for each platform on a daily basis, you can take solace in the fact that most posts can easily be recycled between platforms.
You should also actively engage with customers through your various social media accounts. Among other things, this entails providing prompt and professional responses to every question and comment posed to you via social media. In addition to showing your followers that their input is highly valued, this level of engagement is conducive to fostering strong connections with customers (and prospective customers), and the stronger a connection someone feels to your business, the more amenable they’ll be to offering their continued patronage.
Be an Active Presence in Your Community
Regardless of how large or small a community your business is based out of, being an active presence in that community can serve as a boon to brand awareness and your professional reputation. For starters, attending events for local business leaders can be a great way to network and get your name out there. Furthermore, providing internships to teenagers and college students will show the community that you care about providing assistance to a new generation of local jobseekers. Sponsoring local events and donating to local causes can also help bolster your reputation, heighten awareness and generate positive word of mouth.
There’s little wonder as to why expediency is foremost on the minds of so many small business owners. The faster they’re able to expand their respective businesses and make a name for themselves, the less likely they are to fall into the unfortunate slump that many small businesses experience during their first year. While growing a fledgling small business certainly does have its challenges, it’s more doable than you may think. So, if you’re looking to expand your business in a timely manner, remember the helpful tips discussed above.