Business expansion can be a tricky, and expensive thing to get right. That is why it’s crucial that you have a strategic plan that can help you identify the potential options that your business can grasp. Luckily, in the post below you will find the different aspects that a comprehensive plan will need to cover. Keep reading to find out what they are.
Expand your product range
First, to expand your business, you need to consider extending the range of products and services that you offer. What this means is that you need to add to your range of products with items that will appeal to your current demographic.
Of course, this approach can also work equally as well for a business that offers services as well as physical products. In fact, some companies are now breaching the gap and are begging to provide both. This being something else that can be used to expand the offerings you are presenting to clients and so broaden the opportunity they will have to purchase a product from you. Something that can be particularly helpful when growing your business.
New markets
One of the most apparent methods used to expand a business is to seek out new markets for the products they already make. Now, this is not always as easy as it seems because it requires substantial market research and on occasion tweaks to those products to ensure that they appeal to their target audience.
Of course, something that can be particularly helpful in this situation is to use a service like Gartner MDM that specialize in setting up systems that can collect critical product data and allow you to analyse it. After all, you will need a strong handle on your customer reporting and analytics not only to identify new possible markets to approach but also to track how well certain products are doing on those markets. Something that is essential if you are to balance the cost of expanding in this way with the ultimate benefits in term of profits and increased income for your business.
Upsell
Next, if you are looking to grow your business, it’s crucial that you don’t ignore the opportunity that previous customers present. Yes, they have already bought from you, and that is where their value lies because you will already have established a positive relationship and gained their trust.
What this means is that instead of doing all of the hard work of finding an entirely new market for your products, you can market additional or new products to this pre-established customer base. A simple and easy way of growing your sales and income.
New channels
Not only does coming up with new products help you grow your business, but finding new channels to sell through can as well. What this means is that while you may already marketing to individual customers directly from your website, you may wish to look at other possibilities such as selling to retailers, or supplying other businesses.
Another new channel that you may wish to pursue is offering your business model out as a franchise. Something that many fast food restaurants such as KFC and McDonalds do very successfully.
In fact, the franchise model can work incredibly well because it guarantees a particularly income for the franchiser, as well as build the brands identity and reputation over a larger area. Something that can feed positively back into the original brand as well, and so help to boost sales overall.
New territories
The last aspect to consider when you are looking to expand your business is to offer your products or services in another geographical location. In fact, geographic expansion is something that can often seem like the most straightforward way of expanding a business. However, it is not without its challenges.
In fact, on occasion, a direct transfer from a particular demographic in one area to another won’t work, and further adjustments will need to be made to the product itself and the packaging.
Additionally, marketing and advertising assets your business already owns concerning your product or service may not be suitable for the new location you are trying to break into. Especially, if your slogan or brand name can easily be lost in translation. Something that is worth researching thoroughly beforehand, with a native speaker whenever possible.
In fact, with all these additional details to attend to, it can make expanding into a new geographic location one of the most expensive approaches to growing your business. Therefore it is an approach that should be considered and researched carefully beforehand.