There are so many benefits that business growth will grant you. But, it’s not the easiest thing to do, especially considering all the competition both on and offline. Generating more business is the stepping stone to business growth. This can lead to an increase in sales, help you reach new target markets, and help you get the edge over your competitors.
Of course there are so many ways that you can generate more business, this article has narrowed down the top 6 secret ways that you can generate more business!
Reviews from customers
Studies show that around 95% of customers will read reviews before buying a product / service. There is so much information online, and this is constantly increasing. It comes as no surprise that people want to make sure that the product or service they’re about to buy is legit.
One way they can and will check this is by reading through a company’s reviews. Below are a few reasons why having reviews will be beneficial to your company.
Credibility
The most obvious area that makes customer reviews so significant is the credibility they give. In fact, your customers will put as much weight on reviews as they would from a personal recommendation.
When you go to look at a product on Amazon only to find it’s got terrible reviews, how likely are you to still buy that product? Our guess is unlikely. That’s not to say that terrible reviews are all bad. In fact, they can offer a sense of balance. A study found that shoppers interacting with negative reviews stayed five times longer on a website than those that had only positive reviews.
Your customers may become untrusting of your business if you only present your 5-star reviews as it looks unnatural, especially if you have hundreds. According to studies, the ideal rating that shows trustworthiness is 4.7 – 4.9.
Better customer service
Your reviews are also a great space to demonstrate your customer service skills. If you’ve got a negative review, in this example, let’s say someone hasn’t received a product. This is an opportunity for you to get in touch with that customer, respond to the review, offer them advice or schedule a call. All of which will reflect positively on your business.
On the other hand, asking a customer for their feedback on your services or product is a great way to produce customer loyalty. This gives them a voice and shows that their opinion matters!
Furthermore, this is a good way to improve your product. If customers are all complaining about similar things, this is a chance for you to take their feedback into account and fix the problem. This will show new and existing customers that you are proactive and willing to listen to them. And make sure that future customers have a better experience.
Directories
Similarly to reviews, directories are a brilliant way to get seen and build trust with your audience.
A business directory is simply a list of businesses. The list includes information about the business, such as the address and contact information. Some popular directories are: Yellow pages, Yell, Yellow Pages, Google business profile and more.
With so much online, getting noticed can be a challenge. This is where directories come in handy. Regardless of whether you are online or not, a directory is a great tool to increase your reach and promote your business.
Below are a few benefits to getting your business on a directory.
Relevance and visibility
When people search for a business on a directory, there is usually a specific niche or speciality they will search for. This presents relevant searches to the user. Meaning that due to the relevance of their search and your business you are more likely to come up for a relevant audience. This makes your business more visible to appropriate audiences.
Search Engine Optimisation
If your business listing is relevant to those searching, this will help your SEO. Similarly to your users, search engines will judge your website based on relevance to the search. This means that having your business on directories will help improve your rankings in searches.
Tailored content
Content is one of the most important parts of a website. Creating tailored content is a great way of personalising your business to your audience. If your audience feels like your content speaks directly to them, this means that you are giving your audience what they want, with little effort. This is an effective way to increase engagement.
How do you write tailored content?
Good news: writing tailored content is pretty simple!
Consider your audience demographics.
- Age
- Gender
- Job
- Likes
- Dislikes
One way to gauge your customers’ likes and dislikes is to look at your competitors’ reviews. What are the reviews of your competitors’ products/services? Is there anything their customers want to change or absolutely love? If there is a specific issue within these reviews, you can use this to solve that problem within your content.
Once you know your customers, writing content will become easier and easier. You will begin to know their wants and needs, as well as the reasoning behind why they buy your product or service.
Social Media
Using social media can be a great benefit to your business. For example, if you are a photography business, it’s a no-brainer that Instagram will pose many benefits to you. We recommend you utilise social media to generate more business.
Using social media will increase your market reach. On Facebook alone there are nearly 3 million users. This is not an opportunity you want to miss out on. Think of it as another place to sell and promote your business. Another place with a lot of people, people that your normal advertising may not have reached before.
It is also worth keeping in mind that social media is a great place to promote your brand. Here you can push your brand identity and relate to your audience. This will help your business build relationships and even generate customer loyalty – If you promote your brand to users with similar ethos as your business, these are likely to end up as customers.
Furthermore, using social media will help increase website traffic. Ensure you publish posts on social media that incentivise social media users to go to your website and learn more. For example, a relevant blog post with a find out more button is a great link to your website.
Networking Events
In order to generate more business, it’s worth considering what you can do externally to the internet. Networking events are one of the things you could try if you haven’t already. Meeting other business owners at these events gives you the opportunity to build relationships with others with similar interests, as well as find ways to work together to benefit both parties.
At networking events you may meet potential clients or business partners, and it’s a safe space for you to generate ideas and discuss the nature or future of your business with like-minded individuals.
In addition to this, these events are also a great way to scope out your competition. What are they doing that you’re not? Introduce yourself to your competitors and gain some insight; they might be able to offer you some tips you might not have considered before going.
Ultimately, networking events are a fantastic way of meeting new like-minded people and, gaining more insight into your industry, we couldn’t recommend going to these events more!
Advertising
Advertise, advertise, advertise!
This one is nice and simple, but can often get ignored and replaced with a Facebook post here and there. We encourage you to advertise your business!
There are many areas you can advertise, for example, you could advertise on social media, or using Google ads.
Advertising is how you will market your business to your audience, the end goal of which may vary depending on your business. For example, perhaps you want to increase traffic to your website, this might change how and where you have your advert.
Adverts might provide users with information on your business, such as basic information, locations or your web address. Ultimately, they will promote different products or services from your business, perhaps even telling customers about a potential offer or deal. They are a great way to generate awareness and push action.
If you want to advertise your business there are a few places we recommend doing so:
- Google Ads
- Bing
Outside of this, there are different types of advertising you can do, including PPC advertising. Click here to have a read through our blog on why you should use PPC to advertise your business.
