As a new small business, setting up your communications can feel daunting. From getting a business number to setting up your website, you can get the basics of your business communications running perhaps quicker than you think.
We’ve compiled a list of 20 tips (in no particular order) for building-out your small business communications.
Help your brand stay connected efficiently (and professionally,) with your customers, audiences…and each other!
Strengthen and Scale Your Communications for your New or Growing Business
1. Get a custom, dedicated business number.
First thing’s first, start communicating with your prospective customers as soon as possible, with at least one dedicated business phone number. Fortunately, getting a dedicated business phone number has never been easier. With countless ways to quickly acquire an additional phone number (some even for free), you can have your dedicated business phone number (or numbers) ready to use in minutes.
2. Separate business calls from personal calls on your personal cell number.
Answer business calls on your existing cell phone using call forwarding, and callers will only see the business number they dialed. This keeps business communications ultra-convenient and also super budget-friendly. Some platforms allow multiple users, allowing your team to collectively manage business calls directly from their existing phones. (So you don’t need to buy separate phones for your business or team!)
3. Snag the right website domain for your brand (if you haven’t already).
With thousands of domains already taken or costing a pretty penny for that desirable domain name, securing a website name that reinforces your brand can get tricky. If you haven’t created your website yet, it’s a good time to craft a domain name that’s memorable, straightforward, concise, easy-to-spell (no complicated characters, etc.) and hopefully catchy. Consider alternative TLDs like .studio, etc. to reinforce your niche (but also keep your longer-term goals in mind, so you can easily expand your services without having to change your website domain later.) (If you have a domain but don’t like it, consider getting another domain and forwarding it to your current site.)
4. Boost your brand visibility with a vanity number.
If you’re getting a dedicated phone number, or if you’re already using one, you can use your phone number itself AS a marketing tool to increase your brand awareness and visibility. Boost your brand with a vanity number. A vanity number is a custom number that can spell a word, phrase, pattern, repeating digits, etc. that’s easy for your audiences to remember. For instance, “1-800-Flowers” remains one of the most timeless and iconic vanity numbers, a number that actually became their brand name – and a move which disrupted the entire floral industry.
5. Create an online presence and “digital footprint” for your business.
In a rush? Consider a simple, single page website with your a few highlights about your brand and your business contact info. Many domain and website hosts offer fast-build, customizable AI generated website builders, to get your website published immediately. Take advantage of readily available and free social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, etc. to kick your social media pages into gear and get your brand name out to new audiences. And, don’t forget your free Google business listing so your site shows up immediately on google search results.
6. Make it clickable! Link your business phone number into listings, ads, and CRMs.
Don’t overlook this critical tip. With technology interconnected everywhere, make sure your website, ads, Google business listing, and your CRM are actually linked to your business phone number with a “click-to-call” or “call-able link.” This means that everywhere you have the option to make your phone number clickable (as opposed to featuring it as text only), do! If a viewer or potential customer goes to your website to find your phone number via their mobile phone, they’re more likely to call your business directly if they only have to click on your number instead of copy and pasting it over to their phone app.
7. Use a business email address that matches your business domain.
While you’re searching for the right domain and web host, don’t forget about your branded email. Email addresses that match your company domain help strengthen your business credibility and professionalism. (Did you know you can have a professional matching domain email address without actually having your website fully launched? Companies like DomainSpot let you add on a matching email address with your domain, before your site is published. Easily forward your business emails to your preferred personal email address to ensure you don’t miss a customer or client email.
8. Keep security in mind across your apps and websites.
Ensure your website has an active SSL (Secure Sockets Layer – that little lock in your browser coupled with “https” that says the page your visiting is secure). Choose platforms, apps, website hosting, email providers, etc. with a reputable history, wide user-base, solid reviews, and look for features like encryption, multifactor authorization (MFA), two-step authentication (2SA), secure PINs, etc.
9. What’s a CRM? The backbone of your customer communications!
A CRM is a Customer Relationship Management platform, software or service. And it can become the backbone of your business communications infrastructure. It centralizes customer information like contact details, communication, and sales activity, making it easier for teams to access and share important data. CRM systems can also help track sales opportunities, automate routine tasks, and provide insights into customer behavior.
10. Stay connected from anywhere in the world with call forwarding and VoIP.
If you’re traveling and using local SIM cards/numbers, you don’t have to change your local U.S. or Canadian business number. Choose from thousands of VoIP platforms and providers with features like international call forwarding to send incoming calls to almost any phone number in the world (rates apply.) And with NumberBarn call forwarding, you can change where you’re forwarding at anytime within your account. The updated destination number activates instantly, so you don’t have to wait if you change the number you’re forwarding calls to.
11. Easily view incoming business call logs.
Keeping track of incoming business calls is crucial for any business. Don’t lose leads and potential customers by using a personal phone number with no way to track business calls in your call logs. With a separate number and forwarding account for your business and users, you can easily check call logs, create and update business contacts, and more. Some platforms will even allow you to add notes, lists, contact segmenting and more to you contacts and business calls so you can better organize your audiences.
12. Give your callers multiple options with auto attendants.
“Press 1 for our business hours, 2 to speak to Sales…” An auto attendant menu can help get your callers exactly where they need to go, quickly. NumberBarn’s call forwarding includes up to auto attendant menu destinations (voicemail, additional phone numbers). Get even more forwarding flexibility with advanced auto attendant menus for teams and more complex business call routing scenarios.
13. Effortlessly view, save and organize voicemail messages.
That’s right…voicemail messages! You no longer need to dial your voicemail number and listen to new messages just to revisit an older message. Many virtual phone systems and platforms offer voicemail transcription, allowing you to read messages directly instead of listening to them. Some platforms let you configure your settings to send voicemail files directly to your email inbox, so you can keep them organized for better response and followup.
14. Use licensed numbers for your short-term campaigns and marketing metrics.
You don’t have to buy new lines or phone numbers just for short-term campaigns. Take advantage of licensed phone numbers and use them for as little or as long as you want. Licensing works similar to renting or leasing, the number is yours to use for as long as you pay for it. It’s also a fantastic alternative to get premium, high-value phone numbers for more affordable prices. (Premium phone numbers like the ones you might see on a billboard for an injury attorney can actually cost tens of thousands of dollars.) You can also better monitor your marketing campaign metrics with separate, unique phone numbers…that you don’t have to keep! (NOT to confuse with spammy, robocalling telemarketing campaigns, for the record.)
15. Improve your internal and external communications with the right tools.
How you communicate with your team and customers can make or break a brand. Build your systems from the beginning with platforms like Zoom and Slack for internal team messaging, video and chat. Solidify your customer engagement with the right CRM.
16. Scale your communications as your business grows…cautiously!
As you build your brand and outfit your team with new platforms, software, etc. look for hidden costs, binding subscriptions, and contracts that may anchor you to tools that increase their prices frequently. Ensure you feel comfortable potentially for the long haul with what software holds your brand’s data, tools, communications platforms, etc.
17. Take your business number with you to whatever provider you want.
Find the perfect number? Once you’ve purchased a phone number, you’re legally allowed to take that phone number to whatever provider you want. You can port or transfer phone numbers to any service provider who will accept them, allowing you to move from a major carrier to perhaps more affordable options from “the little guys” (like MVNO’s etc.)
18. Consider strategic partnerships as you grow.
“Better together” isn’t just a cliche. Reach broader audiences by partnering with other businesses in complementary industries. Look into affiliate, API, and B2B partnerships that offer a benefit to your customers and even residual or passive commissions/earnings to your brand. No need to reinvent the wheel, just find the right existing product or service and explore mutually beneficial business partnership opportunities.
19. Establish a national presence with a toll free number.
Speaking of 1-800-Flowers, their move to adopt a toll free number (in this case, 800) helped pivot them toward broader engagement and a national presence. While 800 numbers have a long history, they still hold their value in conveying a wider geographical presence and moving a brand away from a specific geographic location.
20. Don’t be afraid to pivot if it’s time to go another direction.
Sometimes, it’s time to redirect. You could face a single reason, or a plethora of reasons to switch gears, and either way, that’s ok. Don’t be afraid to go another direction. Keeping your brand nimble with the potential to pivot can sometimes save a brand. Good news, if you’re going a different direction, you can always save your business number while your brand and business walks though new transitions.
