If you’re like most small business owners, you’re still focused on completing the current year. The reality is, you can really increase your financial success by planning your revenues now for next year. Having the business secured ensures that you will be around and thriving when 2014 hits. Here are 10 things you should take action on before the end of the year:
Update your website: Your online home base should be a place that customers want to keep coming back to. Take a look at your website to see what new changes or updates can be made. You don’t need to do a complete overhaul. If you’re a caterer for example, you want to add new recipes, photos or testimonials from your latest events to the website. Figure out what potential clients want to see that will help them make a decision to work with you.
Contact customers: Don’t wait until you’re chasing the current month’s sales goals to start making customer calls. Set up a weekly schedule for contacting your customers. Invite them to do business with you, refer a client or renew their contract. The magazine business is a perfect model for client follow up. Can you remember the last magazine you subscribed to? Long before your subscription expired, they were inviting you to renew. Make a list of clients that you can start calling to confirm business for 2014.
Improve Your Products: The New Year doesn’t mean that you need to develop brand new products or recreate the business. Take a look at what’s working with your product and services and look for areas that you can tweak. Adding something new or special to a product that customers already enjoy can reinvigorate their desire to buy. Authors are a prime example. Many books release a new revised edition or a part two. Think about your second act, what updates and changes can be made to give your small business a refresh in the New Year.
Make a Calendar: Don’t make the mistake of failing to plan. Get a jump-start on the year by mapping out a marketing calendar. Look at planning promotions during the 2014 holidays. These are natural opportunities to pitch your product to potential clients. Develop a sales plan that will help you project for the peak times of year and the troughs. Put together a budget now, that will help you prepare to staff up or staff down when needed.
Create a Social Media Contest: During the holiday season you can never go wrong with giving a gift. Choose one social media tool and develop a contest to engage your audience. Offer one of your own products or work with a strategic partner to provide a giveaway. Whether you are doing business online or off, the right contest can create buzz about the business and drive traffic into your store.
Master Email Marketing: Use an email marketing tool like Aweber or MailChimp to stay on top of mind with customers. Set up a series that goes out on your selected dates and times to help you automate your marketing. Based on your marketing calendar, determine what special offers you should develop for an email campaign for before the year is out.
Send some Snail Mail: Don’t be deceived, a winning direct mail campaign can still grab the customer’s attention. The additional online clutter makes it easier for you to reach a client if your mail piece shows up on their doorstep. Look at sending a double sided postcard to keep the bulk postage price low. If you have a bigger budget, send an item that they want to save. If you’re a nail salon for example, you could send your customers a nail file that has your logo or business name reminding them to come back for services again and again.
Invest in Online Ads: Online Ads are a cost effective way to reach ideal buyers. Set up a campaign that allows you to test with just one service. Using Facebook, for example, at less than $10 a day you can develop a campaign that would help you to target buyers that have indicated they like a competitor’s product. Since the cost of online ads are far less than traditional media, it’s a good way to experiment before the end of the year to find new buyers or reengage current customers.
Conduct a Year End Review: Every year you’re in business, you learn and grow more. Don’t fall into the trap of repeating your mistakes. Put together a list of wins for the year and a list of what went wrong. The process will help you to think about what you can do better in 2014, but most importantly, it should become one of the foundational elements for setting up your small business goals.
“New Year 2014 Calender” courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti / www.freedigitalphotos.net
Which of these strategies will you put in place before the end of the year?
Thanks for the great list Melinda! I have already started structuring content and ideas for 2014. And by reviewing the peaks and troughs of 2012 I had a better systematized marketing campaign for 2013… so that is a definite to do for 2014!
Thank you for keeping eager entrepreneurs informed. You always direct business owners to all things good – organization, planning & profit. Thank you for knowing the value of shared knowledge and the willingness to do so! All the best!
Currently working on tip 1 & 3 now, but I plan to accomplish all 10 tips before the end of the year! I’m very determined to see growth beyond what I can imagine in 2014.
Thanks for this post. I’ve started my business plans, sales for each quarter, posting schedule budget and even stared researching 2014 events lol. I’ve been planning & planning for 2014, so yes many of these I’m doing right now.
Great tips Melinda
I will be updating my website!
I just get this article from twitter. And in early January I think its still usefull, as tittle as even before 15 January. Hope its would help my bussines and also others. Thank you so much 🙂