Looking to scale your business? 

You aren’t alone. In fact, this is something that many business owners have been struggling with in recent years. There are many potential reasons behind this lack of growth, from changing customer loyalties and expectations to reduced spending across the board. 

However, this does not mean that business growth and expansion are out of the question. You simply need to get a little more creative when seeking out growth strategies! 

With that in mind, here are some surprising ways in which you can grow your business.

TRYING OUT DIFFERENT MARKETING STRATEGIES.  Okay. This idea may not seem all that unusual, but you’d be surprised about just how many businesses re-use the same marketing strategies again and again but expect different results each time. As such, you should seek to diversify your marketing campaigns as much as possible, especially if you aren’t getting a great ROI.

If this is something that you tend to struggle with, you may want to start by carrying out some basic research into the world of marketing. For example, you may want to learn about the key differences between upstream vs downstream marketing so that you can apply this knowledge to your campaigns moving forward. Alternatively, you may want to hire a marketing manager who can carry out this work on your behalf. 

Exploring funding options like business grants could also help fuel new marketing campaigns. Grants, especially those offered by local government agencies or private organizations, could provide the financial backing needed to test out new strategies without stretching your budget too thin.

RESPONDING TO NEGATIVE REVIEWS.  It’s no secret that positive reviews can help to grow your business (here’s how to ask for reviews to get that all important social proof). After all, you can feature this feedback on your website or social media posts. However, you could also use negative reviews to take your business to new heights. 

Firstly, they could help you to further your understanding of customer behavior and attitudes, as negative reviews make the expectations of your audience clear. Furthermore, the contents of the review can also help you make actionable changes to your business so that you do not receive the same negative feedback twice. 

Finally, by responding (apologetically) to negative reviews and by offering to make things right, you can repair your relationship with the customer leaving the review. This means that they are more likely to buy a product from you again in the future. It also shows potential customers who stumble across the review that you hold yourself accountable when you’ve made a mistake. 

KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUR COMPETITION. Many business owners avoid paying attention to the work being carried out by their competitors. This can help to ensure you are not inadvertently creating similar products or services, to the extent where you could be accused of copying them. 

However, keeping an eye on your competitors’ work could help you to grow your business quite considerably, as it can help you to identify a gap in the market that is not currently being filled by your brand or your competitor’s brand. This way, you can ensure that you are bringing something unique to the table with every product launch, making it easier than ever to grow your customer base and take your business to new heights.