If you are looking to grow a business or nonprofit association, this will not happen overnight or without effort. When growing an organization, it is best to make use of the tools that are available to make your task easier.
Making use of the business tools already available to you makes sense to ensure that you are not spending more time than necessary on your growth. If you spend more time trying to grow an online presence than you spend on orders or services for your customers, this could be counterproductive to your business reputation.
Below, we have included some of the tools that are available and ways in which you can use them to increase the membership or size of your customer base.
SEO
One of the most commonly utilized tools for increasing the size, popularity, and knowledge of your business is SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of improving the ranking of your business in online search engines.
Utilizing SEO tools such as backlinks, blog posts, URL optimization, and more are all ways to attract more traffic to your company website. Increasing the traffic to your website will, in theory, convert that increased traffic into more sales or appointments for your business.
Growing the website for your business via SEO tools can increase the number of individuals who are accessing your website, social media, and contact information. It is important to ensure that you then transfer these visits to your website into sales or leads for additional work.
One of the easiest ways to grow your business, membership, or contact lists via SEO is with a mailing list or signup option when first visiting the website or when visiting specific pages. Asking customers to create an account to receive an incentive with their first purchase is a common way of building a contact or membership list.
Customers who are interested in what you offer will often sign up for mailing lists for a discount offer, free gift, or emails for future offers. It is important to ensure that any offers you give for mailing list sign-ups are affordable for your business.
Using SEO tools can be cost-effective, as with enough time spent building your organization’s SEO, the search results for the company will improve. The higher up the search engine results pages your organization shows, the more likely customers are to click on the website link.
It is possible to research ways to improve your company’s SEO profile and implement them yourself. There are many tutorials and help pages online that specialize in exactly how to achieve this. However, this will require a significant amount of your time to achieve the best outcome.
If you are a sole proprietor of the organization, improving the SEO will not be easy if you have not done this before, but it can be done. If you would rather put in the time to do this yourself rather than pay for the results, this is possible.
Alternatively, if you would rather invest in an SEO service, you can tailor a package to meet your company’s needs for a set monthly or annual fee. There are numerous SEO specialists who can use tried and tested methods to improve your organization’s search engine ranking.
The price for these services will vary depending on which company you choose to use and the level of the package you opt for. If you do not see something that suits your needs, most companies will offer a bespoke package when you contact them.
Association Management Software
AMS, or association management software, is a software program that is designed to run the membership management of an organization for you. The right AMS can do the day-to-day job of several members of staff within an organization or business, which will mean fewer salaries to pay.
Choosing to use an AMS within your business or nonprofit will reduce the running costs of the organization while increasing engagement with the members. An AMS will allow your business to communicate with members and run the membership processes in a more streamlined way.
With numerous different AMS options available to your organization, it is important to look at what each software offers to ensure that it meets your needs. If you are unsure if an AMS would work for your organization, you can check if there are trial versions offered before signing out of a contract.
A no-obligation trial of a new software program can be the best way to assess whether or not the program will work. If you are unable to access a free trial, it can be beneficial to speak to other businesses or organizations in your niche to discuss the benefits and limitations they have found.
Unless you are a software programmer, you are unlikely to be able to design and execute an AMS yourself. However, it is possible to complete all of the tasks that an AMS can do with enough time and staff available to do so.If you are unable to spend the money on an AMS or feel that it is unnecessary, you can research the tasks that an AMS would do and replicate them within your organization.
You can review information on the top association management platforms online for more information about each brand. Finding the right brand can make your job and your life significantly easier.
Summary
Using the tools available can include a cost, so it is important to research the tools that you are interested in to find the most cost-effective options available. If you are aiming to make a profit from your business, it may be more beneficial to spend more on your growth tools to build the business and see a higher profit more quickly.
However, if you are running a non-profit organization, spending a large amount of money on online tools may not be the way you wish to run the organization. Making the best use of what is available for your organization is imperative for the cost-effective running of your business.
