Discover 12 small company advice pieces from accomplished business owners to launch your new venture properly. Here are some tips for sales, marketing, and customer service.

Strategies for a small business to be successful

Despite limited budgets, pursuing passion and business ideas can be achieved through 18 small business tips to increase your customer base and gradually expand your business.

1. Getting organized
2. Develop a strong brand
3. Create unique business photos
4. Make it easy for customers to purchase
5. Stay on top of marketing place
6. Create networking
7. Create great content
8. Build a team
9. Provide exceptional customer service
10. Minimize distractions
11. Prioritize self-care
12. Invest in technology

1. Getting organized

To maximize your daily hours, create a daily to-do list and prioritize critical projects based on productivity. Use tools like Wrike or Asana to improve time management and track deadlines. Plan tasks the night before, create a consistent schedule for work hours, and identify your most productive hours. Schedule essential tasks for those times, ensuring you complete tasks during your most productive hours. This approach helps you manage your time effectively and stay on track with your goals.

2. Develop a strong brand

Branding is the process of creating a distinctive identity for a business, product, or service, ensuring it stands out from the competition. It involves creating a unique name, logo, visual aesthetics, and a consistent message across all platforms. For example, an online clothing store like Boho Chic would have an intricate logo with an earthy, vibrant color palette and a carefree font. Maintaining consistency and a cohesive brand identity across all channels is a major challenge, as highlighted by CEO David Louvet of Innovet Pet. To overcome this, clear branding and messaging guidelines are implemented.

3. Create unique business photos

Photo marketing is crucial for accurately promoting a brand, products, or services, aligning with branding, values, and messaging to build trust with customers. Marketing strategies rely on visuals across various platforms, such as websites, social media, advertising, and product listings. For example, the Boho Chic brand would use models in natural, outdoor settings to portray a relaxed, joyful vibe. The images should reflect the brand’s eclectic personality and use an earthy, vibrant color palette. Camille Ouellette, owner of Camillette, emphasizes the importance of product photography and showcasing jewelry on different skin colors and bodies to create relatable images.

4. Make it easy for customers to purchase

To simplify the buying process for busy consumers, reduce the number of form fields, eliminate unnecessary steps, and display an order summary on the checkout page. Ideally, use a system like Shop Pay, which allows customers to check out with one tap, which can increase conversions by up to 50% compared to guest checkout and outpace other accelerated checkouts by at least 10%. Ensure clear, easy-to-navigate product or service pages with visible Call to Action buttons, zoom or pan functionality on images, and display shipping fees within the pricing section. A great browsing experience is often enough to attract and convert customers.

5. Stay on top of marketing place

To grow your business, it’s crucial to run campaigns and stay updated with marketing trends. This involves following thought leaders on LinkedIn, reading blogs like HubSpot, listening to podcasts like Marketing School, and attending marketing conferences like Yoastcon. Connecting with local marketing professionals can provide insights into promotions that resonate with local audiences. These strategies help create promotions that engage your target audience and help your business grow.

6. Create networking

Networking is essential for building a successful business, as it helps identify best practices and opens doors for new opportunities. To start, join online forums and groups related to your industry and participate in conversations by commenting on others’ threads or starting your own thread. Remember that networking is a two-way street, so offer something valuable to people when they have a conversation. For example, in the advertising industry, you can predict the ROI of Facebook ads this year.

7. Create great content

Content marketing is a powerful tool for building an online presence, promoting your products, brand, and customer service. It can range from company updates to product tips, ensuring diversity. To enhance your content, offer a fresh perspective on popular topics, answer customer questions through your blog, and mix it with case studies, infographics, and video content.

8. Build a team

A one-person business may be cost-effective and easy to manage, but it’s limited in terms of skill set. To ensure the company’s success, entrepreneurs should consider hiring a team to fill gaps in their skills. This will help them focus on tasks they can’t handle on their own, such as handling taxes and accounts. To build a team, entrepreneurs can use sites like Upwork and PeoplePerHour to find suitable candidates, create onboarding strategies, and communicate regularly with staff. If they prefer hiring an agency or freelancer, Shopify Experts offers experienced professionals in marketing, store setup, design, development, and photography to enhance their online store. By focusing on building a team, entrepreneurs can focus on their strengths and their core business.

9. Provide exceptional customer service

Providing excellent customer service is crucial for small businesses to gain repeat business. This leads to satisfied customers who are likely to remain loyal and refer your brand to others. To ensure excellent service, use tools like Shopify Inbox to allow customers to chat with you from your online store and in the Shop app. Review feedback to identify areas for improvement and make the necessary changes. Ask customers to review your business on platforms like Google and Trustpilot to build social proof, which can be a powerful revenue driver for a small business.

10. Minimize distractions

Small business owners often face numerous distractions, including text and social media alerts, children, and household responsibilities. To improve productivity, it’s essential to eliminate or minimize their impact. For instance, if email and social media messages are the main sources of distraction, turn off notifications during work hours. If noise is a concern, use noise-canceling headphones or install a soundproof weatherstrip. While it’s impossible to eliminate all distractions, eliminating those that can improve focus is crucial.

11. Prioritize self-care

Focusing on business health can be tempting, but it’s essential to prioritize your own well-being. Despite stress, it’s crucial to nourish your mind and body. Ensure you get at least seven to nine hours of sleep, exercise regularly, and take breaks from the office. Eat nutritious meals to fuel your body and mind, and find a work-life balance. Spend time doing what you love and enjoying the things you love.

12. Invest in technology

Small business owners often hesitate to invest in new technology due to the perceived cost and complexity of the tools. However, investing in technology can improve the customer experience, expand offerings, and grow the business. For instance, Sweet Harmony, a small bakery, implemented a point-of-sale system to automate sales, inventory management, and customer relationship management. They also used digital marketing tools, e-commerce platforms, and data analytics to make informed business decisions. These investments helped Sweet Harmony streamline operations, reach a wider audience, and provide better customer service, leading to increased revenue and business growth.

THANKS FOR READING