It’s hard to believe that it’s February already. Time really does fly, especially for those of us who run extremely busy lives. Now that the Monday of the months in over, you should be getting over the January blues settling back in to your regular routines. However a fresh year is opportunity to make the changes you need to rejuvenate your business and to help get ahead. This guide looks at small steps that can be taken in business to improve and especially for long standing businesses to modernise and get into the same league as the next generation.

Renovate Your Workspace

Budget and office environment will dictate how much you can do with this step however it is always nice to spruce the place up. You could aim for March or April to have your spring clean complete. If you don’t have an office but work with a computer you could spend some time organising your email and files. For those who have a large budget why not completely make over your entire office? Your staff will appreciate you freshening it up which could increase productivity.

Talk to Your Existing Customers

If you want to revitalise your business but you aren’t sure where to start you should speak to your current customers. This is the best way to find out what works and what people who genuinely like your products would need to see change in order to love your product. There are several different ways to do this: you can contact your customers via telephone if your business is the type that has contact information. Alternatively you could do a customer survey, either by email or in store. You could also install a feedback form on your website.

Focus on Your Unique Selling Point

Even if you are a long standing business that has been running for decades you can still differentiate it. Think about what your business should be known for. Try and fit it into 25 words or less. This may seem an obvious task however sometimes by physically writing it out and trying to keep it compact makes you realise what elements are important to your brand. One you have done this you can focus on these elements and ensure they are an integral part of your operation.

Start a Newsletter

Emailing your existing customers and contacts is a great way to build customers relationships and to promote brand awareness. Your newsletter should bring something relevant and useful to your recipients, obviously this will vary depending on what type of business you have. You should use a professional email system and research good email marketing techniques. People are bombarded with email spam today and it is far too easy to get listed as junk or deleted without being opened. Spend time on this or invest in SEO services to do it for you.

Go Green

The pressure for businesses to reduce their carbon emissions is increasingly more important and with the current climate crisis the time to act is now. Look into ways that your business can use energy more efficiently or help the environment in some way. This is a moral obligation as well as a corporate duty, do not skip this step.