6 Simple Tips to Boost Your Business in 2013

With the New Year making its grand entry, many people make plans and resolutions that go stale as early as the end of the first month. Most business owners shy away even from a new business plan or an effort to bring a positive change in the New Year. They fear that these plans and improvements won’t do any good to their current business strategy but only be an addition to the “time-wasting” chores.  However, they seldom realize that without the right plan and changes, they are inviting stagnancy in their business goals. Here are 6 Simple Tips to Boost Your Business in 2013.

 

Revise Your Marketing Plan 

Are you planning to fail by failing to plan? Have you started updating your marketing plan for this New Year? Well, you have a choice… either make revisions regularly OR let it go stagnant along with your business.

There is no magic rule for how often you should update your plan but many experts suggest you ‘tweak it’ often.  Therefore, it is important to jump-start the year with a well-crafted strategy in place.

 

Spruce Up Your Website 

Your website reflects your business and is the online face of your brand.  Adding more zing and enthusiasm to your website, optimizing its content, adding user-friendly and interactive modules, and changing the look and feel of the website to represent the touch of novelty in your business are always a good idea. Here are 4 additional ideas:

• Add new images
• Change the banner
• Upload a new video
• Change the template

 

Take Control of Finances 

If your financial plan has gone haywire in the last year, then it is time to pull up your sleeves and gear for strict budgeting this year. Plan your finances in a way that you prioritize the investments, make room for infrastructural improvements and also pitch in with good employee benefit schemes. Everything in between these constitutes your financial planning for this year.  However, one still has the “January, February and March” to cash in before the end of the fiscal year.

 

Outsource Non-Essential Tasks 

Rather than worrying about logistics, supply chain, administration and recruitment, it is essential that business owners and top management official learn to delegate non-essential tasks. One can also share responsibility or collaborate with other departments for reallocation of work as per expertise and priority.

 

Go Social 

Today, most of us are using social networks to build relationships with potential customers and current clients. In fact, over 30% of the world’s population is on the internet. Social media increase brand awareness and allow you to connect with people where they hang out at. You no longer have to rely on the age-old modes of communication or indirect marketing.

A Social Presence:

• Brand Awareness
• Instant Feedback
• Global Reach
• Word of Mouth
• Easy, Cheap and Great ROI

 

Expand thru Alliance Partnership

When it comes to growing your business, partnering with like-minded entrepreneurs can be very effective. This gives you an instant marketing presence in front of millions of potential clients.

Do you know other companies to whom you share mutual customers with? You should be running, not walking to find who they are and how you can team up and benefit from each other.

Do you know of businesses that compliment yours? Make a list of product or services that you don’t offer but that is related to what you do.

3 Quick Tips to Jump-start Partnerships:

• Draft an agreement outlining expectations of the partnership
• Develop a bond with your new alliance partners
• Decide how marketing activities will be initiated between partners such as handing out marketing material at various networking functions, exchanging banners and links on websites or share a big marketing project.

 

By following these 6 simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to a successful and prosperous business in 2013.