Owning your own business has so many advantages. Although the top reasons women start their own companies are schedule flexibility, the potential for financial independence, and a passion for a particular product or service, one of the biggest challenges is getting everything done that needs to be done in the time you have available.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take, or tricks you can employ, that will help you cram more productivity into your day.

Although the overall theme here is focus, focus, focus, there are some specific interim steps that can help set the stage to allow you to better concentrate single-mindedly on your most important tasks.

Set goals

Before you jump in and get to work on a task, stop and take a step back. Consider your bigger, longer-term business goals. Are you aiming to achieve a particular annual revenue goal this year? Do you want to roll out a new product or service in the next few months? Do you want to pivot your business? Start a charitable foundation? Partner with a major corporation?

What’s your big goal or goals for the year? Once you’ve set your big intentions, you can then reverse engineer how you’ll reach those goals.

When you’re clear, you can then assess whether the items on your current to-do list will help you reach that goal. If not, you need to evaluate whether you can put those tasks off until later or cross them off your list entirely.

If certain tasks don’t help get you closer to your goal, why are you expending time and effort on them?

Prioritize

Next, look at your to-do list and prioritize what’s on it. What are the most important items – rank them from most to least important.

Then, take that list and organize it by due date. Your most important, most urgent tasks should now be at the top while those items that have no due date or which will have little impact on how your business functions should be at the bottom.

Investing quality time in projects that will yield the biggest payoff for your business will make you the most productive.

Plan your time

Now that you have a list of critical tasks organized by importance, take out your schedule for this week.

Estimate how long each task will take and then assign it a block of time on your calendar, keeping in mind due dates. It’s possible that some days you’ll have to work more than eight hours in order to get everything done.

I break my week down first and then time block each day, so that I’m more realistic about what can get done in 24 hours. For example, if you have six tasks planned for today and estimate it will take a total of 18 hours to get them all done, you will likely want to try to reschedule some by moving the due date out. Sure, you could work 18 hours straight today to get everything done, but the quality of your work probably won’t be optimal, so if you can slot some tasks for tomorrow instead, you’re more likely to get better results.

Group like tasks

As you’re planning your week, or your day, try to group together similar activities – especially those that require you to leave the office.

Batching like tasks can save you a lot of time.

For example, if you have a meeting on the north side of town, look at your list of errands and see what else you could cross off while you’re out of the office. Can you pick up your drycleaning? Pick up a library book that came in and is on hold? Stop and grab some more printer ink, since you know you’re running low?

Instead of having to make separate trips for some of your errands, try to knock them off while you’re already in the neighborhood.

Likewise, if you have a bunch of follow-up phone calls to make, line them up and tackle them one after the other, rather than spreading them out through the day. Or if you have online research to complete, get all of those research questions addressed one after the other.

Eliminate distractions

It’s much easier to focus on your task-at-hand if you’re not distracted. 

To reduce distractions, consider turning off notifications on your computer or phone. Put a note on your office door or cubicle entrance that you’re not to be interrupted until X p.m. Turn off your phone’s ringer, and look into installing an app like Freedom, which locks you out of social media for as long as you specify, so you won’t be tempted.

Being able to work until you’ve completed your most important task will have the biggest impact on your productivity.

Once you’ve completed your top item, move on to your next most important priority.

Avoid multitasking

Just as distractions can prevent you from sticking to a task until it’s done, trying to accomplish multiple tasks at once can also impede your productivity. According to Curt Steinhorst, founder of Focuswise, multitasking can reduce productivity by up to 40%, even though you may think you’re gaining ground.

When you’re trying to do three things all at once, for example, odds are good that you’ll do none of them well. 

So, stop trying to read and respond to emails, text on your phone, and participate on camera in Zoom meetings simultaneously. You’ll appear disengaged in the meeting and are more likely to make mistakes when also making plans.

Delegate

Finally, you’ll be even more productive if you can identify tasks that you don’t personally need to do yourself, or that someone else can do better or faster. 

Sure, you may need to make that phone call inquiring about an overdue invoice from a client if they’ve been ignoring previous mailed requests, but you probably don’t need to design a post social media content, make travel plans, or create the work schedule for next week. Pick people who can do those tasks in your place.

The more you can hand off work to other capable employees, freelancers, or consultants, the more time you’ll have to focus on the most important, highest impact tasks that only you can do. While at the same time, other tasks that need to get done – just not necessarily by you – are also being completed.

That’s how you boost your productivity.

Every business reaches a point where its prices need to be raised.

Often that is due to rising costs for materials and services but other times it can be to remain competitive with other businesses selling the same thing, or it can be to reposition the company or brand from lower end to higher end.

Sure, some companies elect to lower prices occasionally, such as Target’s recent announcement that it would reduce prices on 5,000 items this summer and Walmart’s claim it has already dropped prices on 7,000 products. However, you’ll notice neither retailer is reducing prices across the board on all products, nor is this forever; it’s likely a short-term strategy to get customers back in their stores.

Eventually, those prices will likely be quietly reset. 

If you’ve decided that it’s time to raise prices on some or all of your products or services, here are 7 strategies for softening the blow so that you don’t lose customers.

Communicate the price increase well in advance

Most customers understand that prices rise over time. It’s almost inevitable.

However, you’re likely to reduce any irritation or backlash by alerting customers of the coming increase. You don’t have to justify it but if you feel you need to, you can reveal that the cost of raw materials has increased 25%, or whatever the number is and you need to adjust yours accordingly.

Reduce the size of what you sell

Rather than announcing that prices will be increasing for your existing products or services, you could consider reducing the portion size of your product or the length of time you spend on a particular service.

Food manufacturers are constantly doing this – reducing package size while maintaining the same price, so that it doesn’t impact customers’ wallets but they do end up receiving less than what they used to for the same price.

You can do the same. For example, as a salon owner, maybe your hair appointments shrink from 90 minutes to 75 or 60, so you can get an additional client through each day.

Add value along with an increase

If it won’t cut into your profit margin, think about whether you can offer something of added value along with a price increase. Customers may be less bothered (if they’re bothered at all) by this.

For example, if you increase your dog walking fee maybe you also throw in a free treat at the end. Or if you’re a management consultant, maybe you add a quarterly project audit to add value in addition to increasing the fee.

Make sure what you’re giving as an added bonus costs less than the total of the increase, however, so that you are effectively raising your profit margin.

Start with a discount

Many companies lower the price of new products and services initially in order to build up a fan base.

You can do the same by increasing prices but then offering a special discount for the first month or two, depending on what you’re selling. Or you could let your existing customers know that the price they pay won’t rise for another three months, although new customers will pay the higher price from Day One.

Bundle your offerings

In addition to a straight-up price increase on one or more of your products or services, you could also consider designing a bundle that increases the total price of each purchase but feels like a better deal to your customers.

For example, if you run a snow removal service that bills by the season, how about bundling snow removal and lawn care for one year-round price? Or, at your restaurant, how about offering a salad, entrée, and dessert bundled price that is less than what the three would be separately, as a way to increase the value of that customer?

Become consistent about price increases

Customers are less likely to have an issue with an increase when it’s a regular occurrence. So, even if you haven’t in the past, consider bumping up your prices every year, such as on January 1.

This is a smart approach if you’ve recently discovered you’ve been undercharging and want to move the needle quickly, but not all at once. Maybe this year you increase prices by 15% or 20% and then 5% to 10% thereafter. Train your customers to expect that prices will rise.

Target new customers

If none of these strategies works and the majority of your customers gripe about the increased cost, you may need to shift your attention to a new customer base. That might mean sending out a direct mail piece to a higher-end zip code in your area, conducting outreach to larger businesses, or shifting your social media message to convey that you’re higher end.

What you don’t want to do is to continue to charge less for fear of losing a customer. All you’re doing is hurting your business when you do that. Charge what your product or service is worth. If you lose more customers than you’re comfortable with, re-engineer how you’re selling so that they feel like they’re getting a deal and you’re still earning a profit.

One of the most cost-effective ways to promote your business is by blogging. Setting up a place where you can share information with your target audience regularly is a smart marketing tactic. That’s probably why 7.5 million blog posts are published daily in 2024, according to Earthweb.

But before you invest time and money in setting up a blog, either standalone or connected to your business website, start planning what you’ll write about. Blogs can have different purposes, from education to entertainment to establishing credibility, improving SEO, demonstrating thought leadership, or monetization. Make sure what you plan to write about addresses a pain point your target market is experiencing, too.

No matter what the purpose of your blog is, however, there are some tried-and-true best practices for your posts that you’ll want to be aware of. Following these guidelines will help you attract more attention and achieve better results from your writing.

Compose an eye-catching headline

Since 80% of readers skim a blog post’s headline but only 20% read the entire article, according to Copyblogger, make sure yours is strong enough to get them to keep reading. 

Some of the best headlines include some or all of the following elements:

• Leading with a number, such as “3 Ways to Increase Your Prices”
• Speaking directly to your audience’s pain or interests, such as “Retire Early with this One Hack”
• Including a target keyword, such as “gift” if you’re a retail gift shop
• Explaining how to do something successfully, such as, “25 5-Minute Dinner Recipes”
• Incorporating emotional words to trigger a response, such as, “Reduce Feelings of Overwhelm and Anxiety”

If you’re not sure how strong your headline is, put it through a headline analyzer to test it.

The ideal blog post title length is 60 characters, says Hubspot.

Write a compelling Meta Description

Your post’s Meta Description is a summary of what your post is about. It’s important to Google, so it should be important to you because it will help attract readers.

It’s essentially a preview of your post.

There is a spot on WordPress where you can type the Meta Description in as part of publishing your blog post. It won’t appear within your post, but on Google.

Says, Yoast, it should:

• Be no more than 155 characters long
• Relate directly to the topic of your post
• Speak directly to an individual’s interests or needs
• Include a call-to-action
• Feature a keyword or phrase

When done well, your Meta description will invite people to check out your blog, because of the appealing way you’ve described the content.

Feature an image

Jeff Bullas reports that posts with images get 94% more traffic than those without an image, which should underscore just how essential including some type of visual element is.

Although photos are perhaps the most popular visual tool, there are several other options, including:

• Chart
• Infographic
• Diagram
• Screenshot
• Video
• Art/Illustration

But don’t limit yourself to only one image. Orbit Media reported “Bloggers who add more visuals get better results.”

Craft a compelling lead

Your lead, also spelled “lede” by traditional journalists, is the first sentence of your post. It should quickly introduce your topic and your main point using at least one keyword.

That first sentence also needs to be interesting – intriguing even, so that blog visitors continue reading. It should hint at what the post is about without telling the whole story.

Leverage links

Blog posts should cite external sources where appropriate, to give credit and to align your blog with respected information source. For example, if you include a statistic you found in a recent government report, include a hyperlink to that particular report so that readers can get more detail if they are so inclined. If you fail to cite sources, you could be accused of plagiarism, for claiming others’ ideas as your own.

These are considered external links because the information resides outside of your blog. Whenever possible, link to well-known media, government, or educational sources that have credibility. 

But also include links to other posts you’ve written on your blog, called “internal links,” as often as possible. Linking to related but older posts is another way to attract traffic to your blog.

Include FAQs

At the conclusion of your post, add another header called “FAQs,” where you address commonly asked questions on the topic of your blog post. You can find what FAQs to include by conducting a Google search using your keyword and then looking on the search page under the heading “People Also Ask.” There are usually 3-4 related questions listed that you should use as a starting point for your FAQs.

For example, a Google search of the word “popcorn” lists these questions that “People Also Ask:”

• Are popcorn a healthy snack?
• What is the healthiest popcorn to eat?
• What are the benefits of popcorn?
• How much popcorn is okay?

These are some of the most commonly asked questions about popcorn, which you can then add to your own blog post’s FAQ section.

Don’t copy the answers to those questions, however – write your own. But do use the list of questions as your starting point.

Including all of these elements in each of your blog posts will attract attention and help you build a following. The next step is blogging consistently, preferably, at least once a week.

The more you blog, the more Google will recognize your site as a useful source of information for people interested in your blog’s topic, whether it’s popcorn, plumbing, or puppy care.

We’ve all heard how online sales continue to increase, but the vast majority of shoppers still want access to a brick-and-mortar location.

In fact, more than 55% of shoppers prefer to visit a brick-and-mortar location first, reports RetailDive. And, according to a June 20 study, more than 65% of buyers prefer shopping inside physical stores, whether to try clothing on, sample cosmetics, or try out an electronic device.

Given this interest in visiting a physical location before making a purchase, the key to increasing sales in your business is to get customers in the door.

Here are 6 things you can do to drive traffic and sales:

In-store events

Give shoppers a reason to come into your business by scheduling a special event. 

Although clearance sales can work, a more profitable approach is to design a unique gathering. If you’re a clothing retailer, how about a trunk show from one of the lines you carry or a free mini color analysis with a $100 purchase? If you run a furniture or home décor store, how about a free seasonal design class? If your business is food-related, how about a cooking class or tablescape lesson?

Ask your shoppers for ideas of what they struggle with, or where they could use help. Then, partner with someone who has that expertise.

Local collaborations

Approaching other local businesses about partnering on a promotion can yield big results for everyone.

One effective tool that retailers have used is a bingo or punch card that requires consumers to visit multiple businesses in order to get their loyalty card punched. Once their card is full, after having visited all of the participating shops, they either win a prize or are entered in a raffle for a larger giveaway. The chance at a desirable gift is often reason enough for shoppers to stop in.

You can set the timeframe for the promotion, such as a week or a weekend, and divide up the responsibilities for managing it amongst all of the businesses. Or create your own local event and include all of your marketing partners.

Design a loyalty program

Another way to get customers to come back repeatedly is to incentivize them.

Give them a reason to buy from your business over your competitors. A customer loyalty program can be one way to encourage repeat purchases. Depending on your technology platform, you can track purchases using a phone number or name, or you can keep it old school with a paper punch card that you fill in at every visit. Lu’s Back Door consignment shop tracks purchases using retail software while nail salons frequently use business card-sized loyalty cards.

Customers receiving something in return for their loyal patronage, like a free product or in-store credit, can help boost purchase frequency.

Invest in curb appeal

There’s a reason big retailers in New York City spend months planning and prepping their big windows with eye-catching holiday scenes each December – because it gives shoppers a reason to come visit.

You can do the same year-round. Put aside some money to spiff up your storefront, whether that involves seasonal plantings and flower pots, entertaining signage, or window displays. The more frequently you change the look and feel of your space, the more reasons buyers will have to come back.

The more inviting your store is from the outside, the more people will want to come inside.

Connect on Instagram first

Photo and video are the tools of choice on Instagram, which is perfect for catching the attention of local consumers.

Use Instagram to showcase photos of new merchandise, video tutorials of new ways of using products, and offer reels of helpful tips that can lead your shoppers to buy more from you. Make sure you also include links to products and services on your website so that customers outside of your area can buy from you as well.

Build a community of fans and customers

Not everyone loves Facebook, but it sure is useful for building free groups.

Setting up a Facebook group for fans, prospects, and customers is another way you can stay in touch with them – they become a captive audience of sorts. Within the group, you can then offer special discounts, share information about upcoming promotions, and give them a first look at new merchandise. You can also upload photos of what’s going on inside the business to entice them to come back in.

Facebook groups are a way to connect with your customers and turn them into advocates for your business.

Yes, everyone loves the convenience of ordering products online – but not all products and not all the time. Local brick-and-mortar businesses are still where most people want to shop and spend their money.

Provide local and out-of-town shoppers a peek into your business and an incentive to visit.

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Can you share industry-specific resources and/or professional organizations that you’ve found helpful?

The Craft Industry Alliance has been very helpful and encouraging. It is a trade organization that focuses on businesses in the handmade and craft industries, including makers, suppliers, designers, and teachers. It is quite rewarding to network with other business owners who understand the particular issues of this type of business.

The Inner Circle of the Social Sales Girls has helped me learn how to market my business in a way that is sustainable and affordable. They provide support, coaching, classes, and encouragement to small product based businesses to understand social media marketing, paid ads, SEO and sales funnels.

What was the most important lesson you’ve learned in your business?

The most important lesson I have learned is to be a marketing first business. In 2023, I felt burned out and frustrated by trying to figure out how to market my products. I was tired of trying to keep up with social media algorithms, build an email list and get my SEO correct on Etsy. I basically kind of gave up and did not market like I needed to, which affected my visibility and sales.

In January 2024, I decided that I needed to get over myself and put marketing on the forefront, instead of ignoring it. I started looking at marketing as just sharing the thing I love to do.

I have learned to put marketing tasks and strategies first, instead of whenever I get to it. I created a marketing schedule that works for me and learned how a sales funnel works. I now create social media posts in batches in the Meta Business Manager, instead of on the Facebook/Instagram app feeds. This eliminates excess scrolling, distractions, and comparisons.

I write emails in batches from a template and schedule them in advance. I am learning how to use paid ads and other strategies to increase my social media reach and email list. I focus on one platform primarily (Facebook since that is where my customers are), instead of trying to be everywhere.

And I have embraced the motto “Done is better than perfect”.

As a result of these actions, I feel less stressed, and marketing has actually become more enjoyable and profitable.

Publicity is one of the most powerful marketing tools, which results when a media outlet quotes you, mentions your business, or profiles your company. 

It’s powerful because that article or TV segment that includes you gives you added credibility. The fact that you were quoted or mentioned suggests that you and your business are successful, and most people want to do business with successful companies. Additionally, you earn an implied third-party endorsement from the outlet that covered you — meaning, readers or viewers will trust you more after seeing an established media company mentioning you.

Publicity is also powerful because it’s free.

The downside is that it’s hard to control. 

You can pursue publicity by issuing press releases about your business and offering to submit articles to trade journals or local papers, which is a good idea. However, since you don’t pay for this kind of coverage the same way you pay for advertising, you may or may not be successful. It’s up to the website, magazine, newspaper, or TV show to decide whether to mention you.

So, how can you find out what websites, magazines, newspapers, and TV shows are interested in covering before the story runs?

Some websites help reporters and writers find sources for the stories they’re working on.

Finding Publicity Opportunities

While disseminating information about your business to the media through a press release or press kit can sometimes lead to press coverage, an even more effective approach is to find out what those media outlets are planning to cover and then pitching yourself as a source.

For example, if you discover Time magazine is working on a story about unusual phobias and you have one, you can email the reporter to let them know that you’d be happy to be a source of information for that article. Or if Fast Company is researching a story on the many variations of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) and the entrepreneurs who are on track to retire early and you qualify, you may want to offer yourself as a source.

The key is finding out what stories are in the works before they appear online or in print.

That’s where publicity tools come in handy. These four are among the most active platforms as of Spring 2024:

ProfNet

One of the first online platforms launched (in 1992) to connect reporters and writers with potential sources was ProfNet. Now owned by Cision, ProfNet cost a couple thousand dollars a year to subscribe to at last count. The focus is decidedly corporate and subscribers are typically well-funded public relations firms serving those corporations.

Now, because only larger organizations generally had access to ProfNet early, several competitors sprang up through the years that are free or low cost.

Qwoted

Qwoted, which debuted in 2012, is also designed to connect members of the media with potential sources — you — for low or no cost; there are free and paid versions.

Reporters and writers can share the topics they’re writing about and ask for the specific expertise or experience they’re looking for. Emails listing those source requests go out daily. Topics range from scientific to personal finance, health and medicine, entrepreneurship, shopping, and more. To respond, you simply click on the reporter’s email listed in the request.

Help a B2B Writer

Along the way, more specialized publicity tools emerged, too, including Help a B2B Writer, which is a platform specifically for individuals and companies that sell to other businesses. Meaning, the requests for sources will require B2B expertise.

Help a B2B Writer is free and sends out email requests for sources typically in the morning, Monday through Friday. To respond, click on the link in the email and share your relevant tip, comment, or experience, depending on what the writer asked for.

HARO/HERO

More than 15 years ago, Peter Shankman launched HARO, for Help A Reporter Out. It was a free service that connected reporters with sources at no cost, unlike ProfNet which charges a fee. It became so successful so quickly that HARO was bought by Cision (ProfNet’s parent company).

Fast forward nearly 20 years and HARO was rebranded as Connectively and now charges up to $149/month for access. However, as part of its rebranding, HARO no longer sends out email compilations of the publicity opportunities — you have to log in to find them. Former users found this process much more cumbersome.

Almost immediately, Shankman began getting inquiries about launching a replacement service. Although initially having no plans to do so, he was quickly persuaded; the result is  HERO: Help Every Reporter Out.

This free service compiles requests from journalists and writers and emails them out daily to subscribers. It’s new but extremely fast-growing.

How Best to Respond

It’s one thing to know what reporters are writing about and another thing to know how to respond successfully and garner coverage.

Help a B2B Writer has a useful set of suggestions designed to increase the odds that your response will net some publicity.

One of the most important tips is to respond quickly. Since reporters are often on deadline, as soon as they get the source or the information they need, they may stop reading emails that come in later. If you wait a day to respond, it’s unlikely your comment will be considered.

Another tip is to be sure your response is relevant. Do you have the experience the writer is looking for? Do you run the type of business they want to hear from? Don’t try to wrangle your company in if it’s not a good fit. For example, if the writer is looking for the manager of a Starbucks location to interview and you only drink the company’s coffee, you’re not a fit. Don’t respond.

Finally, don’t use AI to draft your response. Reporters can usually tell if ChatGPT has prepared the answer or if a live person has responded. The vast majority will delete responses that are AI-generated.

Although this type of publicity pursuit is decidedly reactive, in that you’re waiting to hear about a story for which you can be a source, it is a way to get media coverage and backlinks that can help grow your business. Spending a few minutes a day reviewing the requests that come in is typically well worth your time.

“Money loves speed.” 

Have you heard that adage? The saying is fairly popular in the online business community, but it applies to any type of business.

Think about your experiences with money. Is it more likely to show up when you sit back, do nothing, and wait for it to land in your lap, or when you go out and track it down?

You attract money when you do something — when you take action, and especially when you move quickly. 

So what can you do to pick up the pace at which money flows into your business? Several things, actually.

Invoice immediately

As soon as you complete a project, ship an order, or deliver a product, ask to be paid. 

Typically that means sending an invoice, which is fine, but issue that invoice as soon as your customer owes you the money and not a moment later. Because every hour or day you wait to ask to be paid, the longer it will take for your check to be issued and for you to receive your check.

Connect with prospects regularly

Taking action in business can mean many things, but business begins when a customer or client agrees to pay you for your products or services. Before money can change hands, you need to convince someone that what you’re selling is worth what you’re charging. And the best way to do that is to regularly market your company — to get in front of people who are likely to want to buy. 

Depending on your business, that might involve a direct mail campaign, outreach on LinkedIn, cold calling, attending trade shows, participating in conferences, joining networking groups, buying advertising, or pursuing publicity, to name a few strategies. But do something each and every day to take action toward winning another customer. Because each marketing tactic gets you one step closer to your next sale. It gets you closer to more money.

Follow up with potential customers promptly

When you identify someone who may be interested in doing business with you, get in touch right away. If you’re given a prospect’s name by a friend, call or email them immediately. Don’t wait. Or if someone emails you to ask for more information, send it right away, before doing anything else. 

The quicker you provide the information they need, the closer you get to making your next sale and depositing that money in your account. So don’t delay.

Start client work ASAP

As soon as a customer has paid a deposit or signed a contract officially hiring you to do some work for them, start working. Whether you have a day, a week, or a year to complete the work, get started now. Because the sooner you get that work done, the sooner you can bill for it and get more money in your account. 

When you have the opportunity to earn more money, don’t delay in starting work. The faster you get that work done, the sooner your schedule will be free to take on more work. I’m not suggesting that you lower your quality standards in order to complete the tasks sooner, only that you shouldn’t put off doing the work.

Pay your bills immediately

Invoicing fast will get you paid faster, but money likes to be in circulation. So as soon as you receive a bill, pay it. Get that money back into circulation. 

By paying promptly, you will endear yourself to your suppliers, who will certainly appreciate that you wrote that check or transferred funds quickly. That can yield dividends in other ways that will benefit you.

Be generous

Holding on too tightly to your money is a turnoff, to people and to money. So when you see a chance to make a difference with a small outlay of cash, consider doing it. 

Don’t throw cash around aimlessly, but spread it around if you can, such as by buying lemonade from a children’s roadside stand or leaving a good tip for your restaurant server. Good deeds get noticed and can end up attracting opportunities you never could have anticipated.

Now, there’s a big difference between acting promptly and appearing desperate. Some entrepreneurs are under the impression that speed suggests that business is bad. Not so. 

Getting in touch with a referral immediately or sending out an invoice right away are smart business practices. They are a part of doing business. Major corporations certainly bill immediately, because the sooner that money they are owed is in their bank account, the sooner they’re earning interest. Are they desperate? Not likely. And the same is true for you.

Acting with a sense of urgency attracts money into your business sooner than if you opt to work at a leisurely pace.

Many small business owners are working to grow their companies, or to expand, or to “scale.” Making their business bigger is the natural next step for many entrepreneurs and founders once the venture is up and running.

But unless your business is generating wads of cash, scaling it can prove challenging. As we so often hear, “It takes money to make money.” With more customers comes a need for more products or services, more space to store raw materials or house employees, and systems to keep things running smoothly.

The first step, however, is building a solid and expanding customer base.

Fortunately, there are marketing strategies and tactics you can employ that will help raise awareness of your company and attract customers without having to invest in expensive advertising campaigns or offering deep discounts.

Here are a few ideas:

Excel at customer service

This probably seems obvious, but the best way to attract new business is to absolutely amaze your current customers. Don’t just satisfy them, or even delight them — brainstorm something you could do that would thrill them.

Excellent customer service doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Maybe you throw in a free sample of a product with a purchase, upgrade a shipment to overnight delivery, deliver a promised report in record time, or enter a recent project into an awards program at your expense. 

Under-promise and over-deliver to get your customers to notice how wonderful it is to do business with you. Then, when you know they’re more than happy, ask them to write or record a brief testimonial you can share on social media and feature on your website.

Treat employees well

The key to satisfied customers is satisfied employees, so what could you do that would endear your workers to you? What would they appreciate that would make their lives easier but not cost you tens of thousands of dollars? This needs to be more than ordering a pizza when they stay late at work. You need policies and benefits that they will be so excited to receive that they tell all their family and friends about them.

For example, could you arrange to have a catered lunch in the office once a week? Pay for everyone’s subway passes or parking? Shift to a four-day workweek or offer flextime? Set up an in-house childcare center? Provide a monthly stipend to buy and try company products? Give monthly performance bonuses?

You could start by asking employees what they would most appreciate, besides a raise. The odds are good that you can wow them without it costing lots of extra cash.

Tap into social media

One of the most powerful technologies to emerge in the last 15 years has been social media. Although the platforms ebb and flow with popularity, the big ones right now are Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Connecting with prospects and customers for free is possible. However, you have to share information and images that will interest them. 

We’ve become such a visual society that photos and videos are critical for attracting attention. Fortunately, you don’t need an expensive video crew to capture images — your cell phone is good enough.

Think about what you could show your target audience that would interest them and potentially improve their opinion of your company. For example, if you’re a beauty retailer, you could demonstrate how to use your favorite products or show videos of before-and-after transformations. If you’re a restaurant or café, you could show images of the day’s specials and snippets of comments from diners about how tasty the food is. If you’re an artist, you could record your creative process and share photos of the finished piece. If you’re a graphic designer, how about showing images of recent client projects?

Although social media is free, your audience demands consistency, so try to share something daily to keep them watching your account.

Build a community

Another benefit of social media is the ability to attract like-minded consumers and bring them together inside an online group or community. Facebook is best known for this because it is quick and easy to set up an online group on the platform.

Once your customers, prospects, and fans are members of your group, you can regularly communicate with them, share news and information, offer helpful tips, get product feedback, share incentives and discounts, as well as hear what they are most interested in. You can have two-way conversations inside Facebook groups that would be difficult to have anywhere else.

At the same time, you can join other groups where your prospects and customers may hang out, to learn what else they might need from you and to share information about your business there. Be careful not to be too self-promotional, however; not all groups allow it.

Leverage groups you belong to 

In addition to joining and forming online groups, make sure members of other in-person groups you belong to also know about your business. These groups could include: 

• alumni associations for your high school, college/university, or sorority
• civic organizations, such as Kiwanis and Rotary
• hobby-related clubs, such as fitness, arts, or culinary
• professional societies, such as trade organizations, associations, and cooperatives.
• religious congregations and spiritual groups
• volunteer causes or boards

Any group that has a directory, newsletter, or events should be a good starting point for you to share information about your company and what you offer. Don’t be too pushy, but do be sure everyone in your circle of friends knows what your company sells, so they can help spread the word.

Barter

Another option to hold onto cash and still conduct business development and outreach activities is to propose a barter arrangement. There are barter networks that facilitate the trade of goods and services among members, such as IMSBarter, but there is a charge for that service. You could also approach companies you would like to work with and inquire if a barter arrangement might be of interest.

The advantage of bartering is that while you provide goods or services at your standard rate, the cost to you is lower because it’s based on your cost of goods sold. You’re effectively getting what you need at a discounted rate.

For example, you might offer to barter Facebook advertising services from a firm you respect in exchange for an equal amount of products from your company. Or you could barter for event space and hold a demonstration or a class for your top prospects. Or barter for office furniture for all the new employees you plan to hire next quarter.

What is it that your business needs in order to continue to grow, what companies sell those products and services, and are they potential barter partners? Make a list and propose bartering to companies that could be a fit.

Make sure to keep careful track of your expenses and the value of what you receive for taxes. Although cash may not change hands, you still need to record the exchange; check with your accountant about how, exactly, to report it to the IRS.

Give away samples

A very effective tactic for expanding your customer base, as well as increasing the frequency with which your current customers buy, is to offer samples of what you sell. This can work with products or services by considering how to give prospects a taste of what it would be like to work with you.

A nail salon might give away mini samples of its hand cream to every customer as a way to introduce the new line of private-label hand and nail products. A financial planner might offer a free 30-minute discussion about budgeting or paying off a home faster. And an interior designer might offer a free mock-up of a single room in a home or office or a free in-home design consultation.

When prospects don’t yet know or trust you, giving them a free taste of what it would be like to work together or to buy from you increases the chance that they will when they’re ready.

Increasing a company’s sales can happen one or more ways: 1) by increasing the number of customers who buy, 2) by increasing the amount customers spend or 3) by increasing the frequency with which they buy.

However, scaling a company requires that you confirm there is a market for your products or services, as evidenced by rising sales, and that you have the capability and capacity to serve a larger and larger audience. 

These tactics can help increase awareness of your business, which will attract more prospects and customers, to help you create a system that generates a steady stream of interested buyers.

Since ChatGPT came on the scene in late 2022, we’ve been hearing a lot more about artificial intelligence (AI). We’ve been told this technology will transform our work, from what we do to how, when, and where. It is already disrupting whole industries.

The potential is there for AI to handle mundane, repeatable tasks so that humans can focus on more complex issues.

Although AI is still evolving, it has already affected how many of us do our jobs and run our businesses. The tools that currently exist are helping business owners perform tasks faster so that they can be more productive by instead investing time in strategizing and implementing. Meaning, outsourcing the low-value tasks to AI so they can devote their time to higher-value thinking.

The good news is that it’s becoming easier to do just that — use AI to do tasks that require less thinking.

Some of the most popular tools entrepreneurs and business owners are currently using to get more done in less time include:

Canva’s Magic Studio

Launched in late 2023 Magic Studio™ by Canva can help jumpstart your progress or refine your finished product quickly, without having to invest in a complete video studio. For example, you can easily edit out background items in a photo, change the hair color of a model, or generate a fictitious scene for video. You can quickly generate an entire presentation by sharing a few words about the look and theme. 

Design

Need a logo for your company or brand? Design can generate it almost immediately with a few keywords. For a fee starting at $5/month, you can have logos, names, and social media materials generated for your use that are immediately downloadable. The list of graphic design-related items that can be created in seconds is long and includes just about everything you would need to start a new business or launch a new brand.

Fireflies

Instead of having to take notes at meetings, you can use Fireflies.ai to record, transcribe, and even highlight the most important parts of an online meeting within its notes. You can have the tool auto log into a meeting and record it in your absence, while you’re off doing other tasks. There is currently a free plan that offers unlimited transcription of meetings but limited summaries and 800 minutes of storage, among other features.

Framer

In need of a new or improved website? If you’re willing to become familiar with how Framer works, which is easier than learning how to code, you can build your own site for free. Using simple layout software, you can create a gorgeous site filled with content that you draft or that you ask AI to help with, adding new pages as needed easily. You can also use built-in SEO and e-commerce tools.

Jasper

If you have trouble with writing, or you just don’t like doing it, Jasper may be the tool you need. Billed as an AI-powered writing assistant, it learns your voice and style the more you use it. Generate ideas for content creation or refine your drafts for emails, social media posts, blogs, or marketing literature. Speed and performance are what Jasper promises with its help. You can currently try it for seven days free and then upgrade to a paid plan that starts at $39/month.

Motion

Promising to help boost your productivity by up to 137%, Motion is a scheduling tool that uses AI to plan your day based on your tasks and priorities. It builds your schedule, allowing you to move things around as things change, even limiting meetings to protect time for strategic thinking. There is a seven-day free trial after which you can sign up for $34/month or $228/year.

Notion

If you work with a team, you may want to consider subscribing to Notion, which allows for task and project management as well as a shared workspace. You can set up a central information hub that contains important documents and information your team may need access to, as well as assign tasks to individual members and track their progress. You can also integrate it with tools like Slack and Trello. Individuals can currently sign up for a free account.

Opusclip

Social media marketing has quickly become an essential tool for many small businesses. If that includes yours, you should consider exploring Opusclip, which allows you to repurpose video content. You can slice and dice long videos into bite-sized clips you can use over multiple days or social media platforms. There is a free plan but it has limits on the amount of video that can be edited.

Otter

What started out as a transcription app has expanded into a note-taking service that can record, transcribe, and summarize key points and action items from meetings and interviews. You can even query it to get answers about the meeting. Otter has a free plan that offers up to 300 minutes per month, for meetings of up to 30 minutes each.

Tome

Entrepreneurs who find themselves regularly producing presentation decks should check out Tome, which can help generate an outline and slides in minutes, for free. Specify your topic, choose a template, and Tome starts generating content to fill the space you’ve allotted. Or upload your ideas or your draft and Tome can take it from there to fill in the gaps and get you closer to a finished slide deck.

Incorporating even one of these tools into your business can help you be more organized, get more done in less time, and maybe even generate new content you previously didn’t have time to create.

When WomensNet surveyed its community in late 2023 about the biggest business challenges, we learned that search engine optimization (SEO) was a topic many women business owners wanted help with.

That made sense to us because 53.3% of all website traffic comes from online searches, and 93% of that traffic is through Google, reports Arefs. 

Investing time and energy in SEO can yield substantial results. Although there have been books written on the topic, we picked the top 5 things you can do to quickly improve the results you’re achieving from SEO. 

Even a few tweaks to your website can dramatically improve the results you’re obtaining.

And given that SEO drives 1,000+% more traffic than social media, investing time in boosting your placement on search engine results pages (SERPs) will be worth it.

RELATED: This month, WomensNet is hosting a webinar on SEO. We’ll cover the best practices you need to know for 2024, as well as the top three things you can do to improve your SEO.

Register today

Research which keywords are attracting traffic

To understand how your prospects and customers get to your website, start by finding out what keywords and phrases they’re using. Meaning, what words are your prospects typing into the Google search bar that led them to your site?

You can probably guess some basic words, such as if you run a food truck, odds are good that “food truck” would be a phrase that people are using. 

But what else? Are they using words related to the type of food you sell, such as “meatballs” or “Italian?” Or are they searching more based on location, such as “Boston” or “Back Bay?” Or is their need more specific, such as “organic Italian,” “gluten-free,” or “wedding catering?”

Research what terms are already bringing you traffic, so you can attract more like it.

Add keywords to your site

Once you know what keywords are bringing you traffic, you can strategically begin to place those keywords on your website.

Some of the best places to feature the keywords you’ve uncovered are:

• In the URL for your website
• In the title page for your website
• In your site’s meta description
• In your blog post titles (a.k.a. H1 codes)
• Within the text of your blog posts

Using the keywords that your prospects are looking for as part of your website helps Google confirm that your business is what your prospects are looking for. The more places your website includes mention of relevant keywords, Google assumes there is a greater likelihood that you have what searchers are looking for.

Blog on topics your customers ask about

Adding articles to your blog regularly helps improve your search rank because Google will see that you’re consistently adding new information to your site, which it likes to see.

However, blog posts are another opportunity to infuse some keywords and attract even more attention.

At a minimum, within your blog posts you’ll want to include a relevant keyword in the following places:

• In the title of your post, ideally at the beginning. For example, if the keyword you’re trying to get found for or rank is “dry cleaning,” you’ll want to start the title with those words. Put them up front, followed by qualifying details, such as “Dry cleaning: How to save money.”
• In the first sentence. Use your same keyword again in the first few words of your post. For example, you might start it with, “Dry cleaning bills may be a regular expense if you work in a corporate office.”
• In the first 100 words. After you lead your blog post off with your keyword, use it at least once more, if not twice, in the first 100 words of your article.
• In a photo caption. Below any images or graphics, include a caption that repeats your chosen keyword.

In addition to making use of your keyword multiple times in your blog post, also try to include at least one link to another page on your website, called an internal link. Find a word or phrase in your new article that references a topic you’re previously written about and link to that URL.

Register with Google My Business

Since SEO involves trying to gain favor with Google to some extent, it makes sense that Google will reward companies that set up a business profile with the Google My Business program.

It’s essentially a free way for local businesses to get found. By registering and setting up your company’s profile you can also add details such as your location, hours, phone number, policies, forms of payment accepted, and other features to help answer your buyers’ anticipated questions. You can also add product photos.

Improve page speed

Although the speed at which your website loads has nothing to do with keywords, it does significantly impact the user experience. Having to wait seconds for photos on your site to load can frustrate users, and Google doesn’t appreciate that. It will effectively slap your hand for providing a bad user experience.

Conversely, websites that load seemingly instantaneously provide a positive impression. Google wants to reward that.

Use a tool like page speed evaluators to gauge how well your site is performing. You want a rating between 90-100. Anything below that indicates you have an opportunity for improvement.

By incorporating even one of these practices into your routine, you can improve the performance of your website and your Google rank.