With 2015 just around the corner, small business owners recap their successes and failures in 2014. Reviewing 2014 will help us to make better business decisions for the New Year.   New Year’s Resolutions for your business are important. Take a few minutes to write down what worked, what didn’t work, and what you need to change in your business. 

1. Boost your Marketing Strategy- What worked for you? Give that another shot. If something did not turn out like you planned, reevaluate and give something else a shot. Maybe you wanted to grow your referral partners and you did not achieve the number you wanted due to reaching out to the wrong industry. Try a different industry or try a couple different ones.

2. Join a BNI group- Network with new people and try to create some referral partners. This is only one great way to get your business introduced to an entire new market.

3. Touch on your Clients more- Give them a call or send a simple email or card. Let them know you care about them.

4. You have to give a little to get a little- Spending money will make you money. Figure out what wasn’t working in 2014 and put your marketing budget elsewhere.

5. Increase your Social Media and Internet Presence- Make sure your business is on ALL online directories and social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+).  Also, Yelp is essential. They publish crowd-sourced reviews about local businesses. If you don’t have any reviews, you can bet your bottom dollar your business will be overlooked very quickly.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews- Odds are if they are happy with your services, they will have no problem writing a positive review for you. It takes 5 minutes.

7. Multiply your Referrals- Turn one sale into many. Look at each new client as an entry to 15 more potential clients. It is extremely common for referrals to trickle in after one client talks about your services.

8. Work with a Marketing Company- It can be hard to do all the steps it takes to promote your business effectively and successfully while running a business. Take the time to evaluate your marketing budget for 2015 and use some of that money towards a marketing company like 220 Marketing! We are here to help ensure you achieve all your goals for 2015.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!