Are you one of the world’s small business owners? Then good for you! According to Visual GPS, 82% of Americans believe that small businesses are an essential part of everyday life. So, shopping at mom-and-pop stores does more than just support locals, it also stabilizes the economy. But running a small business – especially post-pandemic – requires effort and persistence.
It also means that small businesses need to have a more unique approach when it comes to long-term sustainability. Especially since achieving business success is more of an ongoing process than crafting an overnight sensation.
On the plus side, every business has a silver lining. And the silver lining of small businesses comes in the form of the three business P’s:
Pivoting, posting, and personnel.
Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
1. Pivoting your small business
Overnight business success stories make for catchy headlines, but in reality, success is a long business journey. Particularly small businesses can be devastated by sudden change and really have to weather the storm of evolving world conditions. These can sometimes backtrack at the drop of a hat. That’s why being able to pivot from one thing to something else even though it’s not in your step-by-step business plan is a vital element of business success.
Battery Watering Technologies is one such example. The company successfully shifted its core business focus of making batteries to that of face shields which were a necessity during the pandemic. This action kept the company afloat and all the employees in their jobs. So, a new line of work is not something every business plans for, but it’s worth considering if it can keep you around in the business market.
2. Posting on your small business’ activities and products on social media
In an ever-changing business society going viral is a surefire formula to boost business awareness. This also means that rapid success is more possible now than ever before. With platforms like TikTok and Instagram making business content available, all you need to do is upload your material and click post. But any willy nilly posting isn’t going to cut it. In fact, there are two ways to best approach social media as a small business.
Firstly, post routinely. Whichever platform you choose to use, posting regularly helps to build a connection between your followers and your brand. But being consistent is a must especially if you want to maintain an air of interest in your product/service. Having a posting schedule also ensures a healthy social media presence. This also translates as dependable to your followers. But if you need a little help keeping track of your posts, there are various tools available like IFTTT that can help you schedule and monitor your social media activity.
Secondly, promo. your brand. To stand out you need to generate buzz around your business. The best way to do this is with promos. like contests. In fact, companies that hold contests on Instagram achieve up to 70% faster follower growth. This type of marketing is successful because it focuses on user engagement. When you run a contest, your followers get to engage directly with your brand. They also spread the word about your company by taking photos with your product and tagging friends. The more they share, the more you grow.
Love One Today is a good example of a successfully launched contest. They created the #avofruitfull contest which encouraged users to post their own awesome avo creations online. These posts created a long-term connection between the brand, the product, and the consumer. So instead of random posts having a schedule and using specific hashtags can single out your company and promote your brand on social media.
3. Personnel that give voice to your brand
Christian Lanng, CEO of Tradeshift said hiring the right people makes a business. And since advertising is one of the main ways to grow a business, it’s important to hire the best voice talent to represent your brand. Professional voice actors are the secret weapon of advertising success. They can also provide custom audition samples to give you a feel of what your ad sounds like before it’s released.
Giving your company an awesome voice also echoes brand promise to your customers. This was the case of John Krasinski, who’s been the voice behind Esurance commercials since 2011. His voice also led to them being the most talked about brand of the Super Bowl. This is because almost a decade later, Krasinski is still able to make insurance seem calming and urgent just by using the sound of his voice.
So working with a professional voice actor even when it’s not a big name, can help you make an impact through company ads. And Voice123 is a talent pool of professional voice actors willing to help you do just that.
Closing thoughts
Sir Richard Branson’s advice to small business owners is to start small but always think big. That’s why operating a small business is akin to running on a treadmill. Getting off the ground is just the warm-up phase. As a small business owner, you also need to know when to change the pace. That means you have to keep up with changing markets by pivoting your business if the need arises, utilizing social media to its fullest, and surrounding yourself with the best voice talent available. These are the three key steps to catapulting your brand to long-term business success.
So, now that you know how to cement your brand in the world of small businesses, what are you waiting for? That being said, we wish your business all the best of success. And remember to advertise your product/service, by looking no further than Voice123 to hire the best voice acting talent to help you get the word out there and achieve all kinds of awesome business success!