(StatePoint) Launching and managing a small business offers a complicated mix of challenges and rewards.
As the nation’s largest franchisor of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers and a convenient, one-stop shop for small businesses, The UPS Store is sharing tips to ease the challenges and ramp up the rewards of small business ownership.
Target your customers effectively: Use a mix of email campaigns, e-newsletters, social media advertisements and direct mail campaigns to build brand awareness and boost customer engagement. While there’s nothing quite as effective as direct mail for brand-new small businesses, initiating a campaign can be overwhelming. Lean on the experts at The UPS Store for customer targeting, graphic design, printing and mailing services, and more.
Boost your image: Items that seem like small details can really make a difference when it comes to creating credibility with potential customers. For example, maintaining a real street address, creating high-quality marketing materials with a consistent brand identity, and setting up a professional website with its own domain name all are great steps you can take to boost your professional image.
Focus on your passion: Outsourcing tasks like accounting, reception and recruitment means you’ll have more time to focus your time and talent on your business’s core purpose. Fortunately, there are opportunities to trim expenses where these services are concerned. The UPS Store maintains relationships with various vendors and service providers to offer its small business customers exclusive deals.
Get inspired: Each year, The UPS Store, Inc. and Inc. Business Media team up for an inspiring national competition supporting entrepreneurs: The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge. This challenge invites small business owners from across the nation to compete for the chance to win prize money to put towards their business. During the public voting phase from Mar. 16 to Apr. 5, visit: www.inc.com/the-ups-store-challenge to be inspired by these innovators and to vote for your favorite semi-finalist.
“Our Small Biz Challenge recognizes the driven small business owners across the country who power their communities every day,” said Michelle Van Slyke, senior vice president of marketing and sales at The UPS Store, Inc. “We’re continually inspired by the contestants and proud to provide them a stage where they gain visibility, guidance and confidence to keep growing.”
