In 2023, businesses are looking at more hostile expansion conditions than have been seen in a long time. The economy is increasingly unstable, with inflation on the rise and a huge cost of living crisis. Furthermore, supply chain issues could significantly damage business expansion, which has been caused by recent war and unrest across Europe. Here are 10 tips for successfully and safely expanding a business in 2023.
Networking In The Local Area
One of the best things you can do in order to protect and expand your business in 2023 is to network in the local area. For example, if your business depends on high levels of local foot traffic (e.g if you sell unique souvenirs tailored to the local area) your marketing efforts need to involve increasing your presence in the area. Networking locally to find allies and partnerships, as well as making sure visitors to the area are aware of your business, is essential if you want to expand your business this year.
Adding New Products
One of the best things you can do to successfully and safely expand your business in 2023 is to add more products or services to your business model. By providing more, you give your business more scope to attract new customers or secure existing business by providing more. Analyse your consumer data and find products that are selling well, and find ways to expand on these already popular items. However, finding gaps in the market and making sure your business offers them is essential if you want to expand your business.
Have A Fantastic Web Presence
This year, e-commerce is more popular than ever before – and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. Consumers are now more likely to find new businesses by surfing the web and using search engines, so you need to make sure your business stands out and is easily findable. Investing in a great website and using remote developers is a fantastic way to cut costs whilst also having a fantastic web presence. Make sure that your website is easily usable, attractive and has plenty of information about your business on it to make sure potential customers can get in contact with you.
Reach Out On Social Media
One of the best ways to stay relevant and attract more customers to your business is to be more active on social media. You don’t need to constantly create memes or be a content creator in order to have a good social media presence. Instead, just make sure you’re reachable on social media and are making your followers aware of business events or news. Allowing customers to reach out to you on social media for customer service questions could help you a lot when it comes to securing loyal customers, and creating a good reputation for your business.
Invest In Digital Marketing
If your business relies on people finding you through the internet, you need to be investing in good digital marketing as soon as possible. Great digital marketing such as PPC advertising and Search Engine Optimisation will ensure that the right people are finding your business. A prominent SEO company in Melbourne found that Local SEO could significantly increase a business’ revenue. If you want to make sure that your business can expand and cultivate an extensive customer base, make sure you’re investing in a great digital marketing plan today. As more consumers are using the internet to find brands, it’s important to stand out.
Research The Global Market
Are you looking to expand your business internationally or globally? This can be a huge task and can be extremely risky. However, one way you can make this much easier is by analysing and researching the global market extensively. In different countries, there could be many different factors that could affect everything from your business operations to your marketing plan, including differences in law, government and culture. By doing extensive research over a long period of time, you will be able to minimise the amount of issues you will run into along the way.
Identify Key Skills For Your Business
Knowing the key skill sets you need your workers to need in order to expand effectively is essential if you want to secure a successful and safe business expansion. For example, you may need internal marketing and advertising staff, or more cyber security staff to better protect your business. It might be a case of expanding your existing staff’s skill sets by paying for training and courses. However, once you’ve identified what you need to do, you should start planning for acquiring these key skills immediately. This will help you to be much more prepared when it comes to expanding your business.
Streamline Your Business Operations
An essential part of expanding a business is to make sure that your staff are using their time in an effective and efficient way. By taking the time to analyse your business operations, you can identify tasks that need to be prioritised, and tasks that can be automated. Automating tasks where possible is essential for making the most out of your employees’ time. However, if you do automate tasks through using digital tools, make sure that your staff are trained on how to avoid business cyber scams. Although digital tools can streamline a business and make it easier to expand, there is also significant risk – so make sure your business is protected.
Invest In Customer Retention
If you want to expand your business, having a loyal customer base is essential before you start your expansion efforts. Focusing on customer retention is crucial if you want to eventually safely and securely expand your company. Retaining existing customers is easier than finding new ones, and a loyal customer base can end up marketing your business for you. When customers can trust your brand, they will tell others about you. Expansion is much easier if you focus on consumer retention and building a secure customer base.
Take Great Product Photography
If you’re planning on marketing your product to a wider customer base (either nationally or internationally) you need to make sure you have fantastic product photography. For example, if your business sells coverall bibs for babies and children, your product photography should clearly depict the size, material and design of the bibs. This will help potential customers have a better idea of your product and know what they’re buying, making it more likely that they will be happy with the product. Product photography could be an essential tool that allows your business to expand – invest in it today.
Successfully and safely expanding a business in 2023 doesn’t have to be as stressful as you imagine – follow these key steps and protect your business today.
