How Your Small Business Can Compete in the Digital Age

If you’re a small business owner and you already have a website, social media account, and blog, then your chances of competing in the digital age just went up a bit. However, if you’re marketing as if it’s still 1999, get those launched and circle back. Of course, you’re confident that your product or services are top notch and of great value to customers, but how do you really build a following, a clientele, in order to beat the competition who are probably dabbling in the same strategies as you are?

Have Consistent Branding

This has to be the first step in your small business marketing strategy. Branding and visibility are very important in today’s competitive digital world. Make sure you are sending the right message with your logo, brand, product, or services. You need to keep your brand image consistent across your website, blog, social profiles, and your printed materials.

Review Your Website

Take a careful look at your business website. Make sure it is mobile friendly and responsive. Check carefully if your content is both current and relevant. If it isn’t, then you need to update it. Add required functionality to keep visitors on your site longer. Verify your site on Google so you will appear on local listings and Google maps.

Publish Fresh Content

So you have a website, social media accounts, and even a blog. But is all your content fresh and up to date? Small business marketing in 2017 is a lot more than having a website and forgetting about it. SEO guidelines have changed overnight, and Google now considers fresh and relevant content a ranking signal. If you want to stay at the top of search engine results, you will need to keep up with those changes and publish SEO-friendly content. Brands change over time and your website and your small business marketing need to reflect that.

Create Special Offers

Everyone likes a sale or special deal, and you’ll be surprised how much in your niche market do. Add a monthly deal and publish it on your website, blog, newsletter, and social sites. An expiration date or limited time offer simply adds a sense of urgency, which heightens the excitement of the special offer.

Establish a Strong Social Media Presence or Advertise on Social Media

Small business marketing should never ignore social media especially now in 2018. Social media has become a marketing juggernaut. If you are not sure how, perhaps you need to engage a professional social media marketer or agency. The money you spend will be less than the cost of making social media strategy errors. Also, small business marketing now includes advertising on social media. Facebook ads are becoming more effective than any other social advertising tactic.

Be Active on Social Media

Simply having a social media profile is not enough. You must stay activeon all of your social networks, posting at least once a day. This is important if you want your posts seen by viewers.

How to Determine the Perfect Supplier for Your Business

Selecting the right suppliers for your business needs is vital to ensure that you are able to deliver your products and services on time, at the right price, and in compliance with your quality standards. By implementing specific supplier’s selection criteria, it’s possible to identify companies that will work with you to meet the demands of your customers.

Here are five tips for finding the right suppliers for your raw materials or other company procurement requirements.

1. Set your criteria.

Create a list of the supplier’s selection criteria that companies need to fulfill to be able to provide you with the items you need. This could include issues like:

• Lead times from receipt of your order to delivery
• Minimum and maximum order quantities
• Storage and handling facilities
• Specific methods of delivery
• Quality assurance processes
• Payment terms and conditions
• Return policy
• Contactable references

Setting the criteria in advance will enable you to evaluate potential suppliers on each of the listed items and ensure that you don’t overlook any important requirements.

2. Define your process.

Identify the methods that you will use to find suitable suppliers. Decide whether you will publish your requirements in trade publications and call for bids, or whether you will approach selected companies directly for proposals and estimates. Allocate a time frame for conducting your suppliers selection process. Appoint qualified members of your team to review the proposals and recommend a short list of suppliers to choose from.

3. Call for bids.

Put out a call for bids according to the selection process you chose. This could be a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quotation (RFQ). Whatever form it is, it should include full details of the products or services you need, along with quantities, delivery dates, and quality standards identified in your criteria. Ask bidders to provide detailed information on the processes they use, the stability of their raw material suppliers (if applicable), and reasons why you should choose them.

4. Evaluate the bid submissions.

Compare each submission you receive against a checklist of criteria for suppliers and question any items that appear to be lacking in clarity. Review the scope of the services outlined in the proposal and consider whether they match your requirements. Decide on each criterias importance and score all submissions against this for an objective method of evaluation. Identify what the agreement or contract period with each potential supplier comprises to ensure you aren’t drawn into a situation that could be damaging to your business.

5. Monitor the supplier performance.

Even the most reliable supplier can occasionally slip up. Make sure they have a direct contact point at your company and conduct regular performance reviews. This will help you keep tabs on their work and make sure they’re fulfilling their end of the agreement. These reviews will also help you when it comes time to talk about contract renewal, so you know where you stand.

Following these tips will enable you to successfully select suppliers who can support your business requirements by delivering the appropriate goods and services you need on time and within budget. This will help you improve your productivity and ensure you produce quality goods/services.