“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”
-Bill Copeland
Welcome, 2018! This is the perfect time to set those new year’s resolutions, both personal and professional. As a business owner, you have your sights set on many different goals for success. Now is the perfect time to implement those and really take the risks necessary to get your business where you want it to be. If you need a little direction as far as which goals to set, we’ve got you covered:
Get Out There Online
It’s 2018— if your business isn’t visible online, your business isn’t visible. If you don’t already have a website, now is the time to create one. If you do have one, make sure it is SEO optimized and that you’re keeping it updated, user-friendly and modern. There are several other places you should be showing up online, too:
- Facebook: Create a page for your business and fill it with as much information as possible so people don’t feel like they need to go digging to find out how to contact you. Keep your Facebook page updated and make sure you include photos!
- Google: Google sees over 3.5 BILLION searches every single day… wow! Your business should be there, showing up when someone searches for a service that you can provide. Best of all, just like Facebook, it’s free!
- Twitter: Twitter is another free service that is used daily by your customers. Having a profile on twitter means you can easily and quickly answer questions and post updates about your business, so people feel more connected with you!
- Yelp: Yelp is similar to Google, where customers can go on and read and write reviews for your business, as well as gather any information they might need (contact information, business hours, services offered, etc.)
Make Time for Yourself
Your business is important, and so if your sanity. If you want to keep your business running, you need to keep yourself running, too. Whatever you need to do to unwind after a hard day or week at work, is what you should focus on. Take time to relax and work on hobbies, or just take some time for yourself and do whatever will help you de-stress. This could be:
- Take a Nap
- Go for a Walk
- Exercise
- Meditate
- Play a Game
- Catch up with a Friend or Family Member
Take the time to focus on yourself really will benefit your business, because it will help you avoid becoming burnt out and sick of work. Don’t feel bad about needing a little time to do things you actually want to do, inside of the constant hustle of running a business.
Learn Something New about Your Industry
You’re the expert of your industry. However, no matter what line of work you’re in, there’s always something new to learn. Whether it’s a new tool that has come out and could make your work easier, or a new method of completing a service, take the time to research and learn about it. If you can’t think of anything, take some time to learn about your competitors. They are a part of your industry, and it never hurts to see what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong.
Staying up-to-date and modern on business and technology trends will also help you in your work. Learning about new technology that you could implement really couldn’t hurt. Maybe you don’t need to utilize it, but it’s always good to have information at your fingertips. Read up on articles about current business technologies, here.
Strategize Monthly
This goes hand-in-hand with learning something new about your industry. Strategizing monthly will help your business to stay up-to-date and in good shape. If you have employees, meet with them each month. This is a good idea in the way of team building, training and giving information about your business. Have your employees compile their questions and ideas on how to make things easier or more smooth for your business, and review them each month. If you offer a new service, or find that your employees are struggling with a current service you offer, use this time to focus on training. Of course, if you’re all caught up, a quick team building game or outing is great for boosting morale!
Along with strategizing with your employees monthly, you should also be reviewing your finances, marketing and trends. If you have a product or marketing promotion that isn’t working and bringing in revenue, stop wasting money on it! Going over this every month ensures that you aren’t wasting time and money on things that aren’t benefiting your business.
Engage with Your Customers
Are you sick of us telling you to engage with your customers? Too bad! It’s brought up so much because it’s completely necessary. This is the key to bringing those past customers back and creating loyal business that you can count on. If you’re not already engaging with your customers, this goal is a must for your business. If you need some help knowing how and when to engage, check out this post.
We wish you a happy and successful new year!
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!