Now that everyone’s firmly back up and running after the Christmas break, it’s likely that you’re looking ahead to the New Year and feeling ambitious about what lies ahead.

If you spent last year building your business or if you’re still in the process of doing so, it may be that you want to push your presence from a small local business to one that operates on a national stage.

If so, we’ve got our top tips as to how you begin to grow your business nationwide:

Get a non-geographic number – Ok, so we’re biased, but taking the geographic element out of a phone number really does give businesses a boost. Not only does an 08 or 03 number give consumers the impression you’re bigger than you are (large companies very rarely use their geographic 01 or 02 number) but it also lets consumers know that you’re not restricted to your immediate catchment area. People from further afield will be more likely to come across your business and approach you!

Use social media – If you’re not already using social media for your business, then WHY NOT?! Having a regular presence on Twitter and Facebook is vital, it lets you promote your services and products, interact with current and potential customers and to generally build your brand, nationwide. Ensure you tailor your social interaction to your target audience and do your research as to which channels will work best.

Make sure your website is up to scratch – We’re presuming you’ve already built a website here, but it’s important to make sure that it not only looks appealing, but that it is easy-to-use and works well. If you have a physical presence, you already know how important it is to look good, so that customers are drawn in. Your website is your ‘shop window’ on a national/international scale.

Ensure you’ve got the necessary technology – Growing your business and taking on board more customers will stretch your current technology further, so it’s extremely important that you have the infrastructure in place to cope.

Customer service is key – Word of mouth and recommendations from current happy customers remain one of the best ways to build up your customer base and grow your business. Building and maintaining relationships with your current customers is extremely important for ensuring that when people talk about you its all positive!