If running a thriving, successful business is the goal, how do you get there? There are ways to reach growth milestones that can propel your business to grow by leaps and bounds, catapulting you to the next level in business growth. Frequently the key to building a successful business means stepping outside of your comfort zone. You need to break goals down into smaller steps and more manageable tasks. Make an actionable plan for your business. While overnight success isn’t standard, you should follow these tips for accelerating growth.
Integrated Marketing
You need to be reaching out to your customers in more than one way. There are dozens of ways for you to communicate with your customers, don’t focus so hard on one channel that you neglect others. Websites, emails, direct mail campaigns, catalogs, and social media are all ways to keep your message in front of your customer base. An integrated approach can reach different types of customers, bring in leads from more sources, and work together to tell your brand’s complete story. Test the various marketing channels and track them to see which provides the best results for your business and your sales goals.
Use Social Media The Right Way
If you are constantly selling your business, you are using social media the wrong way. Marketing and sales are two different things, and a sales-only strategy on social media isn’t going to get you very far. Social media needs to be about relationship building and providing value to your audience. Provide industry insights, tips and tricks, or even funny behind-the-scenes videos. Create trust with your followers, so when it’s time to make a purchase, they feel confident turning to you.
Be Better Organized
Stop floundering around tackling tasks in an unorganized fashion. Adopt a strategic approach to your business that will help you be better organized and become more efficient. Start by looking at how you manage your time. Consider adopting the 60/20/20 approach for allocating your time at work. That means spending 60% of your time working proactively on tasks that add value to your business or cannot be delegated to someone else. With your remaining time, you should spend 20% on planning and 20% on strategizing. Planning time is where you focus on priorities and resources that benefit the operation of your business. Safeguard can help with office solutions that boost productivity, including date stamps, filing systems, and business envelopes. Your strategizing time is spent evaluating how you can improve your business performance and your customer experience.
Build Strong Security
It’s important you protect your business from a multitude of threats. Those include everything from cyber threats to check fraud. Small business owners need to be aware of the threats that pose a security risk to their digital information, whether those threats come from malicious software or other sources. Check fraud is another huge risk facing companies. Luckily, the right checks from Safeguard can increase efficiency and protection. These state-of-the-art secure business checks feature the latest technology to help prevent and detect attempted fraud. The right security solutions can help you run your business smoothly and securely.
Understand Your Cash Flow
To take your business to the next level, you need to dig deep into your numbers. It’s important that you understand your inventory levels and cash flow. Numbers don’t lie. Know your gross margin, net profit, and cash on hand. While it may look like product is flying off the shelf, you won’t really know until you look at your quantitative data. You also need to make sure you don’t fall into common tax traps. Never make important business decisions because you are trying to lower your taxable income. Remember, the goal is to make a profit, not to play games with taxes.
Ask Questions
Owning a business can feel lonely, don’t be afraid to ask questions from other business owners. Everyone needs mentors through their entrepreneur journey. Create a formal advisory board that you can rely on for advice. Or build yourself a more informal tribe of advisers, counselors, and good friends who can offer input. Including them in your celebrations and lean on them when things are tough. Be willing to share your business knowledge, as well. The exchange of information is a great way to build your business and create new partnerships.
Accelerate your business growth with your own personal Safeguard consultant. Your consultant can help you with everything you need to run and grow your business, whether that is custom forms or a new filing system. Contact us today and discover the Safeguard Advantage for yourself.