Your bartenders are eager to serve your patrons. Your retailers helped reconfigure the store for social distancing. But the number of customers and sales are down and you don’t know how to get them back up.
Luckily, you have a prime opportunity to grow your business by making just a few key adjustments to address changing demand.
As you look ahead to a new year of reinvention, look forward to a year of exponential growth too. Read on for creative ways to grow your business this year.
1. Stay up to date
Businesses have learned that safety and health restrictions can change at any time over the past year. Make sure that you’re on top of all current procedures, mandates, and any employee handbook changes that occur.
Not sure where to find the latest regulations? Check out your city's website for the latest requirements. One of the most critical ways for your business to grow this year is to ensure you're adhering to guidelines and making your customers feel safe — and excited about — your services.
2. Boost employee morale
A happy team makes for happy customers. So if you want to grow your business, you need to keep your staff happy. Boost morale by building a culture of communication, transparency, and support for your team. Your employees are more likely to be motivated to work when they can address their concerns and talk about their values with their manager.
Use a communication app for your team to communicate with you — and each other. If a staff member has a question about any of their tasks during their shift, they can easily message their manager to clarify and get started on their work.
You can also organize weekly or monthly 1:1 meetings with your team to discuss any notes and areas of improvement, or congratulate them for all their hard work. Giving them time will help them stay productive and comfortable with communicating with you.
3. Schedule wisely
As you require more baristas at your espresso bar, waiters in front of the house, or customer associates at your workplace, scheduling them at the right times with the hours they need can be chaotic. If you’re using dozens of spreadsheets to schedule your staff, it can take hours, even days, just to print out them with the correct information. These many hours can prevent you from focusing on other job duties that will help your company grow.
It’s time to think of new ways to streamline how you schedule.
Instead of switching to creating all of these spreadsheets online, upgrade to a digital platform that can turn hours of scheduling into minutes. Not only can scheduling software save you time, but it can also store all of your information, and implement smart scheduling tools that could help you efficiently reduce labor costs.
4. Focus on customer service
From socially distanced customer flows, capacity restrictions, and closing indoor seating, your customer journey has evolved tremendously in just one year. You now have the space to open your doors for a better customer experience. Literally.
Think of new ways to drive traffic into your business, and allow your team to work with you on improving the way customers feel once they exit your store. The more happy customers you have, the more likely new customers will soon come in.
5. Invest in paid advertising
Paid ads are very effective at raising awareness, attracting potential customers, and improving your current marketing strategy. If you have a new cocktail at your restaurant, and want to use a photo of it to interest new guests to dine at your restaurant, post it on social media, and use a “boost” feature. Users that like your type of content will now be able to discover you and walk through your doors.
6. Promote user generated content
User generated content is an easy way to advertise your business. If a customer really loves the new shirt they bought at your store, and posts a photo of them in it, ask them if you can repost or use your photo in email marketing. Seeing content from real customers increases your business’s credibility.
User generated content also puts your customers in the spotlight, which is a win-win for your and your potential customers.
Offer a small discount as a “thank you” for customers who send you user generated content. It’s a great perk for them in exchange for more sales at your business.
7. Start a blog
Blogs are a commitment to both time and resources, and they require constantly coming up with interesting ideas. But starting a blog doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it can really benefit your business in the long run.
Starting a blog can:
Target potential customers
Increase website traffic
Create new content to share on social media
Help spread company news
Keep your current audience updated about your business
Take your business to the next level
Dedicate time to focus on company goals and work on new ways to leverage your team’s skill sets. Though it may take some time and can be intimidating, the benefits you’ll receive in return are worth it. Sign up for a free trial of Deputy and see how you can headstart your business growth.
