Tools to Become a Successful Small Business Owner

Small Businesses Can Play with the Big Dogs

In today’s fast-paced, cutthroat world of business, it can be very difficult for current and aspiring small business owners to get a foothold. However, due to advancements in technology, anyone can become authorities in their respective niche, regardless of what it may be. You don’t need to have an unlimited advertising budget or multiple contacts within an industry to drive prospects to your business, as long as you’re armed with social media savvy.

Even though some companies may still be able to leverage printed media to their advantage, small business owners who are just starting out may not have the budget necessary to run such a campaign. Fortunately, content marketing is a “greener” alternative, in that it doesn’t consume resources like paper or ink. Even better, it has become more prominent with the rise of social media, and is expected to continue climbing.

Businesses with Successful Social Media Campaigns

Beyond effective hashtag usage and engaging with other authorities in your niche, there are tools like Hootsuite available that some companies have used successfully. One such company that has utilized Hootsuite’s platform successfully is Vega, an all-plant, whole food nutrition supplement company. It’s creator, Brendan Brazier, was able to generate a strong social media presence through education, building loyalty and customer empowerment. Brazier’s Thrive Forward program is an online resource where customers can view educational videos, recipes and health plans at no cost, and helps drive loyalty to his brand.

Today, Vega’s Twitter has obtained over 75k followers, with much of their success attributed to providing relevant, easily accessible resources to their visitors in conjunction with their product line. Resources like Hootsuite and Buffer can add a real boost to any business’s social media campaigns, regardless of their size. Even large companies like The Virgin Group have succeeded in creating new trends that help them connect with their customers in a personal way that sticks.

The best part about social media platforms and supporting tools like Hootsuite and Buffer is that they’re free, easy to setup and can help turn impressions into sales.

Keep Updating

Though the above-stated tools can help you automate your posts, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t employ too much automation. The best way to avoid this would be to consider starting a blog for your business in conjunction with your website. Blogs are the best way to regale your visitors with not only your content, but also those of outside, relevant creators as well.

Some site owners make the critical mistake of starting a blog and never updating it. Viewers enjoy fresh content, so make sure that you are updating and interacting with your audience. Of course, being genuine with your readers never hurts either. When linking out to outside resources, be sure that they are specific to your business’s niche, which in turn will help you in your search engine rankings.

Where to Start

For those who work a full-time job and are considering starting a small business, it is recommended to start with a website and a blog at minimum. Some free blog tools for aspiring small business owners include Blogger and WordPress. Both of these provide users with a ready site that they can direct traffic to, and both have options for users to customize the site to their tastes.

Another consideration would be purchasing or leasing the domain. The advantage in this is that it creates a sense of authority over your content to visitors. For example, would you be more willing to visit yourname.blogspot.com, or yourname.com? Buying or leasing your domain helps generate trust and shows viewers that you’re in it for the long haul. From here, it’s up to you to create excellent blog posts that your readers will enjoy and share.

Even Introverts Can Do It

Becoming a successful small business owner isn’t just an opportunity that extroverts like Brazier can aspire to. Introverts are commonly written off as “unemotional” or “aloof”, but that is simply not the case. Recent findings have discovered that introverted individuals have the ability to absorb the emotions of those around them, which gives them a huge advantage in the world of social media.

A key factor in social media success is finding your target audience and connecting with them. This action helps cement brand loyalty, and one where introverts truly shine. A successful social media campaign for an introverted startup’s blog would be able to connect to potential consumers, simply because of their sensitivity to their surroundings. Where an extrovert may scare off potential leads with suffocating energy and even being completely oblivious at times, an introvert can take a step back, assess the situation, and make an informed decision.

With many employers switching to open-floor plans, it can spell the beginning of the end for an introvert. They can easily become overloaded with the vast amount of humanity around them, and the various emotions that they carry. Given this, achieving autonomy with a small business may be the best option for ambitious, idealistic introverts to reclaim their focus and energy.