The Northways
What is the new year, really? People around the world use the start of a new year to reflect on what was and what’s to come now that the ball has dropped and the holiday season is over. But what is the new year, really? As small business owners we shouldn’t access the health of our business at the end of each year. Instead, we should constantly reflect on what is working and what needs refining.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with using the new year to make business resolutions that will take longer than a day or a week to complete. Here are three small business resolutions that you might consider for your 2012 list.
Better Use of Social Media
Every small business publication is telling us to harness the power of social media but if you ask the many frustrated business owners, they’ll tell you that they’re spending a lot of time and money but gaining very little reward.
What those same articles don’t tell you is that social media is not about advertising and it’s not even about making your product visible. It’s about building personal relationships by meeting people in the most neutral of neutral places.
Social media allows you to meet other business owners just like you all over the world. You can use a blog to answer customer questions in a way that establishes you as an expert. You could build a twitter following that allows for efficient delivery of special offers while giving your customers valuable information.
If you try to use it as a virtual cold calling system, social media is worthless. It should also be kept in balance with your other customer outreach efforts. In reality, few business owners find it to be as transforming as the articles would suggest. Just because somebody told you that you need a LinkedIn account doesn’t mean that it’s actually worth your time.
More Leverage
When we think of leverage, we often think of it in the form of bank loans. Leverage isn’t just about money. Leveraging your time means paying somebody to do the low level tasks that are keeping you from growing your business.
Leverage means providing free or discounted service to an organization that will put you in contact with large amounts of potential customers. Your business will never grow if you are the operator and owner of your business. Leverage allows you to work on your business instead of in it. Find ways to leverage your time, talent, and money in 2012.
Cut Your Technology Overhead
When the internet was in its infancy businesses had to pay web designers and hosting services top dollar to get a professional quality product. We now live in a world where finding a great looking template for free and $6 per month web hosting provides a web presence that represents the professional image of your company.
If you need technical help in order to customize your site, finding quality help for cheap using sites like elance will keep your technology costs well under $1,000 per year unless you have highly technical requirements. If you’re still paying thousands of dollars a year for your website, get rid of that service in 2012.
Finally…
Make 2012 the year to really move forward. Anybody who has a small business knows that it’s easy to become content with the success you have now but there’s more out there for you. Whatever your resolutions, one should be to find the next great opportunity for your business.