Things are hard out there for small business owners. The recent news about the latest energy hike has a lot of people worried, customers and entrepreneurs alike, and everyone is worried about how they are going to make it through the winter. For business owners, one of the biggest challenges is going to be making sure that they can keep the money coming in. This means that you are going to need to be even more effective when it comes to reaching your customers and presenting your case to potential investors.
Boosting your profile can be tricky at the best of times, but given how competitive things are right now, you must remember that companies with a lot more resources and experience than you are going to be doubling their efforts to do the same thing. Here are a few cost-effective ways that you can boost the profile of your small business or your freelance operation.
Focus On Your Website
When it comes to cost-effective ways to drive new traffic to your business, your website should be at the top of the list. If it is not actively pushing your company forward, then you need to think about giving it a serious facelift. Google has recently put out a massive update on what they are looking for in written content, and a big piece of this is making sure that any articles are actually useful to the reader. If you fill your blog posts full of keywords, but with very little expertise, then you are not going to get the boost in the search rankings you are looking for. With that in mind, think carefully about what kind of content your customers are looking for. Focus on what sets your company apart from everyone else and what you can offer that they can’t. If you are not sure where to start, think about asking your existing customers what they would like to see more of.
Get Professional With Your Digital Skills
Finding investment and pitching to new clients is always an uphill struggle, and it is going to be particularly challenging in the months ahead. One of the cornerstones of any pitch or demonstration of your skills is a great press kit. A written document detailing your work experience may not cut it at the moment, so think about whether you have the digital skills to put together a great presentation. If the answer is no, then you should think about spending some time honing your digital skills. There are several different areas to focus on that could boost your profile, from video editing and photoshop to learning how to merge PDFs. If the idea of a potential client or investor emailing you to ask for a press kit brings you out in a cold sweat, head to this tool. Learning these digital skills will also save you money as you will not have to hire a freelancer.
Get Smarter With Your Digital Marketing
Marketing is one of those areas that have a lot of expensive potential pitfalls lurking for the unwary business. You should avoid trying to appeal to absolutely everyone. Instead, use your customer data to learn more about what your target audience is looking for and where your efforts will be best placed. This will give you a much better chance of ensuring that the people who click through from the advert are the same people who want what your business has to offer. Think about what wording and branding will have the best effect. For example, most people are drawn to a big percentage discount, but are they also going to want what your business has to offer? Putting together a carefully planned campaign will take time, but it should cost less in the long run and yield greater rewards.
Spend More Time On Your Social Media Networks
Social media may not determine whether your business is going to be successful or not, but it can certainly help to establish your brand persona online. If you have been neglecting your accounts, then you need to think about how you can more effectively utilise them. Focus on platforms where you know that your target audience spends a lot of time. You should also think about addressing issues that you know they are going to be concerned about. The rising cost of living is a good example. Don’t be afraid to be honest about the issues that you may be having with supplier costs and energy bills. Openness is one of the best ways to build brand loyalty. You may also want to think about talking about what you are doing to keep your carbon footprint low. With the recent extreme weather events and signs of climate change, everyone is going to want to know that they are doing business with responsible companies. Promote your green strategies and be ready to answer queries.