Small businesses have a lot to offer the world, but it’s not always easy for them to get noticed. This is because big brands are often more trusted and more visible to the world. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Even the smallest business can potentially compete with big brands, simply by following some of the strategies below.
Climb the search results
Nowadays, when people want a certain product or service, their first stop will be a search engine. That’s why SEO, or search engine optimization, is so important. It basically means using different techniques to help your business get higher in the rankings. While big businesses will spend a lot on SEO, they’ll usually aim for more general results, but as a small business, you can aim for niche keywords that bring people onto your site.
Offer fast shipping
While services like Prime are fast and offer next day delivery, many corporate giants struggle to offer fast shipping, as they have so many products to pick and a huge volume of orders. As a small business, you can offer fast, efficient packaging and shipping. Choose local shipping services, pick and pack things quickly, and offer detailed tracking, and your customers will no doubt be impressed by your delivery service.
Offer great customer service
Another area where the corporate giants come up short is in customer service. Customers will often complain it’s difficult to get a response from big businesses, and there’s usually a shortage of contact methods.
Firstly, you should consider offering a wide range of contact methods, such as:
- 24/7 live chat
- Telephone support
- Social media
This means that no matter how people prefer to talk to you, they can use the method that they like. This ensures they are kept happy, and if there are any issues, you can resolve them as quickly as possible.
It’s also best to make sure you offer a decent returns and refund policy. Quibbling over small amounts is likely to annoy customers and means you could end up with a reputation for poor service.
Work with other small businesses
Small businesses are often more powerful if they work together. If you want to get your name out there, it’s worth signing up for local small business groups, as you can network and find more customers. Another option is to look at working in a consortium with another business, so you can offer a wider variety of services and bid for bigger projects. This works well in certain industries, such as construction, as it allows you to go after big jobs that you might not be able to do alone, but it does require careful planning and drawing up contracts.
As a small business, you may feel like taking on the giants is impossible, but lots of smaller firms do well by offering things that the big brands can’t. From niche products to amazing service, smaller businesses can do amazing things, and because you’re small, you can offer so much more to each customer.
