Wether or not New Year's resolutions are your thing, all business owners can take this time to reflect and set goals for the upcoming year. Each January, we make sure to take a step back and really think about where we are and where we're going. This year, join us in our 2024 resolutions to grow your small business.
1) Conduct a Brand Audit
Don't worry--we're not talking about your numbers here (that can wait a few months). This audit is all about your brand. Review your materials, website, inventory, etc. Is everything up to date with the correct logo, font, and colors? Do all of your links work, and are they relevant? A brand audit helps clean up your image to be more professional and more cohesive. Make sure you're staying on brand and on mission. Conducting regular brand audits also makes sure you don’t have outdated things that will confuse your clients or make them question if you’re still open. For example, you may have noticed that some businesses still have notices on their websites or voicemail about "the new COVID-19 virus." This can give the impression that the company hasn't made any updates in years. When conducting your brand audit, make sure you cover internal branding (values, mission), external branding (logos, aesthetic), and customer experience (customer support, policies).
2) Listen to Your Customers
This is a no-brainer, right? Well, there are myriad ways to communicate with your customers; you want to make sure you're using methods that allow you to hear what each and every one of your clients have to say. This might mean creating surveys, feedback forms, or other materials specific to your business. Really listening to your clients means taking time to converse with them, as well. Be mindful of your response time and be invested in what your customers have to say, even if you disagree with it. Especially if you disagree with it! It's hard to do much of anything as a business if you're ignoring your target audience/consumer. If you're not plugged in to what they need and want, there's no way your business can stay on target and grow. What are your customers' pain points? Are your services meeting their needs? What do they have to say about it?
3) Expand Your Online Presence
Establishing a strong social media presence is one of the most effective forms of digital marketing, especially for small business owners. We talk about this a lot in our blogs, but we really can't stress how important it is. Social media continues to grow exponentially, both in userbase and unique platforms themselves. To stay on top of it, you need to be tuned in to what your target consumer is interested in and posting relevant content. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to post, but video is aways a great way to expand online. We recommend batch making content and posting it on the sites where your target audience will see it--and we can help! Schedule an in-studio video package with AWV to create a month's worth of social media content in just one aternoon.
Do you have a specific video question? Schedule a free video analysis call at bit.ly/callawv