January 10, 2023

NEW YEAR’S CHECKLIST FOR EVERY SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

Happy New Year! A new year means a fresh start.

This is a perfect time of year to take a look at your business and evaluate what’s working, what’s not working, and determine what needs to be refined. Over the years Melody and I have tried different methods to accomplish this annual review and the one we keep coming back to is the Mini-Audit.

Performing an internal mini-audit is a great way to step back and review your company’s big picture. This process allows you to make sure you are still focusing on providing the services that your customers find valuable, but that you are also allocating your resources effectively.

Whether you have been in business for years or you have decided that 2023 is the year you finally commit to your startup idea, this exercise is crucial!

You can follow along with the steps we’ve outlined below to complete this exercise for your company. We hope you find it helpful!

If you are a small business owner performing a mini-audit,
here’s what you should be evaluating:

1. Check in with your customers.

You’ll be able to find these statistics in your eCommerce platform analytics, FB or IG insights, etc. How old are they? Do you have more male or female customers?

2. Are your customers still struggling with the same problems?

How are they finding you? What questions are they asking or what keywords are they using in their search queries. What needs do they have?

3. What are your customers currently doing to solve their problems?

Who are your competitors? What kind of growth in the competitive space have you seen? What type of content are they posting and what are their engagement levels? How do you stand out?

4. Is your company still solving your customer's problems?

What services are people using? Which products are customers purchasing the most? Are you still meeting your customers’ needs? Should you be doing anything differently?

5. Why is NOW the time to sell your product or service?

What kinds of trends are you noticing in your industry? Are you seeing any pivots that need to be made in order to stay relevant?

6. Why are YOU the best company to sell your product or service?

Why do your customers keep coming back for more? What kind of trust have you established? Are there any potential partnerships that could be valuable to both you and your customer?

The answers to these questions will change as your company evolves and your industry changes. By taking the time to conduct a mini-audit you will be able to make more informed decisions when you plan your marketing strategies, decide on any new products or services to add and you might even discover some new ideas about what your customers are looking for!

These company insights can go a long way to ensuring that you stay on track as your company grows.

If you want to take the audit process a step further and want an in-depth picture of your company’s online landscape and are looking for recommendations on what to do this year to grow your business, check out our Technical Audit Service. We’ll dig deep into your company to identify what’s working and what’s not. Our in-depth report includes a full breakdown of how your website and content are performing against your competition and identifies opportunities for improvement. Take a look at a sample audit report HERE.

Virtual Collective Offers two types of audits:

A Brand Audit Includes:

Full Company and Industry Analysis
Technical Performance Audit (Website Health)
Content Evaluation / User Experience
A roadmap that provides next-step recommendations

An Industry Audit Includes:

Review of Company Framework and Customer Discovery
Industry and Competitor Analysis
Content and Lead Generation Recommendations
A roadmap that provides next step recommendations

Visit our website for more information about the services Virtual Collective
offers or click below to contact us and set up a time to chat!

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January Audit Blog Post Feature Image | Virtual Collective

NEW YEAR’S CHECKLIST FOR EVERY SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

January 10, 2023

Since people are probably not going to just randomly stumble across your website and immediately make a purchase, they will need a bit of nurturing, educating, and convincing before they get to that point. The measurable touchpoints throughout the marketing funnel will let you know what is working and what isn’t so you can adjust and refine your content to give your customers exactly what they want.