The New Year is a time of transformation and hope. Millions of people around the world make resolutions every year with the intention of making positive changes in their lives. The people who follow through with them usually say that their lives have been altered for the better.
It’s should come as no surprise then that it’s not only individuals who make New Year’s resolutions. Businesses make them too, and often to great success. So if you’re a business owner who’s looking to revitalise your business in 2014, check out these essential resolutions to give you inspiration.
1. Training
People are the backbone of any good business, but without training you might find that your worker bees quickly lose their buzz. Investing in training is a great New Year’s resolution for any business, large or small, and it’s easy to keep too.
Your greatest assets as a business are your employees and you should be concerned about how well they are trained for the tasks they carry out on daily basis. Their personal development can also improve how they work and hence the overall productivity level of your business.
Companies like Cornerstone now offer cloud learning solutions which mean your employees won’t even need to travel, but can learn from the comfort and ease of the office. You should explore options that can allow your employees to improve their skills without necessarily forgoing working in the office.
2. Clean Up Your Content Marketing
Almost every business is now online, but there are plenty who still don’t know how to maximise their online potential. The key word here is ‘content’. In the world of SEO (that’s search engine optimisation) content plays a vital role in not only getting your business seen, but keeping both your existing and potential customers interested.
It’s your responsibility to educate and inform your prospective and existing customers. Sharing free knowledge with your fans has proven to make great impact on business for businesses like Hubspot and Kissmetrics. Create a new content marketing strategy based on results your received last year. if you are new to content marketing, check out Neil Patel’s comprehensive content marketing guide.
3. Give Back to Your Customers
Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and with customers this is doubly-so. Make one of your resolutions this year to connect more with your customers, and implement a long strategy of reciprocal appreciation by giving back whenever you can. This could be in giveaways or promotions, or it could simply mean talking to them more over the phone or on social media.
It could also mean giving away some of your services for free or rewarding existing customers who refer their friends to your business. Think about new ways customers can be encouraged to tell your story or recommend your product to others. Your customers deserve the very best of services.
4. Revamp Your Website
2013 was a year of big changes in terms of web design, with flat, parallax and responsive design cresting the wave. If your website is looking a little outdated, making a resolution to have it updated will help to give your business the edge it needs to stay competitive online.
There are now too many options for consumers, and they can easily leave your site the moment they get there and find out they can’t figure out where to find what. Design with the customer in mind. Make it insanely great for them to find every information needed to make a decision to sign up as soon as possible.
5. Look Backwards … and Forwards!
Hindsight is a valuable tool when planning a business strategy, so make one of your resolutions to go over all of the successes and failures of your past year when planning your strategy for 2014.
Identifying your strengths and weaknesses will help you to avoid mistakes and may pave the way for your business to branch out in new directions over the coming months. Assessment of your failures and successes will guide you to make the right decisions this year. Focus on what works and do more of what worked last year.
What are the resolutions you have made this year? What can contribute to the success of small businesses this year? Share with us in the comment box below.
Comments are closed.