BBB Business Tip: 10 New Year’s resolutions for your small business

Milwaukee, Wis. – Scaling and sustainability will continue to be the main focus for any small business owner. There are many ways to achieve revenue growth, attracting top talent, instilling a healthy culture, delighting customers, and so much more.

Here are 10 business New Year’s resolutions that you may want to consider for a successful 2025.

1. Continue building a strong digital footprint  – Aside from having a website, ensure you build a solid content marketing strategy that will help you create valuable content pieces that will drive engagement and sales.  Read BBB’s tips on improving your website and how to use social media to find opportunities for growth.
2. Promote your business consistently  – Rather than waiting for major holidays to push larger promotions, find ways that you can creatively promote your business throughout the entire year. This ensures that you stay top of mind for your target customers. Check out BBB’s tips on how you can expand your current offerings for growth.
3. Personalize the entire buyer journey – The days of communicating “at” your target audience, hoping they will buy from you, are now a thing of the past. 81% of customers prefer companies that offer a personalized experience. Therefore, personalize the buyer journey by offering products/services based on your customers’ purchase behavior and complementary items they can also consider.
4. Embrace an effective technology stack – From social media to email marketing, know that every piece of technology you leverage to communicate with your customers must effectively impact your business goals. More specifically, here are five tips your business can start using today.
5. Reduce costs – Save money wherever you can without compromising quality. Many businesses fail due to inadequate financing and low revenue. Reducing cost doesn’t mean that you focus merely on just overhead. There are various ways you can cut back spending while pushing for growth. Here’s how small businesses can cut costs without sacrificing growth.
6. Have a positive workplace culture – Your employees are the lifeblood of your company. Every day, they contribute to the success of your business by supporting its mission. However, the most crucial role that your employees play is in shaping your firm’s culture. From the quality of the people you hire to the loyalty of your consumers, corporate culture is critical to practically every facet of your business’s long-term success. In fact, according to a study by Duke University, more than 94% of executives stated that a distinct business culture is important to business success.
7. Push customer reviews – Reputation can mean everything, especially for a small business owner trying to attract and retain customers. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, 63% are more likely to purchase new products on behalf of a brand they fully trust. You want to tell customers that your business is trustworthy, ethical, and transparent – and what better way to illustrate that story than through online customer reviews? Check out Power of Customer Reviews on Small Businesses to see how BBB ensures accuracy and transparency with its review program.
8. Exercise transparency – Operating with transparency builds relationships that turn curious browsers into buyers and buyers into raving fans. Always be transparent, from admitting missteps and correcting them to inviting your customers to engage with you online and through social media. Authentic interaction with your clients goes a long way to building customer trust.
9. Be purpose-driven – By understanding what is most important to your customers, you can leverage their values within your company collateral, which can further illustrate that you’re not just a “for-profit” company, but you care about your community. In other words, you are a purpose-driven company pushing for a larger impact than just making sales. Purpose-driven brands see success both among their customers and their employees. Share moments on social media that demonstrate your purpose and mission, and don’t be shy to show how your brand is committed to helping make a difference.
10. Establish trust – Building trust is crucial to earning your customers’ trust. When making a purchase, buyers have many options at their disposal. Customers have been able to be more attentive when picking which brands to support as a result of this accessibility. The best method to increase client loyalty and assure your company’s success is to build a company based on trust and integrity. Giving your business a step up over the competition is always something to desire; aiming for BBB Accreditation is a valuable way to do this. Accreditation requires the utmost trustworthiness, customer respect, and integrity, which can help your business stand out – especially during a pandemic. See the BBB Advantage.

As small business owners venture into 2025, know that keeping your customers top of mind by aligning your growth initiatives to personalize the purchase journey will foster revenue while building more awareness for your business.

Trust and transparency matter more now than ever before. In a market saturated with companies competing for customers, BBB Accreditation gives consumers confidence that they are dealing with an ethical and vetted business.

The BBB Standards for Trust remain at the core of BBB and its partners, and today presents an even greater opportunity for online retailers to elevate their brand, build trust, and commit to excellence.

Since 1912, BBB has been supporting businesses and consumers in its mission of advancing marketplace trust. Today, nearly 400,000 Accredited Businesses across North America support that mission. The need for trust has never been greater.

Consider adding the BBB Seal next to your company’s name and joining a community of trustworthy businesses.

Take the next step by adding trust and becoming BBB Accredited.

Visit our Biz HQ page for more business tips, and scroll through our BBB Business News Feed!

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For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: The Better Business Bureau has empowered people to find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust for over 110 years. In 2023, people turned to BBB more than 218 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 5.3 million businesses, and 80,000 times for BBB charity reports on about 12,000 charities, for free at BBB.org. The International Association of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States and Canada.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.