2015 Business Resolutions
By now you’ve probably already settled on some personal resolutions for this year – getting fit, saving money and learning a new skill are three of the most popular choices – but have you taken the time to set any goals for your business?
In case you’re not sure where to start, we’ve shared some great ideas of how you can improve your business in 2015.
- Learn from last year
Take some time to look back over the goals you set for 2014 and be honest – did you achieve them? Or did you let them fall by the wayside around March or April?
Look at your biggest achievements of last year and remind yourself what you did that helped you achieve them. Likewise, look at the no so great parts of last year and work out what you could have done to avoid those situations. Learning from last year’s highs and lows is a great way to set yourself on the right path for 2015.
2. Fine tune your online presence
A new year is a blank slate, so there isn’t a better time to fix up your website and finally get around to organising those little tweaks you’ve had on your to do list for months now. Do you have new services to advertise? A company blog you want to actually start writing? Maybe you want your site to be redesigned to reflect your new company goals?
Either way, a new lick of paint can do wonders for your motivation and confidence, so it’s the perfect way to start the new year. Get in touch with your WordPress agency and outline your aims and specifications for your new website, then sit back and relax while they work their magic.
3. Understand your customers
Your customers are everything – without them, you have no business – so never underestimate how imperative they are to your success. Make one of your goals for this year to really understand your customer base and discover not only what they want, but who they are.
It’s so important to communicate with your customers and ascertain their needs, as this will help you retain your existing customer base, as well as attract new customers. Why did your customers choose you? Was it your innovative technology, great customer service, low prices? What is that keeps your customers coming back time and time again?
4. Refresh your marketing
Now you’ve established who your customers are and why they’ve chosen your business, you’re in a much better position to market your services to both new and existing customers. With online marketing becoming such a huge part of business success it’s time to think, are you doing everything you can to engage your customers?
If not, it might be time to dedicate more time to your company’s social media accounts. Spending time connecting with customers and posting on Twitter might not seem important but social media is becoming more and more integral to online success and is a simple, fun way to connect directly with your customer base.
5. Value your staff
Never fail to make sure your staff know how valued they are as, without them, it’s impossible for your business to grow and develop. Experienced, dedicated staff are worth their weight in gold so make sure they know how much you appreciate their hard work. A genuine thank you after they’ve completed a difficult task, really taking the time to listen to their feedback, or a company lunch every so often might seem like simple gestures but they can make all the difference.
6. Enjoy the community
Industry events are a fantastic way to promote your products, learn about the market you operate in and make connections with future suppliers and customers, so now is a great time to start looking towards conferences and trade shows that you can attend in 2015.
However long you’ve been in the industry, there are always new things to learn and new technologies to discover, so do what you can to stay up to date. There are all manner of things you can do from the comfort of your office to keep you clued up about your industry, including online forums, social media channels and webinars.
*
So now we’ve given you a few ideas, what business resolutions are you going to put onto your list for 2015?
