Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By James Daniels

Running a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) is a huge responsibility. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day operations and forget to look at the bigger picture. If you’re looking for simple ways to improve your small business, follow these tips:

Improve your marketing efforts

One of the most obvious ways you could increase your SME’s chances of success is to improve your marketing efforts. There are plenty of free or low-cost marketing options that could take your business to the next level, so try a few and see what works for your business.

Don’t forget the power of social media

In this day and age, social media is an essential marketing tool that you absolutely must make the most of. Social media accounts are free, so if you get an active following, you could increase your leads and conversions tenfold.

Just remember, running a successful social media account can be tricky, so it’s worth bringing in an expert.

Focus on customer retention

Once you’ve nailed your customer outreach, it’s time to focus on customer retention. Could you be doing more to provide better customer service? Think critically about what you currently offer your existing customers, and do whatever it takes to prevent them from using your competitors.

If you don’t have the manpower for dedicated customer service employees, make sure that your entire personnel is well trained in customer service. This will keep your current customers coming back to you again and again.

Motivate your employees

If you’ve noticed that productivity seems to be low, you may need to do more to motivate your staff. Working for a start-up or another type of small business has many pros and cons, but one of the main positives is that you can foster better relationships with your staff.

Talk to your team members and ask them what you could do to improve their work lives. Maybe you could offer more flexible working hours or allow remote working, or perhaps your staff wants something different. Talk to them about their wants and needs, and watch your business’s productivity skyrocket.

Diversify your team

If you need to hire new talent, take the opportunity to bring in an employee from a different background. People without traditional business experience can offer a new perspective, and this can allow you to think outside the box and find creative solutions to problems.

Consider encouraging applicants from a military background, for example. If somebody doesn’t have the exact qualifications you’re looking for, make them a job offer under the condition that they go back to school first. A Military MBA is a great option for active and retired service members.

Use tech to reduce costs

When you run a small business, every cent counts, so take a look at the available technology to see if you could be reducing your costs in any way. Whether it’s implementing a cloud-based storage system in place of a temperamental hard drive or automating your accounting system to reduce human errors, there are always ways that tech can be used to help an SME save money.

For success in business, you need to reduce your outgoings and boost your income, so take whatever steps you need to achieve just that.

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James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics.