Make the effort and step up your game in business. This is what gets you ahead and turns a startup with a good idea into a household brand.

Everyone can push their concept in creative ways and that’s a huge part of grabbing your potential client’s attention. Your billboard ads and website design will all garner clicks and calls.

But going the extra mile in the five key areas, listed below, will help your business to stand out from your competitors while helping improve your business.

1. Be available at Accessible Locations

You cannot afford to underestimate the power of being accessible to your clients. If finding your office requires an extra twenty minutes of getting lost between obscure buildings you’ll find your customers are less happy from the outset.

If you have a permanent space, you’ll no doubt have scouted an area with a desirable postcode. For example, the area of London you pick will say a lot about your business. Shoreditch suggests up-and-coming, Notting Hill says you’re established.

Business Centres offer a great addition to your main premises, or professional alternative to your home office. They also offer both Serviced Offices and Meeting Rooms, so you can tailor your booking for the kind of meeting you are going to have.

Most importantly, these professional spaces are located at accessible locations in popular areas and in many major cities. UK office space provider Landmark, for example, spread their London locations across popular areas including Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Mayfair and St Paul’s and have centres in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester and more.

2. Use the Cloud to work anywhere

With the internet at your fingerprints, practically everywhere in the world, you’d be remiss not to take advantage of cloud technology.

Despite the recent, supposed, cloud hacks, networks such as Google Drive are actually very secure systems. Having your own private server system is another way of controlling access to your business in a secure way.

Working within the cloud gives you the freedom to work from home or a serviced office and allows you to pull vital information instantly, wherever you are. Forgetting a file will become a thing of the past if you can commit to working within the cloud system.

3. Social Media presence can boost Google rankings

Having active social media accounts will allow you to interact with customers, the good and the bad, in real time. Additionally, each of your accounts is another platform to advertise your business/offers, share useful information and most interestingly, boost your rankings.

Google may not be able to access all the data from your Facebook and Twitter but it does have its eyes on your Google+.

One of the more recent changes to the Google algorithm added information boxes to your google search results. By matching your core information, such as contact number, address and opening hours across all of your platforms and main site, you’ll be helping Google to find you.

As long as you are regularly interacting and posting on Google+, Google crawlers will take notice and you’ll be able to inch your way up the rankings. It’s that simple.

4. Answer enquiries and queries quickly

Customer service extends to your business as much as it relates to wait staff in a restaurant. You need to be available and attentive, able to hand over the most useful and important information instantly with a friendly and approachable tone.

Your effectiveness at completing the excellent work for your clients will be the key defining factor. When they decide to recommend your business, or are choosing whether to return or not, you need to have the follow through and quality they demand.

However, having someone on the end of your phone line who can answer basic queries and check and respond to email enquiries on a daily basis will make a huge difference. It could mean the difference between you making a sale and one of your competitors snatching them first. Customers love responsiveness.

5. Business Cards leave a lasting impression

“We’re seeing an increase in customised business cards for business, networking and the individual owner of the cards” says London based print company, The Business Printers.

Your business card is literally your calling card. It should leave a lasting impression with whoever you hand it to. This can be made significantly easier if you are handing them a card that is tailored to the information they need:

• Business – Have a small batch of business cards that highlight the business, rather than the individual. Keep it simple on one side with your branding, then on the other include your most popular details, such as address and office number, even include Twitter and FB icons so the person you are handing it to can search for you there.
• Networking – Use a card that highlights your business, with their main contact numbers, along with your name so they know who to ask for when they call in.
• Clients – If your business requires a more personal or one-on-one approach, have a card that includes your direct contact number and email address, rather than generic business ones, while highlighting your position within the business.

Specialist Media and Print company, Ro-Am Print Solutions have noted ‘‘an increase in the last couple of year in demand for high quality large banner and roller banner prints as networking events and pop-ups increase in popularity”.

Using banners and personalised business pop-up signage is an easy way to get your branding to an event. Many roller banners come with a stand that is self contained in a light carry case to make it transportable, even on the train.

Lastly, remember that your business cards should never come from a template – it will look uninspired and mundane. A custom design will help it to stand out and will encourage people to hang onto your business card.

Photo credits: AOTW, Kris Olin