Planning is underway for the next phase for business growth on the Isle of Wight. Local authorities – noting how the Island’s aren’t due to benefit from proposed growth – have submitted their budget for the next year in order to help everyone grow together.
Boosting businesses on the island is a key factor and £100,000 has been promised as part of an Enterprise Fund. Microbusinesses on the island account for 85% of all businesses (those with five or fewer employees) and this fund hopes to help more people launch their business. What things can small or starting businesses do to try to increase their customers and grow in 2020?
Gaining Customers
Gaining customers is the most important aspect of any business operation and often where people struggle. You may be an expert in whatever the business is – from art to office space, clothing to food – but many people need a push to actually get their first customers or clients. The Enterprise Fund would hope to offer skills and practical solutions to help islanders on their way to getting their first customers.
Offering something for those new to the business is a good way of attracting new customers, who might then become loyal to the brand. As the Party Casino bonus reviewed at BonusFinder shows, this company offers brand new customers a bonus when they begin using the site in the form of free spins with their first deposit. This can help those interested in online casino gaming choose from the range of sites available to them.
Moreover, fashion brands online often offer a discount – 10% at ASOS, for instance – for the first order with them. This discount can help those wanting to browse clothes choose the site as the goodwill shown for the new custom will be well received by the potential customer.
Retaining Customers
Once you have gained some customers, keeping them is the next most important thing to do. In the B2B sector, keeping clients comes down to the relationship you have with them and the lines of communication you keep open.
Loyalty schemes are a good idea in order to keep customers coming back for more. Coffee shops like Costa and Starbucks allow you to collect points on cards so that you will eventually get money off a drink. While supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys have points schemes that allow you to receive personalised offers and occasional discounts. Many people would be more likely to shop somewhere that they could get something additional to their purchase.
Other businesses have customers sign up to their email list so that they can then be promised discounts later on. While these mailers are predominately for marketing purposes, occasionally loyal customers are treated – such as on their birthdays – as many businesses, from Hobbycraft to Subway, offer.
Business could very well continue to boom on the Isle of Wight as 2020 continues. Cultivating small businesses is important and following time-honoured tips on how to gain and retain customers could help businesses in those all-important first years of trading.
