4 Crucial Steps for Securing Your Business

Nowadays, running a successful business in an ever-changing market can truly be challenging. Once you have put in a great effort, time, and funds to start a business, you surely want to secure it from all various risks that could threaten its growth. As such, securing your business is vital to its success.

As a business owner, you must take care of records, legal documents, data breaches and cyberattacks at all times, while making sure that your employees are well-taken care of, and that they’re happy and healthy.

Below, we highlight 4 crucial steps you need to take to secure your business and provide it with a chance to achieve long-term success and growth.

Obtain Business Insurance for Securing Your Business

If you have recently opened a startup or a small business, you’ve probably made huge investments with your hard-earned savings and managed to raise capital to secure a funding stream for your operation. This is why you must protect your business venture against any possible claims and liabilities.

For this reason, we advise you to look into a good E&O policy for your small business and get covered with professional liability insurance. This is an excellent way of protecting your business from lawsuits and claims of inadequate or negligent work and business errors. Do your research and get your business insurance from a policy provider that specializes in small businesses so it can be customized to your specific industry needs.

Look at the possibility of getting other useful insurances like commercial proper insurance to protect the building, premises and equipment you may have bought or rented. In addition, getting worker’s compensation insurance is also a clever move so your workforce can get benefits, as well as data breach or cyber insurance to help you respond if any data is lost or stolen.

Enhance IT Security

Data breaches and cyber-attacks are among the biggest risks for a business these days. In fact, in a recently published report, cyber risks topped the list of what made the surveyed business leaders most worried. The pandemic we recently went through also led to a direct increase in cyber attacks. With a security situation that reinforces the fear of cyber threats, many people are wondering how their organization is doing.

If you’re thinking about how protected you are, it can be nice to take concrete measures and invest in reliable systems with high security that protect a business’s data and information.

Something that most companies have unfortunately experienced is important files or data disappearing which is a loss that can be difficult to recover from. To avoid losing information, it is, therefore, advantageous to use a backup solution that securely saves your data. There are different variants of backup solutions, but the most common is to use cloud storage or internal servers that are dedicated to just this.

To increase your IT security, it’s wise for your company to segment the wireless network with at least two networks, and it’s especially important to distinguish between the network used by those who work at the company and what guests use. The users of the guest network would be customers, partners and everyone else who doesn’t work at your company.

Maintain Good Hygiene

Expectations of good hygiene and safety in the workplace have increased and new effective routines are now needed for people to be able to work safely. By encouraging good hand hygiene and regular cleaning routines, businesses together can prevent the further spread of infection and your business can reduce the cost of sick leave.

Implement thorough and good cleaning routines so that surfaces and premises are cleaned regularly. Ensure that touch surfaces such as handles, switches, keyboards, handrails, sinks, water taps and other surfaces that many people touch are cleaned thoroughly and regularly. Remember to also do a risk assessment for the employee who performs the cleaning, so that risks are minimized and the right preventive measures are taken.

Dirt, dust and messy spaces create stress, in addition to allergies, asthma and infections. A dirty environment affects employees both physically and mentally, causing them to lose concentration and perform worse. Therefore, a clean workplace is a very important part of the general work environment.

Develop a Social Media Policy

Social networks and emails have become a huge security concern for companies as they make it easy to disseminate information. Once the information leaves your company, it is difficult to be recalled. For this reason, to make sure things remain private, your email policy should address appropriate content for social media and emails.

Final Thoughts on Securing Your Business

As a business owner, it’s your job to secure your business and prevent threats to your business systems and work processes. Protecting your employees and safeguarding their health is also a prerequisite for a thriving working environment and business success.

4 Elements Of Efficient B2B Ecommerce Customer Experience

The customer journey is the driving force behind any customer experience. It should be the backbone of not only marketing, but every department in the company. Each customer touchpoint should be carefully molded to ensure that the customer is surprised and delighted at every stage. The company as a whole, should be deeply entrenched in the customer journey.

But, how do you get the process right from start to finish and ensure that the customer not only converts, but returns as a loyal, paying client? We took a look at what B2B companies are doing globally and how they have optimized their customer experience.

Automate as Much as Possible

Automation is a great way of ensuring that all of your processes are done efficiently, swiftly and with as little human error as possible. There are tons of automation tools out there for you to make use of. And you can automate almost every aspect of your business. From eInvoicing to procurement, supply chain, HR, and many aspects of marketing, there are hundreds of online tools and platforms for you to choose from.

What is more, most of them are incredibly affordable and easy to use. They mostly work on a subscription basis, and there is usually a variety to choose from to suit your unique business needs. So, if you need, for example, custom invoices to automatically be sent to your clients, you can opt for a solution that not only fits your budget but your brand.

Remember, the customer journey is pulled through to every aspect of your business and dealings with clients, and this includes finance and invoicing, so make it as streamlined as possible.

Make Customer Service a Company Wide Effort

Customer service should not be a siloed effort. It should not just be client-facing staff that are trained on effective and quality customer service. It should rather be pulled through to every part of the company. Make sure that each staff member from each department is sent on some kind of training to ensure that your customer journey is streamlined.

Now, you might think that this is slightly unnecessary for, say, the guys in the dev department who are working on your site. But consider for a moment what your first point of contact usually is with a client. It is usually through your website. So, not only do they have to consider the full UX design of the site, they need to optimize each point that they would be in contact with your brand.

Take, for example, chatbots which usually appear on most landing pages of your site. It is up to the development team to create interactive, helpful, and efficient points of contact that your clients can effectively use. So, training your developers on customer service and its intricacies of it can ensure that these small elements are carefully designed to optimize the customer experience.

Heighten Communication With your Clients

While we are on the topic of chatbots, when was the last time you audited your contact points? The fact of the matter is that every single client prefers different forms of communication and contact. While some prefer phone calls and direct contact with a person, others prefer getting questions and troubleshooting done with instant messaging.

Make sure you are offering your clients a variety of ways to engage with you about a wide variety of issues. From social media, to chatbots on landing pages for real-time query solving, and access to an account manager, the more you can offer, the more streamlined the customer journey. customer experience

Keep communication transparent and honest at all times. Allow them to choose what communication they receive from you and provide them with regular opportunities to provide you with feedback. Remember, the more feedback you get from your clients, the more you can streamline your services and offerings.

Test, Measure, Monitor and Track Everything

How do you know what you are succeeding at without the right data and metrics? If you are not receiving feedback from your clients, how do you know if the products or services are what they want? Or how would you know what they need for continued patronage?

The rule of thumb is to measure everything. From the traffic going to your site, how it behaves and where it drops off and converts, to the success of your social media campaigns. Gather metrics from various sources to be able to understand which campaigns were successful, what your clients responded well to, and what was a flop.

Google Analytics allows you to track the traffic on your site and understand how it behaves. Your social platforms and mailing tools provide you with relevant metrics too about the success of your campaigns. But there are a plethora of other tools that allow you to track everything.

The Bottom Line

Customer service is a company-wide initiative. Train up your entire staff complement regularly and make sure that you have the right information coming to you at all times. The customer journey is your answer to great customer experience.

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Wondering How To Reduce Costs In Your Business?

Reducing business costs can seem like a daunting task. But with a few simple steps, you can make your business more efficient and reduce expenses. Business costs can include anything from inventory and materials to employee salaries and marketing expenses. Many factors contribute to the cost of doing business, even though, for many small businesses, the cost of goods sold is the largest expense category. But there are ways to minimize them. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Use The Right Technology

There are many different types of technology that can help reduce costs in your business. For example, you can use online software to manage your finances instead of paying for an expensive program. You can also use a service like Skype or Google Hangouts to communicate with your team instead of paying for long-distance calls. The right technology can help you save a lot of money in the long run. This is just one of the many ways that you can reduce costs in your business. More so, you could use a cost-effective strategy that is relative to what your business does.

Compare Prices /Costs

One of the first steps in reducing costs is to compare prices and costs between different providers. As mentioned at compareyourbusinesscosts.co.uk/compare-gas-electricity-prices, it is important to remember that not all services are created equal, so it’s important to find a provider that can offer you the best value for your money. You can also employ the service of agencies that can assist you in finding better deals on the products and services that you need. This will help to ensure that you are getting the best possible deal on the products and services that you need. More so, you will also be able to save money in the long run.

Rely On Modern Marketing Methods

There are many ways to reduce costs in your business, but one of the most efficient is to rely on modern marketing methods. By using online advertising and email campaigns, you can reach a large number of potential customers without spending a lot of money. In addition, social media platforms offer free or low-cost methods of promoting your products or services to a wide audience. This approach can be more effective than traditional advertising methods, such as print or broadcast media, which can be expensive and reach a limited audience. It’s also important to make sure that your website is optimized for search engine ranking, as this can help you attract potential customers who are looking for your products or services online.

Avoid Overpriced Services

Another way to reduce costs in your business is to avoid overpriced services. There are many providers of professional services, such as marketing, accounting, and legal, who charge more than necessary. Do your research to find affordable providers who can offer you the same quality of service. The money you save can be reinvested back into your business. This can be a difficult task if you don’t have the time to do it yourself, but there are many resources available to help you find the right provider for your business.

Use In-House Resources

Another way to reduce costs is to use in-house resources. For example, if you are a small business, you can handle marketing and accounting tasks yourself. You can also contract out specific tasks to freelancers or other service providers. This will help you save money on outside services. The key is to be strategic about which tasks you choose to outsource and which ones you can do yourself. It may take a little bit of trial and error, but you’ll eventually find a cost-effective solution that works for your business. The bottom line is that you need to be smart about where you’re spending your money and how you can reduce costs. By using in-house resources and outsourcing specific tasks, you can save a lot of money in the long run.

Negotiate Better Rates

One way to reduce costs is to negotiate better rates with your suppliers. Many businesses pay more than they need to for the goods and services they use. Talk to your suppliers and see if you can get a better rate. You may be able to lower your costs by 10% or more. The key is to be willing to walk away if you can’t get a good deal. This can be tough, but it’s often necessary to keep your business running efficiently. It’s also important to shop around and compare prices.

Use Recycled Materials

Another way to reduce your business costs is by using recycled materials. This can include everything from recycled paper to recycled office furniture. Not only is this better for the environment, but it can also help to save you money in the long run. You can find recycled materials through online retailers or through local suppliers. The more you buy, the more you can save. This is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint as well as your costs.

Improve Process Management

Process management is one of the key aspects that can help reduce costs in any business. The better the processes are streamlined and organized, the easier it will be to identify and eliminate wasteful spending. Make sure everyone in your organization understands and follows the established processes, and track performance regularly to ensure that they are still effective. The less waste there is, the more money you’ll save. This can include things like improving communication and coordination between departments, automating tasks wherever possible, and using technology to your advantage.

Cut Staffing Costs

One way to reduce costs in your business is to cut back on staffing costs. You may be able to do this by reducing the number of employees you have, or by finding ways to make your current employees more efficient. You could also outsource some of your staffing needs to a third-party company. The key is to find the right balance between reducing costs and still providing the level of service that your customers expect. This can be a tricky balancing act, but it’s worth the effort.

In conclusion, reducing costs in your business can be done in a variety of ways. It’s important to find the solutions that work best for you and your company, and to always be looking for ways to save money. Additionally, by being proactive and strategic about your spending, you can ensure that your business is as cost-effective as possible.

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The Importance of Software Solutions in Building Your eCommerce Business

eCommerce has become a standard way for businesses to sell products and services. A large share of shoppers has turned to the internet for convenience, making it vital for businesses to create an online storefront to stay competitive and grow. But, what does it take to build an eCommerce business? Besides running a successful website, you need a good payment processing solution that will allow customers from all over the world to buy your products with ease while still protecting your revenue. Without software solutions, you won’t be able to process payments or complete any other necessary tasks!

Automating Packaging and Shipments

A good software solution will automate your packaging and shipments. This is important because you don’t want to have to manually package each product every time an order comes in. Automation will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. A software solution that automatically recommends the best packaging can help your business with this. Additionally, a software solution can automate the process of printing shipping labels. This is important because you want to make sure that your products are properly labeled and shipped promptly. Otherwise, you risk losing customers and damaging your reputation.

Tracking Shipments

Another important aspect of eCommerce is tracking your shipments. This is important because you need to know where your products are at all times. A software solution can help you track your shipments and inventory levels so that you can always be aware of what’s in stock and where it is. This information is critical for keeping your business running smoothly and avoiding any service disruptions. It’s also an important element in retaining customer satisfaction.

Tracking Inventory

Another important task that a software solution can help with is inventory management. You need to be able to track what products you have in stock at all times so that you can avoid overselling. A software solution can help you do this by automatically updating your inventory count whenever an order is placed. This way, you’ll always know exactly how much stock you have on hand and can reorder products as needed. This way you’ll also know how many of each product you have sold. This information is vital for knowing when to restock your inventory and for keeping track of your overall sales. Without software solutions, it would be nearly impossible to keep track of this information accurately.

Payment Processing Software

As we mentioned before, payment processing is a vital part of any eCommerce business. A software solution can help you accept payments from all over the world and protect your revenue. There are a few different types of payment processors out there, so it’s important to do your research and find the one that best fits your needs. Some payment processors will allow you to accept a wide variety of payment methods, while others may only work with certain types of payments. You’ll also want to consider fees when choosing a payment processor. Some processors charge transaction fees, while others charge monthly fees. You’ll need to decide which type of fee structure is best for your business.

Mitigating Payment-Related Issues and Risks

Another important thing to consider when choosing a payment processor is how well they handle fraud and chargebacks. You want to make sure that your processor has a good reputation for handling these issues so that you can avoid any problems down the road. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that your processor offers some sort of protection against fraud and chargebacks. This way, you can rest assured knowing that your revenue is safe.

Automating Marketing Efforts

Another important task that a software solution can help with is marketing. You need to be able to reach your target market and promote your products effectively. A software solution can help you automate your marketing efforts so that you can focus on other aspects of your business. There are a variety of marketing automation tools out there, so it’s important to find the one that best fits your needs. Some tools will allow you to automate email marketing, while others will help you manage your social media campaigns.

Scheduling Marketing Campaigns

You’ll also want to consider a software solution that can help you schedule your marketing campaigns. This is important because you need to be able to time your campaigns so that they’re most effective. A software solution can help you schedule your campaigns in advance and make sure that they’re properly executed.

Customer Relationship Management

A final task that a software solution can help with is customer relationship management. You need to be able to manage your customer relationships effectively to grow your business. A software solution can help you do this by keeping track of customer data and interactions. This way, you can identify potential problems early on and take steps to prevent them. Additionally, a software solution can help you segment your customers so that you can target them more effectively with your marketing efforts.

Managing Customer Relationships Creates Long-Term Benefits

By investing in software solutions to help you with tasks like these, you can create long-term benefits for your business. Automating repetitive tasks will free up your time so that you can focus on more important aspects of your business. Additionally, by managing your customer relationships effectively, you can create long-term customers who are more likely to stick with your brand.

There are a variety of tasks that a software solution can help within an eCommerce business. These solutions can automate many of the tasks that are essential for running a successful business. This allows you to focus on other aspects of your business, such as growing your customer base and increasing sales. If you’re not already using software solutions in your business, now is the time to start. Investing in the right software can make a big difference in the success of your business.

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User Generated Content Tips For Small Business Branding

Ecommerce is a rapidly changing field. It’s part of a digital world that’s never ceased evolving since its beginnings. Not only that, but we access the internet through technologies that are becoming more complex and valuable every day. To stay relevant, an online store must keep up with all these changes and provide user-generated content. However, certain things remain constant.

Ecommerce companies will always be required to:

Make an excellent first impression.
Take good care of their clients.
Reach out to them wherever they are.

Any business should follow these best branding strategies.

Your Brand’s Purpose

This may appear to be the simplest of all the processes in the brand development process, but it’s a great idea to spend some time thinking about your brand’s purpose. Consider the following questions:

What issues are addressed by my products or services?
What distinguishes my company?
Why should my customers be interested in my company?
How does my brand’s purpose reflect my mission statement?
Is the objective of my brand consistent with the brand promises I’m making?

Exploring the reason that underpins your brand can provide you with the insights you need to identify better how your brand can interact with your customers and vital assistance as you create your brand.

Define Your Identity

More than just pasting a logo on your website qualifies as branding. Your company’s branding is who you are; it’s your mission and values, how you treat your customers, and how your visual assets appear and feel. So, before you move on to the more tactical aspects of your branding strategy, you must first grasp who you are as a business.

Ask yourself questions like:

What do I want to be known for while developing my brand identity?
What are the primary missions and values of my company?
What type of encounter do I want to have in my field?

Mobile Friendly

One of the best internet business tips we keep going back to is the importance of mobile. Simply said, if you don’t design your eCommerce store with mobile in mind, you’ll be obsolete in today’s market. Fortunately, determining whether your website looks as excellent on mobile devices as it does on desktop computers is straightforward. Google provides a free mobile-friendly test tool that allows you to see how your site looks on a mobile device. It also makes suggestions for how you might improve your website.

Consider the following when it comes to optimizing your site for the be

st user experience:

How will your navigation appear on different devices?
Is it feasible to tap on components that are clickable?
Is your image quality constant across all screen sizes?
Have you optimized your checkout, payment, and add-to-cart processes for different screen sizes?

Social Media

The heart of your eCommerce small business brand should be social media.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can help you expand your brand’s awareness and consumer base if you put them to good use. Here are some pointers to help you create your brand on social media:

Post consistent material, daily articles, and live content on a weekly basis.
Competitors’ highly engaged followers can be commented on and liked.
Because you know your competitors are interested in your business, follow accounts that follow your competitors.
Use influencer marketing to your advantage.

Know Your Target Market

It may seem simple, but many small businesses are focused on figuring out who they are and what sorts of services or products they want to provide. They entirely overlook figuring out who they’re trying to sell those products or services to—and as a result, their branding suffers.

Spend some time defining your ideal client.
What are their names?
What are their ages?
What is their level of income and education?
Is there a predominance of one gender?
What qualities do they want in the companies with which they do business?
What is important to them?
When do they intend to use your product or service, and why do they require it?

When you know your target market, you can use that information to influence your branding approach, resulting in a brand that resonates with the people you want to engage with.

Be Visual

It’s time to start developing your brand after identifying who you are, who your customers are, what makes you unique, and what’s working in your industry. This phase is just as crucial for small firms as it is for larger corporations.

Here are a few items you’ll need to build your brand’s look and feel:

A style guide for your brand. Before you start developing, it’s crucial to work out the finer points of your design strategy, such as your brand’s color palette, fonts, and design do’s and don’ts. A brand style guide is an excellent method to keep track of design elements and ensure that you, your designer, and anybody else working on your brand are all on the same page.
It’s a logo. Your logo is the front of your business; it’s the first thing most customers see when they come across your brand, and it’s the visual asset that will be most strongly associated with your firm. The first thing you should design is a logo, as it will serve as the starting point for all your other visuals (like your website and your business cards).
Business cards are a type of business card. If you’re in business, you’ll need a business card, and the design should match your logo and other design elements.
A web page. Your website is like a piece of digital real estate for your firm, and the feel and appearance of your website should match the rest of company branding when people visit it.

Look For Partnerships

People like to work with well-known companies. If you’re a new company, however, building trust can take time. What if there was a method to expedite the process? Look for opportunities to collaborate with other businesses that your clients already deal with. What is the most important factor in the success of this strategy? Finding clients who have similar—but not competitive—audiences is a great place to start.

branding tips ecommerce small business owners

How Time Tracking Can Benefit Small Businesses

Unlike large corporations, small businesses run delicate operating models that can’t marginalize the effects of low turnovers. What they have is a flexible system of operation that entrepreneurs can easily supervise and fine-tune at will to keep the books in order. Time tracking is a major part of this.

However, all this elastic administrative power must be leveraged with precision and skill to produce results. One of the many strategies small business owners use to keep things organized is employee time management.

Since timekeeping shapes payrolls, startups can’t afford to get it wrong. It’s all the more critical in remote workplaces where employees are paid by the hour.

That’s not all. Time tracking also helps business and project managers handle various elements of their organizations. An effective system keeps everything orderly and stress-free. In effect, you need to know how to track work time if you expect to make reasonable headway in your business.

So, what are the benefits of time tracking?

Increased Awareness/Grasp of Company/Project Components

As a business manager, the importance of having a firm grasp of your employees, client base, projects, and even company goals cannot be overstated. A report by Harvard Business Review (HBR) outlines the various difficulties that business managers face today. These challenges include leveraging important data to shape company policies. Even small businesses managers are not exempt from these struggles.

Time tracking data can help business owners understand how their companies work. The system can be used to measure staff efficiency, estimated project completion times, and payroll accuracy. With a solid work time tracking app, it’s easier to get a grasp on these company components to make better decisions.

For example, the data shows you which team member performs better at specific assignments. This way, you can allocate work to the right talent, boosting efficiency.

Better Workflow with Time Tracking

In order to organize their workplaces and better engage their employees, some business managers have had to rely on third-party professionals. In truth, you can easily manage workload once you understand the time factor within the organization.

Often, the problem with managing workflow comes from having too much time with too little to do, or vice versa. However, the solution lies in efficiently monitoring the amount of time you and your employees work. Once you do that, it’s easy to identify performance ‘hot spots,’ bloated activities, and unused time.

With this data, you can remove bottlenecks, improve work speed, and optimize workflow. You can remove unnecessary processes and assign important tasks to employees during peak hours.

Easier Monitoring of Productivity Ratings

Time tracking is a tool for reliable comparison of company components and dynamics. Why would a business manager be upset upon knowing that last year’s turnover was better than this year’s? It is because businesses are expected to get better with time.

With small businesses, more time often indicates experience. More experience often indicates greater efficiency. Greater efficiency ought to result in higher performance. Now, higher performance is often the gateway to increased productivity.

Time tracking allows you to gauge your employees’ efficiency, productivity, and even experience. More than this, it helps you to measure and compare the partial and overall productivity of a single employee, teams, departments, or the entire organization.

Understanding your workers’ strengths and weaknesses means you can assign jobs better and help them improve.

Enhanced Payroll Efficiency with Time Tracking

As a small business, your payroll is likely your biggest overhead. This expense affects everything from your profit margin and cash flow to your ability to secure credit. That’s why you have to make sure you get it right if your small firm is to thrive.

Small businesses with inefficient time tracking systems often face payroll issues. The situation is worse when the company is made up of work-from-home staff.

Time tracking applications are excellent at generating timesheets and tracking billable hours. Using the right solution will see to it that your staff is adequately paid without complications.

Reduced Risk of Employee Multitasking and Stress

Working long hours is not equal to working productive hours. A well-cited Stanford study even concluded that “Long weekly hours and long daily hours do not necessarily yield high output.” It further stated:

“Employees at work for a long time may experience fatigue or stress that not only reduces his or her productivity but also increases the probability of errors, accidents, and sickness that impose costs on the employer.”

So, time tracking is as important to the health of your employee as it is to the smooth running of your organization. Establishing a ‘time-ceiling’ for when and how long employees should work daily can help. It will prevent your organization from burying itself in futile drudgery.

Easier Team Management as You Utilize Time Tracking

Time tracking is one of the best ways to manage teams. As earlier explained, good time tracking practices will help you get a solid understanding of the components of your organization. With respect to your employees, it will be easier for you to get them to ‘tick.’ This is the same as knowing the recipe for effective employee engagement and inclusive performance.

Once you can track and manage time in your organization, you will find it easier to assign tasks and expect timely executions and implementations. Also, it won’t be all that complicated to have useful interpersonal relationships growing at the workplace. That’s because your employees will know when to socialize and when to focus on work.

Also, although many contemporary studies insist on high productivity ratings from specific hours of work, your organization might be the exception. After all, a small business has proportionally fewer components to work with by way of employees and overall targets. So, time tracking will help you recognize where your organization stands: where more hours result in low performance and vice versa.

Increased Employee Awareness of Company Goals

Time tracking can be used for more than just directly boosting employee performance or generating timesheets. You can also use it to make your employees more sensitive to the goals of the company. As this Forbes report explained, you are more likely to get more loyalty and work out of employees that know what your organization is all about than those without the faintest idea.

The same fact holds for the incorporation of company culture. Using a reliable time tracking app, for example, can show you what your employees spend most of their time doing. This information will help you identify things to make available to your workers and what to discard. As any successful business manager will tell you, a united workplace spirit is vital to the growth of any small business.

Keep Optimizing the System with Time Tracking

Overall, time tracking is good for your small business. It helps you prioritize, organize, and make the components of your organization integrate smoothly. Always ensure you use valuable data to develop better policies. Collecting feedback from your workers will also help you leverage time tracking better.

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10 Free Marketing Strategies to Build Up Your Business

Building a business doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t always need to spend a fortune on pay-per-click ads or SEO services to get noticed – at least to begin with. Instead, you can use free marketing strategies to get the ball rolling.

In this post, we take a look at some of the tactics that you can use, without the need to hand over any of your precious capital. Check them out below.

1. Set Up Your Google My Business Account

You can think of setting up a Google My Business (GMB) account as having a similar effect to regular SEO activities, without the time and money investment. GMB is essentially free and gives you a leg up on the world’s largest search engine virtually overnight.

You can set up a GMB account using a simple tool provided by Google. Once you prove your address, the search giant will display your business information on Maps when users type in relevant keywords. You can display your telephone number, address, type of services you offer, opening and review rating – all of which encourage people to click through.

2. Attend An Industry Networking Event With Marketing In Mind

Going to conferences can be a great way to drum up interest in your business. Entry fees are often low or non-existent, but the value of contacts you make can be tremendous. For instance, you can learn inexpensive branding strategies to get your business’s message out, or you can partner with other firms to get your goods and services in front of more people. Often, having B2B contacts lets you access better wholesale prices and source the talent you need to thrive.

3. Host A Class To Assist Marketing

In today’s information economy, people want insights. They need professionals – industry authorities – who can guide them towards their goals. Depending on your experience and role, this knowledge-giving professional could be you. You could be the one putting on an event and creating an authoritative brand.

To build interest, you could post information on community bulletin boards in grocery stores, coffee shops, colleges and professional education establishments. You could also partner with local events and become a speaker.

4. Launch A Webinar Series

Webinars are a wonderful tool for promoting your business because they allow you to show your human side. You’re not just a faceless person, hidden behind a wall of website branding and advertisements. Instead, you’re someone who other people can relate to.

Webinars do several things that help you build your business:

Prove to your audience that you understand their needs
Give you time to explain the benefits of your products
Show your human side, building trust
Demonstrate your expertise

What’s more, attracting people to attend a webinar is incredibly cost-effective. Just post details on your social media account or include times and links in your email marketing.

Custom ecommerce web design by agencies integrates webinar features into your website. This way, even if you’re running an online store, you can still offer customers value directly.

5. Write Your Own Press Releases As Part Of Your Marketing

You can go to marketing agencies and ghostwriting services to write press releases for you. But, as you probably already know, you have to pay.

Here’s an idea: write your own. Once you get the hang of press release format, they’re actually quite easy to do. Adopt a neutral tone, talk about your business in the third-person, and include quotes. Choose a newsworthy angle and you’re pretty much ready to go.

Once you complete the copy, submit it to a free press release distribution service. The quality of syndication (the sites the service will publish your press release on), usually aren’t as high as paid services. However, it still gets your message out there, which is always a good thing.

6. Help Others For Free

You’re in business to make money, so the idea of helping others for free seems crazy. However, it can work if you get it right.

You’re not a charity. But if you give away a sample product or a small amount of your time, you can prove your value. Prospects are then much more likely to use you in the future. Just make it clear that it’s a one-off. You won’t be giving up your time out of the kindness of your heart in the future.

7. Create A Free Resource For Your Marketing

Do you know something that other people in your sector don’t? Are you able to produce a resource for your audience that your competitors haven’t yet?

If so, then it’s time to get busy. Creating free resources is a powerful way to attract people to your business and brand. Providing free downloadable tips sheets or ebooks lets you capture email addresses while introducing your audience to what you do.

8. Build A Referral Program

Referral programs aren’t free to run, but they are cheap to set up. The basic idea is to get your customers to spread the good news about your brand for you, so you don’t have to. It’s like outsourcing your marketing department. It works because prospects are much more likely to trust existing customers than they are conventional advertisements.

To build a referral program, you’ll need to offer an incentive to customers who refer leads to you. You might offer a fixed fee – say $100 for every new client they win – or a share of the value of the client, perhaps 5 percent.

9. Initiate A Tweetstorm To Aid Marketing

As a brand, you’re not trying to become a drama queen. There are already enough of those on Twitter. But if you can cook up a tweetstorm, then you can create a lot of buzz.

The best strategy here is to follow news in your niche and then make careful, well-reasoned comments on events as they unfold. If other people in the twitterverse find your contributions interesting, they’ll start following you, increasing your reach.

10. Cozy Up To Influencers In Your Niche

Lastly, you might want to try ingratiating yourself with top influencers and reaching out to bloggers in your niche. Try to get them interested in what you’re doing by offering something unique that their audience will appreciate. It might be that you offer a product purity level unsurpassed in your industry. Or you could be doing something totally new. Just make it exciting and valuable to the influencer.

So, there you have it: our ten free marketing strategies to build your business. Which will you use?

key to business success marketing strategy small business owners

Search Engine Optimization or Pay-Per-Click: What is Better for You?

There are two primary methods in regards to reeling in more customers: Search Engine Optimization or Pay-Per-Click. Several years ago businesses were mainly preoccupied with choosing the right retail points to attract more customers. As the reality has been changing, the principal things to consider when reaching the target audience refer to the online environment. Thus, businesses are willing to make their websites and social media profiles visible to users online.

There are several effective methods to reach out to a great number of customers online. The most popular ones are search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Both these methods are highly efficient but each of them implements different tactics to achieve the desired result.

Businesses use both SEO and PPC in their strategies, either separately or together. However, the particular sphere of business operation and competitive environment predict which of these two techniques would be more efficient for the particular company. This article talks about SEO and PPC, provides a comparison between them, and helps to define which of these methods would be more suitable for your company.

Search Engine Optimization or Pay-Per-Click

Comparing these two technologies would not be appropriate as there are more differences rather than similarities between them. However, to demonstrate all the positive sides of each method, it is worth having a look at its essentials first.

What is Search Engine Optimization?

This abbreviation stands for search engine optimization – website promotion in the online environment. Most people use search engines such as Google or Bing to find the things they are looking for. To make your website visible to online users, SEO techniques are used.

SEO is a complex term that consists of multiple components that are aimed to improve the overall website ranking. These components could be classified into two main groups depending on the promotional method applied.

The first bunch of techniques is called on-page SEO and refers to on-site optimization. Performing keyword research, creating texts, taking care of technical characteristics of the website belong to this group of methods. You can use a Keyword Research Tool like LongTailPro to find keywords for your business.

Other SEO methods are classified as off-site or off-page optimization. It means that the website promotion is done with the involvement of external sources. For example, link building and guest posting are the most common approaches used in off-page SEO. Owing to guest posting services such as Adsy.com, you may create articles with the description of your company and the link to your website on other blogs to let more people know about your brand.

What is Pay-Per-Click?

Another popular method businesses utilize in their marketing strategies is PPC that stands for pay-per-click advertising. This method is also implemented within search engines but in a totally different way compared to SEO.

PPC also known as paid advertising is the service offered by Google Ads for displaying your announcements over the organic search results. Marketers bid for certain keywords to get a chance for displaying an ad with the link to the website in the SERP top.

Even when the advertisement is displayed once a user enters a corresponding search query, businesses have to pay for it only in case the ad is clicked. The price for the click is determined while marketers place bids on keywords.

The benefits of Search Engine Optimization

Durable effect

When done properly, search engine optimization is supposed to improve the website ranking gradually. Otherwise, a fast leap in the website positions on search results pages might be considered suspicious by Google. Even though the results of SEO is not visible in the first few weeks, it brings long-term effect, which is the greatest benefit for any business.

Local search

Another advantage of SEO is that it could be the right tool for making the website highly visible for local searches. With the help of certain keywords related to the particular place and special SEO techniques, your website would appear high on the results page when a search is done on the corresponding location.

PPC reinforcement

The power of SEO is that it could also strengthen the effect of the paid advertisement efforts. When people see the same website both in the organic and paid search results, they would likely visit it.

Comprehensive analytics

Most SEO tools used for website optimization provide comprehensive data on its performance. That way some applications could depict how the keywords perform, while others show the amount of time that users spend on the web page. All this data helps to make websites better and modernize them constantly. For instance, if you notice that users leave the website quickly, you might consider creating graphic materials for websites or rewriting the text to make it easy to read for people.

The advantages of PPC

Sales boost

The main benefit of paid advertising is its high potential for improving the company’s online sales. When an advertisement is placed at the top of the results page, users see it first. Thus, they would probably click on it and explore the website further. To make sure that a user stays for long on the website, design it properly by considering every minor detail.

Brand awareness

This aspect is interrelated with the first advantage of PPC as it also refers to the high visibility of the website. Users would likely remember your brand and recognize it further when it appears within the paid ad results.

SEO reinforcement

Similar to the SEO impact on PPC, the paid advertisement has a reverse effect as well. Paid ads help to reinforce the SEO effect by attracting other businesses and individual customers who would be interested in linking back to your website. Backlinks are powerful in improving the website’s domain authority and ranking.

What to choose for your business: Search Engine Optimization or Pay-Per-Click?

After exploring the main characteristics of search engine optimization and paid advertising, it is possible to decide which method would be more suitable for your company. Even if one of the approaches would be more applicable, it does not exclude the possibility to use another one. Thus, you can use both SEO and PPC but define the proportion of time and budget resources allocated to each of those.

If you are new to the market or have recently created a business website, then the first thing to start with would be SEO. It will help you to strengthen domain authority and lift the website on the search results pages.

In case you have been already using SEO for a while and want to boost sales or promote certain products, then PPC is the right thing to use. By creating paid advertisement you will pay the customers’ attention to the particular thing that corresponds to the keyword search.

When you consider using both PPC and SEO in your marketing campaign, keep in mind that the former is rather costly. It should be preferably used for a limited amount of time to achieve the desired goal. Meanwhile, SEO is the ongoing strategy that ensures the long-term results and requires fewer costs.

Conclusion on Search Engine Optimization or Pay-Per-Click

If you decide whether PPC or SEO is better for your business website promotion, you should define your business goals first of all. In case you want to have short-term results, then PPC is the right option to choose. In other cases, SEO would be the preferred method for website promotion. Anyway, you can use both methods in your marketing strategy to obtain the best results.

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Executive Coaching: Certification, Career and Job Opportunities

Executive Coaching: Certification, Career and Job Opportunities

Executive Coaching is a rapidly growing field that offers exciting opportunities for helping professionals to expand their influence beyond just individual clients. It can also be a great way to make a living.

Coaches help executives overcome personal and professional barriers so they can reach their full potential in both life and business. Coaches work with executives at all levels of organizations, from CEOs to managers who are trying to get promoted or increase their influence within their current position.

Coaches must be able to work with people across functions, helping them communicate more effectively across departments. This person must also have great time management skills because coaching sessions often come right before other meetings or flights that are scheduled back-to-back. They need strong interpersonal communications skills because they will deal with many different types of personalities throughout any given week, including senior leaders, subordinates, peer-level employees.

The Importance of Executive Coaching

Executive coaching is a process that helps leaders through difficult transitions, such as a merger or acquisition, downsizing, restructuring, career change and leadership transition. Coaches work with executives during times of high stress from these types of events to help them make better decisions and deal more efficiently with people affected by the change. Executive coaches typically work with a person for six to 12 months.

How to Become an Executive Coach

There are many paths to becoming an executive coach. Coaches may come from a variety of professional backgrounds, such as human resources, training and development, management, psychology, or counseling.

The average salary for executive coaches in the United States is $100,000 per year, according to Payscale. Executive coaches with more than 10 years of experience earn an average annual salary of $127,000. Jobs for executive coaches are expected to grow by 18 percent through 2023.

Certification for Executive Coaching

The best way to become an executive coach is to obtain certification. Coaching certification also allows professionals to increase their salary and marketability. Coaches can obtain certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and by working with an ICF-certified coach.

Coaching certifications were barely heard of a few years ago; now they’re fast become a staple among those wishing to enter the growing coaching industry and expand their knowledge and reach beyond just individual clients.

Job Description and Qualifications

An executive coach is a professional who helps individuals and organizations improve their performance. Coaches work with clients to identify and achieve goals, deliver feedback, provide support and accountability, and help clients develop new skills.

Future coaches should have an interest in personality, organizational systems, relationships, and human behavior. This job is ideal for those with a combination of interpersonal skills and business acumen. Those educated as psychologists are best suited for this job, but there are many training and certification options for people with different backgrounds.

Best Executive Coaching Programs and Certifications

Coaching certification training programs vary greatly in length and intensity, but most programs require about 100 hours of coursework. The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) offers the only nationally recognized coaching certification in Canada..

Certified Coaches International is another well-respected credentialing organization for coaches.

Coaches who wish to enhance their career prospects can also complete a master’s degree program in an executive coaching or organizational psychology. Harvard University offers an online master’s degree program through its School of Education.

Conclusion on Executive Coaching

Executive coaching is a rewarding and growing profession. Coaches can make a great living by helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals. The best coaches are those with an interest in personality, organizational systems, relationships, and human behavior. They should also have strong interpersonal skills and business acumen. With the right training and credentials, executive coaches can enjoy a successful career in this exciting field.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Looking for more articles about careers? Check out our blog page!

Author’s Bio:

Thomas Glare started his career as a game tester and became a team manager. After that, he moved on to project management and held various positions. For the past three years, Thomas has led teams working on art assets for the mobile games, with hundreds of employees in five different countries at the peak of production.

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A Business Owners Guide to Relocating – The Basics

A Business Owners Guide to Relocating

Chances are you’ve dedicated much of your time, energy and resources to starting your own business. You’ve been there every step of the way and worked through all the stages of the business. Now it’s time for relocating, to continue success.

Moving your business to a new location can be an overwhelming experience, even for a seasoned business operator. Take a look at these helpful tips for relocating your business. With a little advanced planning, good logistics, and commitment to detail, you’ll be up and running in the new location in no time at all.

Regardless of what type of business you’re running, or the size of your operation, organization and strategy is key. Every detail from start to finish must be planned.

Inform Your Staff that You’re Relocating

When it’s practical to talk about the move you should inform your staff about your relocation plans. A lack of transparency on your part could lower employee morale or become a major disruption to your business. Communication is key.

Sketch a Rough Draft

Get a blank notebook and create a rough draft of the moving plan. Jotting down notes allows you to think better and wrap your mind around big concepts and tasks. Include important dates like when you must vacate the old premise and the date you take possession of the new place. Having the timeline in front of you gives you a better idea of the scope of the project. Once you have a rough draft you can fine-tune it and turn it into a plan of action.

Master Checklist for Relocating

From the rough sketch and the notes you made, you should have a good idea of what needs to be done. Creating a master checklist or a moving out checklist is the next logical step in relocating. This checklist helps you keep track of every detail and gives you an overview of where you are in the process and what needs to be done. It also helps you delegate certain tasks to employees and managers.

Hire Professionals

Sometimes the DIY approach to moving is not the best option. Especially when it comes to relocating a business. Hiring experts such as movers, consultants, IT or telecommunication specialists is a wise choice. Not only are they insured but it allows you to look at the big picture instead of lifting boxes or getting involved with smaller and distracting details. But before settling on the first moving company you find, be sure to calculate the average cost to move out of state. This can affect which movers you hire for the job.

Connectivity

Most if not all small businesses rely on the internet. So, setting up internet services is key. You’ll need to schedule the end of service in the old location and start of service in the new location. It’s an important tool that should be set up as soon as possible.

Spread the Word that You’re Relocating

Find the nearest hilltop and broadcast to the world that the business is relocating. You want to make sure that your customers, vendors, and the general public knows all about the new location and the timeline. Without your customers and vendors, you won’t have much of a business. Post the announcement on the company website and outgoing communications. If your business is customer-based you may want to consider sending out “we moved” postcards to your customer base.

Moving, in general, can be stressful no matter how prepared or organized you are. Following the above tips will guide you, your employees, and your business through the stress and uncertainty of relocating.

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