Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Small Business

Spring has sprung and spring-cleaning duties are in full force. As a small business owner, this can be an excellent opportunity to do some spring cleaning of your own by reflecting on your business, identifying potentially stagnant areas that need improvement, and exploring new possibilities to rejuvenate your business plans. By no means does this need to be a complete brand overhaul; making small changes and “tidying up” different aspects of your business can allow you to feel renewed as the season intended.

Below are tips to consider when spring-cleaning your business.

Refresh Print Materials

In a digitally centred world, print materials remain effective at representing a brand, adding legitimacy and authority, and attracting customers. From in-store signage, posters, or banners to business cards or flyers, if you have print materials that need updating or want to supplement your marketing strategy, now can be an ideal opportunity to do so, especially with warmer temperatures allowing for increased foot traffic and outdoor signage.

Is improved in-store signage something you’re looking to achieve? Maybe you want to add posters for an upcoming spring or early summer sale? Whichever direction you’re looking to take with your materials, be sure to assess your current collection and determine what should be reused, updated, or discarded. Adding a more modern flair to your print materials, if that makes sense with your brand storytelling, or making them more on-brand can be great places to start.

Clean Up Your Website

Your website can play a significant role in how you represent your small business. 76% of consumers will look to see if a business has an online presence before they make their way to visit the business in-person. Making time to perform a spring cleaning of your website can help you put your best digital foot forward and ensure you’re making a good first impression.

With evolving design trends and best practices, there may be potential areas that need adjustments. For example, you could add more pictures, condense the information provided so it’s easily digestible to the public, update store hours/phone number, increase your branding (i.e., colours or logo), and more.

Energize Your Social Media Accounts

What is your current social media strategy? Do your posts remain on brand and showcase your small business in the best light? Consumers between the ages of 18-44 are twice as likely to look at social media pages as they search for a business compared to those older. This is why creating a digital storefront through your social media presence can be so critical to how consumers formulate their views.

It is important to have some type of strategy behind the content that you choose, and it should be based on what your target audience looks for. Since 68% of consumers follow a business’s social media to remain informed of new products/services, if you are not actively posting or sharing insights into the items you offer, it might be a good idea to re-energize your social media strategy.

There are numerous benefits to organic marketing, but be sure to choose your platforms wisely. Performing a “spring cleaning” of the social media platforms you post on and removing your online presence on the platforms where you do not reach your target audience can be a great way to focus your attention on the one or two platforms you receive traction on. Don’t feel like you must be everywhere—choose the platforms that make the most sense and where you can reach the most potential customers.

Energizing your social media account could look like removing the posts that don’t represent your business anymore and adding more “behind-the-scenes” content. This can be a great way to garner attention so that those who come across your account or your existing followers can get to know your business more deeply. You could also run a social media giveaway to generate excitement over your business and boost engagement that can last beyond the season.

Spruce Up In-Store Ambience

When someone enters your store for the first time, what is the first thing they see? What sort of “vibe” do people pick up on? Taking an objective look at your store and assessing which areas could be improved is key, especially since a pleasant atmosphere is a reason why 84% of consumers say they would return to a store.

Consider aspects such as the music playing in the background, the lighting, and the temperature—all of these can affect your customers’ experience in your store. Refreshing how your store feels can be a simple yet effective way to increase customer satisfaction.

Spring Clean Your Small Business with The UPS Store

As you check items off your spring-cleaning to do list, be sure to visit The UPS Store in your neighbourhood to see how our expert team can help. We have several Small Business Solutions that are geared to assist small business owners prosper.

Whether you are looking for printing services, need to shred documents to help organize your office, want to rent a mailbox to separate your business’s mail from your personal mail, or are seeking support from the other services we offer, be sure to reach out today.