How to Grow Your Memphis Buisness

If you’ve been working on growing your business for a while or you’re just getting started, a good question to ask relates to why my business is not growing. Although there’s no magical method to launching your business into multi-million dollar success, there are some ways to improve the traffic to your business or your numbers overall. Even though business tends to be an art and a science, there’s a reason why people spend their whole lives studying business. The trial-and-error nature of the business world can make it a frustrating place. On the other hand, it can be so rewarding to take your business to the next level with some well-researched suggestions.

When you read about the greats in the business sector, it might seem like they achieved success overnight. Although this makes for a great story, the reality is that it takes time, effort, and consistently following a solid strategy to expand a business. What’s more, you’ll need to have a business plan that allows for growth and adjust that plan every so often to include new developments. Flying by the seat of your pants may work for some parts of the business world, but funneling your energy and time into orchestrated efforts is always more effective than spontaneous bursts of frenzied attempts to grow a business.

While the answer to this question can be complicated, there are some tried-and-true methods for improving your business in the Memphis metro area. Depending on your industry, some of our tips below may be more helpful than others. Still, you can modify the tips to suit your industry’s best practices.

Invest In SEO

Depending on how your marketing strategy is going, you might throw up your hands and ask your friends “Why my business is not growing.” Whether you’ve got a company of roofing contractors or you sell soaps, you can never invest too much in SEO. Even if you’re a small local company, taking the time to learn about SEO, also known as “Search Engine Optimization,” can drum up business better than word of mouth or traditional forms of advertising like billboards. SEO-friendly content on your business’ blog or website will let customers find you by searching up related keywords on search engines. Even though it can seem complicated and difficult to understand, the right content writer should be able to navigate creating SEO-friendly content with ease.

If you don’t know where to start with SEO, taking a course at your local library or online can be a great place to start. Since SEO is a useful skill that is a game-changer for many businesses, it should be easy to find classes or lessons on it locally or over the internet. Moving your business into the 21st century with updated technology like SEO is a great way to stand out against other businesses. Nowadays, the business scene in Memphis is too competitive to wait for customers to find you through a brick-and-mortar storefront or simple signage along the road. Whether we like it or not, the age of the internet is upon us. This means that staying up-to-date on the best content marketing practices could mean the difference between growing your business or fizzling out over time.

While SEO can seem like a whole new language, it’s relatively simple once you get the hang of it. If you’re struggling to understand the larger concepts of good SEO, you can always stick to learning the basics. Outside of taking a formal class, one easy way to brush up on your SEO skills is simply thinking about what you might type into a search engine if you were looking up a business like your own. SEO starts with incorporating keywords into your content that relate to your business and the types of customers you want to attract. For example, if you have a bookstore in Memphis, TN, you can incorporate phrases like “bookstore,” and “Memphis” into your content. If your bookstore mostly has used books, you can use phrases like “used books” and “affordable” if you keep your prices low for high customer satisfaction.

When you’re having a hard time grasping SEO, it might be time to call in the professionals. A professional content writer can ask you about the keywords and topics that matter to your business. From there, he or she will devise a plan for creating SEO content and take the guesswork away from you. If your wheelhouse is running a business, don’t be afraid to outsource content creation and social media to those who work in those fields.

Invest in Other Forms of Marketing

While online is a popular form of marketing, you can also use creative, simple solutions to increase your visibility as a business in your community. Painting the side of your building with your company name through a team of qualified house painting contractors can let those who live in your area or just passing through town know that your business exists. It’s especially helpful to include signage that shares what your business is all about.

If you have a clothing boutique, including a tagline about being a clothing boutique will help the right customers find you. If you own a restaurant that has a specific kind of cuisine, you can also include that on the sign. For those who provide some type of service, including that information on the sign is helpful, as well. While you’re editing your sign, you should make sure that it includes your contact information like a phone number or social media handle. These will make it easier for new customers to contact you and for old customers to stay in touch. As an added bonus, if your sign has your name on it, you might get free advertising if people take pictures near your shop and post them on social media.

Treat Customers Well

This one might sound like a no-brainer, but when I wonder why my business is not growing, I think about how I’m treating the people who pass through my business. From a concrete company to a cleaning company, every business can benefit from treating customers like gold. The people who patronize our businesses are the ones who help us grow, ultimately. Without a strong, steady customer base, it’s almost impossible to grow. Regulars especially keep our businesses running, our storefronts open, and our lights on. Because customers do so much for us, we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make them feel appreciated. A simple greeting when they enter our storefront or a discount when they point out a mistake in our marketing materials can show customers that they mean as much to us as we do to them.

As a business owner, it can be so easy to focus on ourselves and our problems. With this mindset, we can lose sight of what matters in business. When we’re busy working all the time to keep a business afloat, it can get exhausting and we can burn out. In those moments, we can forget that providing exceptional customer service comes first. Sometimes, your business might not be growing because your customers don’t feel like they’re being treated the way that they deserve. Simple adjustments like being more positive in your interactions with customers or adding extra perks and deals can be a great way to make your customers feel the love. Happy customers translate to an expanding business over time.

Keep It Clean

A neat business setting is one that customers will want to support. If you’re wondering why your business isn’t growing, it’ll make a huge difference if you hire commercial cleaning services to get your storefront or facility back into top shape. Sometimes, when your employees are working on other tasks, they might not have time to keep your facilities as clean as you would like them. If you plan on growing your business, you should consider hiring professionals and expanding your staff to include janitorial staff. After all, when you’re growing your business, asking your staff to devote their time to cleaning can take away from the parts of their roles that are more important to foster commercial growth.

Keep Up With Repairs

If you’ve ever walked past a restaurant or store that was in disrepair, you’ll know the answer to the question of why your business isn’t growing if you haven’t invested in repairs in a while. Maintaining your buildings and facilities might not be the most fun part of being a business owner, but it’s an important aspect of the job. Scheduling restaurant upholstery repairs can make a difference in how much you notice your business growing. Old, tired carpets or peeling wallpaper give the impression that your business might be going out of business. Although it’s not always fair, people judge a book by its cover and they judge a company by the state of their facilities. A clean, well-maintained storefront lets customers know that you’re planning on staying in business for a long while. Additionally, it shows customers that you’re a trustworthy business owner who will put their money to good use when they pay for goods and services.

Invest in Training

If you intend to grow your business, you’ll need to increase the skills of your staff so they can grow with you. For example, if you have a metal fabrication business, brushing up your staff’s skills by hosting a welder training or paying for them to take advanced classes can be more cost-effective than trying to hire more qualified staff. By investing in training for your personnel, you’ll show qualified, high-quality candidates that you have what it takes to allow them to grow with you. You may be able to promote current employees from within the company as you grow if you decide to invest in training, too. As you grow, your team will need to grow, too. While you may need to hire more people to work for your company and support your growth, you should take care of the employees that you have currently. If you treat them well, they’ll spread the word so that other high-quality candidates will make their way to you.

Take Advantage of Staffing Agencies

When you’re looking to expand your business, you might not be able to hire and interview candidates quickly enough to accommodate the scale of your company. As a healthcare company, you can always contact a local nurse staffing agency to find qualified candidates quickly. Most other industries have staffing agencies that can help you increase your employee base rapidly. They can also take a load off of your shoulders as you navigate business growth in other areas of your company.

Network With Similar Companies

While you might see other businesses as competition, they can help give you a leg up as you grow your business. Making friends in other industries can let you help each other grow your businesses together. For example, if you network with basement remodelers and a foundation repair company, you might be able to trade your services for a discount on their services in your time of need.

Growing a business is hard, stressful work. Networking with similar companies can give you the support you need to keep going when it feels like it’s too much. If you decide to close down shop instead of grow, you’ll also have somewhere you trust to funnel your customer base. While no one wants to think about that scenario, it’s good to prepare for the worst. This leads us to our next point.

Prepare for the Worst

Although everyone wants to believe that their business will be the one that makes it, you should prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. Learning about your local bankruptcy services before you need them is wise. On a similar note, you should separate your personal finances and business finances to avoid a mess if it goes south.

In conclusion

When you ask “Why is my business not growing?”, you should evaluate how you’re running your business in the first place. You should also consider what you can do differently to expand. With careful planning and strategy, your business will grow before your eyes. All you need is patience and the skills for scaling up.