With the new year just around the corner, many people are starting to plan their New Year’s resolutions. You might be considering the idea of learning a new skill or getting in better shape next year. But what about your business? Do you have actionable and achievable business New Year’s resolutions?
“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.” – Stephen Hawking
Any brand that wants to continue to grow in the new year needs to have these in place. When you make New Year’s resolutions for your business and follow through on them, your brand has the potential to reach new heights in the coming year! Here’s a look at the five most essential New Year’s resolutions for your businesses!
Business New Year’s Resolutions to consider
#1 – Zoom in Customer Service
Outstanding customer service is at the heart of business success. Even if your customer service is already excellent, there should always be a focus on finding ways to improve what you’re already delivering. Investing in new customers is 25 times more expensive than retaining existing ones, so just let that sink in for a moment.
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” ‒ Milton Berle
Modern consumers expect 24/7 customer service, and that’s why many businesses have implemented the use of chatbots on their websites to ensure they can immediately give their customers the feedback they’re looking for. Brands are also providing customer service through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter too. If this is something that your business doesn’t already have in place, it’s time to put it on the bucket list of New Year’s resolutions for your business so you can keep up with your competitors and retain your valuable customers.
#2 – Revamp your marketing efforts
With every new year comes new marketing trends and failing to keep up with them and adjusting to the changes they bring to the table will see you losing out on the opportunity of capturing the attention of your audience and converting them to long-term customers. Now is the time to take a good look at your current marketing strategy and analyze what worked and what didn’t. Replace the less-than-great aspects with some new strategies for the coming year, and you might just be surprised with the results they deliver.
Business translation and audiovisual services might be the tool you’ve needed all along when it comes to more effective marketing strategies. Translations are at the heart of ensuring your branding and a corporate message is never lost in translation. Audiovisual services like subtitling and closed captioning see your video content being translated for a new and unique market while keeping the cultural nuances in mind.
“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you’re doing, but no one else does.” – Steuart Henderson Britt
Many countries share the same language, but accents, cultures, and vocabulary can vary greatly. Failure to keep regional differences in mind can confuse, distract, or even offend your audience. A translated movie will sound like a translated movie and translated subtitles will read like translated subtitles. If you’re aiming for worldwide success, your subtitles need to be translated and localized for your target audiences.
#3 – Boost Productivity
There’s no need to focus on becoming a faster, more organized worker (although it is beneficial) for the sake of being more productive. What your business really needs is a range of automated processes and perhaps to focus on core activities while delegating non-core functions to a BPO service provider.
BPO – Business Process Outsourcing- is a term used for one business contracting some of its functions to an external service provider. From payroll management to data entry and web development, there are many BPO options out there that can help take the pressure off the core functions of your business and drive brand growth and customer engagement in return.
Instead of merely being seen as a way of saving money (which is what it was before 2010), BPO has become a tool in innovation. Businesses are relying more on automation these days. In a bid to save as much time and money as possible, organizations are turning to outsourcing as a reliable “human-powered automation tool.”
If you’re focusing on increasing productivity, one of the first and most effective methods to consider trying is BPO. Business process outsourcing reduces in-house operational costs, allows you to focus on business growth, and can help you integrate innovative new technology into your existing business processes.
#4 – Prioritize localization
Localization refers to the process of taking a product – typically a website or digital platform – and adapting it entirely to a new region for the consumption of its local community. A localized product should appear as if it was initially created in the target culture for the target culture.
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” – Anatole France
Localization captures cultural nuances. It takes into consideration regional humor, ironies, and customs, along with legal and linguistic demands. Localization services for websites, apps, video games, and other digital platforms should be provided by a professional localization company. To adapt to the legal, cultural, and formatting needs of a new region accurately, you need localization professionals.
Once you have decided to go global, your translation management process should include an understanding of the localization process. This will help you make informed decisions when creating and executing the roadmap for your type of localization need, whether it’s a website, audio/video materials, software, games, or other types of documents. It is important to note at this point that it is better to hire a localization team from a reputable translation company to work with you from the beginning.
#5 – Take a Deep Breath
It’s no small feat to run a business, especially during unprecedented times like these. As a business owner, you’ve faced (and overcome) immense challenges, instituted adjustments required to help your brand thrive, and have had to rethink the operational structures of your business in ways you probably never imagined. Before you step into a new year of business, just stop and take a breath for once. In through the nose, out through the mouth. You made it to this point. It hasn’t been easy, but you’re here!
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland
What’s important is to take care of not only your business but of yourself as well. It’s only with a proper work-life balance that you’ll be able to give your best to your business. If it’s always just all work and no play, you and your team will burn out faster than the Christmas lights that are always hanging around for much longer than they ought to be.
Set realistic goals for yourself and your business for the new year. Hustle hard and test your limits. Make things happen. And don’t forget to stop and take a deep breath once in a while. It’s absolutely essential to take care of yourself if you want your business to succeed. And as a business owner, you’re an irreplaceable part of the brand you’ve built. Never forget that, and never forget to take care of yourself too.
Do you have business New Year’s Resolutions?
The New Year’s resolutions for your business we’ve highlighted here are sure to help your business grow. Regardless of your business goals and resolutions for the new year, ensure you’re giving yourself the best shot at achieving them by taking the SMART approach. Your goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. When you set SMART goals, it’ll help you stick to your resolutions for the year ahead. It also helps you plan for even more impactful ones the following year!