It is that time of the year when people are making New Year’s resolutions full of inspiration and energy. Personal and business perspectives are taken into consideration and various lists are being made. Now is the time to reflect on the year that is ending and see what you could do better or just differently. Of course, it is always good to try and stay rational, consider your wishes and possibilities and make as realistic of a plan as possible. Let us take a look at some ideas to get you started.
Do a makeover of your website
UI and UX are essential parts of your business’ digital presence. It is the very first thing people notice when they visit the website and, make no mistake, first impressions count big time. There is no content in the world that can replace a bad representation. Unfortunately, that is how the world works. Sure, it is what is on the inside that counts, but everyone gets attracted to appearance first, which motivates them to dig deeper and figure out if there is something inside worth committing. It is the same with relationships and businesses.
Therefore, get to work and think of ways to improve your interface. If you can do it on your own or you have an employee or even a full department that can handle the challenge, that is great. However, if you do not have any experts or very experienced amateurs in your close surroundings, consider hiring a professional. This is especially important in cases of niche specific domains. For instance, in the energy industry, there is not much room for creativity, or at least one might think so. On the other hand, there are companies that deal specifically with oil and gas web design which makes them the perfect candidates for the job.
Keep it short and sweet content-wise
Short texts are the only acceptable textual forms. Today’s attention span has shortened drastically, and people have no time or enough focus to go though long and tedious content. On the other hand, why should they? They came to your website to see something very concrete. They wish to use a service or buy a product. Either way, their goal is already set, the only thing they now need is the shortest and most concise version of instructions on how to reach their goal, including the terms and conditions. Nobody wants their time wasted during this process.
This is why you need to keep your texts short and to the point. It is also desirable to have media such as instructional images or videos, no longer than two minutes, that show the quickest and best way to use the website and get the desired product or service. White spaces are always welcome between each two paragraphs as they act as delimiters between topics. Your content should be divided into paragraphs with different themes, separated by white spaces. This way, your prospective customers will be able to skim through the whole page and read only what they care about and that is some optimization everyone will be able to appreciate.
Be aware of the competition
Grass always seems to be greener somewhere else and it is pointless to compare your business with others constantly. You should only compare your own with its previous version and see if there is progress. However, this does not mean you should be clueless about the state of your business domain in the industry. This is irresponsible, even. This is why a healthy dose of awareness of other businesses similar to yours is even desirable.
Hence, grab your laptop or a notebook and start your research. Choose the top ten businesses of your domain and size and start assassing them. Pick the most important grading categories and a scale and go for it. While at it, make sure to add your own business and try to grade it as objectively as possible. Quantitatively assessing the situation will help you create a clear image of where you see your business at the moment. It will also clearly show places for improvement and this would be an excellent basis for that New Year’s resolution list.
Design a loyalty program
Loyalty should be rewarded, that is a fact. Naturally, your goal is to expand and increase the number of customers, but you must not forget the ones that kept you going all this time. These are the ones that keep coming back. These people are also the ones that tell their friends how amazing your business is and how they need to start using it, too. The only natural course of action is to find a way to express your gratitude and make them feel important, as they truly are.
Some simple ideas include giving coupons, discounts or free purchases every fifth or tenth time they order something from the website. Personalization is also important to make someone feel special. Design special offers that will be personalized. The personalization could stem from the history of purchases. This will help you design discounts for the things your loyal customer is most interested in, and it would also make them want to stay with your business even more. They will also try harder to advertise your business as they should be thrilled with the experience.
Regardless of which improvements you choose to implement, you should always keep your goals in mind. The initial step is knowing what you want, but at the same time, knowing your limitations. By setting up realistic goals, you minimize the risk of being disappointed at this same time next year. On the other hand, having selected a realistic set of goals with an appropriate timeline, it will be easier to stick to it and end up having an extremely successful year when it comes to running a business. Anyone can do it, all it takes is some money, but the main ingredients are a creative mind and a strong will, as well as some time to put things into action.
