- Optimize your website- While you can certainly shell out money here, why not DIY? Look at your SEO and focus keywords and see how you can improve them. Can you also improve your website’s layout/content? Do you have a blog? If not, add one!
- Create social media profiles- Presence is a BIG deal for small businesses and you should be taking advantage of ALL of the social media platforms out there. You never know where your next client will come from!
- Claim your review and local SEO listings- Pretty self-explanatory. SEO is huge for getting your business out there.
- Build a referral network- Remember when I said that networking was one of the most important things you can do? Yeah, that still applies and you should work your referrals into that mix!
- Blog regularly- You want to be present and you want to be active. Both of these are attractive to customers and blogging is a great way to pull people in.
- Ask for reviews- Shane Brooks covered this one in detail but let’s gloss over it: reviews are incredibly important for your business. When deciding between you and your competitors, your reviews and ratings are what’s gonna ultimately sway your audience.
- Answer online questions- This one is pretty much a no-brainer. You want to respond to any and all questions that are posted online regarding you, your business, and your products. Not answering might make you look “shady” or like you don’t know what you’re doing.
- Write thank you notes- For reviews, purchases, blog feedback, etc. People love feeling like they’re appreciated so let your customer base know that they matter!
- Spruce up your email signature- A lot of people are guilty of this and admittedly, I was too! It’s not really enough anymore to sign your emails “Thanks, [your name here].” Instead, add your contact info, your business, and even a short personal message: “Thanks, [your name here] CEO of [Business Name], [Contact Info], Dedicated to helping YOU succeed!”
- Create a useful email newsletter- Okay, so this one you need to be careful on. Not everyone appreciates having their emails flooded and most hate email ads in general regardless of how infrequent they are. However, regular emails are a great way to keep your audience informed of what you’re up to and at the forefront of their minds. So create an email newsletter that features some of your recent accomplishments, what you’re up to, advice, etc. and send it out at max once a week. Ideally, maybe once every two weeks or once a month.
