4 Quick Communication Tips for Small Businesses
Communicating may feel like a distraction for a small business, but it’s necessity to keep customers coming in the door. Whether it’s mailers, emails, social media posts, websites, signs, or more, small businesses have to communicate. We’ve got four simple tips to make the most of your communication efforts.
4 Communication Tips
Here are our four quick communication tips to help your small business connect:
1. Actually Communicate
It doesn’t get more simple than this—you have to actually communicate. Too many small businesses assume if they build it, customers will come. That might work for baseball in cornfields, but it’s not a business plan.
Last month a local restaurant closed for remodeling without a word. Their online presence made it look like they were still open, even on the online ordering apps. Phone calls went unanswered and the only way customers knew what was happening was a note on the door.
Flushing any good will your business has is a good way to make it even harder to recoup a remodeling investment. A simple update to their website and social media could have saved a lot of heartache.
2. Own Your Channel
Last month TikTok went down for 14 hours thanks to a government ban. This is a good reminder to build your own channel and own your list. Social media may be a powerful way to reach people, but you don’t own your profile or list of followers.
The rug can get pulled out at any moment.
It might not be as dramatic as an outright ban of the entire platform, but simple rule changes could lock you out of your account or make those hard won followers disappear. Instead invest in a website where you own the URL and a contact list of addresses, emails, and/or text numbers that you own.
3. Be Consistent
National chains have a relentless marketing apparatus, constantly barraging people. It works.
It’s impossible to compete with that. But you can hold your own. Small businesses need to consistently communicate. You need a steady reminder to people that you still exist. A simple nudge will keep your dedicated regular coming back.
You don’t have to barrage your customers, just be steady.
4. Be Yourself
It might be tempting to mimic the slick marketing messages from your competitors. But without the same marketing budget, you just can’t compete. So don’t. Don’t bother to match their slick productions or glossy fliers.
Instead, be yourself. Embrace who you are. Champion that you’re the local small business—where a human answers the phone, where you can meet in person, where you have the same expert knowledge without the inflated price.
Authenticity can beat a bloated budget any day.
Let’s Get to Work
We champion local small businesses here at Evolve. We love to share a high five, celebrate your success, and see effective communication that boosts your bottom line. Keep up the good work!