New Year’s resolutions for your business from the BBB

Scaling and sustainability will continue to be a main focus for any business owner. There are a multitude of ways to go about achieving revenue growth, attracting top talent, instilling a healthy culture, delighting customers and much more.

Here are 10 business New Year's resolutions that you may want to consider for a successful 2022.

1. Continue building a strong digital footprint: Aside from having a website, make sure you are building out a solid content marketing strategy that will help you create valuable content pieces that will drive engagement as well as sales.

2. Promote your business consistently: Rather than waiting for the holidays to push larger promotions, find ways that you can creatively promote your business throughout the year.

This ensures that you stay top of mind for your target customers, exposing your brand to a broader audience.

3. Personalize the entire buyer journey: The days of communicating “at” your target audience in hopes they will buy from you are a thing of the past. Personalize the buyer journey by offering products/services based on purchase behavior along with complementary items.

4. Embrace an effective technology strategy: From social media to email marketing, know that every aspect of technology you leverage to communicate with your customers must effectively affect your business goals.

5. Reduce costs: Save money without compromising quality. Reducing cost doesn’t mean you focus merely on just overhead.

There are various ways you can cut back spending while also pushing for growth.

6. Have a positive workplace culture: Your employees are the lifeblood of your company and contribute to the success of your business by supporting its mission and playing a crucial role in shaping organizational culture.

From the quality of the people you hire to the loyalty of your consumers, corporate culture is critical to every facet of your business's long-term success.

7. Push customer reviews: Reputation can mean everything, especially for a small business owner trying to attract and retain customers.

You want to tell customers that your business is trustworthy, ethical and transparent — and what better way to illustrate that story than through online customer reviews.

8. Exercise transparency: Operating with transparency builds relationships that turn curious browsers into buyers and buyers into fans.

Always be transparent, from admitting missteps and correcting them, to inviting customers to engage online and through social media.

9. Be purpose-driven: By understanding what is most important to your customers, you can leverage their values within your company collateral, which can further illustrate that you’re not just a “for profit” company but that you care about your community.

Show you are a purpose-driven company pushing for a larger impact and how your brand is committed to helping make a difference.

10. Establish trust: Buyers have a plethora of options. Customers have been able to be more attentive when picking which brands to support as a result of this accessibility. To increase client loyalty and assure your company's success build a company based on trust and integrity.

As business owners venture into 2022, know that keeping your customers top of mind by aligning your growth initiatives to personalizing the purchase journey will foster revenue while also building more awareness for your business.

Trust and transparency matter more now than ever before.

Bobby Hansen is regional director for the Better Business Bureau Cedar Rapids office; (319) 365-1190.