Things are fast-changing and more entrepreneurs are looking for business growth hacks to foster their businesses. What used to be an added value businesses use to distinguish themselves has been matched up by competitors so much that more is needed to win. With the speed at which technology infuses into businesses these days, one is either on the table or on the menu. Technology in itself isn’t included in business growth hacks strategy but it enhances strategies. If growth matters to you the following business growth hacks would be of help.
1. Build a community:
The online community is one of the ways to build a pool of customers. A simple Facebook group or forum plugin added to your website can do the work. This is one way you can make a visitor a customer and make a customer a repeating customer and then to a loyal brand marketer. This would work when you have healthy content to engage community members with. You can higher a community manager to help you with this strategy.
2. Position yourself as an expert:
This is not as difficult as people think. Once you write a book on a particular niche, you’re perceived as an expert and authority is such a niche. Writing a book might seem tedious but one page a day can give you a 90page book in 3months. If this seems difficult brand your social media handles around your niche. Constantly tweet on things related to your niche. Search for discussions on that niche across social media and engage it on all your handles. What you consistently do, people perceive you as an expert in that and would run to you for your services.
3. Content Marketing:
With the volume of ads constantly increasing, people are getting more annoyed with the rate of ads pop-ups and sometimes would prefer to go for premium content if it will eliminate ads on their devices. Content marketing becomes the next big thing. Include a blog on your web platform where you write content on your business focus. One problem people encounter and admit to being discouraging about a blog is that little or no one gets to read their content so they still spend more money on ads to bring it to people.
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Search engine optimized content is the solution. Discover what people are looking for online and develop content around that. Don’t write for the sake of passion alone. Business is about fulfilling needs so should your content be to answer and offer solutions to what people are looking for. Google keyword planner can help you discover certain high search volume keywords people are looking for so you can develop content around that. Yoast plugin installed on your WordPress site can help put the article in a search-engine-friendly way.
The old business growth hacks strategy used to be to outreach your competitors but this year the rule is changing. The companies that out teach their competitors would become the winners and this is what your blog should do for you. People perceive teachers as authorities when you help them understand what to expect from your service and even how they can do it themselves, they are more likely to trust and hire you. Teach, teach, and teach with every opportunity and platform you can find, from YouTube video to even your WhatsApp status and anywhere your market targets are found.
4. Be deliberate about your call-to-action:
There are sublime ways of getting people to do what you want without spelling it out. By deliberately using these sublime ways, people won’t get to see your teachings as biased or self-centered. When people find out you’re being good to them because you need something from them, they will perceive your goodness as biased and self-centered. It kills trust and they will feel used too. The same happens when people perceive your motive of writing is to make them buy a product on your website, they will likely lose interest and not buy. So between your articles, minimize links that lead to the product page(one or two is enough) also use outbound links that lead to another website too.
Another way to use a sublime way is to have people write about your company on their platform. Topics like “10 best companies to buy cars from” and then place your company as the second or third with honest convincing reasons can go a long way. You can write such too on your blogs.
READ ALSO: Guide to choosing a business name
5. Use lots of reviews:
Publish comments on your web platforms. Give out value and consciously ask users to drop nice reviews for you. When people want to make a purchase, their buying decisions are majorly influenced by two factors, the crowd factor, and the testimonial factor. People tend to buy where others are buying from. They are likely to download the app with millions of downloads than the alternative with a thousand download. Again they will buy more from pages with good reviews. Grow your reviews and with time you will grow the crowd perhaps by building a community or sales increase.
6. Build Network:
The business of the 21St century is a business that leverages on network. One of the business growth hacks strategy is to build network consciously. It’s an unfair advantage for a business. How do you build such a network? The rule is simple, know the kind of networks you need and give out irresistible value to them at little or no cost. Give as much as twice before asking. Connect them to opportunities and never appear selfish. Network is built not exploited.
Sometimes focusing on just your market targets might not hasten the growth you want but a simple network to another company that can boost your sales through partnership or contact from the government can adjust a whole government policy to favour your business. Network gives your business more than a 10X leverage.
7. Freemium business growth hacks strategy:
Giving free stuff doesn’t mean the same with freemiums. If you give one for free something one doesn’t need, it’s never a premium package for one. It’s giving one what one needs for free that draws one’s heart to you. Humans are naturally like that. However, you don’t give out your products to everyone for free but you can target profit multipliers, or market influencers and give them your premium package for free and have them influence the market to your favour.
This why people engage in celebrity advert, give their products to a celebrity who has influence in their niche and have the celebrity recommend their products to his/her sphere of influence. Another way could be to give trial periods on your products or give free value on your website to visitors in exchange for their email so you can build an email list. Mailchimp.com can be of help here.
8. Data Analytics:
Data is key. When businesses are armed with data, decision making becomes much easier and businesses know where to channel their productivity and energy the most.
If one is running an e-commerce business generates lots of traffic but no sales. One can choose to integrate Google analytics to one’s website, with this one can know locations where traffic is come in most from and integrate products people of those locations are most likely to buy and then evaluate the result.
A business that decides to create a device that monitors XYZ for girls of menstrual age might need data to know the population of girls in that location and their purchasing power at certain points of the years. This would help to know if they can proceed or find another location or at least see if the product price can be reduced to their purchasing power. Data matters a lot in business strategies and is one of the most important business growth hacks to embrace.
Extra Tip, Customer Retargetting:
We have those people who always did come around to price your products or services but never bought. Some other people who bought once and never bought again, and some others who used to be your brand loyalists but hardly comes around let alone ordering your product again. These customer segments if plowed back can give your business a boost. Reach out to them again and know what the issue is, address the issue and win them back with more satisfactory value and see how much this can boost your business.
In conclusion, are you ready for business growth hacks this year? Get started now!
