We’re ready to ring in 2020 with a bang, starting with some high-powered business goals. What are you resolving to do in the new year? Forget hitting the gym more or writing a novel (although those are definitely worthwhile objectives). This year, we want you to commit to taking your small business to the next level — and actually reach your goal! Now is the perfect time to look forward. Here are some ways you can resolve to build a better, more prosperous business in 2020.
Be social
Engaging with audiences on social media is essential to getting your business seen, building your brand, and developing a loyal following. Plus, plugging into social platforms gives you new ways to connect and promote your business.
Whether you choose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or LinkedIn is up to you and your audience, posting content, stories, competitions, polls and videos can help your potential and current customers to engage with your business.
Build your brand
With the influx of social media and e-businesses, we see the word brand tossed around haphazardly. What really is a brand? Why is it so crucial to build one? How can you establish your business’ brand?
Inherent to branding is your business identity: getting seen — and becoming known — by your target audiences. With strong branding, you have the opportunity to become an authority in your field or industry and build loyal customer followings.
The brand you ultimately build — determine your business decisions; it impacts the voice, feel, style, and substance of your content and website, and on a more technical level, your operations, management, interactions, and marketing efforts.
Improve your customer experience
With over 60% of customers saying they would avoid even stepping foot in a shop if there is a long queue, it is important for a business to consider this and enhance their customer experience.
One of the ways we can try to do this is by accepting card payments with a contactless card terminal. Handling cash can be frustrating, especially if you don’t have enough change to hand back to the customer. As well as this, only one in ten UK consumers rarely use cash at all, meaning quite a large majority of the public expect to be able to pay with a debit/credit card, or with their smartphone.
Cash isn’t dead, but it certainly is no longer king. Regardless of how cash affects you now, all signs point to a cashless future.
Set realistic goals
Goal setting is a valuable habit if the goals lead to success rather than distress. Resolve that the goals you set will be achievable, rather than unrealistic pipe dreams that are so far out of reach they only lead to frustration. If you have trouble setting realistic goals, there are ways to map out a formula that makes sense for you.
Make business planning a weekly event
Planning is vital if you want a healthy, growing business. Business planning lets you take stock of what worked and what didn’t work, and helps you set new directions or adjust old goals. So why do it just once a year or once a quarter? Set aside time each week to review, adjust, and look forward—or even better, make business planning a part of each day. Not only will this help you avoid costly mistakes and stay on track, but you’ll feel more focused and relaxed.