A new year is around the corner, which means so are your New Year’s resolutions. Normally, New Year’s resolutions tend to take on a more personal nature. Maybe you’re going to stress less, travel more, or start hitting the gym.
Just because you’re planning to beef up, however, doesn’t mean your business can’t beef up too. Even if 2018 was good to you and your business, it’s wise to make resolutions. Small business resolutions help ensure that your company stays on top of the competition, and remains progressive within its industry.
This year saw major developments in the ways we utilize and converge various technologies. So in 2019, we can tackle these developments head-on by bringing them into our business’ day-to-day operations. There are five New Year’s resolutions you should make for your business in the New Year, and they will all help make it more lucrative than ever.
1. Double down on your digital marketing
Regular advertising is dead. With commercials following consumers everywhere they go, most people have become desensitized to the advertisements around them. That’s where the era of digital marketing comes in. Rather than forcing ads upon your customer base, set up an SEO strategy to increase your website’s visibility in the search engines.
Nowadays, almost every chain of events begins with Google. You can teach yourself SEO basics by referring to resources like Moz and Wordstream. Learn how you can optimize your website for greater search engine visibility, and begin creating high-value content that contains keywords linking to your business.
If you have room in your marketing budget, you might even want to consider hiring an in-house SEO specialist or a third-party digital marketing agency that will manage all of that for you.
2. Establish your social presence
You might be thinking, “I’ll just ignore this point, I already have a Facebook for my business.” However, this isn’t just about having a social presence, it’s about establishing your company’s social presence. That means refining your tone, messaging, and how you interact with followers on social media.
Make sure that your business is active on every social media platform, and that it conveys a fluid theme across platforms. Choose a tone that your business will embody across social media, whether it be sarcastic, enthusiastic, or matter-of-fact.
Engage more regularly with your followers and show them that you are accessible. A regular social media presence lends credibility to your business. Furthermore, more and more companies are beginning to offer customer service and support through social media channels. In the era of connectivity, social media prowess is the first step toward showing you understand the very basics.
3. Pay it forward
This year was the year of “pay it forward,” where good deeds are repaid by random acts of kindness to others. Part of this campaign’s popularity is due to some of the year’s turbulent events, but its presence is definitely for the better.
Nowadays, customers want to see the people behind companies, not just the companies themselves. By getting your business involved in donations and charity, the humanity of your company will show, which will make people only more inclined to buy your product or service.
Make a resolution to involve your business in more charity efforts in 2019. This will paint your business in a positive light with your client base and provide some free publicity—as well as incentives for purchasing.
4. Digitize your documents
It’s time to organize and digitize. Reduce office clutter by uploading files and documents to a cloud service. This will increase accessibility, accountability, and flexibility. Digitizing your documents also increases the likelihood of work-from-home opportunities for you and your employees—which seems to be the direction in which many businesses are headed.
Taking such a forward-thinking approach is also sure to boost your business’ growth. In 2019, resolve to go paperless. It will save time, flubs, and money (about $80 per employee per year to be exact).
5. Re-introduce good customer service
Better communication is the theme of 2019. We’ve taken our technological surroundings so for granted, that we forget the importance of the human touch. If you have a small business, try to forego your automated system in 2019, and dedicate yourself to improved customer service.
Implement a live chat on your company’s website, communicate more with your social media followers, and try to expand your customer service staff.
With new years come new technologies that make person-to-person communication a distant memory. And while 2019 is sure to have its fair share of new business technologies, it’s important you find a way for your business to integrate them into existing approaches instead of rely on them entirely. With that being said, make 2019 the year your business resolves to return to its roots.
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