Another decade gone as the start of 2020 is just on the horizon. Now is the time where many businesses reflect on 2019’s ups and downs as a means for setting themselves up for success going forward. Through evaluation and assessment, companies large and small are able to capitalize on strengths and build on weaknesses that allow them to perfect their products, services, streamline processes, enhance their brand, and improve customer service.
If you’re interested in your online business evolving in the new year, consider some of these changes listed below:
Build on Customer Service
Without your customers remaining a successful business is nearly impossible. As the needs and expectations of consumers evolves, it is necessary for businesses to find feasible ways to accommodate them. In the new year, you should really dig deep and get to know your target consumers/clients so that you can customize company practices, products, and services to meet their needs.
Some ways to build on customer service might be to invest in new technologies like BlueSnap to make it easy for clients to complete transactions online, update the company website to enhance user experience, implement new training to enhance the skills of staff, and streamlining workplace practices to improve the quality of service provided to your target audience.
Start a Blog
Most online businesses have a company website where visitors can come and learn more about the products and services provided, however, if you want to expand your reach, having a blog can be a great advantage.
Blogs help you to build credibility, share information, educate your audience, boost online visibility, and broaden your reach. If you do not presently have a blog, it is fairly easy to incorporate one into your marketing strategy. You can hire staff in-house to write posts for you, allow guests bloggers who are experts in your industry to write topics or hire a freelance blogger to manage the blog for you.
Build a Stronger Social Media Presence
Social media is definitely still a strong medium to be used when marketing your online business. While many online businesses have social media pages, some fail by not utilizing those accounts to their fullest potential. It is not enough to simply create an account, but one must develop strategies that allow them to constantly find innovative ways to engage their target audience.
Your social media pages should have more than the company website and contact information on there. You should look to incorporate compelling content like articles and blog posts, press releases, videos, infographics, and more. You should also engage your audience and be more social by starting conversations, asking questions, as well as leaving and responding to comments. The more social you are the more authentic your following which boosts your platform to generate sales.
Get More Involved in the Community
Though you may operate a virtual business, consumers are making decisions on where to spend their hard-earned cash by looking into what companies do for the community. You can teach free classes, sponsor an event or charity you believe in, donate to a charitable cause, set up and/or participate in community events like food drives, back to school giveaways, holiday coat drives, annual community block parties, and more to show that your brand cares about their target audience and the communities they come from.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways online businesses can evolve in the new year. As you consider New Year’s resolutions for your small business (such as those listed above), focusing on areas like branding, marketing, customer service, and community service are essentially the best investment as they help to improve how your brand is perceived by your target audience, set you ahead of the competition, and put you in a position to succeed in 2020 and beyond.
