How To Maintain Interest In Your Business

To get a business off to the right start, it’s a good idea to generate a lot of hype before the big launch date. But the pre-launch is only a fraction of the job; the real challenge is keeping your new customer base interested in your business after all the hype starts to die down. This is not only important for your customers, but for you as a business owner. While working for your own company will be fun it first, it will eventually become tiresome, or even boring. For your startup to survive the first year, you need to maintain your motivation and keep your business competitive. Here are a few suggestions to help you.

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Remember why you’re doing this

No one takes the risk of going into business for themselves because they were merely unsatisfied with their nine to five life. Everyone has a story driving them forward, and they have an unquenchable urge to share that story with the world.

Everything you do from this point on has to be in service of the message you’re trying to share. From the content you put on your website, to the promotions you offer to attract new business. Keeping your story clear in your mind will help you to stay inspired, even when you’re going through a tough business month.

Have a plan in place

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Having a business marketing plan in place to see you through the first year after your launch will guide you through any potential low periods and keep you on track. If marketing plans aren’t really your forte, it’s a good idea to consult a digital marketing agency for ideas on how to grow your business. While you might not be willing to spend money where you don’t have to, it’s more important to not take on everything by yourself. There will be areas where you have no experience, so it’s in the best interests of your business to talk to people that know what they’re doing.

Have an engaging website

Every business now has a website, because it’s the easiest way to reach new customers all over the world. Unfortunately, you design the most beautiful website in the world, but it won’t do you any good if the content isn’t engaging. Your content is your message, your promise, and your promotion of your business. Ultimately, interesting content is what wins over your readers, encourages them to pay for your services, and ensures their loyalty. Content can be in written form, or you can appeal to more visual customers by uploading custom videos to spread your message. Posting relevant, valuable and frequently updated information on your website will boost search engine optimization (SEO), and allow you to keep building relationships with your audience.

Make the most of SEO

Since your website is usually the first point of contact for your business, you need to make sure people can easily find it. Effective SEO will drive up web traffic, thus giving you more business. Google suggests using keywords in the URL, making the site navigation easy, and avoiding long URLs as much as possible. Google also uses links and backlinks to determine successful websites; if many reputable sites link back to your blog, it is an indication of good quality. Google and Bing - the most used search engines - offer the option of submitting your link onto their platform to improve your SEO ranking.

Use your waiting list

In the weeks leading up to your launch, you might have tried to gauge interest in your product by creating a waiting list. Lists play on many psychological triggers, such as scarcity, that make customers want access as soon as possible, or exclusivity, that makes people feel special. After the launch, continue to foster that feeling of exclusivity by using your waiting list to offer customers unique promotions, or giving them first dibs on a new product you’re launching. Use this list for at least the first year, and you’re likely to have loyal customers for life.

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Hold contests with giveaways

However, you shouldn’t limit yourself to your waiting list for loyal customers. Take the opportunity to expand your customer base by encouraging other people to get involved with your business somehow. One way to do this is by holding regular competitions with prizes for a lucky winner. The purpose of the competition is to find new ways to interact with your customers, so giving them a little incentive can only help achieve this. After all, everyone loves winning.

Don’t use every social media platform

Obviously, you should be using social media on a regular basis to keep promoting your business. After all, at least 1.28 billion users log onto Facebook on a daily basis, with as many as 500,000 new users creating profiles every day. That’s your untapped potential customer base right there. But you need to be smart about which platforms you use to post your content. If your target audience are mostly entrepreneurs and businesspeople, then LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook likely to be the platforms they use most. On the other hand, if you’re offering visual services, or products like crafts and DIY, then you might find more customers on Pinterest or Instagram instead of LinkedIn. It’s not worth setting up a company page on a social media site that you will soon forget about.

Host an event

It’s amazing to be able to reach out to your customers through your website, but nothing beats good old-fashioned face to face connections. If you know you have enough customers in your area, you could try hosting an event where everyone can meet, and get a first hand experience of your products and services. This is an especially good idea if you’re about to launch a new release and you’re looking for feedback. You could also host a live chat through Facebook live, or a webcam. Interacting with your customers is a great way to get referrals.