Focus on these 3 things to grow your business in 2025

A recent marketing video I watched suggested poor marketing performance is a result of one of or a combination of just three things, low traffic, low audience and low conversion. I've put a few thoughts together on each below.

Increasing brand awareness and web traffic (addressing low traffic)

People are quite unlikely to buy from you or become a client if they don’t know you exist - obvious right! 

This is often the biggest challenge for new businesses looking to build a name for themselves and attracting their first customers.

If you sell from a physical store, it's hard to make a sale if no one sets foot in your shop, likewise if you sell online, it's hard to make a sale without people visiting your website.

Getting name recognition and building a brand can be tough but is an essential starting point. Sometimes you need to get creative.

Although not necessary, advertising certainly helps speed the process up and can reach people faster and at scale.

Ask yourself these question:

• How am I getting the word out?
• Is it easy for people to find my store/website?
• How are my current customers learning about my business?

Increasing your customer list (addressing low audience)

If you have a new product, service or sale where do you share it? While the first place maybe Facebook, social media is not the only way to do this.

Your audience could include your mailing list, Facebook followers, contacts and referrals. Note that not everyone in your audience might necessarily be your customers or end user, however their friends, family and colleagues might be.

Public facing audiences like an Instagram following double as social proof, if many people are following your business then you must have something to offer. This immediately sends a signal of trust. 

Building an audience is not enough, you need to keep them engaged as well. Some businesses have built a Facebook following with 1,000's of followers yet neglect posting for years at a time missing out on potential reach.

Keep in mind that posting to your Facebook page isn't always helping with this as often you're reaching those already following you. You should have a strategy to grow your following.

​It's also best to diversify your audience and not rely on any one platform. It's often a great idea to have a social media presence and an email list, rather than choosing one or the other.

​Ask yourself these questions:

• Where is my audience?

• How can I reach them?
• How can I increase the size of my audience?

Increasing your conversion rate (addressing low conversions)

People now know about you and are visiting your website or your store, they've blessed you with a follow as well, that’s great!

However if all they're doing is window shopping and not making a purchase, something is still missing. 

The conversion rate is how many people follow through with a purchase and where marketing transitions into sales. This is the hard part. Average e-commerce conversion rates are said to be between 2-3% which means for every 100 visitors you could expect only a few sales.

Increasing this can include addressing common concerns or hesitations upfront and clearly communicating the value you offer. This could require providing more information upfront before they reach out to you. Putting together a list of frequently asked questions is a great way to address this. Sharing reviews and testimonials also provides a form of social proof and offers reassurance to those who might be on the fence about making a purchase.

​Perhaps they're keen to buy but now isn't the right time. Think about how you can keep them engaged until they're ready.

​Ask yourself these questions:

• What is the biggest barrier to getting a yes? 
• What is working well?
• Where are customers dropping off?