Tag Archive for: Evergreen Marketing

Marketing planning can feel overwhelming sometimes, given the myriad of channels, techniques, and trends to stay on top of. Today, I want to share some valuable insights on how you can unlock the incredible power of evergreen marketing to build a sustainable online presence for your business and provide you with some practical tips and strategies that will help you grow your business more effectively without relying on short-term tactics. So grab a cup of coffee, and let’s get started!

After exploring a myriad of different marketing strategies over the last decade, I can confidently say that evergreen marketing is the secret sauce many business owners are missing. Unlike temporary fads, evergreen marketing focuses on timeless strategies that keep delivering results long after you have implemented them. This not only leads to better long-term results, but actually frees you up from constantly having to worry about attracting new customers.

The Power of Evergreen Marketing vs Marketing Trends

Imagine this: Your business consistently attracts new customers, generates high-quality leads, and enjoys a steady stream of revenue—all while you focus on what you do best. That’s the power of evergreen marketing. I’d like to share three fundamental principles to help you build a sustainable online presence that will drive continuous growth for your business.

1. Focus on Value

The first principle of evergreen marketing is to prioritise value. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and ask, “What problem am I solving for them?” Create content, whether it’s blog posts, videos, or social media updates, that provides practical solutions and valuable insights. By consistently offering value, you’ll establish yourself as a trusted authority in your industry.

2. Build Authentic Connections

In the digital world, authenticity is key. Don’t be afraid to show your personality and let your unique brand shine through. Engage with your audience on social media, respond to comments and messages, and foster genuine connections. When people feel a personal connection to your business, they are more likely to become loyal customers and brand advocates.

3. Repurpose and Refresh

Evergreen marketing is all about getting the most out of your content. Rather than creating something once and forgetting about it, repurpose and refresh your existing content. Update blog posts with new insights, turn popular blog articles into videos, or transform customer testimonials into engaging social media posts. By recycling your content, you’ll extend its lifespan and reach a wider audience.

The Power of Evergreen Marketing: By focusing on timeless, proven strategies, you can save valuable time and budget while achieving better results.

The Power of Evergreen Marketing: By focusing on timeless, proven strategies, you can save valuable time and budget while achieving better results.

By implementing these evergreen marketing principles, you’ll create a solid foundation for your business’s online presence. You’ll attract a steady flow of organic traffic, nurture long-term relationships with customers, and establish your brand as a trusted authority in your industry. Say goodbye to the stress of constantly chasing after the latest marketing trends and embrace the power of evergreen marketing.

Are you ready to take your business to the next level with evergreen marketing?

We’re here to help! Contact Done Digital today for a free consultation or website audit. Our team of experts will provide you with a tailored strategy to build a sustainable online presence and drive long-term growth. It’s time to free yourself from the rat-race of trying to keep up with the latest marketing trends and embrace the opportunity to unleash the power of evergreen marketing in your business!

Click here to schedule your FREE Growth Strategy Call today

Remember, building a sustainable online presence takes time and effort, but the rewards are well worth it. Embrace evergreen marketing, and watch your business flourish in the digital landscape, not just today, but for years to come.

Small businesses often face unique challenges when it comes to marketing. With limited budgets and resources, it’s essential to find the most effective marketing strategies that deliver results. This article will highlight the top marketing strategies that small businesses can use to attract customers, build brand awareness, and drive growth.

Creating a Website That Drives Results

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for small businesses. Start by creating a user-friendly, visually appealing website that showcases your products or services. To improve your website, consider the following tips:

  • Implement responsive design to ensure your website looks great on various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
  • Improve page load speeds by optimising images, using browser caching, and minimising the use of plugins.
  • Include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that guide visitors towards desired actions, such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or contacting you for more information.
  • Offer easy-to-find contact information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and physical locations, to facilitate communication with potential customers.
  • Regularly update your website with fresh, high-quality content to keep visitors engaged and encourage search engines to crawl your site more frequently.

Ensure your website is optimised for search engines, as this will improve your online visibility and help attract potential customers. Research relevant keywords for your industry and incorporate them into your website’s content, meta tags, and URLs to improve search engine rankings.

Having a great website is one of the most effective marketing strategies small businesses can focus on to attract more customers and increase sales.

Building a Strong Online Presence on Social Media

Additionally, maintain active social media profiles on platforms relevant to your target audience. Each social media platform has unique features and user demographics, so tailor your content and approach accordingly:

  • Facebook: Share a mix of promotional and informational content, including blog posts, photos, videos, and events. Use Facebook Groups to connect with like-minded individuals and participate in community discussions.
  • Instagram: Focus on visually appealing images and short videos to showcase your products, services, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business. Utilise hashtags and Stories to increase your reach.
  • Twitter: Share timely updates, engage in industry conversations, and provide customer support. Use Twitter to establish your brand’s voice and participate in trending topics or hashtag campaigns.
  • LinkedIn: Share professional content, such as industry news, thought leadership articles, and company updates. Connect with other professionals and participate in relevant LinkedIn Groups to build your network.
  • Pinterest: If your business is visually oriented or targets a predominantly female audience, use Pinterest to share inspiring images, infographics, and product photos that link back to your website.

Engage with your followers by sharing valuable content, responding to comments, and building an online community. Regularly monitor and analyse your social media performance to identify what content resonates best with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Content Marketing: A Key to Success

Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant content that resonates with your target audience. This can help establish your business as an industry authority, drive traffic to your website, and encourage customer engagement. Create various types of content, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and podcasts, to cater to different preferences. Promote your content through social media, email marketing, and other channels to reach a wider audience.

Tip: Make your content ‘evergreen‘, meaning it won’t go out of date. That way, you can repurpose it and safe yourself lots of time!

Done Digital understands that managing a successful content marketing strategy can be overwhelming for small business owners. That’s why we’re here to help you every step of the way. Our team of experts can assist with content creation, strategy development, and promotion across various channels, ensuring your marketing efforts are effective and well-coordinated. By partnering with Done Digital, you can focus on running your business while we take care of implementing the most effective marketing strategies to drive growth and engagement for your brand.

Most Effective Marketing Strategies: Content Marketing is a key to success when growing your small business.

Content Marketing is a key to success when growing your small business

Leveraging Local Marketing Techniques

As a small business, targeting your local community can be a powerful marketing strategy. Focus on local SEO by optimising your website and online profiles for location-specific keywords, ensuring your business appears in local search results. Additionally, engage with your community by participating in local events, sponsoring activities, and collaborating with other local businesses. This can help increase your visibility, build trust, and attract more customers.

Email Marketing: A Cost-Effective Strategy

Despite the rise of social media, email marketing remains an effective and cost-efficient way for small businesses to communicate with customers. Start by building and maintaining an email list of current and potential customers. You can grow your email list by offering incentives, such as free resources, discounts, or exclusive content, in exchange for a subscription. Also, add opt-in forms to your website, blog, and social media profiles to make it easy for visitors to sign up.

Craft compelling email campaigns that include personalised content, exclusive promotions, and valuable information. To create engaging emails, consider the following tips:

  • Write attention-grabbing subject lines to encourage recipients to open your emails.
  • Use a conversational tone and address recipients by their first name to create a more personal connection.
  • Include visually appealing images, but don’t forget to add descriptive alt-text for those using screen readers or with slow internet connections.
  • Add clear calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide subscribers towards a specific action, such as making a purchase, reading a blog post, or signing up for an event.
  • Test different email formats, designs, and content types to identify what resonates best with your audience.

Remember to segment your email list based on customer preferences, demographics, or past interactions with your business, ensuring you deliver relevant content to each subscriber. This can lead to higher open and click-through rates, ultimately resulting in increased engagement and conversions.

Use automation tools to set up targeted email campaigns based on specific triggers, such as abandoned carts, website activity, or recent purchases. By employing these actionable tips, you can make the most of your email marketing efforts and effectively communicate with your customers.

Unlock Growth Opportunities Using The Power of Networking and Strategic Partnerships

Building professional relationships within your industry can be instrumental in growing your small business. Attend networking events, conferences, and trade shows to connect with like-minded professionals, potential customers, and industry influencers. Foster strategic partnerships with complementary businesses to cross-promote your products or services, share resources, and expand your reach.

Now it’s time to embark on a thrilling adventure to grow your business!

By identifying the most effective marketing strategies for your business, you can unlock the growth and success you’ve always dreamed of. Focus on building a rock-solid online presence, captivating your audience with content marketing, charming your local community, mastering the art of email marketing, and forging powerful networking and partnerships.

Small businesses that effectively attract customers and drive growth know that adaptability is key, so remember to regularly analyse your marketing efforts and fine-tune your strategies to keep the momentum going.

Ready for a game-changing move? Book a free strategy call with the superstar team at Done Digital!

We’re here to help you navigate the marketing landscape and create a winning plan tailored to your business. Let’s join forces and conquer the world of small business marketing together. Claim your free strategy call now!

 

It’s a simple question: What is marketing?

The answer, however, isn’t always so obvious. Most business owners I speak to have a very different idea of what marketing really is. For some, it’s simply advertising (in print or online). For others, it’s ​​Social Media, PR or even just ‘word of mouth’.

Everyone’s got a different idea of what marketing means and how to best market their business. Here’s how I put it. 

“Marketing is everything you do to GAIN and RETAIN customers.”

So, when I think of marketing, I think of it as a lot more than just running ads or posting on your Facebook​ page. If you’ve watched some of my videos or visited my marketing blog before, you would have probably already heard me talk about the 3 pillars of business success. 

1. Attract
2. Convert
3. Deliver

In this blog post, I will give you a list of marketing strategies you can do within each of these pillars to grow your business, increase sales and leverage your time better.

Attraction – How to attract more potential customers

Attracting new customers is a crucial element of any business. It’s what fuels business growth and something that many business owners struggle with. Here are ten ways that will help you attract new potential customers continuously. You should be using a combination of these things in your business.

1. Have a great website

Seems obvious, right? The truth is though that many businesses don’t utilise their website enough. In most cases, it’s an online brochure that merely talks about them, when your website can be so much more (here are some examples). There are certain elements every business website needs in order to convert visitors into leads and actual buyers. You can find a checklist of these 17 crucial elements here.

2. Be on Social Media

Again, this seems like an obvious one, however, many business owners don’t explore social media to it’s full potential. When I say be on social, I don’t just mean go create an account for your business on Facebook and Instagram. You need to be active and use these platforms to drive potential customers away from social and back to your website (where you are not competing with cat videos).

The problem with social media is that, if done well, it can be incredibly time-consuming. The answer to this problem is automation. Luckily, these days we have the tools and technology to allow for a hands-off social media strategy that allows us to post as often as we choose to on autopilot. Here’s a complete guide to automating your social media posts so you never have to worry about what to post ever again.

Social media is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to engaging with your customers. Don’t dismiss it and use it to your advantage.

3. Run print ads

Even though I’m a digital marketer, I still believe print ads have their place. But it depends on your business, the audience you are trying to attract and what print media you have available in your particular market. The key to making advertising work is to track your success. The key to making advertising work is to track your success. Yes, I just said that twice.

Don’t just have your logo and a little blurb printed in a generic magazine or newspaper. Make sure you have a clear call-to-action (CTA) for readers to follow. Coupons work great in most cases, as they will allow you to track the success of your ads and calculate the exact return on investment.

Know your numbers:

  • How much does the ad cost you?
  • How many leads (i.e. coupons) did you receive as a result?
  • How many of these leads actually purchased?
  • What was the total revenue generated from the ad?

Example:

Say you invest in an ad that costs you $300. Your ad results in 100 enquiries, meaning your cost per lead is $3. If out of these 100 enquiries, 3 people end up buying (3% conversion rate) with a value of $200 per transaction, you generated total sales of $600. That’s a 100% return on your investment.

These numbers will, of course, vary depending on the type of business you’re in. In most cases, even if you just break even, it’s still worth advertising in the long run, as you will be building your list of potential buyers, which is the biggest asset in any business.

4. Run online ads (Google, Facebook, YouTube)

Even though online ads are very similar to print ads, I like to list them separately. The great thing about online ads is that you can be so much more specific with your targeting and only put your ad in front of people that are highly relevant. This will help you reduce ad costs and increase your conversion rates.

Say, you own a beauty salon in Sydney and decide to invest in a print ad in a local magazine. Now you are paying for the number of readers the magazine tells you they reach. However, out of everyone who reads it, only a very small fraction of readers will actually be based in your area. Out of the people in your area, only a fraction will actually be potential customers (not everyone needs a beautician). And out of those potential customers, only a fraction will actually notice your ad and even less will take you up on whatever offer you presented them with.

In comparison, a Facebook ad will allow you to run a much more targeted campaign. Going with the above example of a beauty business, you could choose to only put your ad in front of women between the ages of 30-50, who live in your local area and also have shown an interest in beauty businesses. Even though your audience is now much smaller, it is also a lot more targeted, meaning you will reduce your ad costs significantly and increase your conversion rates.

Again, print and online ads can both be great ways to attract new customers. The important thing is that you track your success and never invest in advertising that can’t be measured. Oh, and did I mention, never invest in advertising that can’t be measured? (you may want to write this one down)

5. Partner with other businesses

Business partnerships – also called joint ventures – are one of the fastest ways to grow your business and are heavily under-utilised. It’s important to understand though that not all business partnerships are worth your time. Try to only focus on businesses that will have a significant impact on your marketing.

I recently helped two of my clients join forces, who are based in the same city. One is a local café with a huge customer database of over 10,000 people; the other is a massage business that had only started out a year earlier. Most massage business owners would go around putting flyers in local cafes and other places, which is incredibly time-consuming and will get you little or no results.

But instead, we wanted to leverage the huge database of people the cafe already had, so we sat down with the owner and explained that we would like to send a complimentary $25 massage voucher to every single customer on their list. And to put the focus on them, we wanted to make it look like it’s coming from them as a gift to their customers. They look good for spoiling their customers and the owner of the massage place was putting her business right under the nose of 10,000 locals.

All we had to do was write one email that went out to 10,000 people. And to take things even further, we even made this email a part of the café’s automated email marketing. That means that the gift card did not only go out to everyone on the list at that time but every future customer will receive it, too!

As a business owner, make sure you value your time and only focus on marketing strategies that have the biggest impact on your bottom line. Business partnerships are one of the best forms of leveraging your time and resources.

6. Write a blog

Ok, this one probably sounds boring to most business owners and, at first, you may not see the value in doing it. Let me try to change the way you look at blogging.

As business owners, we have conversations with customers daily. They ask us questions about our products and services, they voice their worries, hopes and fears. They want to feel heard and we want to show them that we know our stuff. A blog allows you to do all of that at the same time and in a much more leveraged way.

Use short articles to answer your customers’ burning questions, help them to understand what you do and how it will help them in their own life or business. Even with just one good article, you can attract plenty of traffic by sharing it on social media, on other websites, in your email marketing, and even in your ads. Everywhere!

Your customers are already looking for the information they need online, so you might as well be the one giving it to them and position yourself as the expert in your industry.

I like to compare blogging to renting vs. owning real estate. You can pay for traffic each month (renting) or you can provide value on your website that people come back for (owning real estate). Every article you put on your website becomes a timeless asset you can use to generate traffic for years to come. I call this Evergreen Marketing and it’s what all my clients’ success is built on.

Tip: Hire a writer to help you come up with and write 12 quality articles to put on your website. Then share these articles on social media each month and link to them in your email marketing. You’ll see your traffic increase significantly (and improve your search engine rankings as a result)!

7. Optimise your website for search engines like Google & Bing (SEO)

Despite what many business owners think, SEO (search engine optimisation) is not dead. Search engines just have gotten a whole lot smarter!

SEO is no longer just about having a bunch of keywords on your website that your customers are searching for. These days, search engines like Google scan your website for a lot more, such as readability, quality of content, how long visitors spend on your site, which pages are shared frequently on social media, the list goes on.

So, how do you take care of all this yourself? Simple. Focus on quality content on your site that people actually want to read, watch and share. That’s why the previous point (blog posts) is so important. Engaging videos are also a great way to connect with your visitors and keep them on your site longer.

There are plenty of resources on how to do great SEO out there. If you have a WordPress website, be sure to install the Yoast SEO plugin to help you optimise each page and article for search engines.

8. Run a competition or giveaway

Giveaways are a great way to reach new potential customers, and they are a lot cheaper to run than other forms of marketing.

The idea of a giveaway is to ask people to enter their details for a chance to win a prize. This is a fast way to build a list. You want to make sure that the prize actually attracts potential customers and not those who are just in for the freebies and who were never going to buy from you.

I see many business owners make the mistake to give away an iPad or similar as a prize. That’s way too generic. Anyone who wants an iPad will enter, which is not what we want. You want to use your give-away specific to your product or service in order to attract the right kind of people.

If you are an accountant who focuses on Xero, for example, don’t give away a free Netflix subscription. Instead, consider the prize to be a free Xero Setup and Consultation to streamline your accounting (valued at $495). That way you are only attracting business owners who would actually be a good fit.

The mistake I see many business owners make ist that they run the giveaway simply for the engagement. But engagement doesn’t equal sales. The whole purpose of a marketing activity like this, especially if you invest the time to set it up properly, is to build a list of qualified leads that you can reach out to afterwards. So don’t stop at the giveaway – think about the offer you can send to all those who entered but didn’t win. This is where you really turn your giveaway into profit.

9. Run a survey or quiz

A quiz or survey is another great way to build a list fast and gain valuable insights about the needs of our customers. You’ll want to come up with a set of questions that helps you improve your product or service and identify what may be missing.

If you don’t have an audience at the moment that you can send your survey too, consider partnering with a business that shares your target market and could also benefit from the data generated. You could incentives the survey, which may help to increase responses but could also result in lower quality leads and dishonest answers from people who just took the survey for the prize.

If you would like to learn more about how to use surveys effectively, I highly recommend reading the book ASK by Ryan Levesque. You can download a free copy here.

10. Send a press release to media outlets

A press release can get you lots of free publicity in major newspapers, magazines and news websites. Once you discover this magical strategy, you’ll never want to pay for print advertising again! How much would a full-page article in a major newspaper be worth to you? Exactly? And it’s so much more powerful and memorable than any ad you paid hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars for.

The key is to have a good story that journalists can pick up and elaborate on. Before you write a press release about a new product you launched or a sale you have going, put yourself in the shoes of a journalist. What would their readers want to read about? Tell stories that are not directly about you, but in which you or your business play a role somehow.

Which story would you rather read?

  1. Local roofing company launches new website and is open for business
  2. Local roofer helps the homeless have a roof over their head for Christmas by handing out free tents

There is no way a journalist would pick up the first headline. Because, frankly, nobody cares. The second story is something they can actually work with. Be strategic about the story you want to tell. The first rule of writing a press release is to NEVER SELL your business or products. Focus on helping the journalists to find the story they are so desperately looking for to hit their quota of articles they need to write each week.

Download my free press release template here to have your press release written in no time.

Conversion – How to turn browsers into buyers

11. Create a lead magnet

If you want to accelerate your email list growth, a lead magnet is your friend. A lead magnet is anything you can offer your subscribers for free in return for signing up. This could be:

  • a discount or value voucher
  • an ebook 
  • a checklist
  • a template or time-saver
  • a helpful video
  • a free trial
  • or anything else of value to your audience.

The key is, it needs to be highly valuable to your ideal target audience and it needs to be free. It should be a first step people can take into the transformation your offer them. 

12. Use email automation to educate and engage with your audience

To this day, email marketing has remained one of the most profitable marketing activities out there. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your audience and create sales opportunities. But let’s be honest… who has time to sit down to send out weekly newsletters anymore? 

That’s where automated email sequences come in handy. Rather than growing your list to send out the occasional email blast, think of email marketing as taking your subscribers on a journey. From the day they join your list, you can map out an entire sequence of emails, each designed with a specific purpose in mind. 

You could include emails that ask questions to learn more about your customers’ needs, showcase your testimonials, answer frequently asked questions, invite them to leave a review, make them aware of other channels you’re on, like social media, and so much more.

This is one of the best ways to leverage your time and frequently engage with potential customers to connect, educate and move them closer to the sale.

13. Use a chatbot to help people find what they are looking for faster

Chatbots have become a lot more common in recent years and they’re a fantastic tool to help you streamline customer enquiries. You can program a chatbot to directly answer specific questions, such as pricing, location, or opening hours, or to direct people to relevant pages on your website for example. 

If someone starts a chat and asks if you have appointments available this week, you could direct them to your booking page where they can check availability and book themselves in, all without the need to interrupt your day.

You can think of a chatbot much like a phone options menu, where when you call are asked to press certain numbers for different types of enquiries. Except a bot allows us to design a much more natural conversation and flow.

Some chatbot software providers I have personally used and love are Chatfuel and ManyChat. Both integrate with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but there are many other tools out there that let you integrate your bot directly with your website and other platforms. 

14. Create a strong offer people can’t refuse

Sometimes, the difference between failure and success in business is the way you structure your offer. Just like McDonald’s did when they went from selling individual items to selling packaged meals. The famous line “would you like fries with that” added billions to their bottom line. 

Could you add something to your offer for added value? 

15. Run retargeting ads

Running ads online is a great way to increase brand awareness and attract new customers. However, it can be difficult to convert an audience at the first point of contact. A retargeting campaign allows us to follow those around that have expressed interest in our business before. Retargeting ads are also a great way to reactivate past clients or target specific segments of your audience.

If you have a webinar funnel, for example, you could show ads only to those who have previously watched your webinar. If you run workshops, you could target only those who have attended a previous workshop of yours. With a little creativity, the possibilities with retargeting ads are endless.

16. Find a way to help more people (when you do that, you will naturally sell more)

Seems like an obvious one, but sometimes simply by shifting our mindset we can create opportunities on a whole new level. 

I like to do a little thought experiment and ask myself what I’d do if I had to help ten times more people than I currently am. 

Could you change your business model and shift from selling 1-to-1 to 1-to-many? Could you offer a DIY option to serve more people at the same time?

Thinking about 10Xing your business can bring up some important questions that will put your business on the path of growth:

  • Where would you find 10 times more customers?
  • Would you have to change your processes to accommodate that growth?
  • Would you have to hire new people to help you?
  • What impact would you have on the world by helping more people?
  • What impact would it have on your personal life?

To get you thinking about these things, I can highly recommend the book “The 10X Rule” by Grant Cardone. It will open your mind up to new possibilities.

17. Run ‘limited time only’ offers

Creating offers that are only available for a limited time can be effective in creating a sense of urgency and temporarily increasing sales. If your business operates in retail or e-commerce, you could purchase a small batch of a new product and promote it as ‘limited time only’ to increase sales over a short period of time. 

It’s also a great way to test the market response to a new product before adding it to your regular offering. A café, for instance, could offer a new product for a limited time to measure its popularity and collect customer feedback. Then, if it performs well, make it part of their regular menu. 

18. Be easy to do business with (I had to add this one)

It always surprises me how difficult some businesses make it to do business with them. As business owners, we should be focused on reducing as much friction as possible. 

Make it easy for customers to pay using their preferred payment method. If it makes the decision for them easier, consider offering a payment plan or AfterPay. 

Make it easy for customers to get in contact with you using their preferred contact method – whether it’s by phone, text message, social media, email, or through a contact form on your website. 

Make the process easy and fun. You’ll be surprised how much impact ‘being easy’ can have on your bottom line. 

19. Get to know your customers better and understand exactly what they REALLY need, want, and do not want

Never assume that what you have to offer (no matter how awesome it is) is what your customers need and want right now. Listen to their needs. Every customer is different and comes to you for a different reason. 

Find out what their underlying motivation is for coming to you and try to meet their unique needs. Listening attentively can go a long way. And if you feel like your offer isn’t a good fit for you, don’t be afraid to let them know. The reality is, most people will respect you more for your honesty than for trying to make the sale at all costs.

Maybe they need something else first?

20. Make sure your website has all the right elements (just a page online won’t cut it)

Many business owners treat their website much like an online brochure. A little blurb about how long they’ve been in business, a contact page, some generic description about their products or services, and maybe a pricing page.

But your website can be so much more than that! Try looking at your website as your piece of real estate online. A well-designed website will:

  • Establish your business as an industry leader
  • Attract new potential customers
  • Capture leads 
  • Book appointments
  • Help sell your services or products
  • Showcase your competence 
  • Educate your audience and answer pre-sale questions
  • Act as a valuable resource 

 

Delivery – Ways to grow your business during and after the sale

21. Provide great customer service

This should be a given, however, it’s astonishing how many businesses neglect this part of their business. Providing excellent service is a great way to build repeat business and increase “word of mouth”. 

When you impress your customers, they are also much more likely to leave a positive review on Facebook or Google, which in turn will result in more organic traffic and a better reputation, helping you stand out from the competition. 

22. Ensure people only buy something they actually need

As a business owner, it’s tempting to try and sell your product or service to anyone coming your way. However, selling to the wrong person can impact your business negatively. Make sure you only sell to people who will genuinely benefit from your product or service.

Similar to the previous point, this will only strengthen relationships with your customers, increase trust, and result in more referrals.

While it may benefit you in the short term, selling to the wrong kind of customers may result in an increase in refunds, mediocre reviews and decreased customer loyalty. 

23. Offer good quality products and services (you want people to rave about it, not complain about it)

24. Overdeliver and exceed your customer’s expectations by offering something extra

25. Follow-up with your customers after the sale to see how they are going

26. Invite customers to leave positive reviews on Facebook, Google, TripAdvisor etc.

27. Add customer testimonials to your website

28. Send a thank-you note after the sale

29. Offer upsells and cross-sells

30. Consider offering a subscription/membership type product

 

This list is far from complete and you could certainly write a book about each point. But I hope that it will spark some ideas for what you can focus on in your business to grow and take it to the next level.

The biggest challenge most business owners face is finding the time to do marketing well. I can say from experience that this is only possible when automating the majority of your marketing processes. To help you do that, I have created a free step-by-step guide on how to completely automate your Social Media posts, as this is often one aspect my clients struggle with the most.

 

To your success,

 

In essence, there are only three ways to increase your sales:

  1. Increase the number of customers
  2. Increase your customers’ purchase frequency, and
  3. Increase your average transaction value

However, there are a number of not so obvious ways to grow your business and increase profitability. Here are four ideas to help you scale without putting the focus on sales. Ready? Then let’s dive in!

1. Automate processes to increase efficiency and reduce cost

Today, there are thousands of tools out there to help you automate repetitive business processes. Simply automating a few things can help you significantly reduce wages and free up valuable time. When looking for ways to grow our business, we often overlook areas that don’t directly contribute to your profit. Here are a few things you can automate quickly and easily that could put money back in your pocket.

  • Social Media Posts
  • Invoicing
  • Email Marketing
  • Online Advertising
  • Lead Generation
  • Sales Processes & Follow Up
  • Internal Task Management
  • Review Management

Tools like Zapier and Make can help you connect various services and software platforms to make processes even more efficient. 

Some examples:

  • When you have a new lead -> automatically add a contact to a list in your email marketing software -> then send a follow-up sequence until they take the desired action
  • After a customer makes a purchase for the second time -> send them an invitation to write a Google review
  • When a purchase is made on your website -> automatically raise an invoice in Xero to match with the imported trasnaction

These are just some basic examples, but the possibilities are endless, and so is the time you will safe by automating these tasks!

2. Launch a re-targeting ad campaign

Many business owners already use ads to attract new customers and generate new business. However, if you only run direct ads, you are missing out on a huge chunk of potential customers by ignoring this simple strategy. Re-targeting ads are a powerful tool that allows you to show specific ads to people who have already interacted with your content in the past, adding continuity to your customer experience and significantly increasing the chances of turning them into customers.

Se if you can offer them something of value in relation to certain pages or blog posts they have visited on your website. 

Example: A yoga studio might show a re-targeting ad for a free yoga pass to people in their area who have read blog posts on the benefits of yoga on their website. When people see the ad, they can enter their email address to claim the free yoga pass and automatically be subscribed to an evergreen campaign. (See next point)

3. Stop focusing on once-off promos and develop an “evergreen” marketing strategy instead

The majority of business owners think of marketing and promotions in terms of once-off activities. It might look something like this:

  • January -> Promotion #1
  • February -> Promotion #2
  • March -> Promotion #3

While this might work well, it also requires you to constantly come up with new promotions, which can be exhausting and feel like you’re never quite catching up.

Instead, focus on implementing an evergreen marketing strategy that sends new leads or customers a series of pre-designed offers from the moment they join your list. Then keep adding new offers to that sequence. Over time, this strategy allows you to develop a marketing machine that continuously produces sales without ever having to worry about what your next promotion is going to be. You just need to make sure that offers in that sequence are timeless and not seasonal.

All you need is a good email automation tool, like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, and there are many more options available. 

4. Make Partnerships evergreen, too

Partnerships and joint ventures with other businesses that complement yours is a powerful strategy. You might have already partnered with another business in the past to run a one-off campaign promoting your products or services. Maybe you’ve asked the other business to hand out vouchers to all their customers.

See if you can turn this strategy into an evergreen campaign, too, like in the previous example. Look for businesses that already have an evergreen funnel and see if they are happy to plug your offer right into it, while you can do the same for them. 

Example: One of my clients owns a massage clinic, while another owned a yoga studio. I got both of them to add an email to their existing evergreen sequences promoting the other business. Now, everyone who receives a massage at the massage clinic also receives a complimentary gift card for a yoga class, while everyone who joins the yoga studio receives a voucher for a massage a a few weeks later.

It’s a win-win and once implemented, this strategy will continue to work for years to come.

There you have it. Four (not so obvious) ways to grow your business. All four strategies are what I call “set and forget” strategies that you only have to set up once and will benefit from forever.

Have you automated any processes in your business? What marketing strategies have worked well for you? Let me know in the comments below!