Regardless of the current size of your business, it's best to plan and structure so that you’re ready for the future. When it comes to growing a small business, a little proactivity will pay off in the long run. Here are 4 tips on how to how to grow a business.
1. Improve your homepage
In addition to doing things like improving SEO and making signing up or purchasing easy, make sure your homepage looks as perfect as possible.
Consider this: 96 percent of visitors to your website aren’t ready to buy something. Your homepage is most likely where they’ll land. If it’s cluttered or hard to navigate, they’ll go elsewhere. If the web copy is bad or doesn’t show the value of your product, they’ll be turned off. Sometimes a simple change can boost revenue tremendously. Tandberg, a video conference company, increased lead generation by improving their call-to-action. Through A/B testing and keyword optimization, Tandberg established a call-to-action on its homepage that delivered 50 percent more leads in just the first month.
2. Make your blog shine
It really not surprising that 53 percent of marketers state blog posts are their most important inbound marketing activity. Corey Wainwright, a content marketing expert, writes that good blogging can drive traffic to your website, convert that traffic into leads, establish authority in your industry, and achieve long-term results for your business. When you consider that 81 percent of shoppers conduct research online, good blog posts can bring your business a lot of value over time. Potential customers will naturally find your site once your blog has an established online presence. So make sure the bulk of the content is evergreen. Such posts will only require periodic updating, bringing you better value for your investment.
On all these sites, add in pictures, links to blog posts, and relevant information about your company. Interact with customers—and respond to their needs and questions. This will improve your brand image.
What’s most beneficial about social media and digital advertising is that you can leverage ratings and reviews. In fact, 92 percent of consumers trust recommendations from family and friends. If one customer gives your company a “like” and says something positive, it will get the attention of people in their network, creating a word-of-mouth effect that could grow your business.
3. Focus on scalability
When money, time, and expertise are in short supply, it can be tempting to go with the quick (or cheap) fix, and investing in basic solutions that don’t require a huge financial investment or learning curve can seem wise.
But things are not always what they seem.
Yes, that dream solution may be a stretch and have an intimidating learning curve. But ending up in a patchwork maze of multiple inexpensive and inefficient systems that only appear economical will end up costing money in the long run.
4. Take calculated risks
A small business expansion is not without risks. To make the right decisions it will sometimes be necessary to move outside your comfort zone. After all, guillemot chicks will plunge off of cliffs with unformed wings to meet the rest of their flock, risking almost certain death if their jump goes wrong.
We're not saying you should rely only on good luck. By focusing on the end goal and proactively identifying potential roadblocks, you’ll set yourself up for success, even when your next move feels like a risk.
Take Keap's Lifecycle Marketing Assessment to identify growth opportunities for your business.
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