4 ways to prepare your business for 2023.
GOODBYE 2022 AND HELLO 2023
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GOODBYE 2022 AND HELLO 2023 ||
2022 has been a year for Small New Zealand Businesses, as many continued to grow post-covid, or some started.
We've adapted to the forever-changing rules of covid. New features and updates to social media apps and trends have meant we are constantly learning, people are investing in their business growth, and everyone is building communities with like-minded business owners to work more collaboratively.
As we say goodbye to 2022 and prepare for a year - we recommend these 4 ways to prepare your business for 2023, so you can hit the ground running.
REVIEW 2022 AND RESET FOR 2023
You want 2023 to be better than this year, right? It's time to look at 2022, so you can set goals and actionable steps to dominate the new year.
Think about
Did you manage your finances well? Were you operating on a profit or loss? Did you struggle to generate income, or did you not bother keeping track?
How many clients/customers were new or returning?
Did you have massive traffic and leads without conversions?
What did you struggle with this year? Do you need to consider expanding my team or hiring help?
Did you have a hard time making decisions? Or feel you need help with how to market your business?
Now set some goals with steps to achieve them.
How much do you want to earn over the year - then break this down into months and look at what you can do/sell to achieve this number.
Set budgets - to help you manage your finances for the year and understand where money is being spent to keep costs down.
Getting organized - make a plan for your marketing and break it down into smaller steps.
How often you will send email marketing, and when.
How often will you post on social media?
When will you like to have offers?
What days and events will you participate in?
Where can you hire someone to get support and save time or automate areas of your business?
It's important to reflect on how things have been to know where you can improve and how.
LOOK AT YOUR BRANDING
As your business grows - you can sometimes find that your branding might need to grow to align with what you offer.
If your current branding works for you - perfect! But if not - here are 3 approaches to rebranding that might suit you if you want to switch things up in 2023.
Complete Rebrand - You might consider this if your brand name and identity no longer suit your business, you need help to stand out against competitors or your business is moving towards a new market.
Visual Rebrand - You might consider this if your branding was done cheap and you want to elevate it or if the visuals no longer resonate with you, your audience and your industry.
Brand Refresh - You might consider this if your branding is trend-based or needs to be updated.
If you are happy with your branding but find that you sometimes go too far left - we can help you create a Brand Guide to establish your Brand Identity and help you keep your branding consistent across all platforms.
UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE
Your website is your #1 sales tool. Most people who consider doing business with you or purchasing from you will find you online (and most likely from a mobile device).
Sure, social media is where you get people's attention - but having a website is where you convert your leads into customers and clients.
Make sure your website is straightforward and engaging.
Review load time and think about site navigation - remember, leads and customers want to be able to find things quickly.
Do you have all of your offerings on your website? And are they current/relevant?
If you offer a service - is your portfolio up to date?
Change some images to refresh the pages quickly.
Does it fully align with your brand?
Talk to others to get their opinion.
Your website might not need a complete makeover, but minor updates may improve your traffic, conversions, and sales, improve user experience and increase your credibility.
When we work with clients, through our Squarespace Consultancy sessions - we teach them how to maintain their websites by doing all of the above and more, to improve their SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
GET SUPPORT
You can't do it alone! Yes, we said it, and we mean it.
Not in the way where we think you aren't capable, because you are! Look how much you have already achieved! But more so that you can only be in one place at a time.
If you try doing everything on your own, you will burn out (trust us). So, getting support is vital to your business growth.
You can do this by: -
Expanding your team - hiring part-time staff or contractors to support you within the business. This way, everyone can work towards their strengths and cover specific areas of the company. You'll be surprised just how smoothly things move and how fast you can grow.
Our team has grown as we’ve taken on more work - which means Ngahuia can focus on delivering her services - while Tash and Ashleigh support Ngahuia with her Brand and Marketing.
Upskilling - Expanding your knowledge or growing your skill set might take some time, but it's worth the investment. We recommend having someone teach you directly so you can ask questions and get the necessary answers. Those free workshops, downloadable guides and webinars are only a temporary and quick fix.
Get someone to teach you how to create and maintain your website, write your business plan, and market your business.
Applying for Funding - Funding isn't a given - but if there is a way for you to obtain funding to receive valuable support and grow your business, we recommend connecting with our Funding partners to see what the qualifying criteria are and how they can help you.
We want to thank all of our clients with whom we have had the opportunity to work this year for their Websites, Branding and Squarespace Training. Thanks to you, we continue to grow yearly and have the opportunity to support more small business owners, like you, throughout Aotearoa.
With 2023 right around the corner - now is the time to start thinking about how you will grow and succeed and put steps in place. Our clients are already booking our services well into 2023, and we look forward to supporting them next year.
Do you need support too?? If yes - let's invest in your growth for 2023.
Check out our services to see how we can help you with your Web Design, Brand Identity or train you to manage your own Squarespace Website.
Written by: Natasha Tahiwi | To Done (NZ)
Published by: Inspiring Design & Co.
