2018 Fresh Start: 3 Key Business Improvements to Consider
Happy New Year!
Whether you are just starting out as business owner or you have been around the block for quite some time, every new day is an opportunity to improve and progress in your business.
However, the New Year gives us the additional momentum to set new goals and resolutions, and puts us in a mindset that we are starting with a clean slate.
Here are some ideas to get your business off to a fresh start this year:
Maintain a strong online presence
Expect that potential customers will almost always turn to their favorite search engine when looking for information about a company, service or product. Although word-of-mouth marketing is still an effective form of promotion (not to mention, free), it will take time for positive customer feedback to make an impact on your business and your bottom line.
Fortunately, we now have the internet to simplify the interaction.
If your business lacks an online presence these days, there is a high chance that it will eventually fall off the radar. You have to acknowledge that you have competition, and make sure that your business gets listed on the top local listing sites or online directories to stay in the game.
There are plenty of practices that can help develop your online presence. Maintaining a great business website is a vital step. This provides you and your company with credibility, and gives your customers an overview on what your business has to offer.
Content marketing is also a great way of boosting your online presence. Publishing blog posts, case studies, or videos regularly does not only improve your website rankings, but it can also win the trust of customers and prospects by providing valuable and useful material to them. Moreover, don’t forget that people love interactive media. Giving them multiple avenues to view more information and share their insights on the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter will shorten the distance between your business and your customers, keeping them up-to-date with your business’ movements.
See more information on Online Marketing Statistics
Develop your team
Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, had always believed that a huge part of a business’ success depended on cultivating coworker relationships, developing their potential, and letting them understand the value of their work and contribution to the company. He used to say:
“We produce people, and we also produce electrical goods.”
Your team should grow alongside your business. And by “grow” we don’t necessarily mean in size. At some point in time, you have probably found yourself hoarding most of the work, for fear that the quality will suffer. This will eventually leave you stressed and burnt out at the end of the day.
Through effective delegation, you are not only saving time and accomplishing more, but you are also providing opportunities for your team to take on new challenges and learn new skills. Of course, you cannot just dump tasks on someone and call it “delegating”. Matsushita always focused on people’s strengths instead of their shortcomings.
“We produce people, and we also produce electrical goods.”
Take the time to learn the talents and personalities of your team, and give them assignments they could competently handle to showcase those skills. If you recognize and trust that they have the ability to contribute to or complete an activity, they will feel more confident and important to the company. Bringing out the best in your team members is a crucial part of managing and developing your team.
Move to the Cloud and Implement Modern Tools
Since you are reading this online, chances are you are already using at least one cloud service on a daily basis. Cloud technology has penetrated our lives in a way that we may not realize it. It is more than just file storage like Google Drive and Dropbox. Video-streaming, updating a social media status, online banking, and checking your email are some of the common examples of what we can do with the cloud. Additionally, cloud technology can offer you an array of benefits to make your business processes more efficient and convenient.
Moving to the cloud lets you and your team share the same server infrastructure, while allowing you to see and make updates in real time. This is especially helpful if your team is spread out through various towns, cities and countries.
Security is always an item to be concerned about, but most cloud services are protected by encryption (some providers even use additional algorithms and security methods to add more layers of protection) so you can be rest assured that all of your sensitive data is safe.
Moreover, technology has developed so much that certain workflows no longer need human involvement. Business Process Automation can reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks and the need for additional resources. Today, most business areas like project management and communication could be simplified by implementing the right tools and apps to your business.
See more information on Apps and Tools for Remote Working
Final Thoughts
New year resolutions are never easy to keep, especially when they mean implementing new systems and process in your business. But, embracing change is what allows us to take a step back from what we’ve been doing, allowing us to determine whether there are better ways.
Lastly, goals without action are just that. Follow-through and be consistent (start small) and improvements will appear - progress is the name of the game!
