This article is sponsored by PECO, an Exelon Company.
With inflation and shortages continuing to disrupt nearly every industry, making sure your business is set up for long term success has become more challenging than ever.
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While predicting trends in the economy is difficult, there are steps small business leaders can take to ensure they are staying engaged with their customers and giving them a more personalized service than larger chains and corporations.
Here are a few tips for staying ahead of your competition.
Communicate
Make sure you are using your social media platforms to give customers service updates, information on new products, or ongoing sales. Likewise, your business website should be routinely updated and easy to navigate. It’s also crucial that your site is mobile-friendly as most people are using smartphones and tablets rather than laptops and computers.
Personalize
Being a local business gives you an advantage over national chains since you can actually engage with your customers on a personal level. Install software that makes it easy to send emails thanking your clients for using your service. In the correspondence, ask for feedback on what they like about your organization and what could be improved. Let your customers know they are being seen and heard.
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Reviews
You can take it a step further and ask that satisfied customers post a review of your business or service online. While it may seem like an annoyance, people are more likely to write a review if they have had a positive experience with your business when asked. Reviews also give potential new clients a resource and motivation to try your service over others. In addition to Yelp, other review sites include, Angie’s List, Manta, the Better Business Bureau, Foursquare, Open Table, and your official Facebook Business page, among others.
Start a newsletter
Once you’ve established steady communication and compiled a database of the emails of your loyal customers, start sending a monthly email newsletter. On top of keeping them abreast of the latest news, services, and sales, include all your social media channels and ask them to follow them. As an incentive, offer special discounts for those that join and do not unsubscribe for the newsletter.
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