Growing your business sometimes requires doing things you’re unfamiliar with. Whether it’s a new marketing strategy or a new type of communication within your organization, it often pays to try new things. Check out some tips for venturing into new territory from members of the online small business community below.
Use Sales Materials in a Digital World
Today, many businesses are doing most of their marketing online. But your sales techniques don’t have to be purely digital. If you’ve never tried using tangible sales materials, now may be the perfect time to see what they can accomplish for you. Check out this Duct Tape Marketing post by John Jantsch for more on this idea.
Learn About Video Marketing — Through Online Dating?
Even if you’ve never tried online dating before, and even if you have no interest in doing so, there may be some lessons to be picked up from online daters — especially if you use video marketing for your business. In this UpCity post, Keith Harrington explores some of the key concepts you should use for your video strategy.
Expand Your Audience Across Display and Search Advertising Channels
There are several forms of advertising that can help small businesses reach their target customers. In fact, you may want to create a strategy that works across multiple channels, like search and display advertising. Learn more about crafting your strategy in this Search Engine Watch post by Jason Wulfsohn.
Combine Two Articles into One to Improve SEO
You may have tried writing articles to improve your site’s SEO. But have you ever tried combining multiple articles into one? In this Magnet4Blogging post, Fabrizio Van Marciano explains why you should. And BizSugar members shared thoughts on the post here.
Improve Your Delegation Skills
Many business owners try to do it all on their own when they’re first starting out. However, learning how to delegate real responsibilities to team members can potentially put you way ahead of the curve. In this Noobpreneur post, Ivan Widjaya offers a guide to help entrepreneurs get better at delegating.
Use LinkedIn for Competitor Research
Your business very well may use LinkedIn for promotions or for connecting with others in your industry. But chances are, you’ve never used it to research your competitors. In this Social Media Examiner post by Luan Wise, learn why that should change.
Design a Better Home Office
If you currently work from home or are thinking about telecommuting from time to time, a well designed home office can make a huge impact on your productivity. In this post on The Franchise King blog, Tina Martin outlines the steps needed to create a space that will be perfect for your work.
Consider New Avenues for Market Value
Providing value to customers is always going to be an essential part of running a business. But the ways in which you accomplish that can vary. Martin Zwilling discusses some new dimensions of market value that many business owners may not yet have considered in this post on the Startup Professionals Musings blog.
Think About Less as More
More isn’t always more for small business owners. There are plenty of ways that less can actually be a good thing. In this post on the Personal Growth Channel, Lisa Sicard explores a few of the concepts entrepreneurs should consider. And the BizSugar community weighed in as well.
Decide Whether or Not to Fight for Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are quick results that pop up on Google when a user types in a query. In the past, having your site featured on one of these was potentially a game changer. But Google has since adjusted how they appear. So it’s up to each business to determine whether or not this goal is truly worthwhile. This Bright Local post by Diana Ford includes a full discussion.
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