Just started a business investment? Been in the industry for quite a bit and feeling on a standstill? Sometimes, it’s not a case of doing things wrong. Perhaps you’re not doing enough to boost your business productivity and market reputation.
Your small business may just be five ambitious twenty-somethings working out in a small rented unit, but your clients don’t necessarily need to know that you’re in a small box working for them on a day-to-day basis.
Strong and consistent branding. It all starts with building a professional brand both on and offline. Being consistent after a strong start is key. This means that everything from your business cards to your social media accounts should have the same logos, colour scheme, branding, images – everything. You can either hire some freelance professionals on sites like Freelancer or Upwork. Of course, there are also free resources available online. Just make sure that it’s a consistent choice.
Custom email domain. Most big and top businesses use a custom domain to separate themselves from hordes of other providers. Using a corporate-sounding email will be infinitely professional than using Yahoo or Google address.
You can step this up by setting up multiple customer-focused group mailing lists and posting them on your website or social sites. This will show an appearance of fully fleshed out administration, sales or marketing team: sales@yourcompany.com, admin@yourcompany.com, inquiries@yourcompany.com. And it doesn’t matter if these emails go to the same employees as long as they respond to emails in a timely manner. Weebly, Wix, Squarespace and others offer custom domain service.
A modern high-quality printer. If you’re still using a printer you’ve to purchase a decade back or that home printer you used in college, then you could seriously be missing out. Any printed collateral – business cards, company letterheads, and communication documents should all look professional and consistent. Just make sure to buy from time-tested printer manufacturer like Konica Minolta. They offer high-tech machines that offer cost-efficient colour printing, portability and lightning-fast speeds, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re environmentally friendly as well.
Office printers are essential even if you only have a five-man business operation. If you’re in the small to mid-scale custom manufacturing service, you could also take advantage of 3D printers by Konica Minolta to create fast prototypes and saleable products.
Customer service strategy. As you’re in the early stage of your business, you need to put your customers in top priority. Give them an avenue whether they want to sing your praises, send feedback, or even complain. It’s vital to make this as easy as possible so you can quickly solve issues before they get out of control. You can do automation by creating an FAQ section to your website or social page. Consider business phones as well if you expect to receive a lot of orders and inquiries via phone.
End Note
There you have it. Whether you’re just starting a small business off the ground or just want to project the appearance of a larger, more rooted company while boosting your productivity, utilising the above tactics will help you achieve your goals. Continue researching to learn more about the strategies you can use to improve how you do business. Best of luck!