Are you looking for New Year resolutions that will boost your businesses bottom line and directly improve the money in your pocket. Well check out our top 10 business resolutions we think all SME’s need to make and stick to. If you do you will see significant improvements in your business.
1. Embrace technology
Review your business and your processes and see what technology there is available out there that can automate certain functions or generally improve your efficiency. If you don’t then your competition will, and by freeing up your precious time you can then invest it in things like product and service developments and better customer service, helping you gain a competitive advantage. There are so many ways that technology can make your life easier once you take the time to fully embrace it and learn. Speak to us today to discover how cloud solutions can save you time and money and make your business more effective.
2. Become more mobile
With today’s technology there is no reason to be tied to your office or desk. Embrace cloud solutions and discover the freedom to run and manage your business anywhere, anytime on any device. From accounting software to management tools there are cloud solutions that mean you really can be on top of your business without having to step foot in the office.
3. Get closer to customers
As we head into 2016, one of your key resolutions is to continue innovating the ways in which you engage with your customers and identify opportunities to meet their needs better. Try to view your customers in terms of relationships, not just individual transactions. This will help you retain more customers and generate more business. Through the continued expansion of mobile technology and social properties, consumers and businesses are interacting with brands in whole new ways. Next year, make sure your business capitalizes on these tools to strengthen their customer relationships.
4. Make customer service a priority
It’s a fact: customer service can make or break your relationship with current and even future customers. Looking ahead to 2016, customer service should be a priority for every small business. We have seen more and more small businesses taking advantage of the cloud to work smarter and make customers happier.
5. Focus on marketing efforts
Are you planning on growing your business in 2016? Well how do you plan to drive the increase in customer interactions? Marketing is an essential element of small business growth, so make sure you have a robust marketing plan in place and have budgeted for additional marketing spend to drive more customers to your door.
6. Get a social media strategy
Whether you like it or not Facebook and LinkedIn as well as other emerging social media tools need to be part of your marketing plan. These platforms can provide you with a perfect opportunity to engage with customers and promote your business. You can make some headway promote your business via free options within each of these platforms, but to really get traction you need to allocate some budget and test paid advertising. This can generate measurable results and a great return on your investment. Make sure you speak to a professional to maximize your results, sure it may cost you to get everything set up, however it can save you $$$ on poorly created, badly targeted campaigns that yield little in terms of return. Speak to our team here, we have our own marketing team who can assist you.
7. Be SEO- and AdWords-savvy
In 2016 getting your business on the first page of google is not as easy as it once was. Google has basically changed the rules and unless you are prepared to spend the time creating and posting interesting, unique and relevant content on a weekly basis, and your site is well set up and all other boxes ticked, there is just no way you will appear on the coveted top 3 place on page one of google for free. Now for most SMEs they don’t have the time, resources or financial ability to keep producing and posting this type of material on an ongoing basis, therefore decide if it’s worth you trying. You can however generate significant, measurable, ongoing traffic to your site through a well-planned, well executed google AdWords campaign. Yes you have to pay for this, however indirectly you are paying to organically appear at the top of google with your time and efforts. Unlike SEO, google AdWords can generate you an immediate income and return on your investment and will ensure you are still in business in the future.
8. Perform a security audit
Next year will be a crucial time for companies to make sure their data stays truly protected. The rise of targeted attacks we’ve seen against corporations — from technology companies like Adobe to retailers like Target — have made this a very real and urgent concern. When it comes to investigating potential vulnerabilities, it’s best to look outside the company and leverage domain experts to probe for risks, examine policy and suggest fixes.
9. Get your employees onboard
If you run an SME and employ staff, it is essential to ensure that they are well trained, motivated and working towards your goals. A poor performing staff member not only effects your bottom line they can adversely affect customers opinions about your business and lose you future sales.
Make sure all staff know what is expected of them and are trained to be able to deliver this. Then make sure they feel well supported and rewarded, this will help ensure they are striving to achieve your joint goals.
10. Become more nimble
As an SME you have a major competitive advantage over the big boys. This is your ability to quickly react to changes in the market place. So make sure you are monitoring your customers and trends in your marketplace and constantly looking for ways you can improve your service and better meet customer needs. Then when you spot an opportunity, act upon it. Small businesses don’t need to go through loads of meetings etc. like the larger organisations. This means you can be first to market and snatch a bigger market share.
So if you would like more help and support in getting your business to where it needs to go then speak to us here at Omnis Group. We provide a complete financial solution for your business. Our services include Bookkeeping, Accounting, Cloud Technology Implementation and Business Improvement. Call us for a free no obligation meeting today 9380 3555.
You may also like to identify ways you can improve your business performance today. Check out our online Business Improvement Report. Answer a few simple questions about your business and receive a free tailored report outlining ways you can improve your business performance today.
