This is a guest post by Lisa.

Running a small business is no easy task. There are the logistics of human resources, inventory management, marketing and payroll to be taken care of. There is the challenge of differentiating your products and services from the competition. These deterrents have not been too great to keep millions of Americans from pursuing small business careers. If you’re one of the brave ones who are going at it alone or with a relatively small workforce, here a few tips to make sure your business thrives.

Differentiation

If you’re serious about your small business, you need to figure out what your unique value proposition is. This is a marketing term that refers to what it is that your company specializes in. Think about two burger joints on opposite street corners. They make the exact same product, using the exact same ingredients but Bill’s Burgers has a much friendlier staff than Bob’s Burgers. Bill’s Burgers’ unique value proposition would be customer service in this case. It’s the reason customers should choose Bill’s over Bob’s. Find out what you and your staff are capable of or what is special about your product and then tell people about it. That’s tied in with the next point.

Social Media

There is no better free tool for businesses in the 21^st Century than social media. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Tumblr have given companies unprecedented access to their customers and this is a great way to communicate your unique value proposition to customers and potential customers. Get involved with your customers. If you find an interesting article online, post it on your social media channels, whether it relates to your industry or not. Offer specials and promotions through your social media channels to keep people interested.

Goals

Set long-term and short-term goals for the business. If you provide your staff with measurable, achievable goals, they will be much more likely to succeed. Giving them a goal to work towards, for instance, a 5 percent increase in sales, is a great way to motivate them. You can set short-term goals each month and long-term goals each quarter. Not only does this make for a more motivated staff, it allows you to track which areas are performing well, and which need to be reexamined.

Running a small business with highly unique products is not easy, but when you figure out how to take advantage of your size and uniqueness, you will be on the road to success.

Lisa is a guest writer who blogs about the latest tech devices, small business technologies and ways to get deals using HP coupons.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1970

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