By Annie Pilon
Most entrepreneurs want to build businesses that stand the test of time. But so many are too busy with the immediate needs of their operations that they don’t have time to build sustainable practices for the future. Luckily, members of the online small business community have helpful tips and insights that can help more businesses actually last.
Become the Only Business That Matters
If you want your business to stick around for the long haul, you need to solve an essential problem for your customers. If you want to really matter to your target customers, read this Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch for insights.
Follow Cybersecurity Hygiene Best Practices
If your business experiences a cyber attack, it can really harm your business’s ability to continue its operations. If you want to survive for a long period of time, it’s best to avoid these issues, which requires cybersecurity hygiene best practices. Check out this Biz Epic post by Ivan Widjaya for more information.
Keep People Reading Your Blog Posts
It’s fairly common for business owners to start blogging right away, but then lose interest or motivation through the years. If you want to keep people reading your posts for the long run, read the tips in this Inspire to Thrive post by Lisa Sicard. Then see what members of the BizSugar community are saying about the post here.
Turn Customer Feedback into a Driving Force for Your Product
Your customers are ultimately the most important part of your business. If you’re able to listen to them and act on your feedback, you have a great chance of creating products and solutions that serve them over the long run. This Search Engine Watch post by Maria Kazakova includes tips for making the most of your customer feedback.
Increase Awareness Using Social Media
Your business is far more likely to last if a wide range of consumers know about your offerings. And social media can be a helpful tool in this process. In this Crowdspring post, Katie Lundin discusses how small businesses can increase brand awareness using social media.
Use Marketing Automation Across the Customer Lifecycle
As your small business grows, you may benefit from automating some of your processes. More specifically, this can help you get customers through the lifecycle and complete sales more efficiently. Read this GetResponse post by Dave Chaffey to see more opportunities for this type of growth in your business.
Improve Your Processes to Keep Customers Happy
If your customers aren’t happy with your business, they’re unlikely to stick around for the long haul. Luckily, keeping customers happy can sometimes be as simple as improving your processes. This Process Street post by Amanda Greenwood includes more information about total quality management for small businesses.
Focus on Your Core Values
Core values are the building blocks of any business. They can help to inform your decisions through the years and keep you on the right track. In this post, Rachel Strella of Strella Social Media reflects on ten years in business and how core values have played a role. BizSugar members also shared insights here.
Build Your Outreach Strategy with These Tools
A quality link building strategy can help small businesses build a sustainable SEO strategy that is effective for a long period of time. The tools included in this Right Mix Marketing post by Lyuthar Jacob may be able to help you create a quality outreach strategy.
Improve Your Marketing with Chatbots
As your business grows, you might notice that certain questions or interactions may be more efficient if you use automation techniques like chatbots.
See Original Article at Small Business Trends
