The Ultimate Guide to Small Business Tips

LE The Most Comprehensive List of ŞMALL BUSIŅESS TIPŠ EVER! FINANCE TIPS Generating Capital K APPROVED Try crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter Seek angel investors Apply for government grants You could also try... V Speaking to your business advisor about a loan V Taking out a credit card with small limits and a low interest rate V Selling unneeded possessions V Asking friends and family V Allowing product pre-sales V Looking for venture capitalists Saving Money SALE Work from home Shop around for a better price Be more environmentally friendly and energy conscious You could also try... VGetting friends and family to help V Keeping track of ALL costs - they're tax deductible V Being less willing to give credit V Learning new skills rather than employ V Improving your ability to negotiate V Buying used equipment V Making use of free software V Starting small – you don't need a dream office until you've earned it Accounting Ensure you Outsource your financial work to Set up a separate bank account for budget for tax an accountant your tax You could also try... V Recording all costs and sales from the get-go V Getting a good system in place V Getting a place on a free HMRC workshop ONLINE MARKETING TIPS Website </> Create a cheap website using Wordpress Choose a Improve your website's mobile-friendly Wordpress theme SEO You could also try... V Buying a simple, memorable domain name V Buying a hosting package from a reliable provider that will assist in basic setup V Keeping things simple, not flashy V Avoiding high website costs unless you're an online store V Prioritising your website goals - education, lead generation, sales, email signups. V Maintaining a consistent brand image Social Media Post frequently, whilst being engaging and responsive Refrain from Measure your results and tweak trying to sell your strategy You could also try... V Starting small and slowly extend your company brand V Using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to schedule social posts in advance V Setting up searches to monitor mentions of your brand name Reputation Management Ask for help if Respond to social media complaints in a friendly way Be transparent - be clear in your policies necessary - don't jump into decisions You could also try... V Interpreting whether comments need a reply - a reaction can go either way V Being understanding when responding to negative reviews V Ensuring that positive reviews of your company show highly in Google OFFLINE MARKETING TIPS Business Cards Keep them simple Make it easily readable Use your brand colours John Smith Managing Director Use both sides, images on one, wording on the other Forget borders, printing is never 100% precise Thin business cards are like a limp handshake; the thicker the better! Leaflets Use an envelope to boost Attract attention and generate engagement interest Size: A6 BLAMMO! Use a lightweight paper with silk finish Less is more - keep wording brief Consider how you're distributing them Ask the recipient for an action L1 0800 123456 Use a promotional USE CODE: ROBO3000 code to track results Events Don't forget the little details; Number one Target sponsor donations priority: define your target audience lighting, refreshments, parking etc. Also important. V Plan the format, content and location aroundyour target audience V Have a clear business purpose in mind V Prevent conflicting with bigger industry events V Be flexible – always have a backup plan V Forecast the finances and stick to your budget V Detail how you will attract visitors to your event V Define a solid reason for why people should attend V Never assume the benefits of your event are obvious V Talk to the media V Use Twitter hashtags (but don't spam them!) V Get local bloggers involved V Incentivise other local partners to promote you V Use online registration forms to get an idea of numbers V Give early-bird signups a discount/bonus features V Make sponsors feel like royalty V Ask attendees for feedback V Remember that a positive attitude is contagious V Practice your presentation time and time again V Look your best at all times Other Low-Cost Offline Marketing Ideas Provide Hold a Turn your car into a mobile billboard sponsorship for local sports teams competition You could also try.. V Networking at high profile events V Offering to speak at other industry events V Offering a free service or consultation V Making use of a newspaper's classified ads V Attending meet-up groups V Exchanging services with another business V Joining your local chamber of commerce V Creating a referral scheme to spread via word-of-mouth V Offering your product as a prize for local contests V Offering a discount to a specific group of people V Sending cards to your regular customers on special occasions HR TIPS Staff Consider whether Employ someone strong in areas that you are Create an you can outsource tasks before employing employee handbook weak You could also try.. V Referrals from friends. They can be a great way to save on recruitment V Looking for candidates used to working in small companies V Taking on an apprentice or an intern V Giving consistent feedback and rewards V Wising up on employment laws CUSTOMER SERVICE TIPS Respond to every customer that contacts you Ensure you have great teamwork across the board Be quick and efficient in your responses You could also try... V Referrals from friends can be a great way to save on recruitment V Look for candidates used to working in small companies V See if you can take on an apprentice or an intern V Give consistent feedback and rewards V Wising up on employment laws SALES TIPS Research ahead of Don't set Be the expert - all meetings unnecessary deadlines on yourself you are one! You could also try... V Investing in a CRM (Ensure you have a mobile CRM for when you're on the move) V Prioritising your leads - start with the most likely to convert V Never appearing desperate V Exuding confidence V Only selling to the decision maker V Nailing assertiveness for negotiations Sources: entrepreneur.com businessnewsdaily.com smallbusiness.co.uk resultseasy.com monster.com kissmetrics.com creativemarket.com enterprisenation.com smallbiztrends.com wsj.com shrm.org salesforce.com small-bizsense.com WD Secure Document Archive Storage www.wdstorage.co.uk