Another year is coming to a close and a new fresh start is about to begin as we enter 2017. Whether 2016 was a great year for you or one that can be improved upon, now is a great time to look at what you can do for your business to make 2017 the best year ever!
You’ve got 12 months to achieve your business’ 2017 goals. Start now by mapping out how the business will reach these goals over the coming year and set yourself up for success.
Keep a business journal
Keep a business journal to write down any plans and ideas as they come to you. Use it for recording trends you read or hear about in your area and industry. When someone gives you feedback (positive or negative), jot it down. Use the journal to review once a week and see what went well and what can be improved upon.
Update your business plan
Dust off that business plan you created before you opened your doors and see where your business is now. Reviewing this can help you discover new strategies for growth and remind you why you became a business owner.
Updating your business plan can actually help organize what seems like chaos in your business. Chances are many aspects have changed such as the products the business offers, the intended target market and audience, and the financials.
Your business plan should be treated as a living document and updated annually at a minimum. When you are going through this process, include market changes, industry trends, and the business’ new goals zeroing in on how the business can achieve them.
Automate more of your business processes
Embracing technology is critical to success. Not only is there an opportunity for small businesses to increase margins and run efficiently on the right number of staff, but it is what customers expect these days. Every business is unique and requires the right central management system for their individual needs.
There are likely tasks you and your staff carry out daily that are time consuming and costly. By implementing a centralized booking system for your tour and activities company you can increase your booking volume by letting customers book themselves online. It will also allow you to manage multiple products and locations from one system that can be accessed anywhere, automate your invoices and confirmation emails, take payments online, extend your marketing reach to bigger audiences, and much more.
If you already use a booking system, there may be some features the product offers that you aren’t using to your advantage yet. Explore the product further to learn of its capabilities and set some goals of new automation to set up and benefit from in 2017. You can contact our support team to learn how to can get the most out of your booking system.
Get social media savvy
As daunting as social media may be for some, having an active presence on the right social channels for your business is important. After all, not everyone is finding your business through search engines. Social media sites drove over 31% of organic traffic in 2014 (Shopaholic Study).
Today, there are tons of great tools online to help manage a social media marketing strategy. Hootsuite offers a free account that connects multiple social media accounts into one place making it easier to post, respond, and marketing on the right accounts for you.
Get your business website mobile friendly
Mobile traffic surpassed desktop traffic in 2015 and continued to grow exponentially in 2016. Search engines like Google are placing a lot of importance on mobile-friendly websites because the majority of your customers are searching on their phones. What does it mean for a site to be mobile friendly? It means that a website adjusts its text size, photos, buttons, etc to display responsively for different sizes of screens.
If you’re not sure about your website, enter the website address here to check if it’s mobile friendly. If it isn’t mobile friendly, consider working with a developer to or moving your site onto a platform that supports responsive design.
The State of Mobile Bookings for Tours & Activities
Download this report to learn how mobile usage impacts in-destination bookings.
