In today’s day and age, small businesses are looking for new ways to expand. One such way is to create a mobile presence. After all, several people use smartphones for their shopping needs. It has gotten to the point where, if you don’t have a mobile app, you won’t be noticed.
The following information will show you the benefits of mobile expansion along with inexpensive methods to make it happen. We’ll also discuss common fears, and how to alleviate them to help you grow a successful small business.
Benefits of Mobile Expansion
As a small business owner, you may wonder why you need an app. As Kabbage tells us, having a mobile website isn’t enough. You need to have an app for several reasons. First, it increases visibility by making yourself available anytime. Gone are the days when you could only reach a company during business hours. Several businesses’ apps interact with customers at any time of day. If yours isn’t one of them, people will look elsewhere. But, if you do have one, customers – old and new – will go straight to your app to book an appointment.
Another advantage of an app is engagement. You can push notifications to people on the fly. In addition, interacting with customers will give them a sense of one-on-one communication, and make them feel unique.
Let’s be honest. Most small business owners don’t even consider apps, which makes it more advantageous to have one. Your customers will notice, and you’ll stand out from your competition making you the main choice for your business.
Inexpensive Ways To Market Your Business
But, if you are a small business owner, chances are that you’re wondering how to do this with less money. As Mulligan Funding explains, you need not worry because there are plenty of ways to do inexpensively. You already have plenty of contacts via friends, family, and customers. Use that information to your advantage by building an email list. Spreading information about specials through emails will excite everyone.
Next, create a website, and write blog posts regularly that interest people. Doing so will let everyone see updates within your business. As a result, people will always know what’s going on.
Social media is a vital way to communicate with people. So, create an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media sites. It may be tedious to post the same information to every page. However, you need to remember that different people use different social media. Therefore, in order to reach the biggest audience, you need to post information on every site.
You can also host webinars and classes. Doing so will update everyone, and let them learn from the experts. The more willing you are to answer questions, the higher the interest people will have in your product.
Confronting The Fears
While you may be excited about growing your business, you might also have some hesitations. As The Huffington Post shows us, the first issue is the fear of failure. After all, you’re getting into something you never tried before. However, failure breeds knowledge, and teaches you what works, and what doesn’t. This information will help you grow naturally.
Of course, you may also fear success. The thought of “OK, now what?” may loom in your head. With growth comes a higher demand. As you expand, you will naturally become more popular, and people will want your business. Don’t let hesitation and procrastination get in the way. The hard work you need to do now will be worth it in the long run.
Lastly, remember to talk to everyone. Expanding requires you to network. That includes communicating with people you know, and cold-calling others. If you want to be successful, you need to spread the word about your business.
Advertising your app will let people know that they can reach your business on their phone. Once they know that, they will get more excited about your business, and help spread the word to others.
Conclusion
Mobile expansion can be hard work in the beginning due to the time, and effort it requires. But, once it’s created, you will be able to reach every customer at any time of day. As a result, your business will increase its customer base in no time.
~Nick Rojas is a self-taught, serial entrepreneur who’s enjoyed success working with and consulting for startups. Using his journalism training, Nick writes for publications such as Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, and Yahoo. He concentrates on teaching small and medium sized enterprises how best to manage their social media marketing and define their branding objectives. Connect with Nick on Twitter at @NickARojas