Bogged down by big projects? Here are little things that churn out successful business.

When it comes to growing business yourself, it’s a scary task. You have to optimize SEO, target customers, monitor Google Analytics and crack the secret code to ranking higher.

Oh yeah, and make sure you grow your social media following and make viral videos… Ugh!

Every business owner gets burned out. Maybe you have a few weeks where you’re hustling day and night — putting in 80hr work weeks to grow business from the start. Going, going, going… burnout!

You either have a panic attack or run out of all motivation. Then you start questioning if you’re cut out to run a business, freak out about everything you’ve put in and what else you have to do.

Ambition turns to stress. You think, “Maybe I should go back to my 9-to-5.” But you’d feel like a failure — plus you’re too far into this now…

Never Stop, Just Go Really Slow

If you stop all business functions, business will fail. That’s why instead of getting totally burned out and halting your business, do something small every day. Ask yourself, “What’s the 1 thing I need to do today to grow my business?”

You may resist and say that there are a million things you need to get done to scale up.

But there are always small things we can work on to move business forward… even just a little. If sales are your downfall, check out these 36 reasons why you’re not selling enough.

Small Tasks That Get Lost in the Shuffle

Assigning 1-3 top tasks for the day — and actually getting them done
Referring back to your business plan to assess where you’re at and where you want to be
Writing a blog post so you’re getting picked up on Google
Reading an article to stay abreast in your field so you continue to be an industry expert
Pitching to 5 new clients everyday (if you’re a service-based business)
Improving webpage copy to get better conversions
Revising a product listing so it gets more sales
Filling out your calendar to designate tasks
Following that calendar…

Even though sales calls, meetings and data analytics are important for growing a business right now, you should always be thinking about the future.

What can you do today to set the business up for future growth?

Things You Think Help Grow Your Business… but Really Don’t

Checking your email
Zeroing out your inbox
Picking out a logo
Choosing a business name
Ordering company merchandise
Creating business cards
Designing your email signature
Fiddling with your website beyond the website basics
“Follow-for-follow” social media tactics (they may not be your target audience)

Sure, every company should have a name, but in the grand scheme of running a business, it won’t make-or-break your sales.

New business owners often waste time with the tasks above, rather than focusing on what actually yields a good return on investment.

Read this: The Bare Minimum for a Great Website

Set Goals, but Make Them SMART

Believe it or not, I wasn’t born a copywriter... ;) I was a Registered Dietitian before I even knew what copywriting was.

In my years as a dietitian, I constantly persuaded clients and patients to adopt healthier habits to lose weight or lower their risk of disease.

Some people had great success reaching their goals, whereas others continued to fail again and again. Why?

Big goals burn you out

If you’re trying to lose weight, your main goal may be to lose 100 pounds. In business, you may want to make 6-figures by 2 years in. Talk about huge tasks!

Lofty goals without a plan almost always fail. Big projects without systematic steps will probably fail (or suck).

Focusing only on your big milestones leaves lots of room for interpretation between now and if you accomplish that goal.

You may hustle and do well this month, but then you lose track next month and don’t know how to get back on track. Then you’re blindly playing catch-up with no real track record of your progress.

Not having a set plan and strategy to reach your goals is a silly thing to do… That’s why smart people use SMART goals to accomplish what they want in a systematic way.

How to Actually Accomplish Business Goals - Use SMART Goals

If I learned anything as a dietitian, I learned that small tasks are the only way to get what you want. Now as a copywriter (and business owner myself),

SMART goals have been a lifesaver to structuring my day, week, year — and actually achieving what I want.

SMART goals are specific, time-measured goals that work towards a larger aspiration. Let’s break down the acronym:

Specific - A small, single task.
Measured - Something you can “check off” if you completed it (or not).
Actionable - A goal that makes you actually do something.
Realistic - There’s no point in creating a goal if it’s not realistic for you.
Time-based - Give yourself a time limit to complete the task (1 week, 1 month, 1 quarter).

SMART Goal Examples

“I will send 5 pitch emails per business day every week for the month of September.”
“I will check in with clients every quarter to see if they need additional work.”
“I will write 4 blog posts each month.”
“I will optimize 3 product listings per week in Q2.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource.

Sometimes the best way to grow your business is for you to do less work.

Wasting your day on WordPress codes and sales page headlines could be the busy work that’s stopping you from actually moving business forward. Yes, you need a website or a sales page… but you need an awesome website and a killer sales page that gets conversions.

In fact, outsourcing copywriting, design and lead generation may help you accomplish even more tasks during the day — moving business forward, faster!

You could be analyzing a sales funnel to get awesome conversions next month
You could be figuring out how to lower production costs
You could be learning from industry idols
You could be branching out to a whole new customer base
You could be nurturing customers so they come back over and over
You could be creating a B2B webinar to coach other pros while still providing your B2C services

Optimizing your workflow with professional help allows you to hit your goals faster and more efficiently. Now, that doesn’t mean that outsourcing replaces all the work for you.

To take business to the next level, create an awesome team that supports your vision while you work on even higher business ambitions.

Read this: The One Person You Absolutely Need on Your Marketing Team

13 Mini Tips to Help Grow Business

Now, since I’m a copywriter (marketing writer), I’m going to give you tips to make your marketing better. Better marketing means more sales, better leads and bigger business growth. ;)

A bonus tip to grow a business: Hire a copywriter. Read more about why your team needs a marketing writer ASAP. In short, copywriters help you get website conversions, generate more sales leads and create high-performing email marketing.

#1 - Optimize 4 Pages on Your Website

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you have. Your website needs these 4 pages to be functional:

Homepage
About page
Services page
Contact page

If you optimize these 4 pages, you’ll be setting yourself up for easy flow and conversions with the right customers! Find out what you need on a good website.

#2 - Avoid Sales Page Mistakes

If you need sales on your sales pages, they need to be good. Sales pages make-or-break conversions, so I suggest getting professional copywriting and design help.

Read this: 7 Reasons Your Sales Page Ain’t Selling

#3 - Know What’s content vs. Copy

Content writing is meant to educate, entertain or inspire. Businesses use blogs, articles and other content to connect with their audience in a soft, non-salesy way.

Copywriting (marketing writing) is designed to get action from your customers. Get them to buy your product, contact you or sign up for a giveaway.

Both content and copy are essential tools to grow a business! For an in-depth review and some samples, check out this Zapier article about content writing and copywriting.

#4 - Make a Customer Profile

It’s imperative that you know who you’re selling to. Your target audience should be specific and well-defined. There are all sorts of ways to create a customer persona for your target audience.

Read this: Target Customer Persona Guide

#5 - Make Changes to Your Emails

From your subject line to your email content, there are ways to get customers clicking! I suggest every business owner keep a list of “email spam trigger words” (just do a Google search).

That way, you can avoid using those words in your subject lines — giving you a better chance to land in their inbox!

Read this: How to Stop Your Emails Going to Spam

#6 - Critically Review Your Contractors

You could find a cheap designer on Upwork or Fiverr, but you’ll get what you pay for. Whether you’re hiring a marketer, designer, copywriter or other professional, do your research!

Check out previous work
Read testimonials
Get them on a call
Ask about stats and results

Read this: How to Spot a Great Copywriter

#7 - Make Your Homepage Work for You and Your Site Visitors

If people are bouncing off your site and not converting, your homepage may be to blame. Customers need a homepage that does the following:

Tells them who the brand is
Tells them what the brand does
Tells them why they should buy from you
Tells them where you want them to go next.

Great headlines, clear copy and strategically-placed CTAs are just a few homepage essentials.

Read this: Everything Your Homepage Should Have

#8 - Pinpoint Why People Unsubscribe

Take an hour to review your email stats and revise your email newsletter, even just 1 email at a time. You may find that improving 1 email in your funnel yields better results! Here’s what to check during your review:

Email subject lines
Email headlines
Email body copy
How do people subscribe?
Are people getting on the list by mistake?

Improving even just 1 of these components could give you a spike in email conversions. Read more about people who unsubscribe to emails here.

#9 - Post 1 Blog per Week

Okay, you may be able to do 1 blog post every other week… But, your blogs need to be fresh and updated. A stale blog makes your brand look stale. Plus, you could be missing out on website traffic and SEO.

Read this: How Often to Post for the Greatest Reach

#10 - Learn What Stops Customers from Buying

You don’t have to be a psychologist to understand what deters people from buying. There are plenty of easy fixes to get more people interested in what you offer.

Read this: 8 Reasons Customers Don’t Buy

#11 - Fix Bad Copy

Gimmicks, broken promises and click-bait should never be used. Plus, some bad copy isn’ just bad — it’s illegal. Is your copy bad? Read more about it in this post.

#12 - Give Away Something Free (a Little Thing)

Freebies work great to get people signing up to your emails or interacting with your brand. Don’t worry, there are plenty of small things you can give your customers that won’t break the bank. Some of my favorite marketing freebies:

Checklists
Templates
Free demo
Ebook
Apps
Cheatsheets

Read this: 20 Highly Effective Lead Magnets

#13 - Wipe Off the BS in Your “About” Page

Why is it that most about pages always say the same stuff?! Your about page is supposed to tell customers about your “unique selling point” — something your company has that no one else does. Phrases of a “vanilla” about page:

Dedicated to customer service
High-quality (ingredients, service)
Personalized to you
Premiere service
State-of-the-art
Driven by innovation

If your about page isn’t 100% unique, your customers won’t know how to differentiate you from your competitors. Hook them in!

Read this: How to Cut the BS in Your About Page

13 Mini Tips to Grow a Business