Approximately 20% of small businesses fail within the first year, according to the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics. While this number can be scary, you can be on the 80% side with good planning and strategic marketing. In order to help you succeed, we here at Cedarsphere have put together a list of 6 things every business needs to succeed.
A Great Website
If your business is going to succeed in this day in age, a good website is only going to help. With more and more people turning to the internet to find information about businesses, you are going to need to have a presence. Think of your website like a first impression. This is usually the first impression a person has of your business, so you need it to make an impact. A great website can help customers convert and want to know more about your business. If you have a leg up compared to your competition, this could be an easy win for your business.
A Strategic Marketing Plan
While we are a little biased being a digital marketing agency, there is no denying that a strategic marketing plan is needed for success. A strategic marketing plan involves using all available assets to work together to lead customers through the sales journey. You will want to make sure that you are able to market to your specific audience and future customers without wasting marketing dollars. Cedarsphere offers an all-in-one digital marketing solutions to take on the heavy lifting and allow you to spend more time doing what you are best at.
Industry-Leading Customer Service
Customer service is more important than ever. With so many businesses popping up every day with the latest technologies and competitive pricing, customer service can win customers over and keep them. In a 2020 customer amazement survey report, 62% of customers are willing to pay more for good customer service. In this same report, 96% of customers said they will leave a business for bad customer service. This is why you need to focus heavily on customer service and ensure your staff is trained to do the same.
A Hard-Working, Reliable Team
You can have the best marketing strategy and website available, but if you do not have a hard-working and reliable team, your customers will start disappearing. Consumers want convenience and having to wait longer for a service or product is going to cause them to think twice about ordering from you again. A hard-working team is going to help the business grow even faster, especially when they have customer focus as their main mindset.
Passion For Their Business
Every business is going to need people who are passionate about the business. By employing people who are passionate about the business or industry, you get people who are going to ensure your business succeeds. It is very easy to see the difference between employees who are passionate and those who are not. Those who are not passionate about your business will not provide the same level of work and customer service when compared to those who are.
Goals
Last, but certainly not least, your business needs goals. Goals allow you to have a clear view of what you want your business to be in the next year, 5 years, or 10 years. This can include scaling, increasing sales by a certain number, or simply staying consistent year over year. Line out your goals, write them down, and make them be known by your staff.