You’ve launched your business and you are ready to show the world! Great, but wait! How do you grow your business effectively?
Starting your business off on the right foot can be challenging as you are faced with a myriad of marketing options and strategies to choose from. Which ones work and which ones don’t?
In business, there is a certain amount of trial and error and whether you like it or not, you have to be prepared to fail and learn ways of triumphing from the failures you experience. It’s all part of growing a business.
Steering your business in the right direction can take years. Be prepared to be patient and to devotedly commit to it. From personal experience, I learnt copious amounts of lessons which took me months, even years at a time and now the business is thriving because of the valuable lessons I have learnt.
Embrace failure as failure will help you grow, teach you skills you never knew you needed and give you powerful experience you will forever be grateful for.
However, it’s always a good idea to do your research to find ways to cut corners and learn from leaders in business, so that you don’t need to make as many mistakes as you may have done.
Here is my Top Tips To Make Your Business Grow
1. Start writing a blog
Do you want to rank on Google? If you answered yes, then writing a blog is a sure fire way to help you rank. SEO as it’s a fundamental part of growing your business so combining your blog with SEO and keywords is a powerful tool. Blogging won’t benefit all businesses but it will benefit most. Start off on the right foot and commit to a blog where you release regular content about the product you want to sell.
2. Invest in business mentoring sessions
Starting a new business can be daunting because in many cases, it will be in an area completely new to you. It’s a good idea to invest in a handful of good mentoring sessions to help you kick your business off in the right direction. Selecting a business mentor can be challenging as it is difficult to tell the good from the bad. It’s best to go with a recommendation, a mentor who has glowing reviews or ask a friend who is thriving in business to help you.
3. Become a digital marketing expert
Becoming a digital marketing expert might be the last thing on your mind when you are dealing with all aspects of your business but I strongly encourage taking a few hours each week to learn to master digital marketing. This can be done through mentoring sessions, reading online or joining marketing groups.
Not knowing the true power of digital marketing, slowed my business down dramatically for the first few years of business. Had I known how to master digital marketing when I first started, my business would be thriving much earlier on. If ranking on Google is something that will empower your business, become a digital marketing expert.
4. Don’t overwhelm yourself
Many start-up entrepreneurs begin their businesses filled with many ideas and are eager to show the world what they are and what they can do. Slow down!
You’re new in business and with so many marketing options, you want to choose the right route that leads you to success – it’s best to start small and not overwhelm yourself with too many tasks. If you spread yourself too thinly, your work will get diluted. If you are selling a product or your own services. Start with one product you are completely passionate about and make that sell to its best ability. Once you have a selling technique that works, then move on to other products or services.
5. Be quick to pass on marketing ventures that don’t help your business
Getting tangled up with too many marketing ventures is common in the first stages of business. Oftentimes business owners expect every marketing venture should work for their business. This is not true.
It is important to put yourself into the consumer’s role and feel out where they would go about buying your product.
Some marketing channels don’t work for everyone. Sometimes FB or IG ads don’t work. Sometimes Google ads don’t work. Sometimes word of mouth will be your best bet. Whatever it is, be quick to find out what works for you and scrap what isn’t working. Exhausting marketing channels that clearly aren’t working for you is redundant and a waste of your time.
6. Don’t pay out until you get paid
Spending money to boost your business can be tempting. Granted, if you have had previous success as a business owner – you will probably be well versed in how to benefit your business. However, the majority of us start a business with no investment which is usually self funded. I have always been careful with outgoings and expenses as I have found it really important not to outsource and to learn for yourself.
Understanding all aspects of your business is a skill that will help you throughout your entire business journey. It is also helpful to remember that not all businesses work out despite how much we believe in them. Oftentimes, businesses have a way of leading us down other avenues which may work better than your original business idea. It’s advisable not to splurge money on a business that could fail later down the line. Better to spend meticulously until you know your business is working, then expand budgets.
7. Collaborate with brands
Depending on which business you are in, collaborating with other brands won’t work for everyone but generally they can really compliment your business which will help in getting your brand visibility.
Collaborating with a business, brand or non-profit has the opportunity to get your brand seen by many more eyes than you could wish for. We are supporting 3 non-profits on one of our adventures – African Lion Safari. What’s great about this is that, not only are we contributing to each non-profit, but we have 3 possibilities for our adventure to be seen by their supporters too.
8. Have patience
Having patience in business is key. Many people give up within the first few years as they don’t see the success they expected happen quick enough. If you are passionate about your business then you will naturally want to keep striving to make it work and this will and should give you the patience you need to continue until you succeed. My patience was tested numerous times throughout my business journey and there were many moments when I thought that it would lead me to giving up completely. It’s essential to remember there is always a way and if a way cant be found, you have to create a way.
9. Invest in Ads to help boost your business visibility
Investing in ads helps get your business seen by hundreds, if not thousands of people. If you have a new start-up that has minimal visitors – buying ads will definitely help get people on your site and looking at your products. Ads don’t need to be expensive. Ads can be as affordable as you wish. Buying Google ads will also help rank your business too whilst you are blogging – doing both simultaneously will help improve your ranking.
