Growing a small business can seem like a daunting challenge. It requires a significant amount of hard work and dedication to help a small company in any industry reach its full potential, but it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Here are 4 aspects of your business you should prioritize if you want it to grow quickly and efficiently.

1. Customer Service

To encourage business growth, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of your target audience.

Not only does this enable you to determine which products and services will be most beneficial for your customers, but it also allows you to determine how to provide the best support possible.

Your clients want easy access to customer service so they can get the help they need quickly and efficiently.

One of the best ways to incorporate this is by having certain employees dedicated to providing customer service.

By having associates available to answer questions or comments, you make it easy for customers to get the support they want.

If you do not have enough employees to provide excellent customer service via phone, outsourcing support is a viable option.

2. Advertising

If you want to promote your business, allocating a significant portion of your budget to advertising is the best way to accomplish your goal.

While several forms of advertising, such as email and social media campaigns, are free, others can be extremely expensive. However, campaigns are usually more effective if they utilize multiple marketing strategies rather than focusing on one.

At first, you may not have money for more expensive marketing strategies such as television commercials and radio advertisements.

You may rely on printed marketing materials, internet advertisements and social media platforms to spread the word about your company’s products and services.

You may even use these platforms to advertise special deals for new customers to draw in business.

As your company grows, it will begin to generate a profit.

Re-invest most of the money your company earns in advertising to increase your budget and raise awareness for your business and brand values. Not only will this help you attract new customers, but it will also allow you to target former customers to encourage repeat business.

Read also: How Abby Turned Her Hobby into a 6-Figure Family Business

3. Networking

It is incredibly difficult to grow your business if you do not have any connections and the community around you does not know your company exists. 

Networking is an easy way to avoid this business pitfall. Establish business connections with other businesses that hold similar values and network with individuals who have a significant amount of small business experience.

One incredibly effective avenue of networking is participating in community events. Whether your company hosts the event or is simply a participant, this practice allows your business to engage with the community so they know about your company.

If you emblazon small merchandise such as hats, pens and magnets with your company logo and hand them out to other event participants, potential customers will have a tangible reminder of your business’ presence within the community.

Another useful strategy for networking is to partner with another business that has the same brand values as your company. This is a great way for small businesses to earn the recognition they need to grow while benefiting both companies.

4. Automation

Automation and business growth are inextricably linked, and it’s time for business owners to get on board. Most businesses want to grow, but very few master the art of scaling effectively. 

The answer might lie (at least partially) in automation.

Let’s examine what it actually means to scale a business, and how automation serves an important function in that process. 

Scalability refers to an organization’s growth potential, as well as its ability to adapt to changes and marketplace conditions during the process.

Organizations that can’t meet changing demands in the marketplace, or those that are too inflexible in meeting customer demands often have a more difficult time scaling. 

So where’s the sweet spot that allows business owners to meet marketplace demands, without sacrificing the customer experience? Automation. 

Automation Encourages Scaling

Automation frequently tops the list of priorities for entrepreneurs intent on scaling their organization, and there’s a good reason why. 

Automation can serve both small and large enterprises, for the simple reason that it frees up time and resources within the organization. 

Automation helps lowers expenditures, which can improve an organization’s financial picture. The freed up funds can also be invested in other areas of the business, such as marketing, product innovation, and market research. 

What to Automate

Automation is such a broad topic that many business owners don’t know where to start. When it comes to automation, the top three areas to address first are: bookkeeping, marketing, and communications.

Streamlining business bookkeeping will ease the burden of time consuming bookkeeping tasks, so your accounting and finance team can focus their efforts elsewhere. 

Likewise, marketing automation tools can be the secret weapon for your marketing team. By automating tasks like social media marketing and email marketing through programs like Hootsuite and Constant Contact, it frees up time for marketing strategy and public relations. 

Similarly, constant management systems like Hubspot or Salesforce can be a huge asset to your sales team, and give them more ammunition for keeping in contact with potential customers and converting leads.

If scaling and business growth are among your business goals, it’s time to use automation to your advantage. Automation tools can help you avoid some of the common pitfalls associated with rapid growth. 

To effectively grow a small business, you need to prioritize certain aspects. Your success depends directly upon your customers, so it is essential to keep your clients happy by offering superior customer service.

Drawing in new business in addition to retaining current customers is also vital, so networking and advertising are also important elements to focus on. When you prioritize these four aspects, you can help your business reach its full potential.