First, let’s establish two maxims: one classic, one new.
Classic: The cardinal rule of customer acquisition – it’s not your customer’s job to keep your business top-of-mind, it’s yours.
New: Every year your online footprint – website, social media, etc. – become less of a destination and more of a distribution center. As a small business, you have to develop a strategy that doesn’t depend upon prospects and customers returning to your locations every time they need/want something from you.
It’s easier to keep a customer than find a new one – everybody knows that. The bad news is, with all of the mega-corp algorithms, online competitors, and cyber-clutter, keeping the attention of even our most loyal patrons is getting harder every day. But here’s the good news: For every example of how technology makes business more complicated, there is a corresponding tool or application that increases efficiency and productivity. Even for small businesses. [Continue Reading]