Small businesses often struggle to compete with the bigger companies out there. Most of the time, this is because they don’t appear as professional as their bigger counterparts. Well, I’ve decided to help make this problem a thing of the past.
Below, you will find four tips that instantly make your small business more professional:
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Proper Contact Number
A lot of small business owners are guilty of not having a proper contact number. Using a mobile number as a business contact number doesn’t look good. It screams unprofessional, and consumers will see it that way too. You see, when you ring a mobile number, it feels like you’re just calling a person. It doesn’t feel like you’re contacting a professional business at all. But, the reason people use their mobile phone numbers is that it makes them easier to reach. If they’re on the move, people can still contact them. However, there are easy ways to get a proper contact number, and still be easy to reach. Firstly, you can set up a landline number, and tweak the phone settings to forward all calls to your mobile. People will still call the professional landline, and won’t know their call is being forwarded. The second idea is to purchase a mobile landline number. This converts your mobile number into a professional landline one. Essentially, you’re carrying around an office phone in your pocket. It’s a great idea, and many mobile network providers offer these numbers. Either option is good, as they both help boost the professional image of your business.
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Branded Documents
No doubt your business will have to create and send out various documents at any given time. This can include emails, letters, even marketing material like flyers. If all these things are branded, then your business looks far more professional. Imagine receiving an email from a company that doesn’t have its logo on it. There’s no professional template to the email, it just looks like one from a friend or family member. You’d think this company isn’t very professional or upmarket at all. So, your business must avoid this by creating branded templates for emails, letters, you name it! There are plenty of companies like Templafy that can supply templates for your company. All you have to do is choose colors, add your brand, etc. Now, you’ve got the means to send out branded documents to all your clients and customers. It reinforces your professionality, and people will be impressed by your small business.
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A Genuine Business Website
There’s always lots of talk surrounding business websites nowadays. Entrepreneurs have been led to believe they need a website, no matter what. So, they hop online and create one within a couple of minutes. It doesn’t look good, but, they don’t care as they think having one is all that’s necessary. The truth is, your business needs a proper, genuine, business website. By that, I mean something that looks good and keeps up to date with modern web design trends. It needs to look modern, or your business won’t look professional. Speaking as a consumer, there’s nothing more off-putting than a poor business website. It just makes a company look very amateurish. On the contrary, a small startup with a proper website is very impressive. My advice is to look at the websites of big, successful, businesses. See what theirs looks like, and make yours look similar. A small business, with a big business website, will be very professional.
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Reviews, Ratings & Rewards
My final point revolves around the three R’s; reviews ratings, and rewards. These three things can bring so much credibility to a small business. You should ask your customers to write reviews and rate your business online. If you register your business on Google, it allows people to write reviews and rate you out of 5 stars. Encourage your happy customers to do this, as it can improve your professional image. People will see your company has a five-star rating, and positive reviews, and be well impressed. You should post these reviews on your website too, showing off that you have good ratings. Finally, you should showcase any rewards you might have. If your company has ever won an award, it should be broadcast on your website for all to see. Similarly, any personal rewards should be revealed too. Consumers often want to find out more about the people running a business. So, if they go to the About Us section on your site, and see that you’ve won many awards, it impresses them.
Use all four of these tips to improve your image and make your small business more professional. Consumers love a credible business, and it gives them one more reason to come to you.
