Small Business Monday: A Fresh Start to the New Year

Welcome to our weekly, Small Business Monday feature, where we’ll quickly highlight some important facts and trends that small business owners need to grow their local service businesses.

Today we’re taking a look at some new year’s resolutions you should be making as small business owners to enter the new year with your best foot forward.

1. Start using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for…

...everything! Social media is a virtually free, extremely effective tool that allows your small business to reach a large pool of new customers. According to a study conducted by Forbes, about 78% of small businesses generate at least a quarter of their new customers via social media. So, start doing things like promoting new specials you’re running on Facebook, or sharing new services and products on Twitter. Let social media be your megaphone and get the word out there to new customers.

Start small - make your new year’s resolution posting just twice a week on Facebook and Twitter. See how even a tiny change can make a huge impact on your small business’ success.

Looking for some tips to get your small business started on social media? Skim through our Beginner’s Guide to Social Media.

2. Start testing and optimizing your small business for mobile access…

...everywhere. Mobile browsing is the new king. Today consumers check everything on their smartphones, from websites, to directories, to social media, to emails. In fact, on average people spend about 3.5 hours a day surfing the Internet and check their phones as many as 110 times a day. That’s why it’s so vital as your small business enters the new year to ensure all your online communications are formatted and are optimized for the mobile viewer.

Consider making your new year’s resolution something along the lines of testing one form of your small business’ online material every week. Then allot yourself the following week to correct any issues you come across.

Use our Mobile Optimization Cheat Sheet to help get your resolution of the ground and running.

3. Start strengthening your customer loyalty by…

...starting up a simple loyalty program. Though it’s important to acquire new customers, it is equally essential that your small business works toward creating loyal customers. Repeat, loyal customers can prove to be an extremely vital part to any successful small business as it’s been found that on average it cost 6-7x less to promote repeat business versus generating new business. In addition, repeat customers are much more susceptible to upsells. So, start thinking of different loyalty programs to implement in 2016 and get customers coming back.

Think of making your new year’s resolution creating one type of loyalty initiative every other month. Choose between a points program, punch card, tier program, or whatever you’d like.

Want some great ideas for promoting customer loyalty at your small business? Check out our Customer Retention Guide.

Well, that’s a wrap! Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and is ready to make profits soar this year!

About the Author

John Rigo is a content marketer with Booker. His areas of expertise are writing and market research. John brings a unique perspective to the blogosphere with his extensive background in publishing. He also has a love for small and local businesses – how they work, how they grow, and why they succeed.