Unique idea. Check. Business Plan. Check. Team Hiring. Check. Execution. Check. If you think this was the recipe for success for your start-up, you are in for a rude shock. You may have the best ideas coupled with the best team working to create a great product, if you don’t have traction, you cannot go far. Although the phrase ‘traction’ gets associated with friction and tyres, the word is gaining momentum in the enterprising circle and rightly so. In entrepreneurship, traction translates to number of visitors or customers which serve as a testament to potential investor that your ‘start-up’ is in demand and going places. Read on to know how to build traction.
Declutter Your Brand :
If you confuse your visitors, you lose your visitors! It is as simple as that. When it comes to marketing, going simple is the way to go. Go through your brand to see if the message it projects is simple and easy to understand. With the business world going complex, the branding efforts should get simplified in order to have a ‘recall value’. It may be a tad difficult for businesses with multi-pronged businesses, however, just because you have a lot of products or a huge list of features doesn’t mean your messaging cannot be simplified. The more simplified your communication is with your customers, the better is their engagement. Having a clear, targeted message with a simplified communication will bring your business and consumer on the same page.
Go Where The Crowd Is :
It is difficult to even imagine a time when social media was not an intrinsic part of our lives. Even though most of us are in on some or other social media channels in our personal lives, we tend to keep our business out of this social media fad. However, as many businesses have shown, social media can positively impact a small business and bring a lot of traction. In fact, social media is so huge now that not using it not as option any more. Your business needs to go where your customers are and social networking sites are where you will find most of your customers. It is very important to incorporate these social media channels when promoting a business. Using social media is much cheaper than using traditional advertising mediums. You can market your business by doing research on where your target audience are and making your business visible on those social media channels.
Your Website Is Your Weapon :
Your website is the window to your business and you should never cut corners in building it. Ensure that you have a high performing, user-friendly and aesthetic looking so that people who come to your website, stay. You can employ a lot a tools to convert your website into a conversion centre.
Spotlight Uniqueness :
The best way to improve traction and lure investors is by promoting the unique aspects of your business. Your business is as strong as your idea and that is the only way to stand out from the crowd. Spotlight factors that sets you apart from your competitors and promote it through all the channels to get it to as many people as possible. People are interested in businesses which are not in it for money alone and want to truly make a difference. Always show your positive side and spotlight factors which you think can make a positive difference in people’s lives.
Get Engaging :
In this social media saturated environment, just being where you customers are, is not enough, you need to engage them. All businesses are different and there is not a set user-guide which could be followed to bring your customers to your website. However, common sense and intuition always prevail and this is true in the case of harnessing the potential of social media as well. First thing what you could do is find out an angle which can appeal to most customers. The more appealing the idea, the better would be the engagement, which could lead to conversion and traction. Listen to your customers. It is not only true in any service-oriented business, but it is true for any business in general. Listen to what your customers are talking about and get engaged. Ask and answer questions and learn about what your customers are interested in so that you can positively contribute in the discussion. Also, know what not to talk is as important as knowing what to talk. Not everything what you think should be posted and common sense needs to be employed while on social media. Also, remember not to blow your own trumpet and even if you need to promote it, do it subtly. You need to create a community through your social media efforts and that can only be done by talking like a real person and by being helpful and approachable.
Let Others Talk About You :
People listen when others talk about you. Earned Media and PR are great ways to bring people to talk about you. They help fosters positive relationships between your business and your target audiences and highlight your business as an industry leader (if that’s the requirement) and also highlight the unique selling proposition.
These are but few methods which can help you gain traction for your business. Still having trouble understanding how you build traction? Get in touch with us!
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