6 tips to maximize SMB growth in 2016

Are you frustrated with the rate at which your business is expanding? Maybe there’s a better way of doing things. A new year should signal a new approach to business, so to maximise the growth potential of your company, and make 2016 the year you hit the big-time, follow these tips for success…

Web Hosting

Your website is your shop window. It shouldn’t just look nice though, it should be functioning at the top of its game. If it’s not, the problem may lie with the way the site is designed, but you might also want to look at your hosting provider. What are you getting for your money? Major hosting providers such as UK2 Hosting can offer unlimited bandwidth and website hosting, giving you more bang for your buck and less need to worry about managing those resources.

Can your provider help your business to grow with scalable services, and a high rate of uptime, or is it constraining you with limited capabilities? Don’t be reticent about casting around for different hosts. When it comes to the growth of your business, it doesn’t pay to be loyal when you’re not getting as good a service as you could elsewhere.

Social Media

Growing companies can find a multitude of uses for the social media platforms they’re active on. It’s not all about attracting new customers and lower marketing costs. Social media like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest can help you build your brand by telling a powerful story and amplifying your message. You can glean valuable market research by analysing what people are saying about your company online, and you can also network with, and learn, from, other companies and thought leaders in your industry. The other great thing about social media is that it’s global. You might find it difficult finding the right people to help your business grow in your local area, but LinkedIn and Google+ let you recruit from the other side of the country, or internationally.

The Cloud

Effectively utilizing Cloud technology can drive your growth like nothing else. It cuts your IT spend dramatically, with fewer software licenses or servers to worry about. It gives you greater security of your data, and assuming you find a provider that offers flexible arrangements, it can enable your company to make the best use of its resources as growth accelerates.

Unification

Better connected companies are stronger – so unify your people. Bring together sales, marketing, support, and product development so that their aims are aligned, and their strengths and weaknesses compliment each other. This can lead to a more proactive and focused company, and help to identify and resolve problems before they get too large.

Free Stuff

That’s right, giving stuff away for free. Content is still king, and if you want to make a noise in the marketplace then one of the best ways to do that is to give away good, original, useful content. It builds trust in your brand. You’re not giving away company secrets, you’re just explaining how you do the things you do. So why will people still buy your products or services? Because no matter how much knowledge you give away, you will always do things better.

An electrician who shares YouTube videos of himself rewiring a plug may inspire a few DIY enthusiasts to try it themselves, but they’re probably not going to be taking on a big rewiring project if they ever need to fix up a house. Chances are, though, that they’ll remember the electrician who showed them how to change their first plug without electrocuting themselves in the process, and get in touch.

Big Data

Make Big Data work for you. Collect information on your market from everywhere you possibly can: online competitions; email newsletters; social media, conferences – wherever there is an opportunity. Then use analytical software to segment the data and draw useful conclusions from it. Always be listening. Use technology to make better business decisions and to give salespeople better customer insight. Market smarter.

Marketme

Marketme is a leading small business to small business news, marketing advice and product review website. Supporting business across the UK with sponsored article submissions and promotions to a community of over 50,000 on Twitter.