Starting a business in Kitsap County can be a very profitable venture especially in today’s market. According to the Employment Security Department the per capita income of Kitsap county in 2020 was more than $60,000 and the unemployment rate in 2021 went down to only 5% as compared to 7.7 % in 2020, which is awesome as it means the spending power of the residents is increasing. Kitsap County is consistently growing and the sense of community within the county keeps the residents interested in local businesses. The Employment Security Department also stated that in 2021 the population of Kitsap was 274,314. We obviously expect that to grow as residents from Seattle and nearby towns are rapidly moving in. 

If you are planning to start a business in Kitsap County,

Here are 4 easy ways to be super successful and grow your business.

1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

Understanding the audience is at the core of any business’s growth. It’s what drives effective marketing strategies, increases brand equity and ultimately improves a business’s bottom line.

When business owners know their audience, business owners can easily target their potential client. This is how successful business leaders build strong, long-term relationships between their audience and as well as a sense of loyalty and advocacy for their brand.

If business owners don’t know their audience, the implementation of strategies or concepts is going to be inefficient, the message to their audience will be flawed and there will be a lack of understanding about giving exceptional service to the audience even they become a paying client.

Knowing the audience is essential for small business success, whether it’s a kitchen table startup or an established company in Kitsap.

Here are a few things a small business can do to get a better understanding of the target audience.

1. Conduct Market Research.
2. BUILD BUYERS PERSONA
3. Monitor reader comments and engagements
4. Research the competitors.

A. How to conduct market research on a budget?

Market research on a budget can be challenging, but it is certainly achievable! Utilizing existing resources such as surveys on Facebook as well as Instagram and focus groups can help keep costs down. Alternatively, online research tools, like answerthepublic.com are available that can provide helpful insights into competitors, customer preferences, and industry trends. You can even set up a free business consultation at HyperEffects.com and discuss your business ideas,  ask about search trends and get competition analysis from a web expert  – all without breaking the bank. With the right approach and a bit of creativity, market research can efficiently be conducted on any budget.

b. Here’s a quick way to build a buyer’s persona.

A buyer’s persona is a fictional or imaginary character created to represent your target audience. Creating a buyer’s persona is a great way to better understand your target audience. It’s a quick and easy process that can be done in just a few steps. First, start by researching the demographics of your ideal customers, such as age, gender, income, lifestyle, and occupation. Next, create an overview of their goals and the challenges they face when it comes to making product or service decisions. Finally, use this information to create a detailed profile of your ideal customer, which you can refer to when crafting marketing messages and campaigns.

c. Monitor reader comments and engagements.

Post about your products and services on marketplaces, groups, and social media. See what kind of comments and reactions are being posted and take it all in positively. As a business owner, having a constructive mindset is very important. Consider what the community members think about the products or services and make changes to the business model as needed. Monitoring also allows for taking proactive steps to address readers’ potential issues or concerns. Monitoring reader comments and engagements is a crucial factor in the success of any small business, especially in Kitsap county.

d. Research the competitors.

Researching the competitors can help with the understanding of their strategies and how they plan to compete in the market. This information can help determine where the focus should be on marketing efforts or sales and which areas should be focused on more.Here’s a great example of how competitor research helps businesses grow. McDonalds spends a lot and I mean a lot of money on researching the area where it should open the next restaurant. Burger king just opens a restaurant near the area McDonalds opens at, saving money on their own location research.  Additionally, knowing what the competition is doing can help with staying ahead of the curve and ensuring that the best possible service is being offered to the customers.

These are some quick ways to know the customer.  Now let’s focus on the 2nd most important thing to create a successful business in Kitsap. 

2. BUILDING A POWERFUL ONLINE PRESENCE.

Building a powerful online presence is a must. Today’s client looks for products and services online. Ecommerce revenues worldwide are predicted to reach $6.4 trillion by 2024. Yes, you read it right, that’s Trillion with a “T”

A business’s online presence is now more important than ever before. In the digital age, potential customers are increasingly likely to research a business online before making a purchase. If a business doesn’t have a strong online presence, they risk losing out on potential customers. For many the entire credibility of a local business depends on the online presence that business has.

One of the best marketing platforms in the entire Kitsap county is HyperEffects.com . Marketing experts at HyperEffects.com can easily help you with all your digital needs including targeted business marketing, website design with, advanced mobile optimization, app development and highly engaging business video production. You can easily book an absolutely free consultation at HyperEffects.com. Hyper Effects is local In Kitsap and has helped many businesses establish a powerful online identity. Think about your potential clients and customers looking for a product or service you offer, and then your website or video showing up. That’s the kind of branding power that makes local businesses excel..

Building a powerful online presence is like constructing a strong foundation for a building. Just like having a sturdy base is essential to ensure the stability of any structure, having an effective online presence will provide your business with the necessary strength to succeed.

Now let’s move on to the 3rd most important factor for building a successful business in Kitsap county, which is GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!  

3. GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE IS EVERYTHING.

With good customer service, clients are comfortable spending money and the hesitation to trust a local business goes away. For any successful small business, developing and selling a good product or service is just the tip of the iceberg. Kitsap is a tight knit community and talks about how you treat your clients will go far. Providing customers with excellent customer support is absolutely one of the most important parts of the business. By providing good customer service experiences, the customers will associate positive emotions with the business transaction. The customers will then be more likely to come back and transact with the business continuously. This can easily create recurring clients and help the business get a study flow of revenue. At HyperEffects, marketing experts always talk about how the process of marketing can help a business build credibility and create awareness about the business in the community, but it’s the good customer service that builds loyalty and makes financial transactions happen seamlessly.

Good customer service can easily be built by 

1. Listening carefully to the concerns and questions of the customers and addressing those concerns promptly.
2. Proactively resolving customer issues
3. Prioritizing to keep your customers happy and satisfied.
4. Being honest and straightforward with customers at all times.
5. Making it easy for customers to communicate with you.
6. And making it a priority to maintain a positive customer relationship.

By just following these steps you can easily create an environment where community members are comfortable to invest in your products and services.

Now let’s discuss the 4th most important aspect of creating a successful business in Kitsap county.

4. Networking Within The Community. 

Networking is critical in business success. It’s one way to put yourself in a position to expand your perspective, get introduced to potential clients, discover new possibilities, get advice from experienced professionals, and work with like minded  professionals in Kitsap County. Networking can help you find investors, leads to new customers and potential employees. It’s also a great way to stay informed about the latest market trends and learn from other entrepreneurs’ success stories.

Here are some great networking opportunities available in Kitsap County.

1. Green Drinks. Green Drinks has a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. This can be a paid event. Get more information at greendrinks.org 
2. Chamber of Commerces. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization. This is a paid membership group. Get more information at USChamber.com
3. BNI. BNI is The World’s Largest Referral Networking Organization. This is a paid membership group. Get more information at bni.com
4. Marry West Group. Marry West Group is a local Kitsap group with business tips, mastermind sessions and  members pages for ultra exposure. This is a paid membership group. Get more information at MaryWestNetwork.com

You can also setup a free marketing consultation at HyperEffects.com and get absolutely free invites to many of the top networking groups and events in Kitsap County.  Specialists at HyperEffects.com can also help you strategize a networking game plan for maximum exposure.

Herminia Ibarra once said, “Networking is a lot like nutrition and fitness: we know what to do, the hard part is making it a top priority.”

According to techJury.net, 80% of professionals believe that career success can be elevated through professional networking.

At the end of the day, be creative and don’t be afraid to experiment with your ideas. A good business person is always willing to evolve and make adjustments to the business structure to keep up with the dynamic nature of the market. All The Best and we wish you super success in your business venture. If you ever need any help, please don’t hesitate to set up a free consultation at HyperEffects.com and a specialist in Kitsap will be happy to help you!