You don’t need us to tell you that running a small business in this economy is not the easiest task. It’s hard not to feel all doom and gloom, but sometimes a little tweak in the way you do things can give you a spark to keep going or at least to try something new! We called in the big guns, Fiona Killackey, founder of My Daily Business. She spends her days helping businesses with marketing, brand, systems and processes – which makes her the perfect person to ask about some small biz trends worth keeping on your radar!

STREAMLINE ALL THAT CAN BE STREAMLINED Everyone has those parts of their small biz that suck up heaps of time, they don’t enjoy and they’re not good at! “A lot of people think that they’re failing,” Fiona says. “But actually they just don’t have a system that supports them.” She recommends setting up your small business as a system, not for a person. This makes it easy for someone to take over when you go on holiday, or if staff changeover (as they inevitably do)! It also helps to check if your various tech can work in a more streamlined way, for example finding an EFTPOS machine and point-of-sale system that’s all-in-one to help you easily keep tabs on what you’re selling (like Zeller Terminal 2).CONSIDER AESTHETICS IRL, NOT JUST ONLINE The pandemic really forced small businesses to make sure their online footprint was strong, but in the midst of this Fiona says retail stores have been a little forgotten. “You want to remember that it’s still a destination, and you want people from interstate or even overseas to see your shop and go, ‘if I come to Melbourne, or if I come to Sydney, have to go there!’.” So what can you do? Incredible window displays, impressive product curation (for example displaying everything colour coded like a rainbow) and even scent strategy can drive people to your store, Fiona says. Even traditionally ‘ugly’ tech such as EFTPOS systems can be fully customised to complement your store’s aesthetic (we’re thinking about the new Zeller Terminal 2, which comes in three sleek colours with customisable branding options).

GET SAVVY ABOUT WHERE YOU SPEND There are so many seemingly small costs of running a business that can really add up – like subscriptions! “You don’t have to have them all,” Fiona says. “I’d have a look at what subscriptions you’ve used in the last 12 months and if you haven’t used it, think about planning to have a deadline of when you stop using it.” Additionally, make sure all your tech also has transparent pricing – and doesn’t cost a bucketload.

FOCUS ON CURRENT CUSTOMERS We always want to attract new customers, but Fiona says paying more attention to your current customers can help you reap rewards. “If someone’s already worked with you or bought from you it’s statistically proven they’re 10 times more likely to spend money than someone who’s never heard of you,” Fiona says. This is why post-purchase marketing is so important. Taking notes about customers in your EFTPOS systems (such as the Zeller Terminal 2) can help build customer relationships. “You should be able to put a note there to say ‘Olivia's come in to buy earrings for her mum’,” Fiona says. “The next time she’s in, just ask, ‘how did your mum like the earrings?’.” This makes people feel like valued customers, which means they’re more likely to spend more money with you and refer other people too.

REPURPOSE YOUR SOCIAL CONTENT The social media grind is real! But if you’re going to the effort of making videos for Instagram or TikTok, make sure you put them to work in other places too. “If you’re trying to get people excited about buying your things on social media, why don’t you repurpose that on your actual website or in-store as well?” Fiona says. She calls this conversion rate optimisation (or CRO).

These useful tips were brought to you in partnership with our pals at Zeller, the sleek and cool point of sale system for small business with no monthly recurring feeds or rental charges. Sign up for free to order the Zeller Terminal 2 exclusively at myzeller.com.