30 Small Actions to "Boost Your Business" in the New Year
30-day marketing challenge
The new year is just days away. And with the start of each new year, it's not uncommon to think about how far you've come and how far you need to go to meet the big marketing goals and "resolutions" set for your business for the new year.
No matter how small or large your business is, if you want to set your business up for consistent growth, you absolutely have to dedicate some time doing the following:
Reflecting and setting goals
Updating your brand and website
Improving your social media presence
Connecting with current and potential clients
Overviewing your budget and marketing systems
However, meeting those big marketing goals is MUCH easier said than done when you're a small business or entrepreneur with limited resources and budget. So, where do you find the time to do it all?
Good news: It's totally possible.
With slow and steady improvements each day over just one month, you can help your business stand out and get on the path to meeting and exceeding your annual goals.
Here are 30 small actions you can take to "Boost Your Business" in a big way in the new year and beyond:
Reflecting and Setting Goals
Reflecting on past accomplishments and setting goals for the future will help set the stage for where you want to go and help you start thinking about the steps you need to get there.
1. In a journal, write the answers to the following questions:
Where do you want to be a year from now?
What short-term goals do you want to accomplish?
What long-term goals do you want to accomplish?
2. Do another journal entry and ask yourself the following:
What worked well for you this year? What didn't?
What new things (strategies, systems, etc.) do you want to try in the upcoming year?
3. One of the biggest parts of making progress is celebrating the small wins along the way! Take a moment to think about an accomplishment you made in the prior week and do something small for yourself to celebrate.
4. Get prepared for the following week by writing down what you want to accomplish in the week ahead and what steps you will take to get there. Writing down your goals makes it more likely that they will happen!
Updating Your Brand and Website
If you want to stay relevant in the online world, you've got to have a stand-out brand image and website that will catch and keep your target market's attention. However, your brand and website are much more than just a display of a pretty logo and fonts. On the contrary, there's quite a bit of thought that needs to go behind it for it to be truly impactful!
5. In a journal, write down the answers to the following:
When was the last time you thought about your brand?
What are your brand colors, fonts, etc.?
What does your brand say about you? What do you want it to say about you?
6. Take an hour or two to make sure your brand fonts are legible and consistent across your website and collateral. You should also check to ensure you have the correct license to use them for marketing. You can learn more about font licensing at https://www.monotype.com/font-licensing-hub.
7. Clean up your logo source files. Make sure you have a designated folder for your original logo files. It's a good idea to have one color, transparent, one black, and one white logo.
8. Check your website's SEO and keywords. Review and update your website meta description and page titles/names to ensure they are SEO-relevant.
9. If you have stock photos on your website, it's time to update and replace them with real ones. Search for a local photographer in your area for a professional photography session. If you're in Colorado, I highly recommend Cassie Connor Photography)!
10. Celebrate yourself by posting to your social media pages an accomplishment you made on updating your branding or website and one thing you will do to celebrate.
11. Write down a new accomplishment you want to make on your brand or website in the week ahead and what steps you will take to get there.
Improving Your Social Media Presence
A solid social media presence is a must to stay competitive in today's business world. And for each day you avoid or neglect your social media, you're giving your competitors that much more of an opportunity to get in front of and win over your target customers!
12. In a journal, write down the answers to the following:
What social media platforms are you currently on? Is it where your target audience is?
Are you getting the type of engagement you want?
13. Update your social media profiles. Make sure you have a professional profile photo and that all of the relevant information for your business (i.e., location, hours, description, contact information, etc.) is complete. Remember, your social media platform is a free billboard for your business!
14. Is your business on Google? If not, you're missing out on valuable opportunities for your business to be seen and discovered! So take a moment today to create a Google business profile for your business.
15. One of the best ways to get engagement and attention from those in your area is to engage and give attention to them! Spend 30 minutes engaging online with other local businesses in your area. Not only will it help boost your exposure, but it can help to create long-term relationships!
16. Create a short reel or video about your business to post on your feed or stories. Not only are videos a great way to communicate information to your audience, but they are also a way to CONNECT with your audience by showing them the face behind the business! Not to mention, they do an EXCELLENT job at boosting your online visibility and encouraging social shares. Camera shy? You can always use still photos to create a short video reel!
17. Celebrate your wins! Take a moment to think about how the prior actions helped improve your social media presence and do one small thing to celebrate yourself.
18. Get prepared for the following week by writing down what you want to accomplish in the week ahead and what steps you will take to get there.
Connecting with Current and Potential Clients
Like any relationship, communication is one of the keys to a solid and lasting relationship with your clients. Likewise, taking the time to get to know and connect with your target audience is a way to form meaningful relationships that show that you genuinely care about their needs and well-being.
19. In a journal, write down your answers to the following questions:
How often do you reach out to your current client base?
How do you currently connect with your target audience (the ones you don't know)?
20. Pick up the phone or email your current clients to ask how they are doing and how you can help them. Even better, invite them to coffee for a face-to-face meeting!
21. Create a poll or survey to send to your clients via your e-newsletter or to hand out in person. Doing so will help you evaluate what is going well and what needs to be improved!
22. Sign up to attend a networking or community event. Not only will it help you build new and potentially life-changing connections, but it will also increase your business visibility!
23. Ask three satisfied customers or clients to leave a testimonial/review on your social media page. Doing so is also an excellent opportunity to discover your business's strengths and weaknesses!
24. On your social media pages, share how connecting with your clients has helped your business and provide tips for others to do the same.
25. Get prepared for the following week by writing down what you want to accomplish in the week ahead and what steps you will take to get there.
Overviewing Your Budget and Marketing Systems
Your marketing budget and systems aren't something to be taken lightly. Now is the time to really dig into both to evaluate which items are helping versus hurting your business and what changes you need to make to help reach your marketing goals in the new year.
26. In a journal, write down the answers to the following:
Are your current marketing systems and procedures efficient/effective?
What marketing investments do you currently make/need to make to get the desired results?
27. If you don't already have a marketing budget, it's time to hop to it! First, list all of your marketing expenses from 2022. Then, write down what will remain in 2023 and what will need to be adjusted, added, or removed.
28. If you use advertising in your business, analyze which paid advertisements worked and which didn't. Doing so will help you to recognize what ad vehicles and messages make the most impact so you can adjust your 2023 ad spend accordingly.
29. One of the biggest myths about being a small business owner or entrepreneur is that you have to do it ALL on your own! List three marketing functions you can automate and three that you can outsource.
30. Procrastination and failure to take risks often prevent small business owners and entrepreneurs from taking their businesses to the next level. Now is the time to change the game for the new year! Commit to one new marketing system or program on which you've been procrastinating. Bite the bullet today!
At the end of the day, the small and steady steps add up to big results. By committing to one step daily, you'll find that your business will improve drastically and be in a much better position to take off to new heights.
If you have any questions or need assistance with any of the above actions, LMR Consulting is here to help. Contact me today, and let's come up with a plan together to reach your small business goals.
