With 2019 well and truly behind us, it’s time to kick up your feet and spend some quality time with friends and family. But it’s also the right moment to start thinking about your business goals for the coming year.
Resolutions aren’t just for reading more books or exercising more — they’re also helpful to keep your business on track. With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, here are some business goals to add on to your resolution list for 2020.
1. Perform regular business check-ups.
What were your New Year’s resolutions for 2019? How many did you achieve?
While everyone starts the year with the best of intentions, only 25% stay committed after the first month. There are a lot of reasons for this, but one of the main ones comes back to setting goals and staying accountable. One way to keep on top of your resolutions is to use SMART goals. This method of goal setting ensures that your objectives are measurable and have set parameters to give you the best chance of achieving them.
Like going to the doctor, it’s important to have regular check-ups throughout the year where you review figures like your sales, profit, costs and marketing performance. These could be every week, month or quarter. The goal is to regularly keep an eye on your business health and see how you’re tracking against your goals.
2. Give back to the local community.
Give and you shall receive. Getting behind local events is a great way to spread the word about your business, while giving back to others in the community. Arrange a team volunteering day at a nearby hospital, plant trees in a nearby park or get behind local fetes and school fairs. If you’re stuck on where to go, hop on to SEEK Volunteer or Our Community to find events in your area.
3. Spread the word online.
The majority of shoppers start out by researching products online, which means it’s important to be there when they’re looking for your product or service.
While there are a lot of moving parts to digital marketing, here are four simple steps you can take to spread the word about your business online in 2020:
- List your business on Yellow Pages
- Register for a Google My Business account
- Ask existing customers to review your business on Google or Facebook
- Optimise your website for SEO.
4. Focus on workplace engagement.
When your team are engaged and feel valued, they’ll go above and beyond for your business and your customers. Research shows, however, that only 14% of Aussie and Kiwi employees are engaged in their jobs.
This year, make it a priority to reward and recognise your employees by doing one (or all) of these:
- Launch an employee of the month program
- Organise after-work drinks or team-building events
- Set up an anonymous suggestion box for team feedback.
5. Try something new.
The start of a new decade is the perfect time for experimentation, so don’t be afraid to try something new. It could be playing with a new social media platform like TikTok, working on a new product, or finally launching that company blog. After all, you never know where it might lead.
RELATED: 3 digital marketing trends to look for in 2020.
6. Take time for yourself.
Don’t wait until the end of 2020 for your next holiday. While it might seem like your to do list will never end, it’s important to schedule in time for yourself throughout the year, so you’re not constantly burning the candle at both ends.
Plan that Easter holiday, take a road-trip over a long weekend, or get involved in a new hobby in the New Year. After all, you need to feel at your best if you want your business to do its best.
There you have it — a list of six New Year’s resolutions that will help you grow your business. With your New Year’s resolution list sorted, you can rest easy over the holiday period and return feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to go.
Need help with your digital marketing?
Get in touch with Yellow Pages on 1800 670 722 for expert advice and assistance with a full range of digital marketing products.
