All small businesses start as a daydream. You may want to be your own boss or were passionate about a specific product or service you wanted to bring into the world. But turning that daydream into reality is often more complicated than it looks, and many small businesses fail within the first few years. One of the most critical times for small businesses is growing beyond the startup phase and becoming established. Business owners must decide whether they want to scale up or stay small—the pros of scaling can include reaching more potential customers and skyrocketing your profit.
But the cons are that growing the business past a certain point will become more work than you can manage alone, you will need to hire help, and you risk losing the personal touch that made people fall in love with your business in the first place. If you do decide to scale up, that’s where growth hacking comes in.
Growth hacking is all about finding creative and efficient ways to grow your business quickly.
Here are nine growth hacking techniques that you can use today to help your small business succeed:
1. Outsource.
A lot. Yes, it might be true that you can create your web, write your blog, develop your logo, do your marketing and design, and manage your customers. But is it the best use of your time? You are the biggest asset in your business, so make sure you use your time efficiently and outsource anything that’s not your zone of genius so that you free up time to work your magic. Plenty of marketplaces for freelancers, like Upwork, make it easy to find the skills you need.
2. Ask for feedback.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure, so make sure you’re constantly asking your customers for feedback. Whether through surveys, interviews, or social media, ensure you’re constantly gathering feedback on what they want and how you are doing and using it to improve your products and services. Using a form builder like Typeform can make it easy to collect it all in one place.
3. Build an email list.
This is one of the simplest and most important things you can do for your business. Why? Because email is still one of the most effective marketing channels, and it gives you a direct line of communication with your customers. Offer a free lead magnet, something of value that’s attractive to your customers, such as an ebook, video, or even a discount code, as an incentive to sign up. And then communicate regularly.
4. Leverage testimonials.
Or we should start with “gather testimonials” if you haven’t done it yet! Social proof is a powerful way to build trust and get your biggest fans to do your marketing for you, and services like Boast make it simpler than ever. Include testimonials on your website, sales materials, and social media.
5. Upsell.
When you’ve got a customer, don’t let them go! Use every interaction as an opportunity to upsell or cross-sell your products and services. Once they’ve decided to buy from you, it just takes a click to get them to add something else to their cart, so make the most of those pop-ups!
6. Retarget.
Just because someone didn’t buy from you the first time doesn’t mean they never will. Use retargeting ads on social media and Google to show your ads to people who have already visited your website or shown an interest in your products but still need to convert and complete the purchase.
7. Content strategy.
Every business needs a content strategy. You need to create and share content relevant to your customers regularly. This can be in the form of blog posts, social media, videos, eBooks, webinars… the list goes on. But make sure you’re putting out exciting and valuable content that will help you attract new customers and convert them into fans.
8. Engage your audience.
You miss out on a massive opportunity if you’re not talking to your audience. Ensure you’re engaging with your customers and followers on social media, in your email list, and in your comments section. Don’t just sell to them, but actually have a conversation. You’ll be surprised at how much this can help you grow your business by boosting your online visibility (the algorithms love connection!) and by building trust and relationships with your customers. Build a tribe.
9. Offer a free trial.
Or rather, a “nearly free” trial. A low-cost test, even for just $1, is a great way to get your customers to try your product or service with minimal risk while getting their data and a more committed trailer because they’ve already entered their credit card details.
Thoughts
It might seem like a big mountain to climb, but by following even just a few of these simple hacks, you can set your small business up on the road to success.
Take the first step to growth today by contacting Kingdom Branding. We promise to take your vision and make it beautiful. With our expert branding services, we’ll help you build a brand that’s worthy of your kingdom.
Resource Books:
