Many people might say that establishing your reputation as a business won’t generate you any direct business, but the long term value in cementing your brand reputation shouldn’t be underestimated.

You can do this in many ways, from having consistently amazing service, to being reliable in the quality of your product or service, or sharing your knowledge as a subject matter expert.

For example, if you’re a tax accountant, sharing your knowledge at tax time (at a conference or on social media, say) will both help non-customers immediately, but it can also influence their decision to become a customer of yours in future based on the quality of the advice you offered. 

In years past, your business would grow based on the amount of advertising you could afford and the word of mouth you generated. The good thing about Social Media is that it allows you to advertise around the clock at a much cheaper rate, and if you’re clever, your word of mouth can grow larger than it ever could before, and at a staggering rate.

No business can afford not to be active on social media. Most businesses choose to use the main platforms of Facebook and Twitter, but there are many niche platforms for you to find and connect with your customers and potential customers.

Whether simply for customer service reasons, or to share some of your expert industry advice and tips, connect with other industry players or to let your community know of your latest offers, social gives business the power to shape the conversation happening around their brand. Reputation and social media go hand in hand, so read up on social strategy for business, or speak to a specialist, but get your business out there!

Once you establish your customer base and are looking to attract new clientele, you should consider proactive marketing.

Instead of waiting for customers to come to you, why not get in touch with them using a range of direct marketing campaign options? By using direct mail, e-marketing, telesales or seminars you open yourself up to a massive amount of potential new business.

If you’re not an expert in this area or want a little bit of help, find a local agency to suit your budget and discuss your expectations and goals.

You should be aware that the journey from non-customer to customer may not be as quick as you’d like, but by staying visible across a range of media you’ll have a higher chance of being considered when it comes to decision time for the non-customer.

In the early stages of your business life, you may find yourself more than a little short of time, as the buck stops with you. It can be hard trying to find a balance between working yourself to the bone, and the cost of hiring extra hands.

There are little things you can do however to tip the scales back in your favour, though. Start small with your banking and accounting. Consider making the switch for your Business Loans and Business Credit Cards to a customer owned financial institution like Greater Bank, who genuinely care about the growth of your enterprise. And instead of handling masses of paperwork each week, why not sign up your Business Accounts for MYOB BankLink or Xero accounting feeds?

Registering for these feeds make book-keeping, GST and BAS a breeze, are completely secure and so convenient you’ll wonder why you hadn’t signed up before.

Find out more about MYOB BankLink and XERO.