What are you doing to grow your business? It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day production tasks, but a little bit of investment in business development can go a long way.
When you’re starting out with marketing your business and harvesting more customers, time constraints mean you may need to outsource this activity to a marketing agency.
While this is great to get you started, there are exponential benefits to taking ownership of your business development activities and forging a stronger and more direct link with your customers.
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1. Cost Reduction
Let’s be frank – marketing agencies need to make a profit too, and their services are provided at a cost which allows them to reimburse their employees whilst earning money for the business.
If you have taken your business and your brand to a beneficial position in terms of promotion, it might be time to take more control of that messaging. Although this might be uncharted territory for you, keep in mind that there are untold benefits to be reaped.
2. Intellectual Investment Gains
Once you have more visibility over your customer engagement, you have more chances to adapt your business to suit their needs. If one customer sends you a direct message on a social media platform, there’s a big chance that their needs are the same as the rest of your audience. Address those needs and use your new-found freedom to advertise how your business went one step beyond to provide exceptional service.
By doing this, you have a big advantage over competitors who don’t have their fingers on the pulse in the same way. Similarly, if you don’t pay attention, you could lose ground to other businesses who are keeping a closer eye on the market.
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3. Freedom to Experiment
It’s easy to fall into a routine and continue producing safe products for a customer base that you understand. But let’s not forget, your printing equipment is extremely versatile, and it can solve issues far beyond the confines you have set.
Sure, it can be a hassle to work out a new way to use your existing setup, but if you can build that flexibility into your workflow, you can find massive profit opportunities in the most unexpected places.
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4. Increased Flexibility
You probably don’t need us to tell you how important it is to be able to adapt to global issues. From our perspective here at Roland DG, we’ve seen countless customers adapt their businesses to capitalise on the opportunities and navigate the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Overall, these businesses have thrived despite very challenging circumstances and thanks to their adaptability, they have turned a catastrophe into a business-building opportunity, without sacrificing their morals.
5. Faster Reaction Times
When dealing with external agencies, it’s important to note that they may not have a solid grasp of the factors that are important to your industry. They probably have several clients to manage in various industries and it’s too much to ask that they understand your industry as well as you do.
If you’re working with an external agency, every time something crucial happens in your business, you need to explain to them why this is relevant and help them understand where the opportunities are for your customers.
After this lengthy briefing process, it’s normal to ask yourself whether you could have saved time by actioning the necessary changes by yourself.
6. Brand Consistency
The most successful businesses in the world are those that have developed a strong and identifiable brand. This doesn’t just mean that they have an attractive logo – it means that they have created an identity to which their customers can relate. This might sound like a difficult thing to achieve, but it’s quite simple. You just need to ensure that your communications are consistent, and they represent the things you and your business believe in.
What behaviours have made your business successful so far? What do your customers say about your service? What do you offer that your competitors can’t? If you can answer questions like these, you’re already well on your way towards defining your brand and creating a voice that really resonates with your audience.
Conclusion
All of this might sound like good advice, but how can you fit these extra activities into an already busy day? This is the big question which makes many business owners de-prioritise business development in favour of more practical work.
The fact remains that there are several benefits to be had and they can directly impact your bottom line in a positive way. The first thing to do is to free up some time and resources to actively tackle business development. Can you invest in faster devices to speed up your workflow? Can you change your current workflow to be more efficient, giving you more time to consider the bigger picture?
Buying new equipment isn’t a magic wand which can transform your business, but with the right guidance, it can help immensely. If you want to discover the options available to you, check out the latest tech from Roland DG or get in touch with an expert to discuss your business needs.