Whether youve got a brilliant idea in your head or youre just getting your feet wet in a sea of businesses, growing your company is something that takes a lot of work, passion and dedication. However, thanks to modern technology and the amount of fantastic advice on the internet, its nowhere near as difficult as it used to be.
Growing a business is all about strategy now. You need to have a plan of attack, you need to know what channels to advertise on, and you have to take into consideration what audience you are targeting. Without further ado, here are a couple of great ways to grow your at-home business without much work or money involved.
First impressions count
If you want to attract investors or new clients, then you arent going to get very far with a residential address. First impressions matter, so you should look into getting a virtual mailbox. These give you an address in a premium office location and you can use it as your business address so that people have somewhere to send letters and packages while shielding your real address. It also looks professional and gives the customer a sense of trust in you when they see a famous location such as Wall Street, New York on your contact information.
Get noticed
By using social media and smart promotions, youll be able to grow a business faster than any traditional marketing could hope for. You need to know where internet traffic is headed and you need to know how you can ride that storm to get noticed. Creating a presence on social media is arguably easier than trying to get noticed in the real world, so make use of services such as Twitter and Instagram and stay active on these platforms to keep up with the latest trends and find ways to promote your services or products.
Stand your ground
As a small business, youre the new kid in school thats just trying to make a name for themselves, meaning youre prone to suits bullying you. Whether its a lawyer writing a cease and desist letter to you to shut you down or a corporate know-it-all whos bashing you on Twitter, make sure you stand your ground and ignore these childish playground tactics. Believe in your business, believe in yourself, and believe in the products you are shipping to the consumer.
Focus on customer support
If theres one thing customers like besides a fantastic product, its the feeling of being pampered. If your customers are leaving comments on your website, asking you questions on social media or even writing personal emails to you, then take the time to respond to these. You should do this both for the sake of good will and also for the sake of building customer relations. The more work you put into dealing with customers, the better it will reflect on your brand. You want customers for life and the only way to do so is to maintain a solid relationship with them.