5 Growth Hacks That All Businesses Can Benefit From
by Aden Andrus • October 11, 2018
Whether you own a small family run restaurant or manage a large chain of grocery stores, running a business is tough work. There is no one size fits all when it comes to growing a business, but there are a few growth hacks that can work for almost any business of any size in any industry.
1) Get Online
In 2018, it should go without saying that every business should be online. Your website is your business card and having your business information online makes you accessible to potential consumers far and wide as well as local customers. So, whether you’re an Orthodontist on the Central Coast, a pet store in Taipei or a small coffee shop in Cardiff, if you’re not online in some form or other, you are pretty much invisible and your competitors will almost certainly take your business.
2) Mobile Marketing
Being online is not just about having a website. It can also involve social media as well as many other forms of mobile marketing. Most internet users now engage via mobile devices. In fact, Google officially announced their mobile-first indexing system as of March 2018 which means that mobile versions of websites will rank higher on search engines than desktop versions.
Creating an app for your business is a fantastic way of embracing mobile marketing. By downloading your app, your customers are already displaying a certain level of commitment to your brand and you can capitalize on this commitment with special offers and extra content from the app.
Creating an app is also a fantastic way of gathering invaluable information about your customers. Having an app for your business can give you access to your customers’ locations, genders, interests and spending habits, etc. You can then use this information to tailor your services or products to your customers’ tastes and boost your revenue.
3) Artificial Intelligence
Don’t be put off by the idea of robots taking over the planet, artificial intelligence (AI) is actually a tremendously useful business tool. It can be used in a number of different ways to increase revenue, streamline your operations and improve your services.
Artificial intelligence allows us to collect and process enormous amounts of data and dig deeper into our customers’ needs, purchasing behaviors and desires. Having such volumes of data available to you will allow you to tailor your services and marketing efforts to your specific target demographic.
So, from the wording you use on your online banner ads to the lighting you choose in your store, artificial intelligence can give you access to data that can make sure you make the right decisions for your customers.
AI can also help with your customer service. AI chatbots can now have complex automated and relevant conversations with customers by analyzing data collected from past interactions. It also continues to learn as it interacts with more customers allowing it to continuously improve the service. This means that you can respond to customer queries or complaints 24/7 and there is no limit to the number of queries a chatbot can attend to simultaneously. This can dramatically improve your customer service and streamline your operations, making you more revenue and saving you money at the same time.
4) Google Maps Optimization
Google Maps is a particularly helpful tool for small, local businesses but is useful for large companies too. With everyone glued to their smartphones the majority of the time, customers now Google whatever they’re looking for. Whether it’s a coffee shop, bookstore, petrol station or reptile zoo, customers will turn to Google for the nearest option.
As a result, Google Maps Optimization is the key to attracting new customers and increasing your revenue. By ranking highly on Google’s list of nearby vendors, you are making sure that you are visible to new customers and come out ahead of the competition.
A good hack for increasing your search engine rankings is registering for Google Places For Business. This will not only improve your rankings but will also make sure you’re visible to new customers searching for local products or services.
But don’t just sit back and wait for people to Google your services. You can also use geo-location targeting to entice nearby internet users with advertisements. Geo-location targeting uses artificial intelligence to target users who are likely to enjoy your products or services by presenting adverts and discount offers in front of them via social media, mobile marketing and online advertising.
5) Remarketing
Remarketing is a fantastic way to reach out to potential customers who just need that extra little nudge to make a purchase. It enables you to position targeted advertisements in front of potential customers depending on which stage of the process they are in.
So whether a customer has visited your website briefly, clicked on a specific product, viewed a particular page on your site or filled their shopping cart and abandoned it just before making the final purchase, you can target them with relevant advertisements to try and convert them into customers. Remarketing gives you a second chance to make the sale that you simply wouldn’t have in a brick and mortar store.
Conclusion
These 5 growth hacks may be simple, but in my experience, they are some of the best ways to quickly grow your business. Fortunately, any business can implement these growth hacks fairly easily, which means you can put them to work for you!