If you're running a small business, you should be happy with the success you've achieved so far. But what if your business isn't growing as quickly as you'd like it to? Why is that? There are lots of reasons why this could happen, but the most common one is that your marketing strategy needs some tweaking. Here are some ideas for improving how customers find out about your company and how they interact with it once they do:
You're not focusing on your customers.
If you're not focusing on your customers, then you can't grow. Your customer is the lifeblood of your business and should be at the center of everything that you do.
You need to think about what problems they might have, rather than focusing on the details of how your company operates. If you view yourself as a guide helping them solve their problems, then growth becomes much easier. You are providing a solution to a problem the hero is experiencing.
You don't know what your customers want.
The first step to finding out what your customers want is to ask them. However, this may not be as simple as you think. You might think that your customers know exactly how they would like to be served and which features they would like in a product or service; however, it's not so easy. Your customer base may have certain expectations based on similar products from other companies and the way those businesses operate. Or, it could be that your existing customer base has needs that you're not aware of because you've never asked about them before!
- Conduct customer satisfaction surveys regularly - Customer satisfaction surveys help identify areas where we could improve our service delivery or add new features (or even remove old ones). Conducting these surveys regularly allows us to keep tabs on how satisfied our customers are with us over time so we can adjust accordingly if need be. It's important though that these surveys are conducted by someone who has authority within the team as well as is unbiased when presenting results because otherwise there'll always be room for doubt about their validity at the executive level
- Conduct interviews - A good interview can make all the difference between success and failure when it comes down to whether or not something works for someone else; especially when designing something new. An interview should always include questions such as "Why do people buy certain things?" And "What makes somebody buy products from one store rather than another?" These types of questions will allow us better understand how people behave towards certain topics which give us insight into why things happen in real life instead of just relying upon assumptions based on previous experience alone
Define and understand your customer and their preferences better so you can provide the right products & services
It’s important to understand your customers and their needs and preferences. Consider these questions when you’re trying to figure out who your target customer is:
- What do they need? How are they different from other customers? What does the customer want most from your service or product, and how can you help them achieve it?
- What pain points do they experience regularly? How can you work with them to solve those problems in a way that makes it easy for both parties involved (you and the client)?
- Where do they live, physically or digitally (online). Where are they located geographically, physically or digitally (online). Are there any special technologies that would help connect with this particular customer base better than others (such as mobile apps)?
People don't feel compelled to share your message with friends and family
Here's what you need to do:
- Get a compelling message. You need to be able to communicate your value proposition clearly and concisely. You can't just say "I sell this service." You have to explain it in such a way that people understand why they should buy from you. Think about how Apple sells their products—the iPhone has been around for years, but they still manage to sell millions of units each year. They are constantly coming up with new ways to tell a clear and concise story that explains the following: the iPhone makes your life happier, easier, and trendier.
- Be able to explain your value proposition in a way that people understand and make them want what you're selling. What you sell is the solution - the outcome. Don't sell the service itself - you'll sell yourself short (no pun intended).
Your small business isn't growing because you need help!
You have a great product or service, but if your customers can't find it and don't know how to use it, then they won't buy. The solution? Focus on your customers first, not yourself. Understand their needs and wants better than they do themselves - define them and present them with the right products and services that will meet those needs. Make your customer the hero!
There you have it. If your small business isn’t growing, then it might be time to take a look at your customer base and figure out what they want from you. It sounds simple, but this is often where many businesses fall short. By understanding who your customers are and what they want from you, you can then tailor products and services accordingly—which will in turn lead to more sales!
