How To Make The Most Of Your Small Business
Have you considered some of the advantages of running a small business?
Large corporations might hit the headlines more often, but there are certain favorable aspects that are unique to a smaller working environment. Sure, the budgets and global recognition that come along with managing a large corporation sound appealing, but a large business misses out on several of the benefits that make small businesses so great.
Before you get carried away with thinking about how great it would be to drive a Ferrari to your 75-story office, think about the benefits of running your own small business. If you can learn how to maximize these benefits, you may soon enough be driving that fancy car to your…well, humble one-story office that you’re more than proud of.
Here are a few big benefits to running a small business:
- Get to know your clients personally. With a small business you have the benefit of interacting with your clients on a personal level as they are unlikely to number in the millions. Even if you’re running a small online business you can still send emails back and forth, and even set up video chats or phone calls if necessary. By creating this personal connection with your clients, you show them that you truly care about their needs. You’ll gain their trust and they’ll be more likely to refer their friends and family to your business.
- Create a family-like office environment. In large corporations, some of the employees never even meet their CEO. This shouldn’t be the case for a small business. With a small business you can create an office environment where everyone knows and trusts each other. Make sure to make your face seen among your employees and coworkers. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, doesn’t have his own office. Instead, he’s placed his desk in the center of the main floor of Facebook HQ. This helps him to maintain that “small business” environment, even in a huge company like Facebook.
- Get involved in the community. As a small business you can benefit from getting involved with your local community. This can involve getting in touch with local schools, sponsoring events or volunteering time or resources where they’re needed most. Giving back to your community builds strong ties between your business and those you associate with outside of work. If you’re in the tech industry, consider sponsoring an event at the high school that would introduce kids to coding. Or, if you’re a small brick and mortar business, try to sponsor a local event. Any way you can make your name known within the community will build your credibility as a business. Here at WestHost, we work alongside Utah State University to promote certain events and get involved with college students. We also work with local schools on helping kids get interested in programming, especially playing around with Raspberry Pis and other gadgets.
- Create an engaging social media campaign. With large businesses social media is a way to show off new products and showcase company news to the entire world. However, for a small business you can take advantage of social media by actually engaging with your followers. Run promotions and contests that will spark interest for those following your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. When you get a question via social media, be sure to always respond and let your followers know that you value their feedback. In a way, social media is just a communication bridge between you and current or potential clients.
- Keep an updated website for your business. This may not initially seem like an advantage for a small business, but being online can dramatically boost your small business’s presence. For example, having a website that potential customers can visit to find out store hours or just learn more about your business can set yourself apart from the competition. Include an “About Us” page to inform your visitors on what your business stands for, and don’t forget to have a “Contact Us” page to allow your online visitors to contact you if they have any questions.
Having a website in today’s business world is an absolute necessity. With our shared hosting packages and Website Builder, you can be online in no time! Check it out today at WestHost.com!