If you were a small business owner in the past couple of years, celebrate making it through such a difficult time. Running your own biz is hard enough without a pandemic adding to the stress. But now that we’re nearing a new year, are you worried your business isn’t where you wanted it to be? Are you tired of feeling like you’re tiptoeing around making moves for your business? Are you scared to upset whatever balance you’ve achieved in this chaos?
Here are a few of our favorite tips to help you push your business to the next level and get through that plateau.
01. Set Goals to Push Boundaries
You are the boss; you are the driving force behind your business. If you don’t take an active role in pushing your business forward, who will?
Taking an active role means setting your own goals, striving for your own milestones. These goals should push the boundaries of your business and help you think of your business in new ways. Make sure you’re setting achievable goals, but allow the challenges to help shape your biz.
What does this look like?
Consider incorporating a blog to boost your business’s SEO and improve online visibility. Want to access a certain market’s audience? Team up with a successful business in that market to make their audience yours too.
02. Commit to Continuous Learning
When everything shut down in 2020, several of our clients had to make the jump to e-business. This meant setting up e-commerce platforms and revamping websites.
Even as a social and digital media management company, we have to adapt to change. When Instagram announced earlier this year that they were no longer a photo-sharing app, we had to evolve and reimagine our content for the platform.
Running a business is always about handling change with grace and committing to continuous learning. Listen to audience feedback and familiarize yourself with new technologies. Be open to evolving ways of doing business.
03. Increase Your Productivity
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind, but try to make time to focus on your business. Think to yourself, what can I do to boost productivity? If the answer is “change,” lean into it.
Our Tips for Boosting Productivity:
- delegate work (and trust your team)
- foster and practice effective communication with your team
- focus your to-dos into realistic goals
- use applications and programs that make your life easier (you can read about a few of our favorites here)
04. Focus Your Marketing Strategy
53% of the world’s population uses social media. By focusing your marketing strategy, you can tap into a vast audience that will connect with your business. A strong and focused marketing strategy can be that electric jolt to re-energize your biz, and push it to the next level.
Our Tips for a Focused Marketing Strategy
- foster meaningful and consistent community engagement online
- devise a clear brand image and message
- provide value to your audience
A Quick Breather
If you’ve made it this far and are feeling overwhelmed, congratulations! You’re human. Pushing your business forward is hard work and it’s impossible to juggle all of it. Lean on those who can pick up the ball. And if that means finding a solid marketing team, we know just the gals.
How do YOU plan to push your business to the next level in 2022?