Starting a new business and reaching out to a global audience can be challenging. If you are beginning from zero, it’s a good idea to take advantage of your local community. If you already have a business but have been feeling stuck lately, then it’s time to reach out to your neighborhood. Here are some proven strategies and tips on how to grow your business even if you target customers locally.
1. Use Social Media to your Advantage
Social media pages like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others, are designed to build and grow an audience. If you’re struggling to build an online presence, it’s time you start leveraging them.
Use SEO to optimize your posts so that they actually show up in the Google search engine. You can also showcase customer reviews and testimonials on these platforms and tag user handles so that others can see them.
2. Talk to your Customers
Launching a business is about solving problems. There are specific solutions your clients look for and the best way to improve your understanding of their pain-points is by talking to them. You can talk to them directly over the phone, send a survey, or ask for feedback.
If there are customers willing to sit down with you and have a word, even better. You could turn your discussion into an interview, record it, and put it up on your website later. Other customers will be able to see this and when you launch your new line of products, they’ll witness how you’ve kept your word and implemented the feedback.
3. Use Shopify Plugins and Extensions
If you’re adding Shopify features to your website, it’s a smart move. Extensions like the Free Shipping Bar, MultiShip, Easy Contact Form, and more, will make the shopping experience easier online. You can use plugins like Yandex and Plug-in SEO to analyze your web traffic and various metrics.
There are plugins that improve the visibility of your website and help it show up in Google Maps results. Take advantage of them and optimize your website in a way that it pops up in Google’s Search Engine networks and marketplaces whenever users type in relevant keywords.
If you’re building your website using WordPress, you can consult a WordPress expert and make use of various preset themes. WordPress has various plugins and tools that help in designing payment gateways, showcase products, and do more for your customers.
4. Scale Up by Seeking Financing
If your business is doing well locally and your marketing game is on point but you’re still struggling or not making progress – it’s time for upgrades. Seeking out angel investors and clients who may be interested in growing your business is difficult at the start.
But it’s not impossible and if you play your cards right, you’ll find it actually helps your business grow. If you’re building a construction business, you can reach out to the Wisconsin Builders Association Review panel or your local builder’s association.
Likewise, if you’re launching a dental business you can approach various orthodontist financing options. Find communities in your targeted niche which offer flexible financing options with reasonable repayment deadlines and interest rates. If all else fails, your last resort would be banks and private sector lenders but you will require a credit score in order to file your loan applications in them.
5. Offer Amazing Products and Services
At the end of your day, it is your business that has to do the talking. If your marketing is great and you’ve got capital but your products don’t offer much value, it’s not going to go well.
Spend time improving your product and make sure it’s the best. Provide upselling options and leave room for add-ons and upgrades. Customers are always looking for the next big thing and if you can provide them that, they will reach out to you. Go to networking events and give out samples of your products. Ask new customers to share their honest opinions and take notes. The main advantage of attending these events is that you get unbiased feedback since you’re not well known.
6. Do Market Research
Market research is a key component in business growth. Research your competitors and know what you’re working with. Are you offering products and services similar to what someone else is offering?
If so, you’d want to work towards branching out and creating something unique. The more targeted your customer niche, the better. Even if you’re targeting locally, this tip will still work. Other elements of market research involve networking with like-minded business professionals and consulting industry experts. Try to get a bird’s-eye view of your niche and see what problems the industry is facing.
If you work towards being an influencer, be helpful, and give back to the community from time to time, all these will slowly add up. The end result will be you’ll build a good reputation and customers will reach out to you. It’s the perfect opportunity to land new leads and get them to convert in real-time.
7. Review your Business Plan and Strategy
It’s good to build, scale-up and grow a business not it’s even better to review your plans and see if they’re working. Most entrepreneurs change their minds and start up something new when they see old ideas fail. Take some time to review your business plans, study the market, and see if what you’re doing is working. If it’s not, don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new.
You can run multiple marketing campaigns to test new product lineups and do A/B split tests to review your strategies. See where your customers are coming from and what attracts them to your website. Find out what are your best sellers and which services are doing the worst.
Conclusion
Having an eye for detail and getting the big picture is important when it comes to growing your business. If you’re growing your business locally and planning to go global later, these tips will help you out. Just remember that it takes time and patience for your efforts to come to fruition.
Refine your business plans and optimize them with the market in mind. If your customers are already raving about your services and you’re landing premium clients, then you’re already on the right track and it’s just a matter of time.
