5 Tips for Growing Your Small Business

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Earlier today I had the opportunity to share some tips from The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Local Lead Generation with KATV’s Good Morning Arkansas audience.  Here are the tips I shared:

• Strategy before Tactics
  • Know who your ideal target client is – if you had 10 more customers just like your best ones, what would they look like?
  • Know your Unique Difference – “better quality and service” isn’t enough – what truly sets your company apart?  (hint: ask your best customers why they do business with you)
  • Use the first two bullets to develop your Key Marketing Messages
• Claim your Online Real Estate
  • Have a high performing, preferably WordPress-based, website
  • Claim your Google My Business listing
  • Take a NAP!  (get your Name, Address and Phone number on your website – 60% of local businesses do not do this!)
  • Set up your Social Media properties – if you’re new to social media, start slow but be consistent, don’t create a Social Media Ghost Town where your last post was Happy Thanksgiving 2013!
• Your Customers are Your Best Sales Force
  • Activate your referral sources
  • Be easy to refer
  • Educate your best customers on how to refer you
  • Embrace online reviews, testimonials and directories to refer traffic and customers to you
• Attract Leads with a Magnet
  • Begin creating an opt-in email list, using compelling educational content to gain an opt-in
  • You can start with your most frequently asked questions from your customers, write those down (answer them) and create a branded downloadable document from them
• Offline is Not Old School
  • Direct Mail, Events and Networking are still very effective marketing tactics – provided that you have a plan around their implementation.

These tips can help you grow your business today.  And when implemented as part of an overall marketing system for your business you can really begin to out-compete your local rivals.

Get started today!