More than 70% of consumers seek to buy from brands that align with their values. For sustainable business, there has never been a better time to raise brand awareness and target new customers. In this guide, we’ll explore some effective ways to take your venture to the top and leave your rivals green with envy.
Embrace social media
Social media was once a network for keeping in touch with friends and family, but it has evolved into an incredibly powerful and influential business platform. Social media marketing is often thought of as a sales technique, but it has so much more to offer. One of the most significant benefits of using social media marketing to promote your business is gaining direct access to your audience. You can sell and promote products and services, but crucially, you can also build ties and foster strong relationships. Social networks and apps facilitate interaction and engagement and they also allow brands to showcase their human side.
If you’re not already using social media to raise brand awareness or generate sales, or your strategy is focused solely on selling, it’s hugely beneficial to use social media to tell your story, highlight and share your core values and tell followers and prospective customers all about your company culture and ethos. Consumers are interested in values and backstories, and they want to know about the businesses they are considering buying from or working with. Use social apps to connect on a deeper level and show what sets your business apart. Tell people about the initiatives you support or the materials you use to enhance sustainability and protect the planet. Encourage them to take an interest and get involved.
Get your business noticed
Running a successful business depends on making money, as well as making a positive difference to the local or wider community, the environment or society as a whole. To generate profits and facilitate growth, you need to get your business noticed. It’s not enough to have ingenious ideas or amazing products. People need to be able to find your company and spend their money on your products or services.
There are several ways to raise brand awareness and encourage people to choose your business. Digital marketing is increasingly influential, as consumers spend more time on mobile phones and tablets and search engine use grows. Google alone now processes more than 60,000 searches per second. If you’re not getting a lot of online traffic, investing in SEO is an excellent idea. SEO, or search engine optimisation, is designed to improve your search ranking so that your content and links appear at the top of the page when a user searches for products and services that are relevant to your business. To maximise the chances of creating and converting leads, you should ensure that you have a fantastic website, as well as a dynamic, targeted SEO strategy. If you are attracting traffic, but you’re losing customers once they get to your site, update your landing pages, test different layouts, content types and visual themes, ask customers for feedback and include calls to action.
In addition to digital marketing, it’s also a great idea to explore ideas to create a buzz around your business in the local area if you’re looking to build a client base in your town, city, county or region. Consider printing flyers and posters, using adverts in local newspapers and magazines and hosting an event. Events, such as product launches, store or venue openings and fairs, parties and pop-ups, are a great way to introduce people to your business and let them see and try your products. Visit here for ideas for promotional products to catch eyes and turn heads, create a guest list and try to get coverage via the local press or social media. Live streaming is a brilliant idea if you’re limited in terms of space or guest numbers.
Provide outstanding customer service
More than 90% of us now check online reviews before we make a purchase or contact a company. Reviews play an instrumental role in influencing opinions and buying choices. Customer service is one of the most integral elements to consider when trying to boost review scores and attract positive feedback. Poor customer service is the most common reason people leave negative feedback. Improving customer service can help businesses to boost orders and sales, enhance brand image and reputation and retain loyal customers.
If you don’t have many reviews, or your scores are average or good, rather than outstanding, it’s wise to think about how you can elevate customer service and experience. The first place to start is reading reviews and digesting comments and suggestions. Take ideas on board, take stock of recurrent issues or complaints and try to identify solutions. Provide customers with access to support via phone lines, online enquiries and live chat. If you use social media or email, make sure you check your accounts regularly or sign up for notifications so that you can answer questions or respond to comments promptly. If your business provides services face-to-face, offer training for your employees, extend a warm welcome and try to make the experience hassle-free, enjoyable and memorable for the right reasons.
For online businesses, it’s critical to simplify ordering and payment processes, provide clear, useful information, add an FAQ section and offer payment and delivery options. Use high-quality images and video clips to enhance product descriptions, offer loyalty rewards and incentives for repeat customers and add a personal touch. You could personalise your order confirmations or offer customised recommendations based on previous orders, for example.
Running a successful business is challenging, and it often means beating competitors and showing customers that you are the best choice. If you’re on a mission to take your sustainable business to the top and leave your rivals green with envy, follow these simple steps. Embrace social media, share your story and core values and get to know your followers. Use marketing methods to target the relevant audiences and create a buzz around your brand and aim to provide outstanding customer service as standard.
Photography by Jess Morgan
