Who says you need to rent the top 10 floors of a skyscraper, or build your own Google-like campus (complete with gym, restaurant and day care) in order to compete with the large organizations in your marketplace? Thanks to the web, you can make your small home-based business look like a big enterprise. Here are 3 tips to keep in mind:
Create a killer website.
You may be surprised to discover that many enterprise websites aren’t great — and some are just plain lousy. This is typically because some companies rely so much on existing relationships, channel partners and inside sales, that they view their website as something of a necessary evil. For example, the information is out-of-date or inconsistent, the user experience is tedious, loading times are slow, and trying to find what you need on a mobile device is easier said than done. All of these vulnerabilities and weaknesses are opportunities that you should exploit with a killer website.
What’s more, you don’t have to spend a small fortune. Simply choose the template you like (and there are thousands to choose from), and then either learn how to do some web developing, or outsource this task to an expert or agency. Before you know it and at an affordable price, you’ll have a website that stands out and gets attention.
Rock the social media landscape.
Don’t just dabble in social media by creating a Facebook or Twitter page. Rock the social media landscape by creating fresh, relevant content, and cultivating strategic partnerships that bring more potential fans and followers to your properties. At the same time, start keeping an inventory of all of your social media accounts and references, including those that are created by third parties like agencies and customers (social media governance firm Brandle calls these references “Points of Presence” or POPs — learn more about them at http://www.brandle.net).
Lean forward and use size to your advantage.
Until now, you may have viewed your relatively small size and capacity as a distinct disadvantage. However, if you ask any disgruntled and frustrated enterprise ex-customer, big isn’t necessarily better. Indeed, many big companies have bad customer service; especially regarding personalized attention and responsiveness. They also take a very long time to make changes and adjustments — they’re like massive ocean freighters that need several miles to make a turn vs. a lean, agile sail boat that can deftly navigate the open water. Remember: today’s customers are more impressed and influenced by positive customer experience than ever before, and often rank this as a higher priority than low prices and product selection.
The Bottom Line
Yes, one day you may indeed be among the Fortune 500. But to get from where you are now to where you want to be in the future, you need to focus on exploiting your strengths. Keep the above in mind, and you’ll give yourself more than a fighting chance to compete with the enterprises in your marketplace!
