Many of you reading this column have been running a business for many years. And many of you will be feeling like your business has stagnated. There are a number of reasons this can occur, including burnout, changing industry environments, economic downturn and so on. But sometimes a few simple changes can improve your outlook and begin a process of change.

Here are some tips to help you kick start your business growth:

1. Grow your current customers. It can cost up to ten times more to find new customers than it does to retain your current ones. Find ways to exceed the expectations of your customers and they’ll do a great deal of word of mouth marketing for you.
2. Market yourself with multimedia. Videos are the fastest growing mediums for promoting your business (and YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine after Google). With the quality of camera phones, there is no reason why you can’t do it too. Offer tips for clients, show potential customers how your product works or introduce your staff in a fun way. Post the videos on your website, social media and on YouTube and start experimenting with better ways to create a popular video.
3. Protect your reputation. Be honest in all your business dealings, handle complaints in a timely manner, and post regularly on social media (watch for any comments about your business – set up a Google Alerts account). Doing these things will circumvent a great deal of potential problems. Monitoring online conversations may also provide you with valuable feedback. ”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender