You have brick and mortar location and/or your website, loyal and dedicated employees, a vision of what success means to you and your business and goals to get you there. All important for your business. But do you have the right tools in your small business toolbox to make sure you are effectively reaching all your potential customers?
We’re on the brink of a new year and with that comes all sorts of resolutions and goal setting to improve your business. 2019 will be here in mere weeks, so you need to make sure you’re prepared to make it the best year yet. Here are a few tools to help streamline your efforts.
6 Business “Tools” You Don’t Want to Head into 2019 Without
Tools are not a ticket to success but they can make your life fundamentally easier.
A Social Media Expert
If you can’t add another thing to your plate, you need to appoint this responsibility to one of your employees or an outside source. A social media expert will keep all your accounts up-to-date, start conversations, and strategize ways to improve engagement. The more of this you do the greater the chance you will show up in your followers’ newsfeeds on Facebook and timeline on Twitter and other sites. They should also be working with social media ad campaigns to ensure they get your message out to your target audience.
Swag
Having branded items on hand ensures you are always ready to reach a potential customer. You never know when an opportunity will arise to give out swag. From big to small giveaways as well as promotional printing like branded thank you notes and business cards, swag is a major marketing tool that can be used in a variety of situations. Customize your swag based on the demographic you are trying to reach..
A Mobile-Optimized Website
Over half of all website traffic is now through phones and portable devices. If you don’t have a mobile-optimized site, it could be is costing you business. People don’t want to wait on a slow loading page or mess around with links and buttons that are too small to use over a mobile device. A bad mobile experience in late 2018 shows a lack of professionalism that people simply don’t want to tolerate. They will move on because you are clearly communicating that you are not tech savvy, or at this point, tech knowledgeable.
A Blog
This is a necessity in 2019, yet many people are moving their blogs to Facebook or Instagram. They figure that’s where their customers are so that’s where they’re writing. But neither of those platforms are yours. They could be suspended or shut down tomorrow, through no fault of yours. And what happens to your content? It’s gone.
Instead, put some time and effort into developing your blog. It’s good for ranking with search engines and the content is yours. It’s also a terrific way to connect with your customers. When they come to read your info, you needn’t worry about them being distracted by a cat video their friend posted.
An Email List
In 2019, it’s essential to have an email list. This allows you to nurture potential customers who have shown interest but are not ready to buy. It also makes you valuable to other businesses who may want to partner with you. If you can show a large list to them of people who interact with you, they may see value in that list and advertise or create an affiliate arrangement. Build a list by offering content of value to potential customers in exchange for their email addresses. Then send periodic newsletters with blog highlights and special events/news to them.
A Backup Plan
It’s no fun thinking about what might go wrong but your backup plan might be the most important tool in your toolbox. With a Plan B, you don’t have to scrap your entire contest, giveaway, or trade show simply because of bad weather or a sick employee. When planning any type of event or campaign, always make sure there’s a backup plan. It will save you a lot of headache and poor decisions with a contingency plan that is still in line with your goals.
With the right tools, the right vision, and a good solid plan (and a backup plan), you will have everything you need to help your business not only grow but really thrive and expand in the coming years!
Want to put together a strategy using swag and promotional marketing to increase the number of customers? Call us today.
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