6 Essential Tips for Small Business Success
Small Business Month is always kind of exciting. It’s impossible to look around you and NOT see the impact small businesses have in communities and on the economy. The big question is what you are you doing to support those small business owners who are making an impact? And from a business owner perspective, are you doing everything you can to have a successful run with your business?
Here are 6 tips for small business success.
Don’t be afraid to get started
You’ll never know success (or failure…) if you don’t just take that first step. Whether you are considering a new marketing tactic for your business or you are considering just getting started with your business, not taking that first step is definitely the safe thing to do, but you also won’t be able to work towards the success you have always dreamed of.
One of the best things you can do for yourself if you’re uneasy is to create a solid foundation for launch. Build a strategy and have a plan in place so you don’t feel like you are guessing along the way.
Learn to talk about the value you bring to the table
Especially in the beginning, you need to tell people how great you are. A lot of people are uncomfortable with talking about themselves, so they just don’t. But if you aren’t talking about yourself (AKA marketing!) then nobody will buy from you because they won’t know you exist. There is a difference between bragging and selling. As a business you have to find that happy medium. Just today I was talking to a client that is uncomfortable with the amount of content that goes out on social media because she feels like it’s just noise. My response is that content itself isn’t noise, but what you put out there CAN be. So when you are marketing your business always consider what value you are bringing to the table.
Don’t try to be all things to all people
Running a business is the same as making friends as an individual; not everyone is going to like you. You can’t be all things to all people so it’s important to figure out exactly who your target audience is and build a strategy around that. It’s always best to start with a targeted niche and then grow your audience as your business grows. You’ll find that your marketing budget will go further if you don’t have to create several different campaigns to reach different audiences – and you can have a laser focus on who you are as a business.
Have an online presence – and nurture it
The world went online. Are you there? We’re at the point where you’ll be hard pressed to find any business that will get started and thrive without any sort of online presence. Don’t like social media? That’s fine, you at least need to have a website. Don’t want to have a blog? That’s fine, focus on making your product and service description pages the best they can be.
Most consumers will spend time online trying to find out more about a company before purchasing from them. You may think that your audience doesn’t search online, but you also may be cutting yourself off from opportunities then.
Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate
I will always maintain that small business owners need to celebrate every single thing that happens, whether big or small. Owning a business is a rollercoaster and those high points will carry you through the doubts and fears of the low points. Celebrate every sale, every connection, every positive review, every like on your social media content… everything.
Believe in what you do
There will be points in your journey that you need to support your own dreams. You also need to be passionate about what you do so you actually enjoy going into work every day. But the biggest thing is that if you don’t believe in what you do, then it will be hard for you to get your target audience on board.
Feeling a little stuck? Book a free 20-minute consultation with me and we can get you on the right track!