A number of factors must be taken into consideration before expanding a small business

When a business has been doing extremely well, many owners will consider expanding to a second location to further their success. During this process, a number of factors must be taken into consideration, such as the proximity of the new store to the current location, the strategy for breaking into a new market and the creation of a new website design in San Diego or another city. Owners put a lot of time and energy into creation of plans for a new store, addressing each factor in a highly detail oriented way. Still, even the most experienced business owners fall prey to common mistakes, leading to complications that are often difficult to overcome.

Before expanding your business, it is essential that you understand the best strategies in order to avoid those that could wreak havoc. Consider the following when creating a plan for your second business location:

1. Expand Locally. When considering locations, it is best to stay local. You already have a loyal base of customers that love your products or services, and will spread positive word of mouth to friends that live in the surrounding areas. This free buzz will help you to generate business immediately in a local market as opposed to locations in a brand new market. New locations without a close proximity to the original store rely heavily on new social media marketing pages and search engine optimization strategies, which can take some time to gain traction. Therefore, to avoid a greater challenge, it is recommended that you expand locally.
2. Take Your Time. It is important that you not pressure yourself into opening a new location unless you feel like you’re completely ready and able to provide the same level of product or service to more customers. Expansion is a very consuming endeavor that should not be motivated by outside forces, such as the expansion of other businesses in your area. Keep other businesses out of your decision making process, considering only your unique business goals, and whether or not expansion will aid in meeting these goals. Take your time, and do what feels right.
3. Focus on the Customer. During an expansion, it is essential that you continue to provide your current customers with the level of product and service that they have become accustomed to. Although expansion takes a lot of work, you should never let that work takeaway from customer service. The last thing you want when opening another location is an army of unsatisfied customers that spew negative word of mouth. Continue to address all concerns and issues, engage via social media marketing and provide excellent customer service to go into your new store opening with a positive public opinion.
4. Build Your Brand and Business Simultaneously. While physically expanding requires a lot of focus, it shouldn’t be your only focus. Having multiple locations in order to earn more profits will not lead to success without the implementation of brand building activities, such as the creation of a new website design in San Diego along with social media marketing pages to interact with customers and get them excited about your products or services. It may also be a good idea to work with mobile app developers in San Diego to create another avenue for connecting with customers.
5. Be Consistent. When expanding to another location, it is important that you maintain consistency in products and services. Every location that you open should have the ability to provide the customer with the same high quality, positive experience each and every time. For this reason, it is essential that you expand at a rate that allows you to deliver on these points. Keeping your customers satisfied is the key to your business success.

Considering the 5 tips listed above when creating a plan for expansion will help you to avoid coming face to face with many of the complications that business owners face in opening multiple locations.

In addition to focusing on the expansion itself, you should also work with online marketing professionals to create a marketing plan, which includes social media marketing and search engine optimization, to build high levels of engagement, exposure and traffic. At Fasturtle, we specialize in all of the online marketing areas that are essential for bringing your business success, including search engine optimization, social media marketing and website design in San Diego. Our talented team also includes experienced mobile app developers in San Diego that can create custom mobile websites and apps to maintain relationships with customers on the go. To learn more about search engine optimization, social media marketing, mobile websites and apps or website design in San Diego or another city, call Fasturtle at (888) 468-8785 or contact us online.

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