A new year is fast approaching, and with it new possibilities for your business.

It’s the time for New Year’s Resolutions! The time to make big plans to change for the better and improve our lives. Each new year feels like the beginning of the next chapter in the book of our lives, for better or worse. And New Year’s Resolutions are our first attempts to sidestep that “worse” and aim for “better.”

Sometimes we stick to our resolutions. Other times we don’t. But the fact that we’re making ourselves, and others, promises to improve is indicative of the power we wield as people to effect positive change in ourselves and those around us.

Furthermore, if your business is an extension of you, then it should follow that your Resolutions can extend to it as well! Even if it’s as simple as a desire to generally grow and improve, it’s good to have a goal at the outset of a brand new year.

So let’s get a little more specific with our resolutions for your business! Here are a few we like for 2024!

• Get deeper into social media

Love it or hate it, social media is where the action is. It’s where big news breaks and people spend a majority of their online free time. Heck, half the “news” articles online are barely fleshed out rewrites of something that happened on social media the day before! So, if you really want to be ahead of the curve, then you’ve gotta have a presence. Of course, you don’t have to use all of social media. You probably already know where a majority of your clientele hang out online. You know what kind of people you attract, and you know what interests them.  You also know if they’re into Facebook or TikTok. Choose wisely and engage!

• Pay attention to your employees

Chances are, if they’re passionate about your business, your employees also have opinions about where you’re going (and where you could be.) They might have ideas concerning what’s working, and what isn’t. They’re definitely in tune with their particular workloads, and the directions that their end of the industry is headed. So talk to them! Ask them what they think. Make them feel included, and invested, in your business and then watch them thrive! Engaging with your employees is about as important a 2024 goal as you can have.  You’re the head, and they’re the heart.

• VIDEO!!

People are ready to watch online videos long before they’re ready to read, so long as their wifi network is solid. Video is easily accessible, digestible and the most popular thing the internet has to offer. Think of it as a bite-size nugget of your business. Something to whet their appetites for more. And you should be producing video content often, possibly even daily. It doesn’t have to be Casablanca, but it should be fast, fun and frequent.

• Strengthen your website

Building a great website is absolutely essential for success, especially in a post-pandemic era. Shopping transitioned to online-only in a big way, and it hasn’t looked back. Many vacant storefronts have remained empty because so many businesses have chosen to escape brick and mortar entirely. It is what it is, the end of an era, but one thing is certain: You need an awesome website to stay in this game! Even if you’ve already got a website, consider making 2024 your year to streamline it, make it sing, and ensure that it’s as attractive and user-friendly as possible. 

• Get those reviews!

Do you have customers who rave about your services and products? Do they keep coming back, knowing that you’ll be there to deliver with your usual high standards? Then let’s get ‘em to tell the world about it! The power of public opinion can make or break a company, especially a small business, so let’s get some glowing reviews in the new year. Positive reviews build trust, and reading them eases the minds of potential new customers. Your most loyal customers are also your cheapest advertisers. You’d be surprised what a few good reviews will do.

As 2024 dawns, and brings with it 365 days of opportunities, let’s not forget how far we’ve come. It’s been a rough few years for so many of us, but we made it! We’re ready to see what’s coming, and bringing a renewed sense of purpose along for the ride isn’t such a bad idea either. So let us resolve to better our businesses and approach the coming year with hope and determination.  

It’s what 2023 would’ve wanted us to do!