How to Shake Up Your Business

If you find your business is in a stagnant state – then it’s time to shift focus. Although shifting focus and progress can seem daunting, it is often the step you need to take you further your business and get ahead. An innovative shift of focus, a calculated risk – can seriously pay off. Some of the most successful companies have profited off exactly that.

Nintendo used to make instant rice and vacuum cleaners, but didn’t make the shift to video games until the mid-sixties. Nokia used to be a paper mill and rubber manufacturer, before they shifted, and capitalised on the cell phone market in the nineties. The original concept of Tiffany & Co was an upmarket stationary goods store before it was shifted to jewellery.

Successful businesses always shift, and mould themselves to remain relevant to capitalise on contemporary markets and satiate consumer demands.

Below are some tips to revamp and makeover your business…

• Take customer reviews of their experience, and specifically ask for criticisms. Document the good and the bad, then track the common themes. In doing this you can emphasise positive aspects to build a distinct reputation. You can also see the common thread in your business flaws and work towards improving them. The process itself of asking for customer feedback makes your business look good – because you are proving you value your clients.

• Improve your social. Social media savviness and presence is key currently – whether we like it or not. If you have the right approach, it can transform your business. It is a marketing tool we all have at our fingertips; it is the most powerful marketing tool. It’s also free and easy. Make sure not to spam your followers with dull and repetitive content. It should be engaging and diverse, and it doesn’t always have to be directly related to your business. It just needs to grab attention and generate intrigue.

• Assess what changes have been made over the past year, if any. Have alterations or improvements been made. If you were to sell your business, list off all the positive qualities you would discuss with a potential buyer. Challenge yourself to further improve those qualities. Or on the other hand, if you are struggling to find any standout positives of our business, you then must do some serious brainstorming on how you can provide a better good or service.

• Revamp your business image. Grainy outdated websites, inactive social media accounts and dodgy graphic design will have a seriously negative impact on your business. As visual creatures in the digital age – there is no excuse for crummy advertising. People will associate the standard of your business image with the standard of your product or service – so make sure it’s up to scratch. Invest in a profession site designer, keep consistent with your social media presence, reconsider whether your logo design is modern and professional.

• Begin to monitor your competitors. Are you ahead in your industry? Put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer, who would you be seeking if you had no pre-existing knowledge and were objectively pursuing a product or service. Are you ahead or are you falling behind?