Despite the economic challenges of the last few years, there is a wealth of opportunity out there for small businesses. Whatever size you are now, it’s important to plan and structure for future growth. A little proactivity pays off in the long-term, so here are some tips to help you grow.
Things You Can Do to Facilitate Growth
We have come up with a total of 11 tips to help you grow in a controlled, sustainable fashion.
1. Focus on Scalability
Cheap fixes are never a good long-term solution. Though it may seem daunting, it is generally better to focus on implementing a system with the scalability to grow with you, even if the learning curve is steep.
ERP software is ideal for this as it integrates all your disparate operations into a central database, avoiding patchwork mazes of multiple systems that become increasingly difficult to navigate.
2. Invest in Your Systems
IT infrastructure is fundamental to your ability to grow in the digital world. You need the systems to run your business and the hardware to run those systems. A solid CRM like Pipedrive can help you focus on improving customer relationships, but you need the equipment to manage the software on.
Review your current operations to identify areas for improvement. There is software and hardware out there to make those improvements, and the growth of automation could revolutionise the way you do business.
3. Plan for Growth
There are many approaches to growing your business, but you need to have a plan in place. Many businesses go about digital marketing with no defined strategy in place. It’s far easier to work towards goals if you actually know what it is you are trying to achieve. But you should also aim to be flexible and allow plans to change when new information comes to light.
4. Enhance your Homepage
SEO and navigation are important considerations for your website, but a polished homepage is equally important. Only a tiny percentage of ecommerce website visits end with a purchase, and your customers won’t stay for long if the website is cluttered and messy. Use things like:
- Keyword optimisation.
- A/B testing.
These things will help you optimise the UX on your homepage and get the best possible results.
5. Make Use of Analytics
Big data analytics is huge, and the likes of Facebook and Amazon are able to dominate markets with it. You can tap into the same resources with free or low-cost tools to gain excellent customer insights.
Your ERP or CRM systems may have capabilities to view things like:
- Page visits.
- Bounce rate.
- Average time on your site.
- Sources of traffic.
These insights can fuel decision-making for your marketing efforts, helping you optimise landing pages and increase conversions.
6. Invest in Your Staff and Office Culture
Having the right people in place is fundamental to preparing yourself for growth and success. This applies right from the founding of your business through to making adjustments and expanding into new markets.
There will be times when you need to bring in new staff or get the best out of your existing employees. A strong culture helps promote loyalty and motivation, which leads to greater productivity.
7. Remember that Content Marketing is King
Blogs are a great way to drive more traffic to your website and become an industry thought leader. Shoppers do their research online, and blog posts are a common source of information. If you have lots of posts out there relating to your niche, customers will find your site organically and steer them towards your products.
There are lots of best practices for writing engaging blog posts and plenty of firms to help, so do your research. You can boost your best posts with social media and digital advertising to leverage ratings and reviews as well. Just remember to keep creating high-quality content – the more evergreen content you have out there, the better.
8. Take Measured Risks
Growing your small business will always involve an element of risk. You will have to leave your comfort zone sometimes, but you don’t want to rely on luck alone. Focus on your end goals and be prepared for potential obstacles and challenges. This sets you up for success, preparing you to overcome roadblocks whenever you take a calculated risk.
9. Have a Backup Plan in Place
Your small team is usually quite agile, ready to pivot when the unexpected happens. But growth brings in a lot more complexity, and it can be difficult to adjust at the same sort of speed. Put contingency plans in place for when things don’t go your way – this will enable you to efficiently deal with bumps in the road.
10. Maintain Focus on Your Core Strengths
What makes your business unique? Whatever it is, that should be at the heart of everything you do. There may be many things you’d like to be the best at, but there are already things you do better than the rest.
Just remember that the sky is the limit for your core capabilities. There is always room for improvement, and the more you fine-tune your specialties, the more impressive you will be to potential customers. If you need to bring in other solutions, hire or purchase them so that you can keep focusing on your core strengths.
11. Remember the Importance of Branding
The way you appear to your audience is, in their eyes, what you are. You need to differentiate yourself from the competition, and you need to convince your customers that you are fully-established and here for the long haul. This inspires trust in both customers and investors, so you need to work hard to present yourself in the best possible way.
Strategic design and marketing are possible, but you also need to pay close attention to relationship management and networking. With efforts placed strategically and the right software in place, you can cement and sustain your image in the eye’s of your audience.
Final Thoughts
Believe in yourself. This is your small business, and these are your dreams. The tips in this article are a good guideline for success, but you need to always keep your eyes on the ball. With the right tools, carefully-honed strategies and a winning mindset, you set yourself up for successful growth. Just make sure you keep moving in the direction you want to go in.
Why choose Eventura as your ERP implementation partner?
Eventura has been providing robust business solutions to countless organisations for over two decades. We are ERP experts and can identify all of your business needs, and deliver a comprehensive ERP solution that works for you.
As Sage 200 Partners and NetSuite Solution Providers, we can help you identify which solution will fit your business needs the best. Our expert team of business analysts, developers, consultants, technicians and support staff can guide you through your entire project, from initial scoping through to implementation and on-going support.
We’re also managed IT service providers meaning we can help you identify your entire IT infrastructure requirements from day one. If you would like to speak to one of our ERP experts, you can request a free call back here.
