Spring has (allegedly) arrived and with the end of the first quarter, now is the perfect time to evaluate your business. What’s working, what’s not, which clients fit into your business vision, which ones don’t…

It’s easy to get caught up in your business… coaching clients back-to-back, running workshops & training courses every week. Once the essentials have initially been set up we tend to forget about them.  For example when was the last time you read your about page on your website? Does it all still ring true?

Your business is constantly evolving, and the same could be said about the systems and processes you have in place.

Here are 3 key areas to focus on when you give your business a spring clean…

1. Website – how often do you spend time looking – and I mean really looking – through your website? Your website is like the shop window of your business, and needs to entice potential clients in to buy, book an appointment, contact, or engage with you. Below are my tips on what to look out for and change/update if necessary:

  • Check all of the links are working – posts, social media, internal links to other pages, sign-up forms – ALL of the links!
  • Update testimonials – just how recent is your most recent review? Ideally you should have at least one from the current year.
  • Check your About page – has anything changed? Have you been shortlisted or won any awards recently? Do you have a video telling people why you started your business? This article gives 19 things you need on a coaching website.
  • Check your contact details – are they still correct? If you have an email link does it still work?
  • Do you have a blog? When was the last time you updated it? If you’re struggling for ideas of what to write or need to start one, my earlier tips could help!
  • Do you have an up to date Privacy policy? Have you familiarised yourself with the new GDPR that comes into effect in May 2018?
  • Do you have an actual sign-up form on your website? Or is it a link to a form? Is it easily visible? Does the link work correctly?
  • Do you check your website stats? Google Analytics is good for viewing how many visitors come to your site & from where etc. If you have a WordPress site then there are also plug-ins to install a summary of stats on your dashboard. I currently use one called GADWP.
  • Is your website optimised for mobile use? Have you checked it on the mobile? Don’t forget if you use a pop-up form to gather sign-ups you might want to disable it on the mobile – sometimes the little cross to close it is hard to get to on mobile.

2. Social media – we know the important role social media plays in our marketing stategy as a whole, so we should make sure that any social media accounts we have include up to date information (even if we’re not using the platform anymore). Below are my tips on what to change/update if necessary:

  • Firstly, check your profile/bio in ALL of your social media accounts, whether they’re active or not. The chances are even if you don’t use one of them anymore, it can still be found online so it needs to contain an up to date profile. Are you using the correct hashtags in your Twitter bio? What about Instagram? They have just changed what you’re allowed to include in your bio & now include linkable pages and hashtags.
  • What about your actual profile images? How up to date are they? Are they consistent throughout all of your social media accounts? Whether it’s a professional headshot or your business logo, consistency is key to your brand. Having the same image will make it easier for followers to recognise you & your business.
  • How up to date is the content on your active social media accounts? Do you have a content plan in place or do you just post content as and when you remember to? Setting up an automated scheduler to post consistent (there’s that word again!) content is a good way of engaging your followers.

3. Admin processes – what systems do you currently have in place regarding your administration? Are there any repetitive tasks that could be easily automated, therefore saving you time? Below are my tips on what to change/update if necessary:

  • List all tasks you currently do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis – is there anything that could be outsourced or is it specifically you who has to to do them?
  • Do you have a process manual in place? This could be a real time-saver if you bring in someone from outside your business to carry out any of the admin (either as an employee or a VA)
  • Do you have templates set up for your recurring admin? For example, your PowerPoint slides or Word documents? Set up your styles to match your business colours, include your logo etc. and it will save you so much time when you next come to use them.
  • Do you use cloud-based systems that make it easy to share files between your team?
  • How do you respond to emails? Do you panic when you see your inbox? Set up an autoresponder so people know when to expect a reply from you and remember don’t put yourself under pressure to respond straightaway!

Try to incorporate one or all of the above on a monthly basis, so you are always evolving – they’re not necessarily just for Spring 🙂

And remember your current systems and methods are not set in stone – if something isn’t working for you then try something new… it’s never too late to improve your business!