12 Ways to Make Old and New Employees Feel Motivated

motivate employees

Do employees get better with age, or do they wear out? 

The general workplace environment comprises old and new employees, and keeping them motivated can be tricky. Unmotivated workers cost the US economy about $550 billion each year. 

As employees get older, their priorities change, and what may have worked in motivating them last year may not work so well the following year. Employers and managers are responsible for finding what works in keeping both their old and new employees motivated.

In this article, we help you uncover the best ways to make your old and new employees feel motivated. We examine the best strategies you can employ to excite your old and new employees for the best performance.

Before we get into that, let’s quickly divert to explain why you need to make both your old and new employees feel motivated. 

Why is employee motivation important to your business?

Positive employee testimonials for career pages. 

Most candidates view your career page before applying for your job openings. This is the best place to grab their interest.

A typical career page content example is employee testimonials. 

When your employees are motivated and active, they give great testimonials and are more valid as they’re delivered on-screen. 

You can easily pull the positive quotes of your employees and paste them on your career page.

An excellent career page will fetch you quality talent. You can see great career page examples.

Improved employee turnover rate.

See your employees as family.

Retaining employees is very important for every company; as your employees continue to work for your company, they gain more business experience, improve efficiency, and cut recruitment and training expenses.

Improved relationship between management and staff. 

Don’t be the cranky boss. Build great relationships with your staff.

The most motivated staff have great relationships with their leaders or managers. They are always willing to work, make improvements and 

accept modifications without debate. Happy employees’ work makes the work easier for their managers. 

Enhanced worker performance. 

You motivate your employees; they get the job done. Motivation stimulates engagement, and a highly engaged workforce increases profitability by 21%.

When you keep your workers motivated, not only do they get the job done, they do so effectively and efficiently and are more committed to their jobs. Companies with motivated workers are more productive and increase the overall output of the business. 

Exceptional quality and improved customer service 

A motivated employee is more inclined to work to provide high-standard services and put extra effort into producing quality products. Those in service-related enterprises are also more committed to providing excellent customer service and are more excited about their job.

Find their Commonalities

Every employee needs motivation. Old and new employees may have shared things that make them feel motivated. You can take out time to find those commonalities. Motivating old and new employees aren’t so different from each other. However, we individuals examine the ways of motivating old and new employees. 

Finding commonalities and similar interests is a significant part of the social bonding process, and it is always profitable for managers to form bonds between their old and new employees. 

Ways to make old employees feel motivated

Employee perks.

It is important to note what perks are not.

  • Perks don’t include health care, dental, or vision packages.
  • Employee perks don’t include factors like mission, vision, values, fair play, or a strong/ethical team.
  • Perks are not the same as company culture but are a component.

A good employee perk is providing travel management services for older employees. Small business travel management companies can help to manage all aspects of business travel for the company’s staff, from signing contracts with airlines and car rental companies to arranging other services. Save your employees the stress involved with business travels and make business travels easier.

Communicate your expectations to them.

Generally, people have misconceptions regarding older employees’ willingness to learn new things. Most old workers are quite teachable and ready to learn new skills, software, and equipment. It’s best to communicate your goals, mission, and expectations to all your employees, both old and new, and have an open mind to avoid the thought that your more senior employees are already burnt out and can’t do much for your company.

old and new

Value their experience

Older employees, in most cases, have more experience than new employees. Encourage your new workers to learn from them. Experience is valuable to every business. You should value and encourage your employer more as they stay longer on the job. You can consider making productive ones the head of their various departments.

Take the Time to Understand Their Motivations

It’s essential to find what motivates your older workers. Their motivation might differ from fresher employees, although that isn’t always the care. It is important that you do your research and discover what works. Build a relationship with them and know their personal goals, ambitions, and desires.

Be Open to Feedback

As a good manager or business owner, it’s important to accept older employees’ feedback. Ask your senior employees about your performance, what can be done better and how to make better decisions. Remember, you are dealing with experienced individuals. Listening to their opinions and feedback helps you understand how to motivate them and make them feel important and appreciated. Asking for feedback makes them see you as a leader and not some boss.

Focus on Results

Focus on results rather than their methods of doing things. Older employees usually have a different approach to things. Considering they have been working on a job for several years, they tend to create unique work techniques. Instead of forcing older employees to adopt a new method, focus on the results. The most important thing is to focus on whatever gets the job done, regardless of the techniques adopted.

old and new

Ways to make new employees feel motivated

Express trust for new employees 

It’s normal to see new employees lack confidence in performing their jobs. It can result from the new environment, new job description, or fear of poor performance. You can avoid this and boost their confidence by expressing trust in them. Show them you expect them to do great in executing tasks, just like older employees. Encouraging them to be the best of themselves is an excellent way to go.

Track their productivity 

Set targets and goals for each employee to measure how productive they are. We get motivated when we hit targets, no matter how little. You can employ these tactics for your employees.

It’s important to reward employees that steadily hit their targets. This will encourage them to achieve more and work to develop themselves and improve their efficiency.

Give specific roles to your employees. 

Employees are more productive when they have specific tasks assigned to them. It also shows their efficiency and value to the business. As your employees perform their duties, they get motivated to achieve greater heights.

You should make your new employees recognize their role in the business vision and goals and how their performance affects the company. This gives your employees a sense of responsibility.

Stay positive 

As a manager, maintain a positive atmosphere. Your employees must see you full of enthusiasm and motivation. Regardless of your feelings, always stay positive and transmit the same to your workers. 

Always see the possibility of success in every project.

Create a good work relationship with your new staff

Paying particular attention to your new employees helps them adjust to their new work environment and boosts their performance. 

Ask about their challenges and how they are coping with their work. It is also important to get feedback. Their opinions will help you know how to motivate them.

When you succeed in creating a good relationship with your new employees, you’d know their weaknesses and strengths better and how to motivate them. Plus, they will trust you more and be more excited to work for you.

Reward your new employees when they perform well 

Rewards best-performing employees to keep them motivated and encourage other employees to put in more work. Create a system that rewards jobs well done. Two-thirds of employees are motivated to stay at their job with the presence of a motivational scheme for employees.

Rewards like extra stipends, movie tickets, and paid days off. You can also ask your employees what they’d love as a good reward. This will help you provide the most motivational incentives.

Wrapping Up the ways to make your old and new employees feel motivated.

We all need inspiration and encouragement to give our best. This is necessary for optimum productivity and profit in the work environment. Companies with highly motivated employees make up to 27% higher profits— this is some high profit, and you can get in on it.

You can keep your employees motivated and active at all times. These simplified strategies can be adapted to help motivate and keep your old and new employees inspired to give in their best.

Your employees are your asset. Keep them motivated. 


Author Bio
Martins Favour is a creative content writer with over five years of experience writing SEO content for various brands. She finds a home in weaving worlds out of words. Stories are her life and LinkedIn is her favourite tool. 

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A Small Business Guide To Business Phone Systems

business phone systems

Communication is crucial in any organization, which is why any size or scale of business should invest in a practical business phone system. These systems become an integral part of your business operation where you realize your business will run smoothly, thanks to its many features. However, since a few business phone systems are available in the market today, choosing which one would fit your business needs can be confusing. 

The key is assessing your business first, how often you need to communicate internally and externally and what would lead to more cost savings. After all, these phone systems require money—installation fees, monthly subscriptions, or phone bills. If you want to get to know their features and compare the different business phone system choices available today, use this article as your brief guide. 

business phone systems

Types Of Business Phone Systems  

Business phone systems are always more effective than traditional ones, no matter your business size. You can choose a business phone system for several reasons. Which system is best for your business depends on your needs. Choosing different phones systems from various providers can help you decide which phone system is best. Hence, before selecting the right business phone system, consider your company’s future and how it will grow. Here are the different options to consider:

  • VoIP Phone System  

Systems like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) use the company’s existing internet connection rather than copper wires like landlines. Without hefty costs, you can benefit from expensive features that were only made available to larger companies in the past. VoIP phone systems today can allow you to enjoy advanced calling features like automated call attendants, CRM integration, queues, and more. You can access voicemails on your company smartphone too. 

The business’s phone system is accessible to remote workers via VoIP systems. VoIP is a sophisticated phone system with all the features you need for easy daily communications. Compared with landline systems, these systems are easy to install and configure. A small business looking for the components of a sophisticated phone system at an affordable price won’t be disappointed when using the VoIP phone system.   

You’ll need to decide how you want to have your VoIP system hosted if you choose a VoIP system. Unlike landline systems, with physical installations in the office, you can integrate VoIP systems with other software and systems if you plan to rent or subscribe to a VoIP provider. Businesses can indeed improve productivity with VoIP.

  • PBX Phone System  

Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is another business phone network. It allows users to communicate easily using internal telephone lines and to receive and make external calls. There are promising features for this phone system, too, like call forwarding, call queuing, automated attending, and so on. In addition, you can operate a PBX phone system through VoIP or digital landlines. The difference with the VoIP phone system is that this is an on-premise device not connected to any data network.

  • Multi-Line Phone System  

Another good telephone option for your business is a multi-line phone system. Multiple people can use the same phone line simultaneously if it has multiple lines. It also allows you to handle multiple calls simultaneously. You can use it to communicate both internally with colleagues or externally with partners and clients. In multi-line telephone systems, audio data goes through between two parties simultaneously.  

Similar to a traditional one-line phone, a multi-line system transmits audio packets over telephone wires. The only difference is that it will allow you to communicate on multiple lines. This system is also an ideal telephone system choice if your employees are all displaced from the office. Using this method, you can attach a second phone or phone line.  

Additionally, suppose you only need another line. In that case, you can use a line splitter to connect to another phone or device. Plugging the splitter into the phone jack and inserting the phone cable into one of the ports is all it takes to set up your system. Unlike the other two phone system technology, this is more conventional and similar to landlines.  

business phone systems

Features Of Business Phone Systems

Communication is vital in making your business successful, and each employee has a different communication style. To help you communicate effectively, you must make tools and phone systems available to make communication seamless for different parties. While the features of business phone systems may vary depending on the type, here are the most common features and functions: 

  • Basic Features  

You should expect the following essential features from any phone system you choose: caller ID, conference calling, extension dialing, call forwarding, and call transferring. Depending on the operator, some of these basic features can help improve your operations or remain useless. However, checking the essential elements when selecting the best telephone system is vital.  

  • Voicemail  

Since customers have different schedules, it might be challenging to contact them in real time. Hence, it’s essential to leave a voicemail instead. Regarding this call feature, there are now additional features for voicemails. For example, you can send messages via email or text message and even have them transcribed. Make sure these features are helpful for your type of business.  

  • Call Routing  

A sales or service business must have this feature. The company may lose a potential sale if a customer goes to voicemail instead of speaking to a human. When an agent is busy answering an incoming call, calls can be routed to the available agents, reducing potential customer wait time. In addition, call routing ensures that all your customers will be spoken to, increasing customer satisfaction.  

  • Integration  

One of the best features of advanced phone systems is customer relationship management (CRM) integration. You can integrate CRMs with business phone systems easily to increase efficiency. Making and receiving calls will no longer require employees to switch from your CRM to the phone system app. Integrating your phone solution with your CRM can help achieve seamless information flow. Therefore, you can access all your communications from the same place. This saves time and makes the call more productive, and your employees can tend to the callers easily.  

Conclusion

With today’s technological advancements, there are tools and features for whatever a business may be seeking. Whether your business goes with a PBX system, a multi-line landline, or hosted VoIP—you can’t go wrong. First, however, you must focus on customer communication. Next, assess the importance of communication in your company and decide which kind of phone system is most beneficial for your operations. By understanding the different types of phone systems and their features, you can now better choose and decide which one to go for. 

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Guide to Business Success and How Business Succeed

business success

Guide to Business Success and How Businesses Succeed

Every entrepreneur wants to create a successful and profitable business; this is a basic and obvious statement. But what does not seem too obvious to most small business owners is how to run a successful small business. To succeed in business today, you need to be flexible and have good planning and organizational skills. Many people start a business thinking that they’ll turn on their computers or open their doors and start making money, only to find that making money in a business doesn’t just happen as such. In this article, we’d look at business success – what business success is all about, how businesses succeed, and some key tips you can apply to your business to achieve business success. So, keep reading.

Business Success Definition

A successful business makes efficient and effective use of resources like human capital, money, inventory, plant, and equipment. A successful business is a living, breathing organism that contributes to everyone’s wealth and quality of life. It is crucial to remember that business success is never a certainty or a final goal. It is a journey that never ends since any one of the factors that could have an impact on a business’s success could alter at any time.

business success

Business Success Dimensions

Personal: For entrepreneurs, the process of creation – starting with an idea and producing something that lasts – provides immense gratification. Seeing your family name on the corporation gives you a sense of ownership. Successfully confronting problems and, as a result, discovering abilities and strengths you didn’t know you possessed are undoubtedly parts of personal success in business.

Financial: Successful businesses provide a significant return on investment for the shareholders who put their money into the endeavor. The company’s founders, who are typically also stockholders, can produce riches for their families and future stability while simultaneously living a more wealthy lifestyle. They define success as being able to offer a better life for their children than they had for themselves when they were younger.

Social: Business success is also measured by the benefit they provide to society. Some of the products and services they provide have explicit social purposes, such as helping the environment or offering educational opportunities for children. Others are really dedicated to philanthropic giving and becoming good corporate citizens.

Longevity: With the number of organizations that fail or start off strong only to falter in the competitive marketplace a few years later, the capacity to sustain success in the tumultuous, ever-changing business environment is another measure of corporate success.

Customer Satisfaction: Many of the goods and services we use every day were established to assist clients in solving an issue. Seeing that your goods have made a major difference in the lives of your consumers is one of the driving elements that keeps company owners working persistently to build even better solutions. Praise from delighted clients creates a sense of success that is as significant to some company owners as the financial gains they get.

Employee Satisfaction: Business owners can be able to assess whether the satisfaction of their employees is their topmost concern by assessing how hard their workers work and how dedicated each member of their team is to the goals of the business. This component of business success is measured by how many employees stay with the company for five, ten, or more years – sometimes their whole career.

How Businesses Succeed

Certain key attributes make a business successful and can be synthesized into a stepwise process of how businesses succeed.

1. Pursuing a defined mission

The purpose of a small business is critical to the operation of all areas of the organization. It assists the entrepreneurs in growing the firm with a large aim in mind. It offers employees something to strive for and provides them a feeling of purpose. It also informs clients about the company’s values and fosters personal relationships.

Your goal is more than just a flag proclaiming your support for something. Your company should operate by its goal.

2. Pursuing long-term goals

Successful businesses have both short- and long-term goals. Long-term goals are vital, whether they be investments in new technology that will not be available for several years or aiming for a particular level of growth in the next decade. Instead of bouncing from tiny success to small success, a long-term aim integrates those modest victories into a larger image.

3. Focusing on customers

The most successful businesses prioritize customer care and the customer experience. The first stage is to develop items and services that clients desire. However, concentrating on customers extends beyond your products. Customers are fed up with dealing with businesses via phone menus and automated chat bots. They are looking for a human connection. A consumer wants to know that their company is appreciated and that you will endeavor to address their difficulties. A few negative client experiences may have a significant influence on how well-liked a company is.

4. Retaining employee talent

Good managers help a successful business maintain good personnel on the payroll. Another approach is to create a purpose with strong core principles in which workers may believe. The most successful businesses identify and seek to retain their top employees. That entails more than just good compensation and a few perks.

Offering additional training opportunities and other incentives such as telecommuting days are common approaches for businesses to retain their finest employees. Another example is benefit packages that provide flexible sick and vacation day options. Finally, employees must be aware that chances for advancement, such as moving up the ladder or laterally within the business, exist. You won’t lose someone to a similar position at another firm this way.

5. Employing a great management team

Successful businesses, large and small, require effective management, from the top down to foremen and shift supervisors. Quality leaders provide communication, a natural business culture, and clear goals and objectives to their staff. Criticism is constructive, and employees feel appreciated while also knowing where they need to improve. A good leader embodies the corporate culture, follows norms and rules and serves as an example to workers. Finally, successful leaders make their staff feel appreciated.

Being a bad leader isn’t just about making poor decisions for the company. In fact, a bad leader can make good financial or marketing decisions, yet lead a team of miserable employees. From failing to empathize with an employee who struggles to communicate in an unclear or frustrating manner, bad leaders inspire employees to quit or switch departments left and right.

In picking out leaders at your business, it is important to have an expert who whispers advice and coaches you on what suitable steps you can take.

Do you need the services of a small business coach for your business? Then click here to book a free call with one of our small business coaches now.

6. Keeping detailed financial records

Financial records are an important part of how businesses succeed. Businesses must have a clear understanding of how much money they make and spend. Keeping track of money allows organizations to identify beneficial tendencies as well as potential financial hazards. Businesses that understand their finances might choose to invest, seek innovations, or pay for new equipment or suppliers. It is also how firms determine when they need to hire extra employees.

7. Continuous innovation

People will imitate you if you make a high-quality product. That’s why the most successful businesses are always inventing, whether it’s improving on existing items or creating totally new ones.

Improving a product, finding a means to give a reduced price, or inventing new ways to express gratitude to clients are all examples of effective innovations. Never give up on amazing ideas.

 

15 Keys to Business Success

 

1. Provide a Great Product or Service

While marketing is important for building excitement and increasing visitors to your brand, it can only get you so far. Once the consumers arrive, the items or services must be good enough to meet or exceed their expectations. This is how you develop a lifelong repeat consumer who will aid the business by spreading the word.

Making consumers become brand ambassadors is one of the most successful and cost-effective strategies to get a small business noticed. However, this can only happen if the service is of high quality and, most all, delivers an amazing solution to a real problem that fits a market demand. Many entrepreneurs have created mind-blowing and unique goods that fail, while others with a simple idea dominate the market – Why? Perhaps the first group became so focused on the end product that they forgot to resolve an issue, whereas the second group solved a common problem to which many potential buyers can connect.

2. Focus on Customer Service

A NewVoiceMedia research found that 51% of customers won’t do business with a company again following a negative service encounter. Additional research also shows that it usually takes numerous happy customers to make up for one unhappy one.

Make providing excellent customer service a top priority since devoted consumers are much simpler to sell to. To make sure that your small business is offering a service that is superior to that of your rivals, evaluate your existing customer service and implement the necessary modifications. You could need to spend money on employee training, change your return policy, or make simple adjustments like immediately answering consumer voicemails or emails.

3. Expand Your Marketing Efforts

You must use effective marketing to boost your sales, but doing so doesn’t have to be expensive. There are several low-cost alternatives to sell your goods and services, such as:

  •       Advertising your business on your vehicle with a vehicle wrap
  •       Cold calling (yes it can still work)
  •       Creating and using a promotion kit
  •       Developing business partnerships and doing cross-promotion with complementary businesses
  •       Giving free workshops or classes related to your products or services
  •       Involving the newspapers in your grand openings, moves, or charity events
  •       Joining professional organizations
  •       Sending out promotions with your invoices

4. Do Your Research

Business is never simply business; it must be extremely personal as well. This is not to say that entrepreneurs should throw caution to the wind and launch firms based simply on their own opinions. For example, you may believe that walking a cat on a leash is a terrific idea, but will a cat leash business be successful? Gut instincts are useful, but they are not the same as information. It is derived from data, which is derived through study. How large is the prospective consumer base, and what qualities do these people have? To effectively target customer profiles, it is vital to understand what drives and motivates them. One of the most important factors to small company success is research.

The competitive assessment is another important part of the research. To establish a brand that meets the demands of the market, you must first comprehend the playing field. Here are some questions to think about asking:

  •       Are there any companies that may be considered competitors?
  •       What can you learn from your rivals?
  •       Is there one that sticks out as a leader in the industry?
  •       If so, how did they rise to the top?
  •       What were the secrets to their small company’s success?
  •       Have they made any errors that you might have avoided?

business success

5. Update Your Business Plan

One of the key factors for business success is to regularly update your business plan.

Before establishing your business, you did create a business plan, correct? For several reasons, including determining the viability of your business idea and obtaining a loan or equity funding, a business plan is essential for startups.

It’s not too late to make one if you haven’t already. Successful, well-established companies revise their business plans every year to assess their successes (or lack thereof) and choose new objectives or paths.

The income statement, the cash flow forecast, and the balance sheet, which is all included in the business plan’s financial section, provide an overview of your company’s financial health. From there, you may decide how to increase sales, decrease losses, or reduce costs to make your company more lucrative. You require a strategy to achieve your goals if you want your company to be more successful.

6. Keep Things Organized

This point cannot be overstated. Access to information quickly and effectively will make a huge impact in the everyday operations of a small business, whether it is through a real file cabinet or an ordered digital folder structure in your computer. It is strongly advised to retain individual folders for each part of the business that are suitably labeled and structured in a way that makes sense to you and is intuitive enough for everyone in the firm to access as needed. Backups of digital information are very critical, particularly when it comes to financial data. It is critical to keep them in a secure location to avoid potentially catastrophic circumstances later on.

7. Detailed Record Keeping

Proper bookkeeping allows you to understand the financial health of your company and what may become an issue in the future. It might be the difference between becoming a success story for a small business or not. At the same time, it can help to envision future forecasts and aid in company planning. You must grasp how much money the company makes and how much it sells. While many entrepreneurs consider hiring an accountant to perform their taxes as needed, understanding your statistics entails much more. You must be able to make changes to your business every quarter to ensure that you stay on pace to meet your annual goals.

It pays to clean up your records when it comes to excellent tax record keeping. Here are three other ways that accurate records might benefit a small business owner:

Identify income sources: Using the books, you should be able to distinguish between business and non-business revenues and taxable and nontaxable income.

Maintain a record of deductible expenses: everything should be noted as it happens to prevent leaving anything out when completing tax returns.

Support items listed on tax forms: If the IRS requests extra explanation on the items reported on the tax returns, a comprehensive collection of precise and thorough documents will be crucial to speeding the inspection.

8. Keep Focus & Have Patience

Here’s another amazing small company success tip: to help you stay to a plan and avoid distractions, make a “to-do list” every night before going to bed and attack it first thing in the morning. However, it is critical to create a realistic to-do list in order to avoid setting yourself up for failure.

Maintaining focus on a specific objective is critical to achieving business success. The overarching aim must be determined, and smaller milestones must be established along the route.

That being said, it is equally critical to be resilient, not just in the face of everyday problems, but also in the face of overall company success expectations. Most successful firms do not emerge quickly; it may take years for a company to reach its full potential and become a small business success story.

9. Be Prepared to Make Tough Decisions

Every business owner must make sacrifices for the betterment of the company. However, there may come a time when the most difficult decision you must make is to set your ego aside. Pride may be fatal to a business, and not all decisions will always reflect your values and ideals. And, while a small business owner should have substantial personal and emotional stakes in the company, these should not be the driving force behind every daily decision. You should realize when you need assistance and acknowledge that there are individuals who may know more about some parts of the business than you do.

It is OK to seek assistance as a business owner. You must be willing to leave your ego at the door and listen to what others have to say, especially if it comes from your consumer or business coach. It is difficult to approach a problem with humility and an open mind, but it is the greatest way to make smart business decisions.

10. Keep Your Overhead to a Minimum

One of the keys to small company success is cash. Most business owners recognize the importance of capital liquidity as the first line of defense against any unanticipated issue. However, not all small firms can maintain a substantial enough reserve to sustain unexpected income losses or expenditure spikes.

A decent rule of thumb is to not increase the company’s overhead above what its cash reserves can support. It is far simpler to expand the firm as cash liquidity improves, rather than being forced to reduce later because the business couldn’t afford its overhead expenditures in an emergency.

11. Know the Operational Needs

You must understand everything about your company, and this knowledge should not be restricted to figures. It is critical to understand what the organization needs to function efficiently. Employees, equipment, supplies, and everything else required are all included. However, there is also the intangible factor to consider. Efficient operations and inventory management may have a significant impact on operating expenses. Researching best practices in a certain market and testing to see what works best for the firm (by trial & error) may be a time-consuming and laborious task. However, it will increase the profitability and performance of your company.

12. Build Your Online Presence

Your small business has to have an online presence since it is very quick and simple to create a professional-looking website. According to statistics from the E-commerce Wiki, 88 percent of shoppers now do their shopping research online before going to the store.

Many small businesses only need a basic website that outlines who you are, what you do, and how to get in touch with you. Your website should at the very least include:

business success

  •       A summary of what you do—your products and services
  •       Testimonials from customers
  •       Your address, including a Google Maps link
  •       Your business name
  •       Your contact information
  •       Your logo
  •       Your mission, e.g. “We make the best pizza in town…”

Social media may also be a terrific tool for marketing your company, depending on your target demographic. For the majority of businesses today, creating an online presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram isn’t really optional for some businesses these days.

13. Hire the Right People and Treat Them Well

This is one of those areas that may come under making difficult decisions, but the organization must have A+ team players. All small business success stories have one thing in common: they understand that the people they recruit are critical to their company’s success. Every employee at a small firm, more than in a huge corporation, must be trusted to perform his or her daily tasks with as little monitoring as possible. To reduce overhead costs to a minimum, the structure must be as lean as feasible. As a result, no small business can afford to squander a job by recruiting the wrong person. The converse case, however, is true. No small business can afford to lose a top-notch employee. So, create a team and treat them nicely. Listen to them and assist them in growing.

14. Always Look to Improve

To achieve business success, stay away from becoming complacent and innovation-blind. It’s time to start searching for methods to improve once things get going well and the company finds its rhythm. Perhaps it involves adding a new item, developing a special taste, automating a manual step in the process, or opening during more hours. Whatever it is, keep in mind that there is always an opportunity for development in any company. To prevent becoming stagnant, you must remain active. Innovation is crucial to your success as a small firm.

15. Build Word of Mouth for Your Business

Word of mouth is more crucial than ever, whether you run your business in a small town or a big city. Building a solid reputation is essential to the success of your business because the majority of customers use the internet to research businesses before choosing where to purchase.

How can you spread good word of mouth? By offering excellent, professional service, establishing and maintaining a solid local (and online) reputation, and obtaining recognition by supporting and sponsoring neighborhood groups and charities. This all adds up towards lasting business success.

So, there you have it. We trust you found this article helpful.

Do you need help taking action on all this information? Then book a free call with one of our small business coaches today. Click here to schedule a business breakthrough session now.

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How Does Content Marketing Help Small Businesses?

content marketing

There’s a considerable difference between big businesses and small businesses regarding their resources and know-how with content marketing, and this affects how successful their campaigns are. Of course, it’s only natural to think that larger companies are going to be more successful at content marketing campaigns because they have more money to invest in the effort. It’s even easier to become discouraged, thinking “let’s just leave content marketing to the big guys” — but this is a mistake.

Small businesses can make excellent headway with content marketing thanks to the internet. Small businesses may not have substantial marketing budgets or big teams to execute their marketing strategies. However, they can still increase sales, attract new customers, and grow brand awareness with a bit of gumption.

Don’t allow what your small business lacks to stop you from taking advantage of content marketing. Instead, focus on making strategic content creation and distribution choices that are true to your brand and in alignment with your target audience’s desires.

Here’s why content marketing is a good choice for small businesses.

Scale Your Marketing Strategy

First, content marketing can boost your overall marketing strategy. Not only will you be required to reevaluate your company goals, but you’ll also have to establish clear marketing objectives that support your overarching marketing strategy.

When you set company-wide goals, attach them to smaller marketing plans and define each department’s role, it ensures each person has direction, productivity gets better, and your business’s bottom line improves. These goals are generally going to be based on problems that need to be solved, and you can even take a visual approach when defining these goals with a visual problem-solving flowchart:

  1. First, draw a shape that represents the problem you’re trying to solve.
  2. Then draw a shape that represents a goal or a decision, and ask yes-or-no questions concerning these goals.
  3. Based on these answers, you’ll connect the possible paths you can take to work through the steps and individual processes.
  4. Keep going down these paths and asking questions until you’re able to narrow them down to goals that could feasibly solve the original problem.
  5. Select the goal you’d like to commit to, and then pursue it. If it doesn’t ultimately work, you can review this process and analyze what might have gone wrong, as well as select a new, more viable goal.

Additionally, it’s crucial to map out how you’re going to track your marketing team’s productivity and how they work together with other departments. By doing so, you create bandwidth in your business for content marketing and establish a workflow that supports a solid customer experience with your marketing.

Next, content marketing can make it easier to build a customer base.

Build a Customer Base

Instead of relying on word-of-mouth or traditional marketing efforts, you can reach more people with good content.

You can publish content across various channels and platforms, extending your reach beyond local, state, and even international lines. In addition, you can build a community of people that support your business and are loyal advocates of your brand with a solid content marketing strategy.

Furthermore, not only can you create a customer base, but you can learn more about it through content marketing.

Learn More About Your Target Audience

content marketing

When you create and distribute content, you have access to more data about your target audience and how they engage with your brand and business. It’s integral to not just your content marketing strategy but your overall marketing goals and business plan, to continually learn about your target audience.

By setting up data analytics tools to track the performance of your content and how your target audience engages with it, you’ll be able to make insightful adjustments to your strategy when needed.

You also have more creative freedom in a small business content marketing strategy.

Exercise Creative Freedom

There is a lot of room for creativity in a small business’s content marketing strategy. The marketing department in a small business is usually a one-person show, a small team, or run by the owner.

You don’t have to get permission from someone higher up about content marketing decisions when you call the shots. Instead, you can take creative risks with content, experiment with various platforms, and try out different distribution methods at will.

Another way content marketing can help your small business is by establishing your brand as an expert.

Establish Your Brand as an Expert

You can establish your brand as an expert when you do content marketing right. By constantly churning out entertaining, educational, helpful, interactive content, you’ll have a better chance at establishing trust-filled relationships with members of your target audience.

Content can also be the difference between becoming a thought leader in your industry or remaining in the shadows of big businesses. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you truly know what you’re talking about, or you’ll get called out for it, and may achieve the opposite of your goals. Failure to understand your industry is one of the most grow brand awareness, so make sure you don’t look like a newbie or a chump by brushing up on industry knowledge.

Lastly, content marketing helps your small business work on brand consistency.

Work on Brand Consistency

content marketing

Consistency is critical when building brand awareness. You want people to recognize your brand no matter how or where they encounter it. Ensuring your brand is represented the same in your content can help.

Content marketing helps you work on your brand consistency. You’ll have to nail down the messaging, brand voice, guidelines for visuals, and other brand elements you’ll include in your content to be as consistent as possible.

Ultimately, when you prioritize brand consistency in your content marketing, it’ll be easier for your target audience to identify your brand through your content, no matter the platform or channel.

Conclusion

Content marketing is beneficial to small businesses looking to scale their marketing strategies while staying within budget and within the realm of what their small teams can produce.

It can also help you build a sizeable customer base, learn more about your target audience, and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. It will take some time, but your small business can leverage content marketing effectively with a bit of creativity, brand consistency, and dedication.

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How To Use Technology To Spur Business Growth

technology

Currently, technology is advancing at a rate never before seen in history. This means there are constantly new opportunities for businesses to take advantage of to spur growth. With the right tools and knowledge, any business can use technology to its advantage and see actual results.

Here are a few ways you can use technology to grow your business:

  • Make Use Of Free Online Tools

Gone are the days when you had to spend large sums of money on software to get work done. Nowadays, there are an endless amount of free online tools for businesses available that can do everything from help you manage your finances to track your website traffic.technology

For example, if you’re looking for a tool to help with the day-to-day running of your business, Evernote is a great option. This tool can be used for everything from taking notes to creating to-do lists and is available on almost any device.

  • Harness The Power Of Social Media

Social media has drastically changed the marketing and advertising landscape in the past decade. Businesses of all sizes can now reach a global audience with just a few clicks.

While traditional marketing methods are still important, social media provides a unique opportunity to connect with customers more personally. When used correctly, social media can be an invaluable tool for growing your business.

One way to use social media is to create informative and shareable content. Posting articles, infographics, and videos that provide valuable information can help to attract new clients and grow your audience.

It’s also important to be active on popular platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. By engaging with your clients on social media, you can build relationships and Trust.

Finally, don’t forget to take maximize the use of paid advertising on social media platforms. By targeting your ads to specific demographics, you can ensure that your message reaches the right people.

  • Invest In Quality Website And Web App

Investing in a quality website and web application helps you grow your business in several ways. First, it will make it easy for potential customers to find you online. A well-designed website will be user-friendly and easy to navigate, and it will also be optimized for search engines so that your target demographic can easily find what you’re offering them.

Second, a quality website and web application builds trust with your market. Customers will likely do business with a company with a professional-looking website and a well-designed web application.

Finally, a quality website and web application allows you to streamline your business processes and make it easier for your customers to keep tabs. Therefore, when making a web application, consider how it will benefit your customers and make their lives easier. The same goes for your website.

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  • Use Data Analytics To Make Better Business Decisions

The use of data analytics has become increasingly important in recent years, as businesses have become more reliant on data to make decisions. By analyzing data, businesses can identify trends and patterns that can be used to make better decisions about where to allocate resources.

For example, data analytics can be used to understand which products are selling well and which areas of the business are most profitable. This information can then be used to decide where to invest in new products and how to price products to maximize profits.

In addition, data analytics can also be used to identify customer needs and preferences, which can be used to tailor marketing campaigns and improve customer satisfaction.

  • Automate Business Processes

As your business grows, you’ll quickly find that there are only so many hours in the day. You can only do so much, and at some point, you will have to start delegating or automating tasks if you want to continue growing. This is where automating some of your business processes can come in handy.

By taking care of routine tasks automatically, you’ll free up time that you can use to focus on other areas of your business. For instance, an automated balanced scorecard tool automatically creates customizable strategy maps that show the company’s performance at a glance. These strategy maps are designed considering your perspectives, objectives, and measures, and these values are constantly updated to provide valuable insight into your strategy’s performance. Another excellent example of automation helping with daily tasks is an invoicing tool. If you currently handle your customer invoicing manually, consider investing in invoicing software that can automate the process. Not only will this save you time, but it will also help to ensure accuracy and improve your customer’s experience.

Automating even just a few of your business processes can make a big difference in your ability to grow your business.

  • Let Cloud Computing Take Over

As businesses strive to do more with less, many are turning to cloud computing to improve efficiency and cut costs. Cloud computing can provide several advantages for businesses, including the ability to scale quickly and efficiently, access to powerful resources, and increased flexibility.

For businesses that are proliferating, cloud computing can be an essential tool. The ability to scale quickly and efficiently is one of the biggest advantages of the cloud. With traditional on-premises infrastructure, businesses often have to invest significantly in servers and storage capacity that may not be fully utilized for some time. With the cloud, businesses only pay for the resources they use, making it much easier to manage cash flow. In addition, businesses can add or remove resources as needed, making it easy to adjust to changing needs.

technology

Another advantage of cloud computing is access to powerful resources. Cloud providers offer a wide range of services and tools businesses can use to power their applications and workloads. This includes everything from storage and databases to machine learning and artificial intelligence. By leveraging these powerful resources, businesses can achieve results that would otherwise be out of reach.

Finally, cloud computing can provide increased flexibility for businesses. With the cloud, businesses are not tied to a specific location or set of resources. They can quickly move workloads and data between cloud providers or on-premises and the cloud. This flexibility can be a significant advantage for businesses that need to be able to respond quickly to changing conditions.

Final Word 

As you can see, there are many ways that you can use technology to grow your business. By taking advantage of data analytics, automating business processes, and leveraging the power of the cloud, you can give your business the boost it needs to succeed. While technology is vital for any business growth strategy, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. It would be perfect if you also had a solid marketing plan, a well-trained staff, and efficient operations.

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20 Marketers Share Their Best Automation That Every Business Owner Should Use

automation

Gaurav Sharma, Attrock automation

The automation that my team and I use in our day-to-day work is sending automated personalized emails at scare. While personalization improves the ROI of email marketing, automation scales things up and helps me run bulk email campaigns.

I think if you can invest only in one type of marketing automation, go with automated personalized emails. These are cost-effective and can deliver great results, not to mention they save a lot of time and effort.

I use automated email campaigns both for my own business and for my clients. I have run several successful email outreach campaigns that delivered exceptional results and you can do the same.

So, invest in email marketing automation for your business and see the results first-hand.

 

Roxana Motoc,SocialBee

Every business owner should use a social media management tool automation. As an entrepreneur, you don’t want to spend time scheduling content daily and switching between platforms just to remain active. 

The best way to have a sharp presence across multiple networks, with the least amount of work, is by using a platform like SocialBee. You can create, schedule, share, and analyze content for all your account from one place. 

More than that, by using a social media posting tool you can: 

🎨 Use the Canva integration to design your posts right inside SocialBee. 

📦 Structure your content in categories to obtain a solid & balanced mix. 

📄 Connect the RSS Feed of any blog to import content automatically. 

✍️ Customize the posts for each social media network individually. 

🔄 Recycle evergreen posts or expire time-sensitive content easily. 

📈 Track your links’ performance with over 5+ URL Shorteners integrations. 

 

automationHelga Moreno, andcards

Here is a couple of my favorite automation that are particularly useful for every businesses. First, there is email automation. There are many email tools available in the market that allow you to automate your email sequences and send personalized emails to your contacts based on their interactions with your website and other engagement data. This can be a great way to stay in touch with your customers and prospects and nurture them through the sales funnel.

Another type of marketing automation that can be very helpful is lead capture automation. Lead capture forms allow you to automatically capture leads from your website and track their information in your CRM. This can be a great way to quickly build up your contact database and start nurturing leads down the sales funnel.

 

automationKatrina Dalao, Referral Rock

As a content marketer, one of our big initiatives is keeping our articles up-to-date and relevant for our readers. As big Airtable fans here at Referral Rock, and our team has created an auto-filled template that shows us all of our top articles that need optimizations. Anyone in our team can check this table on a regular basis and see what articles need to be checked for recency and relevance.

 

Natalya Bucuy, LiveHelpNow

Live Chatbot is one of the best tools a business can use to serve its customers. 

Simple questions, like ones regarding business operation hours, store locations, or just a simple initial greeting of the customer on a website – are the tasks chatbots can and even should handle. Answering these questions over and over again not only overwhelms customer service agents but also takes up valuable business resources. Allowing chatbots to handle these inquiries will free up time for human customer service agents to answer more complex questions. Chatbots can direct inquiries to the right department, saving agents and customers time.

Chatbots can also serve as trailblazers for new or small businesses that do not have many staff members or don’t know what type of inquiries their customers would normally have. In this case, chatbots can screen all inquiries and give the business owners ideas of what to expect when it comes to customer communications. 

 

automationHope Dorman, Kajabi

My top automation that I use in my niche of content marketing is Semrush reports. I have an automated report from Semrush that comes to my email weekly that shares the top organic search positions for our domain. I appreciate their other reports that compile the key takeaway information with the top pages by organic search, a chat with the number of ranking keywords, top subdomains and the traffic breakdown, a competitive position map, and more. These automatically generated reports provide a helpful update on how our various search engine optimization metrics are performing. 

Reporting takes a lot of time. Being able to automatically generate a report with charts and graphs without having to manually recreate them or update them in Google Sheets or Excel can save a lot of time while still providing the important information company stakeholders need.

 

automationPaul Posea, Superside

People are spending way too much time sharing on social media channels (especially not the main ones) by doing it individually. Social media posting automation can be a huge time saver if you were planning to cover multiple platforms. 

One example of how I’m using an automated process for this is by having a WordPress plugin that automatically shares my posts when I post them on the blog. Even more so, you can set up an automated email to go out when a new blog post is published.

Speaking of email, automatic customer segmentation is a must for every business that has an email list (and every business should have one). I suggest segmenting people on a few very specific categories, but not too many depending on what kind of articles and pages they visit on the site or what level of product awareness they are at.

Even more so, setting up an automated way to clean up your email list is a must if you want to get consistently high CTR in your email campaigns. For that, I recommend doing an automatic cleanup of people who haven’t opened your emails in the past 3 months (or however long you think is too long).

 

Tara Malone, Mirasee

If you’re brand new to marketing automation, taking on a complex automated marketing campaign can seem daunting. To avoid overwhelm, I recommend starting small and selecting some simple activities that could benefit from automation. This might involve setting up a welcome email sequence for new subscribers, or a thank you message that gets triggered when someone opts into your email list. Once you feel comfortable with setting up simple automated sequences, you can gradually begin to implement automation in more complex marketing campaigns. It’s also important to track the results of your marketing automation campaigns so you can see which types of campaigns work well with your audience and which ones don’t. This is powerful knowledge that you can use to create more effective campaigns that truly resonate with your audience.

 

automationArlen Robinson, OSI Affiliate Software

Email is a valuable tool for any business. It earns businesses an average of $35 for every dollar spent. Email is like a direct line to your customers, and it builds your brand. Therefore to maximize profits it is essential that a business automate the email marketing process.

The first email that you should automate is the initial welcome email that you send a prospect after they engage with your brand in any way.  When a new customer signs up, send an automatic welcome email. It’s the first chance to show them that you care. Explain how you can help them and what they should do next.

The next most important email that you should automate is the abandoned cart email. Last year, close to 70% of online shopping carts were abandoned. That’s a lot of money left on the table. To avoid this, your brand should send automatic emails to shoppers who abandon their carts. These messages can remind them that they left something behind, and encourage them to come back and complete the purchase.

The final most important email that you should automate is a Birthday or anniversary email. 

You can trigger emails based on the date of the subscriber’s birthday or when the subscriber first signed up. Send a special offer to thank them for their loyalty. These emails typically have a high click-through rate because when you reference someone’s birthday or anniversary date it will catch their eye and intrigue them to see what the email is all about.

Whichever automated email you decide to use, can easily be set up from virtually any email marketing software provider such as Mailchimp, Active Campaign, or virtually any solution that you can find these days.

 

automationKalo Yankulov, Encharge

Apart from the typical email marketing campaigns and email follow-ups, business owners that sell B2B should look into automating their lead qualification process. 

If you are not familiar, lead qualification is the process of evaluating potential customers based on their probability of converting. The goal is to minimize time with leads that are not a good fit for your business or whose buying temperature is too low and focus your efforts on hot leads.

You don’t need a fancy enterprise tool to do this. You can use a marketing automation platform like Encharge to qualify and segment your leads based on their form responses, actions on the website, and other data like country, location, etc. This process can be automated by building a flow that automatically scores good fit customers. For instance, if a lead indicates that their budget is over $10,000, you can increase their lead score by 10. Once they reach a lead score threshold, good fit customers can be automatically added as contacts or deals in your CRM. That way, you can follow up and allocate your sales efforts to the right people.

 

automationMiruna Dragomir, Planable

Digital marketers are spoilt for choice when it comes to automation tools. My team and I use at least 15 tools on a daily basis. My top pick has to be content marketing automation which involves content creation and social media. Social media creation, planning, collaboration and scheduling has to happen in the same place for us. Since that software is also our business, we use it at all times. It’s important for us to nurture collaboration and have the peace of mind that every social media post looks pixel-perfect when it goes live. And we want to do that as efficiently as possible. We’ve sworn off spreadsheets, email threads, and Google Drive images for social media management. We’d rather keep those for what they were intended: analytics and reporting.

Besides social media, we automate project management as much as possible. We use Notion for company wiki, OKRs, and project planning — Sunsama for task management, and we integrate the two. That’s one of our core principles when it comes to automation: integrate and connect the software that we use. No copy-pasting. Ever.

 

Jonathan Aufray, Growth Hackers

Email marketing is known as the digital marketing channel with the highest ROI. Pretty much anyone in business check their emails on a daily basis so why don’t you leverage this by sending automated regular emails to your prospects and leads? As soon as you have email subscribers, you need to prepare a sequence of emails that will be sent automatically. Don’t be too salesy though. Provide value first by giving them tips, industry trends, insightful content, etc. Once you’ve provided enough free content, it’s find to send a commercial/transactional email.

 

Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Scalefusion MDM

Onboarding Processes for New Customers:

Most businesses perform routine tasks in onboarding each new customer, so since these tasks are repetitive, it makes them easy to automate!

By automating your small business onboarding process, you will be able to:

  1. Enhance the buying experience for your customers.
  2. Second, make it possible for new customers to sign up for your product or service.
  3. Lastly, you can spend more time engaging, educating, and delighting new buyers.

Tips for Automating Your New Customer Onboarding Experience:

  1. Create a pre-built campaign template.
  2. Handle the transactional stuff automatically.
  3. Use tags to segment your customers.
  4. Use different email accounts to send emails.

Customer onboarding automation is crucial to building a successful business<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.

 

automationChris Makara, Bulkly

For me, all business owners should be using social media automation in their business. While there are quite a few benefits of using this type of automation in their workflows, perhaps the biggest is the time that you save once it is implemented. Without social media automation, business owners waste quite a bit of time sourcing, creating and scheduling status updates across various social media platforms. This can easily add up to several hours each and every week.

However, there are many business owners who are now automating this entire process with automation tools like Bulkly. By leveraging a tool like this, it allows them win back their time so that they can focus on more important things – like running their business.

 

automationOksana Chyketa, Newoldstamp

When it comes to email marketing, I believe that the entire process has to be automated. And at the same time, it’s impossible to venture into email marketing without considering personalization. Personalization includes collecting data on prospects, creating their profiles, and then segmenting lists to send more relevant messages to different subscriber groups. Thus, even when using an email template, the emails won’t look as robotic, when some personalization principles have been incorporated.

When it comes to personalizing my messages, I use Personalization Tags extensively – name, subject line, website name, link, etc., depending on the outreach campaign I work on. We use the Snov.io tool to automate this process.

And of course, adding an email signature to all of my emails is a must-have. Email signatures give this personal touch to the emails and influence the first impression a prospect gets about our company. With Newoldstamp I can automate this part as well – my email signature always looks professional and what’s more, I can track the impressions and clicks in the built-in analytics.

 

automationSantiago Safdie, InvGate 

Hubspot is our main source of automation, and the reason behind that is that it allows us to automate not only marketing but also sales.

We use it to automate blog post publications, email nurturing campaigns, workflows, customer service surveys, and even social media and ads.

It’s a great one-stop-shop that allows the whole team to have a clear view of the work pipeline, statistics, and performance of each area. Plus, it makes analysis and reporting simpler for me.

 

Mark Ankucic, Sked Social

Clearbit data capture to slack – gives you a crystal clear look into what businesses are hitting your website.

 

 

automationMykola Haichenko, Visme

For outreach specialists like me, email automation is the cornerstone of everyday work.

If I had to send each email manually, I’d miss all the deadlines imaginable. But tools like Respona let me automate the entire sending process and do it without compromising on the quality.

They leave no trace of automated mass outreach.

With a few clicks, I can personalize each email in my bulk campaigns by adding the recipient’s name, organization, post title, pretty much anything. In the end, an email feels like it was sent to one person, not hundreds.

But while it’s possible to automate the technical part, there’s still one thing that remains unautomatable – the message you’re going to convey.

Let’s take follow-ups as an example.

You can’t insert a generic portion of text like “just bumping this to the top of your inbox,” hit “Send,” and expect lots of replies. You’ll need to be more creative than that.

Try to find your prospects’ common pain point and put emphasis on it a follow-up.

What works for me is mentioning that their competitors have already done what I ask them for. By ignoring or rejecting my pitch, they’ll basically lose to their competitors on my playing field. Such a delicate hint helps me increase my response rates by around 30%.

The bottom line is email automation works with a thought-out message only, not on its own.

 

Tenny Jesse, Pearl Lemon

Chatbots are the primary point of contact on all of our websites; when we are not available to chat (rare, as we are available 24/7), or if we are moving the conversation forward, we ask for visitor emails and add them to our email marketing funnels, which educates users about marketing tips, trends, and services we offer, creating value for the visitors and growing our email lists to market our SaaS products and warm up leads. 

We use Zapier to connect Drift, Google Sheet, Clearout, and Lemlist – whenever an email is collected or a new lead is created on Drift, the automation triggers and sends emails to a Google Sheet, where Clearout validates the emails and sends safe to send emails to an email marketing funnel.

 

automationSamir Sampat, Smith.ai

Setting up marketing automation helps your business optimize its brand presence across every channel your customers engage in, allowing your sales team to focus its efforts where there’s the most likelihood of conversion.

In general, B2B marketing automation will follow the same general structure:

Step 1: Build a list of potential customers to target.

Step 2: Execute an automated campaign.

Step 3: Measure how your potential customers react to the campaign.

Step 4: Group your customers by their reactions.

Step 5: Send qualified leads directly to sales and route warm leads to a nurturing cycle.

Step 6: Monitor performance and redirect warm leads to sales as soon as they become qualified leads.

B2B marketing automation is usually done through software, but outsourcing some or all of your sales cycle is also a great strategy to eliminate repetitive tasks so your sales team can focus on closing deals.

9 B2B marketing automation strategies to implement today

If you’re wondering where to start when it comes to B2B marketing automation, these nine strategies make great first steps.

  1. Page-based triggers

Identify key behaviors leads engage in before making a automation purchase. Maybe that’s visiting your pricing page, signing up for gated content, or interacting with your live chat feature. Whenever a prospect engages in that behavior, automate a follow-up so you can start nurturing that lead right away.

  1. Educational content for new clients

If every onboarding process is generally the same, automation sending educational content to clients after they sign up for your service. Craft this content based on FAQ your customer service team usually fields. Depending on the preferences of your clients, send this information immediately after sign-up, or use an email drip campaign to avoid overwhelming them.

  1. Lead nurturing

B2B marketing automation is perfect for lead nurturing. Share educational information with your leads through a newsletter or other email sequences to showcase your place as a thought leader in the industry.

  1. Lead segmentation

As you gather data about potential leads, automation segment them into different email lists based on the type of activity, their level of engagement, location, and other factors. This time-saving step will allow you to level up your lead nurturing program so each segment is personalized.

  1. Lead qualification

Many marketing automation softwares will qualify leads based on the parameters you set. Each behavior is assigned a point value, and when points reach a certain threshold indicating they are close to making a purchase, you can automatically transfer the lead to a different email list or send their name and contact information to a sales representative for follow-up.

  1. Data collection and maintenance

Studies show marketers spend 16 hours a week on repetitive tasks like exporting, importing, and sorting data from a CRM program into an email service provider. automationthat process so your marketers and salespeople can focus on conversions instead. The easiest way to do this is to ensure all your software partners are compatible.

  1. Form submissions

If you’re new to marketing automation, this is one of the easiest places to start. For any forms you have on your website, automate what happens after the lead completes it. Send it to the right point of contact within the company, and send an email to the lead letting them know when to expect a response. You can even set up your automation to initiate outbound call backs.

  1. Live chat

Seventy-six percent of millennials suffer from phone anxiety, so chatbots have become an increasingly popular way to interact with these clients. In fact, 42% of customers opt to use a chatbot when they need customer service. The chatbot can be automated to direct certain queries to a live chat feature to ensure better customer service.

  1. Social media

Marketing automation services can post content, like content from specific feeds, and even thank followers for following. When done right, your followers won’t even notice some of your feed is automated. You can also outsource your Facebook messages so your salespeople don’t have to deal with cold leads.

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Starting A Small Business? 5 Common Legal Mistakes To Avoid

small buisness

Anyone doubting the importance of small businesses to the American economy has not seen statistics published by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Small businesses represent 99.9% of all firms in this country and account for 62% of net new jobs created since 1995.

It is easy for someone starting a new business to get caught up in the excitement and frenzy of finding a suitable location, raising capital and making contacts with suppliers. What you don’t want to do is lose sight of the legal pitfalls that can derail a startup.

Something as simple and easy to arrange as a consultation with a business law attorney provides a wealth of advice and guidance about the legal environment in which a business must operate and how to successfully navigate through it. A business venture that fails to comply with government regulations regarding employment, taxes and other legal matters may find itself facing substantial fines and other penalties that could destroy it.

To get you and your business started on the right path, here are five of the most common legal mistakes made when starting a small business. Yes, we even include tips to help you to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Not wanting to spend money to hire a lawyer

Waiting until after the business is operating and generating an income before hiring an attorney with experience in business law is not an effective way to save money. It generally costs less in legal fees to hire an attorney early in the formation process and avoid problems than to bring someone in to handle a lawsuit or regulatory compliance violation. Choosing a business attorney from an experienced litigious law firm will help you prevent any legal mistakes or resolve the ones you might have been involved in.

During the startup process, a business attorney can help in several ways, including:

  • Recommending a type of legal structure for the business.
  • Reviewing and negotiating leases and contracts.
  • Conducting trademark and copyright searches to avoid infringing on the rights of another business.
  • Taking steps to protect intellectual property rights of the business.
  • Helping the business comply with federal, state and local government laws requiring licensing for certain types of business operations.
  • Preparing employment contracts and helping the business comply with state and federal employment laws.
  • Preparing partnership and operating agreements for owners of the business.

These and other services provided by an attorney help a business to avoid conflicts and disputes that could lead to lawsuits or government action against the business and/or its owners.

Mistake #2: Choosing the wrong business structure

There are several legal structures from which to choose when setting up a business. The type of business structure determines how the business pays its taxes and whether other parties, such as creditors, with claims against the business may sue its owners and seize their personal assets.

small buisness

A business law attorney can help you choose the best legal structure for the operation of your business. Options include the following:

  • Sole proprietorship: By far the easiest of all business structures to create, the sole proprietorship makes no distinction between an owner and the business. Business income must be reported on the owner’s personal income tax return, and the owner may be held personally liable for debts and financial obligations incurred through operation of the business.
  • Partnership: Two or more people may agree to operate their business as a partnership. Each partner reports a share of the profits and losses of the business on their personal income tax return. Creditors of the business may sue the partners personally and look to their personal assets to satisfy obligations of the business.
  • Corporation: State laws protect the owners of corporations from personal liability for business debts and obligations by recognizing the corporation as a legal entity that may sue and be sued in its own name. The business entity files its own income tax return and pays taxes. Shareholders, who are the owners of the business, pay taxes on dividends they receive from the corporation.
  • Limited liability company: State laws allow an LLC to operate separate and apart from its ownership, which makes it similar to a corporation in protecting the assets of its owners against lawsuits or claims arising from operation of the business. An LLC files its own income tax return and pays taxes on the business income.

When choosing a business structure, keep in mind that it can be changed as the business grows. For example, you may be a one-person operation in the beginning and decide to operate as a sole proprietorship. However, the growth of your business and a desire to add other owners may cause you to change the structure to a partnership, corporation or LLC.

Mistake #3: Failing to obtain tax identification numbers

Unless you operate as a sole proprietorship, you need to apply to the Internal Revenue Service for an Employer Identification Number or EIN. The EIN identifies your business as a taxpayer with the IRS and state taxing authorities in much the same way as a Social Security number does for individuals.

Having an EIN may not mean that your business is fully compliant with state taxing authorities. Whether you have a brick-and-mortar operation or an online store, your business may be obligated to collect sales taxes on goods or services it sells and remit them to the state. If so, your business attorney may determine that you need a certificate and/or sales tax number from the state or states in which you do business.

Mistake #4: Operating without the proper licensing

You filed for and received licenses from your state to legally operate as a business, but certain types of business activities require permits from the federal government. For example, a business that sells alcohol, tobacco or firearms probably requires licenses from their state government, but they also may need licenses from the federal government. There may be additional requirements to secure before you can legally operate in a state. For example, alcohol servers must acquire a California Responsible Beverage Service certification.

Your attorney can investigate the laws that apply to the activities engaged in by your business to determine the types of licensing required to be in compliance with the law. The scope of the research done by your lawyer will include licensing requirements in all states where your business plans to operate.

Mistake #5: Allowing intellectual property to go unprotected

Intellectual property may be some of the most valuable assets that your company owns, but you could lose them unless steps are taken when starting your business to protect them. Common examples of intellectual property include:

  •         Business or trade name.
  •         Logos.
  •         Domain name and design.
  •         Proprietary software.
  •         Service marks.
  •         Inventions.
  •         Confidential information and commercial secrets.
  •         Product designs.

Filing applications to protect the intellectual property of your business through trademark, copyright, and patent protection is only one step to prevent the loss of valuable assets. Using (IP) intellectual property software can help you keep tabs on competitors and assess the value of your assets. Your attorney may recommend that you have key employees sign non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements when they are first hired to work for the business.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, these five mistakes represent only a few of the legal traps that people face when starting a small business. Getting sound professional advice from a lawyer and accountant can help you anticipate the mistakes and avoid them before they create problems.

 

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Every Small Business Needs Insurance – Here’s Why

insurance

There are several liabilities when starting a business, and a lot of young and enthusiastic entrepreneurs are facing challenge after challenge. With continual failures, from getting the appropriate resources to operate to make a reputation for yourself to branding and marketing, a true breakthrough may take years. This makes having insurance a very important factor. Some estimates suggest the first real profits might come after the second year, while this can vary depending on your initial capital investment.

With all this said, the chances of getting sued or facing damage is more than real and should be taken into account while planning the future of the company. Over 30 million small businesses are currently operating in the States alone, with the number increasing each year.

Now imagine the scope of accidents that might occur, and the range of different professions, from employer injuries to equipment damage, and potential lawsuits by customers – the final number to which it can all amount can be staggering. With all this said, the need for reliable insurance is more than obvious to the cunning eye, and if you are not convinced yet, we’ll sum up some reasons why you might need it.

Protection for you and the business with insurance

insurance

As previously said, the range of various occupations can vary, and the type of insurance you require will depend on the precise work you do. Not all businesses need vehicle insurance (as a freelance writer at home, you do not need insurance on transportation), because you might go under the category of low-risk. However, certain insurance policies cover most typical injuries, losses, and legal expenses if they occur, regardless of what you do, and provide protection in the event of several incidents. We are referring to general liability insurance plans, as they are the most common and often required depending on the specific profession.

Firstly, it is great for the people working for you, as it often is regarded as one of the many perks and benefits of a job. Secondly, you’ll be on the safe side no matter what happens and how it might occur, as you’ll protect your workers in case of damage, bodily injury, or potential lawsuits. You don’t have to worry about such things once you get it all covered by an insurance plan. To that end, you can find out more about business insurance in Edmonton and you’ll find everything you need in one place. Even if you happen to be in a profession not directly related to any risk factors that might induce body injuries, you can always protect yourself with an advertisement insurance plan, in case someone suits you for alleged false advertising.

You can protect yourself in case of a customer lawsuit, as certain customers are more than eager to find any justification or product liability that often occurs after someone fails a lawsuit after supposed malfunctions or defective design. Now, the range is wide, and generally, if you happen to be a small business reaching for the stars, all these scenarios are more than possible to occur. Other lawsuits can be absurd as it gets, such as the “slip and fall” if you happen to own a restaurant and someone sustains injuries due to the accident. If not insured properly, you’ll have to pay for medical bills, sustained emotional trauma, and other damages done.

Lawsuits and bad insurance plans without proper coverage of a wide number of accidents are often the reasons why small businesses shut down and never properly recover from the accident. To prevent this from happening, contact an agency right away. It also attracts new workers, as is an assurance of the company’s professionalism.

Insurance can be a requirement

insurance

Now, this can depend on whether you are renting a facility or not. In the case of renting a building, you can always go for an insurance plan covering any damage that might be done to the facility, due to natural disasters or human negligence. Everything can be taken into account, from plumbing issues to fires or electrical malfunctions of the installation. Now, whatever the case, it is better to have some coverage if it comes to such scenarios rather than not.

Also, sometimes if you happen to be borrowing the money for the business, the other party might require some insurance plan as part of the deal, just to be sure you have some form of protection. Or one (we hope unlikely scenario) is property protection in case of theft or any form of vandalism. This can occur no matter the political stability of a country, it might happen during the night or time of the day when the store is closed. Under vandalism, we refer to any property damage done to the facility, from graffiti to breaks, and theft is also a quite common occurrence and might cost you a lot.

Another reason to have an insurance plan for a small business is to safeguard your tools or equipment, thereby staying protected in case something happens. Equipment malfunctions can setback the business for days if the whole business is dependent on it.

Giving workers repayments

Now, imagine something were to happen to some of the workers in case of an accident which by all accounts is your fault; the whole weight of the accident falls on the business. Any form of worker compensation, without any insurance plan, will be paid by you if you want to prevent any potential lawsuits filed by the worker.

This means you’ll be paying for medical bills, treatments, and even compensating for wages lost due to the accident. This, with all other hidden expenses, can amount to a staggering number and can cost your company.

A proper insurance plan covers all this, assuring the worker gets his legal rights and everything he is owned while protecting you from going bankrupt.

With all the above stated, it is more than obvious why insurance plans are a must in most cases, and how things can easily turn against you if you happen to miss on getting a plan. Of course, there is a chance of everything going perfectly fine without any incidents, but in the case of some of the above-mentioned scenarios, the costs are extremely high and the money would be better off invested in the business. 

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Top Reasons Why Marketing Is Vital In Real Estate Business

real estate

Top Reasons Why Marketing is Vital in Improving Your Real Estate Business

Marketing is essential in your real estate business since it is the primary avenue of communication that businesses use to inform clients about the services they offer. The success of your business heavily depends on your ability to connect with the right audience, and that audience should have appropriate channels through which they can access valuable information on your products. Effective marketing will set you apart from your competition since there are many players in this sector. It also helps real estate agents attract more clients and build strong networks of contacts which are vital for that particular field. Check out these top reasons why marketing is vital in improving your real estate business.

Helps You Reach Out to Potential Clients

Marketing helps real estate agents and other people involved in real estate communicate their services to potential clients. When customers are able to access information about your business, they are more likely to contact you. In this digital age, many people use the internet to search for helpful information that can help them make informed decisions. For instance, internet data exchange (IDX) is one of the most effective marketing tools as it allows people to search for properties on approved Multiple Listing Services in any specific area. The exchange of MLS data allows the real estate agents to display listings of their properties.

Potential buyers can get all the information they want from the updated lists on your website. This strategy is effective since it allows the consumers to access all the information they want about properties on your website. It makes the search process much easier when the users can customize their searches to get specific results. For instance, you can narrow your search to a limited area and the type of property you are looking for. This approach simplifies the home search process.

Improves Your Online Presence

If you want to succeed in the real estate business, you should improve your online presence, and you can achieve this with the help of a professionally designed website. A website is inexpensive, and it has the potential of reaching a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds. Web designing is a critical component of the marketing strategy of your business since it represents your brand

Finding the ideal real estate marketing agency can feel like a daunting task since there are several players in this industry. This is when a professional website comes in handy. You need to create a user-friendly website that can help you create a positive impression about your business to the audience. It is vital to offer top-quality content on real estate agent websites so as to help your business gain more sustainable traction. Many people use mobile devices to access the internet, so you should make sure your site is fully optimized and accessible on different gadgets. 

Your website should also have a fast loading speed so it attracts many visitors. Another advantage of marketing is that it improves your online presence. Real estate websites also use content marketing and search engine optimization to drive organic traffic to your site which translates to more sales. You should create and display unique content that is created to add value to buyers.

The main advantage of SEO is that it helps improve the visibility of your site online, especially if it ranks high on different search engine results pages. The SEO strategy utilizes unique keywords that will rank high in SERPs and this will make your site more visible. If your site can attract more visitors, it means your business is likely to experience a boom in sales. It is a good idea to enlist the services of a professional web designer and content creator to drive organic traffic to your website. You can hire an experienced designer to help you in wordpress web design perth. SEO content offers long-term benefits by growing your visibility online. This strategy includes critical elements like lead generation which assists your clients when visiting your website to look for information that can help them make informed decisions. 

Promotes Customer Engagement

Today’s real estate markets have changed, and technology plays a critical role in property searches. While people would do physical searches for homes in the past, different forms of technology are used for the very same purpose today. Different forms of marketing strategies promote customer engagement which is good for the success of the real estate business. Enlightened realtors use various types of communication channels like social media to engage with consumers. 

Social engagement is a critical component of any business since it helps build trust among clients. When you can engage meaningfully with your target audience, you will be in a better position to understand their needs. This will help you design products and services that can appeal to the interests of many people. When you can interact meaningfully with potential buyers, you will be able to build strong relationships with them.

Many people are attracted by the quality of customer service provided by a specific business. When you engage with your clients, it will show that you are concerned about their interests. Happy customers will refer other people to your company which will help increase your customer base. With social media, you can interact directly with different buyers which will attract them to your services. 

Create Brand Awareness

Marketing is crucial for your business since it helps create brand awareness. The real estate sector consists of several players, so you must make an effort to let the clients know who you are. Once they become aware of your brand and its benefits, the clients may develop an interest in your offerings. When people have some knowledge about what your business offers, it will become easier for them to trust it. This will give you a competitive advantage when many people are aware of your real estate business and the type of services you provide.

Marketing plays an essential role in helping improve the visibility of your brand which will help many people find you. Choosing a product or service can be overwhelming, and this is why the customers need valuable information about your brand. When the customers know about your existence, they will refer other people to your business which leads to growth and development.

Marketing also plays an important role in reinforcing your brand among different clients and maximizing your profits. Even though customers may become aware of your brand, you need to remind them why it is the best option compared to other services offered by other real estate agents. To gain a competitive advantage, you should use marketing to prove to clients that your business is customer-oriented and it is concerned about fulfilling the needs of the customers. 

Lead Generation

Marketing is vital to your real estate business since it helps you generate leads. The essence of lead generation is to help you attract many potential customers and sellers to your network. Lead generation is a short-term goal, but it can offer long-term benefits. Once you attract the right clients, they are likely to refer others to your business if they are happy about your offerings. Attracting customers to your business can be quite a challenge since the markets consist of several competitors.

You can use the strategy of direct mail to reach out to new people who may not know about your business. Some people could potentially be interested in your services but are simply not aware of your existence. Therefore, you should utilize different strategies to attract potential customers to your company. When you create leads, other people are likely to try your offerings. This will contribute to the growth and development of your venture if you can attract many clients.     

Marketing Provides Credibility

Marketing gives your real estate business credibility, especially when it receives positive reviews from different people. Many individuals first read customer reviews to gain insight into what other people say about a product or service before they buy it. If a real estate agent gets positive reviews, you are likely to trust them with your property due to their credibility and high level of trust among the clients. Marketing will help show that you are a trusted person if your real estate business gets glowing reviews from happy clients. 

Effective marketing allows the buyers to compare services offered by different companies involved in the real estate business. Apart from reviews, potential buyers may be interested in other factors like your experience in business and other information that shows you are a force to reckon with in this sector. Without a well-documented history of your operations, it can be challenging to convince consumers about your business.  

real estate

Saves You Time

Your marketing initiatives can go a long way in generating more leads for your business. This means you will not work very hard to find new clients when you already have pointers to your business that can attract new buyers. You will not waste a lot of time trying to get the ideal customer for your property. Once you send positive and relevant information about your brand, potential customers can easily find your business. 

Additionally, marketing can save you money if done properly. When you can attract new customers using leads, you can significantly cut down on other expenses like paid advertising, postage, and printing. There are different platforms you can consider for your marketing activities without spending a lot of money. Digital marketing is cost-effective, and there are many strategies that can be employed that are not at all costly. Make sure you choose a channel that is accessible to your target audience if you want your campaign to be effective.

Marketing Educates Prospective Clients 

One good thing about marketing is that it educates prospective clients about the products and services you offer. When you design your marketing campaign, make sure it resonates with the needs and interests of the target audience. In your messages, you should convince the clients why you believe your service stands out from the rest. 

When your content is tailored for a specific audience, it will add value to the target audience. You will not waste a lot of time explaining different things about your offerings. It is essential to do some research first before you create your content to ensure it suits the interests of the clients. Many people will trust your brand if you offer objective and factual information about your business.     

Gives you Exposure

Marketing is critical in real estate since it gives you the benefits of exposure. An effective marketing strategy begins with a marketing plan that identifies your marketing goals. It also helps clients make informed decisions by providing meaningful information. When buyers can access information like client testimonials, they will feel comfortable dealing with your company. With the right exposure to different people, your business’s overall visibility will increase, thereby instilling trust in potential customers.

Gives you the Freedom to be Creative

Digital marketing allows you to be creative and this is good for your business. For instance, you can offer unique content or explore other possibilities offered by the digital world to make your venture stand out from the rest. Potential customers need engaging content that can compel them to take advantage of your offerings. You can achieve this by offering informative videos that can appeal to the interests of many people. It is essential to enlist the services of a professional graphic designer to help you with marketing content if you want your business to gain a competitive advantage.

Marketing Leads to Client Retention

Client retention is a critical factor in the operations of a real estate business that can lead to its success. When you operate in a competitive environment, it can be overwhelming to attract the ideal customers for your business. Retaining clients can go a long way in helping your business develop. The good thing about retaining happy clients is that they make excellent referrals for your business. This will contribute to increased revenue generation for your company. 

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How to Plan a Media Ad Campaign

Media Ad Campaign

Marketing can sometimes be a difficult endeavor for businesses. With so many different tactics to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which ones will bring the most success. A media ad campaign is an excellent way to go. However, many business owners have started investing in media ad campaigns because of its potential to reach a large audience. These campaigns are commonly used to increase brand awareness, build a customer base, and generate sales.

Successful marketing campaigns need adequate planning to put every aspect needed into place. Lack of adequate planning can lead to large amounts of money being wasted to generate relatively few leads and conversions. To ensure their ad campaigns are done the right way, some brands and agencies opt for the expertise of retail media solution companies. There are a good number of companies that offer this service, but it is worth noting that utilizing a retail media solutions is the best way to guarantee success in this area. 

The Importance of Media Ad Campaigns

Media Ad Campaign

Media ad campaigns are the lifeblood of any business. Whether you’re a small company or a large multinational, you need to advertise to get your name out there, build your brand, and increase demand for your product or service. However, the fact that you run ads does not necessarily mean you will get the results you want. You need to be strategic about your ad spend and the channels you’re using.

Online advertising is an excellent way to reach a large audience with a single ad, but it is also easy to overspend especially if you fail to plan properly. With traditional advertising, the advertiser can control where their ad appears, how often their ad appears, and what types of ads appear next to their ad. On the other hand, digital marketing gives the advertiser very little control over the websites their ads appear on, how many times in a day the ad is displayed on each platform, and the kinds of advertisements displayed next to their ad. Regardless of the possible pitfalls, there are marketing experts that understand how to optimize marketing campaigns and ensure they deliver their intended results.

If a small business has the capital to invest in a proper advertisement on an online platform such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, they can reach thousands of potential customers for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising methods. This is especially true when a small business partners with a digital marketing agency that specializes in ad campaigns.

The high usage of the internet has made it one of the most powerful tools for marketing a business. Advertising on the internet allows a business to reach millions of potential customers, rather than the limited number that you would reach through traditional methods like radio and TV. This has made it possible for small ecommerce businesses to compete with much larger companies, and to grow rapidly using only a relatively small amount of startup capital.

The key to success in online advertising is to understand how to use the available tools to target the right customers, and to measure which ads are working and which are not so you can improve your strategy. Here are a few steps you should use to plan media ad campaigns.

  • Define the media ad campaign goal

Having a discussion with your team members on the end goal of the ad campaign is important. It should be defined whether you want to sell a product, raise awareness for a cause, promote an event, and so on. Once everyone understands what you are trying to achieve, there is a higher chance of the campaign being successful.

  • Determine the promotion method you want to use

If you will be advertising on different social media platforms, determine the kind of posts you would put out on each platform. For Instagram, you can opt for short videos regardless of the campaign goal. Posting videos are effective in passing messages across to your target audience. Meanwhile, platforms like Twitter and Facebook would require banner images with catchy captions. Regardless, try to make your social media posts as interactive as possible to boost engagements.

  • Make a content calendar for your media ad campaign

It is important to create a schedule on a calendar that will dictate the days of week and times of the day that you will put out your social media posts. The content calendar should also specify the copy to be used for the posts. For this, it would help to work with a copywriter to develop the messages. Additionally, content calendars help to set and keep track of marketing milestones to make progress measurement easier.

  • Develop the visual contents to be posted

After planning the content calendar and the kind of posts you want to put out, you have to create the visual content. You could delegate a graphic designer the task of developing engaging images, or make them yourself using a platform like Canva. Canva is easy to use and lets you add text to images. You can also get influencers or members of your team to make short videos for you to post.

  • Schedule the posts of your media ad campaign

media-ad-campaign

Now that the copies, images, videos and content calendar are ready, it is time to schedule the posts. There are social media scheduling tools like Buffer and Hootsuite that allow marketing managers to schedule posts to be posted at specific times of the day.

  • Monitor, analyze and adjust

As these posts are being released to the public, monitor them and gauge the feedback. Respond to comments if need be. The level of engagement is a good indication of how well the campaign is doing, therefore, it would help if you use this insight to make appropriate adjustments to your marketing strategy.

Endnote on Your Media Ad Campaign

Brands, agencies and businesses need sound marketing strategies to promote their products, services, events, and so on. Some go for the safety and expertise of media solution companies, while others do it in-house. Regardless, as long as the aforementioned steps are followed, the chances of having a successful media ad campaign is high.

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