Don’t Fall Behind This Fall
The Fall season is right around the corner!!! We can’t wait to walk into a Joann’s or Hobby Lobby store to embrace the overwhelming scent of pumpkin spice as it drifts from one end to the other. Even more nostalgic is the mesmerizing color palette from nature itself as it paints a picture of new beginnings. It’s that time when families have returned from vacation, kids have gone back to school, and there’s this air of preparation for the holiday season.
For small businesses, this is a time to take strategic positions in the market and leverage market share and revenue for the year. It’s time to get busy.
Here are five things you should consider this fall:
1. Refine your Growth Strategy plan:
It’s time to focus on your best possible growth strategies. Your clients need to know what you are all about. They are looking for experts in their field. It’s tough for clients to sign deals or contracts if they are a little skeptical about your brand or hesitant on what your business offers. On your website, specify critical points about your firm and the products/services you offer. You may have started your company offering a lot of resources, but as you grow, take time to narrow down your services. Leave no room for doubts.
So, what’s your clear focus? You know what they say, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”
Define your niche. Define your target audience. Define your key demographic.
2. Boost your Customer Engagement:
You need to be involved with your customers. Let them know you care. You can do this by responding to emails on time or sending personal cards or notes to show interest in their well being. This is the perfect time to grow your database. You can build your database through your website. Your website should offer user-generated content and accessible CTAs (Call-To-Action). This can be executed through your landing page, blog, social media alongside your products and services. You can also make schedules and set up CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems to manage customer retention. There are tools out there like Hubspot, Zoho, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Oracle. This offers you automation opportunities and pipeline tracking, contact management, communication integration, and reports. You can use this database to convert your new leads into loyal customers.
3. Nurture your Business Relationships:
It is essential to maintain critical business partners and company affiliates or advocates. There should be a balance between these relationships. For instance, if you only pay attention to getting business partners or clients, you may never have advocates to spread your gospel. This is where testimonials come in handy. Over the past few years, there have been discussions about the Absolute Value of products and services. People now look to customer reviews and testimonials before they buy anything. As a small business, you want to leverage your sales and market share. It is essential to incorporate stories and testimonials on your marketing campaigns. However, you don’t want to slap that on there. Craft a story that makes your potential customers or clients emotionally invested in your business. This can be done through e-newsletters, blog posts, websites, and social media outlets. The aim is to build a relationship with your audience and stay in contact with them all year round.
4. Generate new offerings and deals:
You should keep your customers anticipating what you would be offering during the holidays. This would be a perfect time to release fall sales, early-bird discounts, free shipping, etc. I know a couple of companies that do this very well. For instance, Dunkin Donuts released a pumpkin chai flavored latte for the Fall to get their customers excited about the season and anticipating the coziness of coffee and a warm coat on a cold morning as they lived through the snow and the harsh winds of the winter.
Keep your eyes out for the upcoming seasons like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Free Shipping day, and Small Business Saturday. You want to generate hype and keep your customers excited about what is to come.
5. Grow your network:
This is the best time to build traction and gain new leads. You can do this by creating special offers on marketing campaigns. For instance, if you are a thought leader in the UI/UX industry, host seminars with special offers to educate people on exciting topics in UI/UX. You can build traction by attending networking events like trade shows, conventions, industry conferences. This allows you to offer new solutions and incentives to your target audience almost instantly. Develop a local presence. If you don’t put yourself out there, people will never know what your business is all about.
Take advantage of the holidays. Don’t fall behind this fall.
