Starting a business and making it profitable to a point is tough while growing as business can be equally as tough. This can take a larger personal investment or taking on investors which changes the power dynamic of a company totally in certain cases. The best thing that a company can do is to consistently provide quality products/services to retain their current clients. Client retention can really help when it comes to picking up new clients that you love to work with. Taking any client that comes through the door is not always wise as nightmare clients can tie up staff and kill margins. The following are tips to grow your business without breaking the budget in the most efficient way possible.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is extremely important when trying to grow a business as search engine rankings can make a huge difference in growth. Companies that are ranking on the 3rd or 4th page for their main search terms could be missing out on thousands of possible customers a month. Creating content that other industry sites and publications can link back to as a resource is a great way to do this naturally without risking a Google penalty. Content can come in various forms whether it is written, recorded in the case of a podcast, or put in video form. People like to consume content differently so do not alienate one part of the demographic simply due to laziness and not wanting to delve into another content form.
Partnering Up With Other Relevant Brands
Partnering up with other relevant brands to sell your products or while label your services can be an incredible opportunity. A great sales team at another company white labeling your services can lead to more customers without the headache of dealing directly with the customers. Partnering up with influencers in certain niches can help grow a business but not all influencers deliver a return on investment depending on the trust they have built with their followers.
Drop Shipping
Drop shipping can be a great tactic to growing an online business that has already has success. This will not involve having to ship or store any of the new products that are offered on an ecommerce site. Partnering with a wholesaler can be tough as not all companies are willing to set up a drop shipping arrangement that truly works. Other companies are more than willing to get their products in front of the most eyes possible. You need to make sure the wholesaler is reliable as being out of stock of a popular product can have negative impacts on your site.
Scour Industry Functions For New Customers
Millions of dollars are done and long term business relationships can be formed at conferences and other industry events. This is a great chance to sign new clients and having so many people in such a dense area can make it easy to meet with dozens of people over the course of a week. Building this personal rapport is important as a client is much more likely to be patient with a new vendor if they got to know them personally. Do not be a person that corners people constantly trying to sell but rather have staff discuss random industry happenings showcasing their knowledge. In most cases signing a deal or two will cover the cost of the conference so it is well worth it in the end.