Starting and managing your own small business is an exciting and challenging journey. As your business grows, there are areas that will need additional focus to increase sales, employee productivity, and overall success. Creating a plan for areas such as social media management and employee programs will allow your business to flourish. While exploring these options, consider what your company’s values are and how to align these ideas with them.
Benefits of Social Media
As the world grows more and more reliant on technology, means of advertising and connecting with potential clients is changing. Digital marketing is at the forefront of these changes and is applicable for all types of businesses, and small businesses absolutely need to take advantage of digital marketing tools such as social media. There are many different approaches one can take when establishing social media profiles for their company, but the most important aspect is building a connection with SEO-friendly content. While the company will continue to promote its products or services, the main purpose of these accounts are to establish relationships with future clients, building trust in the community, and create networking and growth opportunities.
Another great option to increase your social media presence is reaching out to influencers in your local area. Influencers are individuals with successful social media profiles that promote varying services. You can find influencers by posting an open position on a job board or use your social media account to advertise that you are seeking someone to promote your products or services. Remember to select an individual with SEO experience and a reputable presence.
Employee Happiness and Growth
No matter how great your social media presence is, the company’s revenue, or whatever success you may be obtaining –none of it is quite as important as the employees. It may sound like a cliché and we often hear that a “job is a job”, but many employees are leaving their positions due to lack of satisfaction. Now the question is: how do you keep your employees satisfied? A great way to do this is exploring various types of programs focused on employees. This can include programs both for work and the individual’s goals and needs related to their personal life.
One such way to increase employee happiness and growth is by offering employee engagement benefits. An alarming statistics claims that only 3 out of 10 employees are fully engaged. While a company cannot force employees to engage, they can do is show that they care and thus increasing the amount of engagement. Creating engagement will provide more meaning and purpose for individuals, which in turn creates more productive employees who stay longer at their jobs.
Also, providing engagement, support, or access to support for personal needs such as physical health, mental health, and finances will create a company with thriving individuals and a culture focused on wellbeing and appreciation.
Creating a Positive Image
Going back to social media, not only do you want to establish a connection with potential clients and colleagues, businesses also use social media to create a positive image within the community and worldwide. Some ways to do this include participating in local service projects, offering local scholarships, and providing internship opportunities. Another way to breakthrough is by contacting the local press and offering to tell your story and why you started your company. Don’t forget to mention the company’s values and involvement in the community.
Managing a small business may be a challenging journey at times, but if the company’s purpose remains at the forefront, following these ideas will be easy and a way to make this journey more meaningful. A business is much like a book or even ourselves, we cannot solely focus on the outside appearance. A book it’s truly judged based on its content; what is on the inside. How many times have you or have you heard of someone leaving a company they’ve worked with for years or stopped buying their products based on scandal or poor customer service. By focusing on employee satisfaction and truly caring about the community, small businesses will establish their presence on a larger scale, reduce turnover, better customer experiences, increase productivity, and drive sales and bookings.
