5 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business
The following ideas are a good start and in case you are one of the “words” people when it comes to year themes, we’ve worked those in as well.
Balance
There are so many things to do when you’re running a small business, it’s easy to delude ourselves that we need to do all of them. Then we wonder why we’re so tired and frazzled and have no time to do anything else. Let someone else do some of the tasks for a change. Delegation is the key to a healthy work-life balance. All work and no play is a recipe for mental and physical disaster. So if you have trouble freeing up time to do the things you enjoy, write time regularly into your schedule to “meet with yourself” and stick to that commitment. If you won’t invest in yourself, who will?
Automation
Get ready to retake your day. There are so many ways you can use automation to simplify tasks. From drip marketing campaigns to nurture leads into sales to daily briefings your AI can play to help you start your day (or “if, then” sequences) with the necessary information, you can spend less time on the administrative tasks and more time generating revenue.
Analysis
You know all that hard work you’ve been putting in to engage your audience on those social channels? If you’re not monitoring and analyzing the data behind your efforts, you’re not getting any value out of it. Take a little time to understand your most popular posts and the time of day that garners the most reactions. Look to see which sites are performing and which aren’t.
While you’re at it, check Google Analytics to see how your site is performing. If you send out a newsletter, get to know the tools your sender offers. Some allow you to see where people are spending the most time on your newsletter content. All of them will show you open rate and clicks. Take a look at the correlation between subject line and open rate.
Security
In the past six months alone my debit card has been reissued 3 times because of fraud. We haven’t been able to track down where that compromise has occurred, but this is a common problem. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you have a 2-person operation, no one is interested in your data. If there’s the potential for money and fraud, how many employees you have won’t matter to them. They’re looking for easy ways to get data. If you’re unprotected, you’re an easy mark.
Passion
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Sound familiar?
But there is some truth to that. And since people buy from those they know, like, and trust, making 2021 the year you discover or reignite your passion is a solid idea to creating a more loyal customer base. Sharing what makes you tick and gets you excited can help people connect with you. It also can help safeguard you against burnout.
Take some time to explore your passions, even if you have to schedule it on your calendar.
The new year is a great time to start those things you’ve been putting off because it’s a natural reset/fresh start moment. However, you can work toward these goals at any time. And when you do, you’ll feel a whole lot better about your path to recovery or success.
Our thanks to Christina R. Metcalf or contributed to this article.
Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green) is a marketer who enjoys using the power of story and refuses to believe meaningful copy can be written by bots. She helps chamber and small business professionals find the right words when they don’t have the time or interest to do so.
Christina hates exclamation points and loves road trips. Say hi on Twitter or reach out on Facebook.
