A comfort zone is a behavioural state where one feels safe or at ease. This fairly common demonstrative position is not simply attributed to individuals but also to businesses. For many small businesses, sticking within a comfort zone is often easier than taking a leap of faith outside the norm but what opportunities is your business missing out on?

We now all live in a business world dominated by the internet. The online arena has altered the way businesses interact and develop new strategies and cocooning oneself within self-created comfort zones will ultimately cause a business more harm than good. Think of it this way, if you don’t somebody else will!

It is important to state that this is not simply chatter. It comes from a business that has stepped out of its own comfort zones and challenged itself to think differently. At the start of May, 123-reg will be advertising on television, a business first. This change in focus is new, exciting and has captured the entire businesses creativity and imagination.

So it is in this sprit that we advise all businesses to take a leap of faith and do something different. Here are 4 ways your business could step out of the norm:

1)      How social are you?

As a greater amount of businesses embrace social media, the space is getting crowded. Social advertising is highly cost effective and allows you to directly target customers based on what you know about them. Want to learn more?

2)      How about PPC?

The greatest challenge for any small business is getting potential customers to their website and then to ultimately convert. The clear advantage of Google Adwords is that unlike other forms of marketing it connects those looking for your products and services with those businesses that are offering that particular service.

3)      Network, network, network!

Attending new events and conferences is a great way of meeting somebody new that might bring something different to your business. This year, 123-reg will be helping businesses to realise their potential online at the Business Start-up Show, hosted at the Excel London.

4)      A new domain?

This year has seen the first stage of the roll out of new gTLDs and we are excited to be helping businesses make new decisions on their domain names. So whether you are a .guru or a .plumber, find your perfect new domain here

Now of course, stepping out of these comfort zones is something that is easier said than done. It is vitally important that businesses do not act recklessly and overreach. So set yourself a challenge over the next week and do something different. Tweet us @123reg as to what you are doing and how you are getting on. Something brilliant could be waiting just around the corner.