These are my top 10 suggestions that I feel has helped my business grow over the past year. I truly advise finding a way to fit these in your schedule and make it a priority to help your business grow in 2012.
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Get a decent website for potential clients to view your services & portfolio.
First impressions are everything, so I advise getting this set in place! If you can't afford one, get a nice clean blog to get your business online until you can. You'll be surprised how many times I've heard people state that they would base their decision for going with a company based off their website appearance. To get money, sometimes you've got to spend it!
Get your business it's own social media.
Yes, this includes a blog, facebook fan page and a twitter account solely for your business. This also means you'll have to use it and keep it updated with fresh material, otherwise it appears that you aren't doing anything. Not good for your business image. People are quick to research you online before considering contacting you.
Send out at least 12 email newsletters for the entire year to your current email list.
That is 1 email newsletter per month. This is just for starters and to remind people that your business still exist. No more then 20 per year, people will start to get annoyed. You can send out tips and specials your company is offering. There are many options out there to send out email newsletters such as Constant Contact, Mad Mimi and Mailchimp, just to name a few.
Get Business cards designed and keep them on you at all times!
I cannot stress this enough! I've gone to places where I would not expect people to ask for my business card. Places like the grocery store, dominoes pizza, the cafe to do a little work or just going over to a friend's or family member's home and their neighbors or friends needing your service. CARRY THEM AT ALL TIMES!
Get a number for your business and have a professional voicemail.
This all depends on your type of business if you need to purchase a number, but I always recommend a professional voicemail. I've provided a link for script to use to create your voicemail. There are a few places like Ringcentral that will provide you with a number to use for your business that will forward to your cell phone and let you know where the incoming call is coming from. This is great for online stores that need 1-800 numbers, but they also provide phone numbers in your area code as well.
Offer specials throughout the year to help get repeat business and new clients.
I would recommend a new year special to get your business kicked off and post it on all your social media. Consider creating a flyer to post on your blog, send out in an email newsletter, use as your facebook profile image to attract more clients and post the image on twitter. I also recommend announcing your special at least 3 times a day on twitter. If you understand how twitter functions, you'll realize how many times tweets are posted and yours may be over looked. So additional post are a must!
Ask your clients to like and post a good review on your Facebook fan page.
I've recently started doing this. I started asking clients to post their review of my service on my fan page. I'm one of those people that look for reviews on a company or product, so I know I'm not the only one. Remember to make it easy for them and provide the link for them to post. What I've noticed is they've started to post the reviews on their page. THAT'S EVEN BETTER BECAUSE THEIR LIST OF FRIENDS CAN VIEW IT!
Use youtube to your advantage, IT REALLY WORKS!
About 3 months ago, I made 9 videos of my portfolio, categorized them and uploaded it to youtube. This week all my efforts finally paid off. I had a client who contacted me solely based off viewing my youtube videos I created. It took 2 days to create them all and 3 months to get a call, but it was totally worth it! The useful thing with youtube is you can post those same videos in your email newsletters; post on facebook, twitter and blogger; and embed in your website.
See what services your competitors are offering and add it to your list.
I usually recommend looking at a company in your market that is doing it big and mimic them. No point in reinventing the wheel. If what they are doing is working, you should try adding that service to your list. Clearly, you can make it your own and customize your service to make it stand out. In order for your business to grow, your service options also needs to.
Work on your customer service skills!
Now this might sound old but it will always stand true! People always remember how you treat them when it comes to business. No one owes you their business, so it is your responsibility to build a good business relationship with your clients. This will make people recommend you to their friends and colleagues.
Proper customer service tips:
- Respond on time to emails and voicemails.
- Listen to your client's needs and work in a timely fashion to answer request. People just want to know you're listening and that you care about their business.
- Answer the phone professionally at all times or business friendly with repeat clients.
- Treat people how you want to be treated in business. The same service you expect from other businesses, you should be willing to give yourself.
I hope this information is found useful and used. Enjoy!
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