It’s inevitable. January is the month that many Americans make a list of every shape and size to lead a better life throughout the year. Said resolutions can have such a wide variety based on the persons needs and wants. For example, we see many that include weight loss, saving money, experiencing new things, etc.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to clean off your slate and begin something new and fresh. So why don’t organizations join in on creating goals to help keep their eye on the prize? Below a few New Year’s resolutions with the small business especially in mind…
Create (and follow) a marketing plan
There’s no denying that marketing has become more and more of a buzzword amongst businesses of all sizes these days. Social media marketing, content marketing, search engine ranking; All of these things work together to help create the image for your business’s target audience. The problem? Many people don’t know where exactly to begin. Print media professionals have used something call “Editorial Calendars” for quite some time now. All this means to take a step back and look at a year in a glance regardless of how far in the future something may be. This can also make it easier to delegate tasks to those who are looking to become more involved, while at the same time giving your brand a more diverse voice.
Use helpful applications
There are so many tools out there for smart phones and PC owners that can help busy business owners keep all of their ducks in a row. Many said apps come to you at no charge. So even if you get one and decide you don’t like it, you don’t lose anything in the process. There are applications that can help you track your business’s finances, blast social media on a number of different sites, hire courier services. The list truly goes on-and-on. How does one go about finding these? Google! There are so many people posting reviews to help you weed out the good and the bad on the previously mentioned apps.
Customer Appreciation
This is easily the most important of this short list. A huge percentage of businesses would be nothing without the loyalty of their customers. A simple “thank you” goes a long way when it comes to customer service. One of the best ways to execute this is also offering some sort of discount to those most loyal to you. Of course, this is not something that everyone can do. However, as many know, “It’s the little things that count.” And people undoubtedly notice and take note of those little things and remember them with the tough gets going. This is where small business actually have an advantage; getting personal. When people feel like a business is reaching out solely to them, they are more likely to refer a friend. And we all know what word-of-mouth marketing can do (or not do..) for a business
