Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Once you start a business, you have to figure out how to continue and boost your sales. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Actionable Things To Do Today To Boost Your Business’ Sales.
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As a business owner, there are a lot of things that are important to you. However, your number one priority is selling. Whether you’re fairly new to the industry or you’ve been in business for years, increasing sales is always something you’ve got your eye on. But how can you make it better? If numbers have lowered recently or you’re simply looking for new and improved ways of making more money for your business, take a look at these actionable things you can do today to help increase your overall sales.
Before we dive into anything, it’s important to remember that there are a lot of factors that have changed the business world in recent years. The main reason was when the pandemic hit. COVID saw a large percentage of people switch to online sales not just because they had to to begin with, but now because they want to. If your business was running when the pandemic was announced, there’s a good chance you’ve already altered your business model to fit the changing world. And, there’s no telling whether you might have to navigate something like that again – so keep an open mind with these suggestions!
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Research your target audience
You might think you know what your target audience wants from you, but have you ever actually put in the time to look it up? People’s needs and wants have shifted over the years, and it’s important to keep up with them. For example, 30 years ago, if you were selling a pink doll’s house with accompanying figurines, your target audience would be children (mainly girls) and you’d be able to market your packaging and adverts exactly to that. However, in this day and age, there might be collectors that would want that item, or young boys wanting to play as well as girls. This will now affect your packaging, marketing, and product placement in store.
Remember these three things when researching your target audience:
1. Demographics like age, gender, location and income level.
2. Lifestyle, interest and values
3. Buyer behaviors. Do they buy impulsively or do they spend time researching?
Now, there might be more than one set of people you’re targeting – and that’s absolutely fine! As long as you have the information above, you can then separate them into groups and market your product(s) in the best way possible.
Increase your online presence
You already know how important it is to be online in today’s business world, but how present are you? You might have a website with contact information and directions, but is that enough for your business?
Even if you’re primarily a brick and mortar store, what’s stopping you from expanding to the online world? Customers could then shop remotely and you could increase your sales massively.
If you’re already doing this, you might be wondering what you can do to help drive more traffic to your site and ultimately, to a shopping cart. The answer to that involves some serious SEO work, a great looking (and performing) website, and a lot of consistent time and effort. It is totally possible to achieve this by yourself, but if you don’t have the time or wouldn’t know where to start, you’re way better off using a company like Dynamic Intelligence to manage this side of things for you.
Ultimately, increasing your online presence can and will help you boost your business sales.
Don’t ignore the power of social media
Speaking of an online presence, don’t ignore social media either! While it is true that some businesses can benefit more from social media, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t! Even if you’re a small, locally run business, you’ll be surprised at what the power of social media can do, and it doesn’t take much from you either!
Once you’ve created profiles on the platforms you’d like to use, all you have to do is post updates about the business and what it’s got to offer. So, if you’re running a local vet clinic, you could send updates of renovations happening in your lobby or even (and with owner’s permission) images of the animals that you’re treating. Most owners will be more than happy to have their pets posted online!
In turn, local people (and customers) will follow you and interact with your content. And, you’ll be surprised how much that can benefit your business! A simple share with a few great words about your work could mean five new customers! Not only that, interaction with current and past customers is always nice!
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Refurbish your store
While there’s nothing wrong with a rustic looking store, there’s a big difference between rustic and just plain outdated. Could the reason you’ve lost some foot traffic be because there’s a similar store that’s modern and updated not too far away? If the answer is yes, then it’s probably time to make some changes.
It doesn’t have to be budget breaking changes either! Sometimes a good lick of paint, refreshed uniforms and a layout shuffle is all you need! And, if you “reopen” your store with a bit of flair like balloons and a new sign outside, you’re bound to draw more people into your store. Having a following on social media is also really useful for situations like this too!
Reconsider your opening times – or extend them!
Finally, while most people still operate on a 9-5 basis, do the people that want what you’re offering do the same? Think about cafes, for example. It makes sense that they’re open pretty early to late in the evening because many people, from truck drivers to nurses to friends meeting for lunch will always want a nice cup of something.
Think about your demographic and whether your opening times work for them. If they don’t, consider opening later so you can close later, or make any other adjustments that will help increase your sales!
Increasing sales for your business doesn’t have to be a mammoth task. Each idea described today is actionable right now, so why not get started and enjoy higher sales sooner rather than later?
