Navigating Business Growth - Strategies to Sustainably Expand Your Organization

Every business owner welcomes growth. But just as a plant has certain needs that must be met in order to grow, so does your business.

We’re not just talking sunshine and water here. We want to focus on the trellis guiding the growth – strategies that allow expansion to take place sustainably and without chaotic intervals.

Below, we will discuss four such strategies that will help your business grow in the right direction: hiring with growth in mind, market research to complement targeted marketing, embracing current and emerging technologies, and enhancing the customer service experience.

Hire With Growth in Mind

You can plan for future growth even as you hire new employees – or, if your business is very small, as you hire your first employees.

Look for core competencies on resumes when considering applicants. Don’t think only of whether they have the skills to perform the tasks you need to be done right now, rather think about whether they have the traits to grow along with your business. For example, are they flexible, agile, and adaptable? Willing and eager to take on challenges and learn new things? These traits will be invaluable as your company stretches its wings.

What, though, if you find yourself in limbo between needing extra help and affording an extra salary? Consider starting with a part-time worker, remote freelancer, or a third-party supplier for logistics or other services, depending on the nature of the work. This will allow you to scale up your small business at your own pace.

From Market Research to Targeted Marketing

A healthy profit margin now doesn’t necessarily equal future growth. If you want your business to grow, you need to intimately understand the environment it’s rooted in.

That’s where market research takes the stage. You can research who is buying your products or services now, identify emerging trends, and understand your competitors and their customers. You may also discover new or niche markets that you can tap into.

The next step is to market your business. Expensive, flashy ads are great if your company can afford them – general advertisements on billboards and television or streaming commercials can introduce your company to lots of potential customers.

But for your marketing scheme to be sustainable (i.e., effective and within budget), it may also need to be targeted.

Today, targeted marketing is easier than ever before. Google, Meta, Bing, and other online companies offer extensive tool kits to help you tailor and target your paid advertisements to the people who are most likely to become your customers. You can also target others who are similar to your customers in various ways. Or, you can identify a pain point that competitors are not addressing and speak directly to that audience.

Embrace Technology

Businesses must leverage technology in several ways in order to sustain growth.

Do not overlook building a presence online. Having a website with contact information, goods and services offered, and a compelling backstory (i.e., the “About Us” page), as well as social media accounts, is a quick and easy way to establish legitimacy, convincing skeptical consumers that yours is a real business and good customer service is just a click or phone call away.

Engaging consumers online—via websites and social media—also builds brand loyalty. Moreover, word-of-mouth online advertising via user-generated content can boost consumer trust and sales in ways that traditional advertising cannot.

Businesses should also be alert to technological advances affecting their industries. Consider investing in new tech that will streamline processes or help your team work “smarter not harder.” Replace aging systems to maintain employee morale and customer satisfaction.

Enhance the Customer Experience

In the above sections, we’ve considered several ways that customers interact with your business. In order to sustain business growth, enhancing customer service practices and the overall customer experience is essential.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for customer service; much will depend on the nature of your business. But bear in mind these basic principles:

• Invest in customer service training. Not all employees are naturally inclined towards good customer service, but adequate training can remedy this. Enacting simple procedures like always greeting the customer upon entry to a locale can go a long way toward building good relations.
• Maintain a quality product. Many customer service complaints arise when purchased products malfunction or services are not performed as expected. Don’t cut corners, and welcome customer feedback as a way to better your current products. Moreover, when shipping these high-quality products, consider using custom shipping boxes with your logo by Arka to ensure that your brand's professionalism extends all the way to the customer's doorstep.
• Make contact easy. Post customer service phone numbers and email addresses on your website. Consider installing a chat bot for instant answers to common questions. Don’t hide your contact information or make customers “jump through hoops” in order to interact with a representative.

Key Takeaways

If we were to compare your business to a houseplant, your business strategy would be the trellis that allows the plant to stand erect and grow in the right direction. The growth-supporting strategies that we recommend you focus on include:

• Hiring employees that can adapt to changing needs as the business grows
• Understanding your competitors and customers, and using that knowledge to drive growth with targeted ads
• Staying up-to-date with the latest technology
• Making contact easy and training employees in good customer service practices

Follow these tips and your business should flourish and bloom, both sustainably and inspirationally.

Business