10 Thrifty Tips To Improve Your Business
Whether your business is booming or you’re making every penny count in the early establishment stages of your SME, we can all appreciate some friendly business tips that make a lesser dent to the wallet. As a responsible accountancy firm, we like to offer thrifty business advice to help you look after the pennies.
Here are some really easy and economical ways to help your business blossom:
Sign Up To Social Media
Owning one or many social accounts offers you the chance to raise your online profile and to engage far more easily with your target audience. Having direct access to your customers has never been so easy. Using social media, you can provide a refined brand image. There are plenty of social media platforms that you can use, each of which will reflect your business in a particular way. For example, creates are more likely to turn to Instagram and Pinterest. Meanwhile, corporate buffs will be more interested in LinkedIn.
Use Apps For Speedy Response
As the world turns to smartphones and simplicity, businesses have recognised that the future lies in designated apps. By downloading smartphone apps, you can access information on the go quickly and efficiently. You can also have specific apps to suit different purposes categorised into folders (such as finance, tax, photography, or even music centre, depending on your business).
Apps enable cloud synchronisation, meaning you can ‘pick up where you left off’. This seamless transition between devices makes processes far more convenient.
Railcards And Bus Passes For Staff
While many companies boast company vehicles, not so many recognise the advantage of using public transport, the most obvious is the demand for a more green approach to living. Employers should consider the possibility of purchasing railcards and bus passes for eligible staff who require access to transport, especially when a car is unnecessary, such as in city centres.
Join Facebook Community Groups For Local SMEs
Facebook, alongside being an interactive social networking platform, is also a great place to connect with specific communities as a whole. From travel groups to village community groups, it appears that Facebook has them all covered. So, why not look at relevant groups that you could connect with as a business? Interact and network with its members (in a way that reflects your business, of course).
You could even approach admins and discuss the prospect of sponsoring the page in return for your name or business logo in the profile picture.
VoIP Software For Economical Communication
Using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software allows you to make calls using the internet. This solution reduces the cost of phone calls because, instead of paying for a comprehensive phone and internet package, you only need to invest in internet access. Slack and Skype are fantastic examples where it is made possible to type instant messages and call by means of the internet and not a single phone line in sight.
Encourage Your Staff To Access Online Training Courses
A happy workforce is a productive workforce. Allowing your employees access to further learning on company time injects a sense of commitment, gratitude and appreciation. It also means that your staff are more knowledgeable on certain topics relevant to your business, which is advantageous for pushing the business forward. Encouraging your staff to improve their skills through an online training course is really efficient for increasing morale and technical knowledge in your devoted industry. FutureLearn and OpenLearn are two great places for access to these online courses.
Keep An Eye Out For Local Business Events
This is a really cost-effective way to take part in face-to-face networking. Sites such as Eventbrite give the latest information on upcoming local events that you and the team could consider attending. Getting yourself out there is a great way of sussing out the competition, getting to know your audience in a hands-on manner, or even just for a bit of team building.
Cloud Computing Services Are Cheaper And More Streamlined
Cloud computing is the use of implementing a network of remote servers that are hosted on the internet as a safe space to keep, manage and process business data. This is as an alternative to using hardware such as a local server, PC or hard drive. Having all your data online takes away the need for expensive secure hardware, and looking for places to keep it. Often, you only pay for what you use.
Keep Your Staff Sweet
There’s nothing quite like a double dozen Krispy Kremes to slap a smile on your employee’s faces. Never underestimate the power of sugary goods to keep your staff happy and your business looking sharp.
Easy, hey?