Being able to round out a business and try new things is the key to finding success. Even the most highly specialized of businesses can expand and get creative with what it has to offer. If you’ve been trying to figure out how to take your business further, here are some things you can try.
Beef Up Your Website
You almost certainly already have at least a basic business website. Why not step it up a bit? Hire a designer to make the pages look better and behave better when visitors click through them. Add a few pages. Add a blog in which your staff can write about their areas of expertise, their thoughts on news as it happens within your field and even the goings on of your business.
Consider Selling Online
The internet is a fantastic resource for every business. Even if you’ve been comfortable and earning a great profit via a traditional brick and mortar store or service, there are ways to take your offerings online.
- Consider offering web based ordering—this will allow people to order from your inventory online and then come in and pick it up at their convenience. To take this one step further, offer delivery at a small extra fee.
- Sell some of your products directly over the internet and send them to wherever your customers are. This is a great way to figure out whether or not there is a strong market for your products in other towns, states or even countries!
- Give web based consultations via Skype, Google Hangouts or your favorite conference app. This doesn’t just open the doors to potential customers. It can be helpful in the forming of business relationships as well.
Use Your Noggin’
You and your team are obviously good at what you do and have a vast array of knowledge backing you up. Why not take advantage of that knowledge and use it as a base from which to profit?
- Offer classes in your various subjects of expertise.
- Hold seminars for people who want to learn more about what running your type of business is like.
- Write manuals that will help people in complementary fields better use your service or product to improve their own businesses.
- Write eBooks that detail current developments in your field. Sell them through all of the major eBook retailers.
Make Sure People Know How to Find You
If you’ve been dragging your heels about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Social Media, now’s the time to get on board. Your webmaster is probably already doing some basic SEO. Have him step things up a notch. Hire someone to put together social media profiles on the major engines and manage them for you. This is the web-based equivalent of taking your business to the people. The easier it is for people to find you and interact with you in the manner that is the most convenient for them (aka the web), the more sales you are going to make.
It seems daunting at first, sure. You’ve gotten into a pattern. You’re comfortable where you are. But really, there are all sorts of ways to expand your business—no matter how highly specialized and unique you might be.
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