New Year Resolution for Your Business: More Effective Communications

It's a new year, and a good time to review all aspects of your business - including your communications.

Too often I see ads, websites, or Facebook pages that aren't really doing anything to effectively promote a business, product, or service. It seems that a lot of small businesses have websites or Facebook pages simply because they feel like they have to have them or because everyone else has one. While it's certainly true that the internet is more and more taking the place of newspapers & phone directories, simply putting up a website or Facebook page with your location & contact information isn't likely to bring you much business. And that's the whole point of marketing, advertising, or having an online presence, right?

So for starters as you begin this year, take a look at the various ways you communicate with your customers, and evaluate each of them in terms of your return. Do they generate sales, increase engagement, or enhance customer experience or satisfaction? If not, you have a decision to make - either figure out why a particular means of communication isn't working & fix the problem - or stop using that means altogether & focus on what is working.

Don't get caught up in the mentality that because a means of communication is free or low-cost, such as Facebook, that it doesn't matter whether or not it's effective. Any use of your time has a cost; if you're spending it on ineffective communication, you're wasting time that could be devoted to something that will benefit your business. The solution is to either do what you're doing better, or stop doing it and do something else that works better. Do more of what works; do less of what doesn't work.

For the next several weeks I'll be expanding on this topic & taking a closer look at various means businesses use for communicating with their customers or clients, why they sometimes don't work, and what's needed for better results.

But for this inaugural post, I just want to offer wishes for a happy & successful new year for your business, and encourage you to make a resolution for more effective communications in 2016.

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