The rate at which local businesses are emerging in every part of the world is quite tremendous. Each new day witnesses the birth of new local businesses. This is because many people recognize the viability and potential for growth a local business can offer in these uncertain economic times.
Bear in mind though that not all new local business startups enjoy the same levels of seemingly ready-made success. In fact, the vast majority of new businesses fail to make it through the first year. So that leaves only a tiny percentage of businesses that are truly able to go the distance.
If you’re hoping to build a local business that is geared for success from day one, and can weather the storms over the long haul, then pay careful attention to the advice that follows.
Start with a proper business plan
It is common sense that a successful business has its roots in a promising business plan. You’d be surprised how many budding entrepreneurs and first-time business owners, anxious to get their businesses off the ground, neglect this essential foundational step.
Having a solid business plan means designing your business around a fixed structure of day to day functions and keeping to a strategy that will guarantee success. It also goes a long way to ensuring you do not forget core principles your business is built on. In order for a business plan to work, however, it’s best to keep it as straightforward and uncomplicated as possible.
Also, be sure about the expectations you have as well as do your homework first before putting down the first cent of capital. You should know from the very outset what your objectives are for starting the business, what outcomes you hope to achieve, and how you plan on getting the necessary work done. Accordingly your business plan will, therefore, need to highlight the exact actions you are going to take in terms of defining duties, and hiring and delegating staff.
Clearly define a long lasting brand
One of the most important elements of local business success is that of building a brand image that is memorable. It also represents clearly the attitudes and values you want your business to portray to the public and particularly your target market. In the end, it’s what distinguishes your company from the competition.
It is therefore entirely useful to have a thorough look at your competitors and decide what you would like to do differently. Here’s where your business prowess comes in and you find the edge your business can have against the players in your particular sphere and area of expertise.
Your aim should be to deliver value above and beyond that which the market is used to. Let your products and services, though similar to what’s out there, appear unique in the marketplace.
Your brand then takes on a persona people can identify with. Once you understand how your core values apply to all aspects of your business, go about establishing a business name that encompasses these very same sentiments. At the same time, being a local business, you should look at creative ways how your business name can accurately reflect the location you operate in while still reminding the public of your main service offerings.
Maintain a functional business blog
These days it is critical for any business, even a newly formed local business, to have a firmly established presence on the web. Some local SEO statistics reveal that about 97% of consumers out there use the internet as their first point of research when trying to find local businesses. Also the fact that a whopping 98% of these people are more likely to select a business they find on page one of Google is what mentioning.
As Google continues to evolve, clever implementation of up to date SEO principles will continue to play a huge role in business marketing. Local businesses which fail to see the importance of competing in this digitally driven climate will struggle to get found where the majority of customers are ever lurking, and that is online.
Chances are you probably have a run of the mill business website as most local businesses do. But you should seriously consider adding on a constantly growing blog to it if you haven’t done so already. A blog serves the all-important purpose of drawing in fresh traffic to your website over a period of time. It also gives people the impression that you are passionate about providing value just as much as you are about your business.