[ad_1]
Five game-changing practices to help those waiting in the wings succeed. For further insights, read “Succeeding the long-serving legend in the corner office.”
[ad_2]
Source link
Archives for May 2019
5 Leading Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Advice for Bootstrapping a Business
[ad_1]
Work with those you trust, pick the right business, and roll up your sleeves, say Kara Goldin, Tai Lopez, and others.
5 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
About 42 percent of startups fail because there’s no market need for their product, and almost 30 percent don’t make it because they run out of money. So, what does it really take to succeed in business, especially when you’re bootstrapping? We asked these top entrepreneurs and Advisors in The Oracles, including Hint Water’s Kara Goldin, investor Tai Lopez, and designers Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, to let us in on their secrets.
1. Surround yourself with people you trust.
Kara Goldin
Image credit:
The Oracles
When you’re bootstrapping a business, it’s paramount that you work with people you really trust. We self-funded initially so that we could stay true to our vision and control the quality of our products no matter what the conventional wisdom dictated.
People told us unsweetened flavored water would never work, but we were determined to help people lead healthier lives and remove all the ingredients that contradicted that goal, like sugar, diet sweeteners, preservatives, and more. Now we are the No. 1 independently owned non-alcoholic beverage company in the U.S. —Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint Inc.; creator of The Kara Network, a digital resource for entrepreneurs; and host of the “Unstoppable” podcast; follow Kara on Twitter and Instagram
2. Calculate your VRIN score.
Tai Lopez
Image credit:
The Oracles
Select a business idea that will generate cash flow quickly, which you can estimate with a VRIN score. “V” stands for value, meaning it’s something many people want. “R” stands for rarity; so the market is not flooded with that exact product or service. “I” stands for inimitability, meaning your ideal customer can’t do it on their own. “N” stands for non-substitution; so no one is doing anything similar.
Rank those factors on a scale from 1 to 10. If the average isn’t eight or higher, it won’t have a positive cash flow for a while. For example, consider the NBA. People love it, so its value is high. It is the only professional basketball league in the U.S., so it’s rare. I can’t get people together to play basketball and entertain me like that, so the inimitability is high. Can I substitute other things? Yes, I could watch football, baseball, or hockey instead. So, non-substitution might be a seven out of 10. But the overall average is high, which is why the NBA is a multibillion-dollar industry. —Tai Lopez, investor and advisor to multiple multimillion-dollar businesses, who has built an eight-figure online empire; connect with Tai on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
3. Get your hands dirty.
Emily Current and Meritt Elliott
Image credit:
The Oracles
Roll up your sleeves! One of our mentors always talks about how a successful business starts with leaders who are both the “chief cook” and “bottle washer.” No job is too small or insignificant in a startup.
If you start this way, you’ll have a full understanding of how your organization works from the bottom to the top as you grow. This also sends a message to your team to think outside their job responsibilities, be comfortable doing tasks below or above their pay grade, and pitch in whenever, wherever, is needed. —Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, co-founders and creative directors of the global lifestyle brand Emily + Meritt and women’s apparel line THE GREAT; follow Emily and Meritt on Instagram
4. Master direct response marketing.
Rudy Mawer
Image credit:
The Oracles
Even if you are low on funds, my No. 1 tip is to master direct response marketing or find someone who has and give them a key role in the business. For five years, I struggled with my business and stayed around six figures. Once I mastered direct response marketing, where consumers are prompted to respond immediately to your pitch by signing up for a newsletter, for instance, I grew to multiple millions in less than two years.
Since then, I’ve used my direct response marketing techniques to grow another million-dollar business and help dozens of others scale to tens of millions. Like sales, I believe direct response marketing is a vital skill to master as a business owner, or at least understand. —Rudy Mawer, founder and CEO of ROI Machines and RudyMawer.com; Facebook marketing and ad expert, who built a multimillion-dollar business by age 26; connect with Rudy on Instagram
5. Burn the ships.
James Daily
Image credit:
The Oracles
When Hernán Cortés arrived in Veracruz, Mexico, in the 1500s, he ordered his crew to burn the ships. Forward was the only way off the beach; there was no turning back. After advising and running a number of businesses in a variety of industries, that is my advice: burn the ships.
If you are trying to start a business while keeping your old job, don’t. Quit your job so there is no going back. If you see so many opportunities you can’t decide which to choose, pick one and burn the ships. Trying to be everything to everyone will never get you where you need to go. Do just one thing you’re passionate about, and do it better than anyone else.
Don’t let your ego and sense of control take over. Be willing to let go. Make it easy for investors to help grow your company by being willing to burn the ships again and move forward. —James Daily, founding partner of Daily Law Group, which helps high-profile clients with fiduciary abuse litigation, including fraud, crisis management, and business and family disputes; connect with James on LinkedIn
Want to share your insights in a future article? Join The Oracles, a mastermind group of the world’s leading entrepreneurs who share their success strategies to help others grow their businesses and build better lives. Apply here.
For more articles like this, follow The Oracles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
[ad_2]
Source link
5 Key Things All New Startups Need – Business Ideas
[ad_1]
Featured image from Yay Images
Is your business a startup? If so, you’re probably making plenty of mistakes and learning a lot every single day. That’s because every owner of a new startup is charting new territory. Plus, all startups need a lot of love and attention in the beginning.
Keep reading to learn about five major things new startups need right off the bat.
1. Startups Offering a Wanted Product Make It
Quite possibly, it’s your product that inspired you to launch your startup. For example, think of the startups that have become the mega companies of our day: Apple, Hewlett Packard, and Amazon, to name only a few. They all started small. However, they all had something unique to offer the world.
So what is your product? Does it meet a need or a want in the marketplace, even if it’s a need or want that people don’t yet know they have?
Once you have a great product in mind, your next step is to dive in and find out all you can about the industry your startup will be a part of. Next, learn about the people who will want to buy your product.
2. Customers Are Your Startup’s Lifeblood
Basically, without customers, your startup won’t survive.
However, gaining customers’ attention isn’t always easy, no matter how great your product. So one of the things all startups must do in the beginning is reach out to customers. You can make this process easier and less expensive by using VoIP communications to contact prospective customers.
3. An Enthusiastic Team Will Take You Far
Your employees are the heart of the business. You need a committed and dedicated team of experts who believe in your product. Working together under your leadership, they will shape your business.
So choose your team carefully. A few well-chosen, talented, and positive souls will make all the difference in your company’s success.
4. Startups Need Sufficient Financing
Most new ventures need some financing in the beginning. Therefore, unless you have some savings of your own to kick things off, you might need to pull together some funding.
How will you get the money you need for your company’s expenses and expansion? Start by asking family and friends for help. Draw up a business plan, and approach banks and other lenders if you must.
RELATED ARTICLE: LOOKING FOR FUNDING IDEAS TO START OR EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS?
If your company’s story is compelling, you’ll have an easier time with getting positive responses. Plus, if you’re responsible about paying your debts as you go, lenders will continue to want to fund your journey when you need it.
Keep in mind that many business owners start their companies as a side gig while they work for someone else for a while. This, too, can help you to have the financing you need while you’re getting your company started.
5. A Positive Outlook Is the Most Important Thing
One of the most important things any startup owner can do is to be positive and think like an optimist, even if you naturally tend to see the glass as half empty. If you’re viewing the world through a positive lens, you’ll see more opportunities and have a better chance of seizing them as they rush past.
RELATED ARTICLE: HOW DO THE WORLD CUP GAMES AFFECT THE WORLD OF BUSINESS?
This doesn’t mean you ignore the challenges and pretend they aren’t there. It does mean, however, that you approach each challenge as a hurdle to overcome, not as an obstacle that will stop you in your tracks.
A Final Word About Starting Up
Every startup is different, and each one has its own path. While there is no single correct way that’s right for every business, keep these five things in mind and your company will have a better chance of achieving success.
[ad_2]
Source link
6 Types of Online Marketing Your Business Needs – Online Businesses
[ad_1]
In today’s digital world, adding a mix of online marketing channels to your overall advertising campaign is an absolute must. For one thing, considering the massive number of mobile users who pull out their phone anytime they need an answer to a question, recommendation for a restaurant, or instructions for a recipe, you could be missing out on a ton of business if you’re lacking a strong online presence.
RELATED ARTICLE: ONLINE MARKETING: HOW IT CAN HELP YOU SAVE MONEY AND BOOST YOUR BUSINESS
However, before you go pointing your arrow all over the World Wide Web, shooting your efforts in any and all directions, learn where you should focus your online marketing for the best results. These six different channels will provide the highest return on investment—scoring you the most conversions at the lowest cost.
1. Content
Marketing
You’ve heard the saying, “Content is king.” We’ll explain why.
For starters, an array of useful and shareable content establishes your brand as a trustworthy expert in your industry. This helps build customer loyalty.
Long and Informative Content Is Best
Plus, the copy itself provides opportunities for search engine optimization (SEO). This happens because of the way you can use keywords and contextual link building. Therefore, try to make your blog posts long and informative. This will earn you the highest rankings. Plus, don’t forget about elements such as title tags, headers, and metadata.
RELATED ARTICLE: SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: HOW IT CONTRIBUTES TO MARKETING
2. Pay
Per Click Advertising
PPC advertising falls under the umbrella of paid search engine marketing (SEM). This type of online marketing gives your website a shot at appearing at the top of Google’s search engine results page (SERP).
Being at the top of the SERP can be extremely powerful for business. However, even though PPC is one of the most measurable channels of online marketing, it’s also one of the trickiest. Consider enlisting the help of skilled PPC management for the best strategy implementation and the highest return on your dollar spent.
3. Social
Media Marketing
You know those sponsored ads you scroll past on Instagram or Facebook? Those are paid for by companies who use analytical data and insights to target your profile with their specific advertisement. That’s because something about your online profile signals that you might be a qualified lead for what they’re promoting. From sidebar ads to promoted Tweets, most paid social media marketing revolves around a unique cost per acquisition.
Pro Tip:
If free advertisement sounds like music to your ears, remember to take advantage of the online marketing you can do on social media without the hired help of an account manager. Even the least tech-savvy of business owners can figure out how to snap and share photos. In other words, you can easily boost brand recognition and connect with your customer base by way of social media.
4.
Conversion Rate Optimization
Generating traffic and getting more visitors to your site is only half the battle. Once they arrive, your goal is to then convert them into paying customers. This is where conversion rate optimization (CRO) efforts come into play. Examples of CRO strategies might include the creation of lead magnets, email blasts, landing pages, calls to action (CTAs), heat map analyses, and more.
5. Email
Campaigns
We just touched on emails as a method to improve CRO. However, this channel of online marketing deserves a category of its own.
This is because of the importance of customer relation management (CRM) for business success. Basically, you need to nurture the buyer’s journey without being forceful. Moreover, you need to remind them about your company before they place you on the back burner. At the same time, you must not come across as overbearing.
Find That Sweet Spot with Promo Codes
Finding the sweet spot between too little communication and too much spam is a delicate balancing act. However, a great way to make your emails seem less annoying is to include promo codes that sweeten the deal.
6. Search
Engine Optimization
We saved this one for last because of how broad and all-encompassing the term “SEO” is.
The biggest difference between SEO strategies and paid search or paid media channels is that SEO is organic. In other words, with this type of online marketing, you can’t pay a fee to have your ad or profile featured online. Rather, you have to earn your ranking through integrated campaigns, link building strategies, and reputation management.
RELATED ARTICLE: YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
Online Marketing Leads to Lasting Results
There are many different approaches you can take toward digital marketing on the Internet. Start by creating a blog and building a social media profile, then optimize your site. Finally, convert your visitors into happy customers you retain for life.
[ad_2]
Source link
This Young Entrepreneur, Who Has Raised $6 Million, Is on a Mission to Kick Sugar Out of Candy
[ad_1]
Tara Bosch started SmartSweets when she was 21 so she could enjoy candy every day.
3 min read
For Tara Bosch, her business SmartSweets will be the future of candy — it’s just a matter of “reverse executing against the future.”
“That conviction has helped us to move forward and overcome the challenges that come with the roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship,” she said.
Related: When Her Mother Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, She Started a Popcorn Company to Raise Money for Research
Bosch, who admits she’s a “candy addict and a sugar fiend,” founded the company in 2016 when she was 21 after a conversation with her grandmother. The 89 year old said she had regretted consuming so much sugar over the years, which caused Bosch to reflect on her eating habits.
“That sparked my quest to explore finding a candy I can feel good about,” she said. “It opened my eyes up to sugar, and the shocking reality of what it’s doing to us.”
She dropped out of school (the semester had already ended), ordered a gummy bear mold off Amazon and started testing recipes in her basement kitchen. Three months and more than 200 iterations later, Bosch had a product she felt she could take to the market.
Image Credit: Courtesy of SmartSweets
“I watched Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den religiously, but I didn’t have the confidence to act on any ideas because of my unhealthy relationship with food,” Bosch said. “The second I turned 13, I got a job at McDonald’s and Domino’s and was working full time, but I didn’t have the confidence at that point to actually believe that I could create something for the world.”
Related: The Makers of Exo Cricket Bars Are Launching a Line of Cereal That’s High in Protein and Low in Sugar
SmartSweets products are made without artificial sweeteners and colors. Each serving of the candy — it has products that are substitutes for gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish — only contains three grams of sugar (a serving of typical gummy bears has about 19 grams of sugar). SmartSweets can now be found in 10,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, including Whole Foods, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and GNC (the company expects that number to double by the end of 2019). Bosch initially funded SmartSweets from her savings. The company says it has raised a total of $6.1 million.
“There’s really no limit to what you can create,” Bosch said. “The vision for SmartSweets from day one has been to become the global leader in innovating confectionery products that kick sugar. We’re focused on innovating non-chocolate and just taking candy that consumers already know and love and bringing it back to their everyday lives.”
[ad_2]
Source link
Meet the Working Mothers of Cannabis
[ad_1]
In honor of Mother’s Day, Green Entrepreneur takes a look at some of the working mothers building the cannabis industry.hj
7 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Raising a family is never easy, especially when you’re an entrepreneur trying to launch a business. Not only do you have to worry about providing for your family financially, but there’s also the struggle of trying to balance your work life with the emotional needs of your family.
In honor of Mother’s Day, Green Entrepreneur talked with three of the countless working mothers of the cannabis industry to learn how they manage to make it all work.
Erin Gore of Garden Society
Erin Gore is a mother of one and the founder and CEO of Garden Society, a cannabis wellness brand for women. Gore, educated as a chemical engineer, spent much of her career in the corporate world working for the consumer goods manufacturer Henkel in a management position.
However, despite the trappings of success, Gore wanted more for her life. Not only did Gore feel unfulfilled in her job, but it also consumed much of her time and made it difficult to start a family.
“I had a really great corporate career,” recalls Gore, “but under the surface I was unhappy.”
Frustrated with her lack of fulfillment, she decided to take a leap of faith and start her own cannabis brand. For Gore, starting her own business had less to do with finding financial success and more with building something that valued her as a wife, a mother, and (most importantly) a woman.
Although starting a business and starting a family may seem like two opposing goals, for Gore, the opposite is true. Because she owns her own business, Gore is able to spend her mornings with her 19-month old son before heading into the office; a luxury not afforded to many working corporate jobs.
However, while entrepreneurship affords a certain degree of flexibility, there are times when sacrifices must be made, as when Gore recalls an incident where she had to cancel an important meeting because of a family emergency.
“I once had an investor flying in to see our facilities and my son had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin. My husband was out of town, so I had to call that investor and tell them ‘I’m sorry, I can’t meet with you, I have to take my son to the doctor.”
Fortunately, the investor, who also happened to be a mother, was understanding, but Gore says that these are the kinds of choices that entrepreneurs have to make.
One of the ways that Gore has been able to balance her work and her family life is by seeking out those and surrounding herself with those that have similar values and life experiences, a sentiment shared by Beth Stavola, the Board Director and Chief Strategy Officer for iAnthus Capital Holdings Inc. (CSE: IAN).
Related: The Canna-pocalypse of Small Brands Is Upon Us – But All Is Not Lost
Beth Stavola of iAnthus Capital Holdings
Beth Stavola is a mother of six, with five girls and one boy ranging between the ages of 22 and 11. She got her start in cannabis in 2012, when she was approached by a deal broker to invest $1 million in MPX Bioceuticals, a medical cannabis company based in Arizona. Although Stavola initially intended to serve as the company’s Chief Financial Officer, she was forced to take a more hands-on role when her business partner proved to be unreliable.
Undaunted, Stavola was able to steer her company through troubled times and eventually the company was acquired by iAnthus, upon which she was appointed to her new position as Board Director and Chief Strategy Officer. According to Stavola, one of the benefits of entrepreneurship in the cannabis industry is that not does it allow you to be more flexible with your schedule, but it also allows you to be more flexible with your employees as well.
“I’ve been known to rock a baby for one of my employees during a conference call or to run out of the office to pick someone’s kid up,” Stavola says. “Everyone goes the extra mile when they feel they’re taken care and that their family is being taken care of.”
Sometimes, however, it can be difficult to make family time with a heavy work schedule. That is why Stavola always makes it a point to have at least one family meal on Sunday night, regardless of how disparate their schedules may be.
“Sunday dinner is always a must at my house,” Stavola says with a chuckle. “No one is allowed to have an excuse for Sunday dinner.”
For working mothers hoping to make it in the cannabis industry, Stavola suggests surrounding yourself with good people and doing your best to take care of them. One entrepreneur that does just that is Liesl Bernard, the founder and CEO of Cannabizteam, an executive search and staffing company for the cannabis industry.
Related: The Cannabis M&A Boom Is Looking Like the Dot.com Boom. Here’s How to Avoid the Bust.
Liesl Bernard of Cannabizteam
Bernard is a mother to two sons, one 15 and the other 18. Because of their age, it can sometimes be difficult for her to sync up her schedule with theirs, which is why Bernard makes it a point to see sons off to school in the morning.
For nearly two decades, Liesl Bernard served in various positions at Robert Half Executive Search, one of the world’s largest executive staffing firms. In 2016, Bernard noticed the explosive growth in the cannabis industry and saw the need for an executive staffing firm.
“I said ‘if I don’t do it now, someone else will,’” Bernard recalls. “So I took all my savings as a single mom and started Cannabizteam.”
As an entrepreneur, Bernard greatly values the freedom that her job affords, and she does her best to provide that same freedom to her employees. At Cannabizteam, employees can work from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. in the office and from home in the afternoon if they want to.
According to Bernard, working in the cannabis industry is particularly attractive to women because it is not quite as rigid as other corporate jobs. “I think the cannabis industry, in particular, has a lot of benefits for women entering the space because, there’s a lot of creativity that goes into it,” Bernard says. “It’s also not as structured as some of the other industries that are out there.”
Bernard goes on to say that mothers hoping to make it in the cannabis industry should not underestimate themselves. While most people tend to focus on skills such as cultivation or extraction, there is a great need in the cannabis industry for people with diverse skill sets, from accounting to plumbing.
“I would encourage anyone looking to get into the industry to do it sooner than later,” Bernard says. “A little experience goes a long way in the cannabis space. Today, anyone with two years’ experience in the cannabis space is highly valued. There are so few people with cannabis industry-specific experience.”
Related: We Have a Problem: The Cannabis Industry Is Losing Women Leaders
Being a mother is hard, especially when you’re an entrepreneur, but that does not mean success is impossible. Although the cannabis industry might not be perfect, Gore believes that its relatively young age helps make it easier for mothers and women in general, to have a higher degree of control over their destinies.
“The beautiful thing about the cannabis industry,” says Gore “is that it is in its infancy and so you can create the future you want. It’s not as limiting as other industries.”
[ad_2]
Source link
Virtual Event Focused on Starting a Business Mid-Life Happens June 11
[ad_1]
The average age of a U.S. small business owner is now almost 51 years old. And this number is increasing as the life expectancy of Americans increases.
Maturepreneur Today is holding a virtual event on June 11, 2019 from 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM to highlight the growing community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
The full-day event will bring together experts who will hold a range of talks to help maturepreneurs.
The schedule will stream live talks and tracks on the SBA, starting a business mid-life: why and how maturepreneurs do it, legal and financial, marketing, and much more.
Profiled business owners will also share their experiences as maturepreneurs.
You can register by clicking the red button.
Register Now
Featured Events, Contests and Awards
Maturepreneur Today Virtual Summit
June 11, 2019, Online
Maturepreneur Today is holding its full day virtual event on June 11, 2019. The summit is for new, existing and budding entrepreneurs in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Visit our website to view the entire list of renowned speakers. #MaturepreneurToday
Listening to the Voice of the Customer
October 16, 2019, Chicago, Ill.
Led by veteran product development and market research experts, this course will introduce Voice of the Customer (VOC) market research and teach you to use it to accelerate innovation in business-to-business markets. The workshop uses a lively, interactive format with numerous hands-on activities and practice exercises to build skills and will also expose you to the latest applications of these techniques in areas such as machine learning and journey mapping.
Discount Code
SMALLBIZ ($100 Off)
More Events
- Experiential Marketing Summit 2019
May 14, 2019, Las Vegas, Nev. - Fearless in Data
May 14, 2019, Atlanta, Ga. - Kimberly Coates
May 14, 2019, San Diego, Calif. - Chief Analytics Officers & Influencers, Spring
May 15, 2019, San Diego, Calif - 2019 Marketing Analytics Conference ? Atlanta, GA ? May 15 – 16, 2019
May 15, 2019, Atlanta, Ga. - TECHSPO Toronto 2019
May 16, 2019, Toronto, Ontario - DigiMarCon Canada 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
May 16, 2019, Toronto, Ontario - ComTech Forum on Network Automation
May 16, 2019, Sunnyvale, Calif. - 21st Annual Top 10 Tech Trends
May 16, 2019, Santa Clara, Calif. - QuickBooks for Business- Español
May 18, 2019, DORAL, Fla. - Wall Street Journal Future Of Everything Festival, NYC
May 20, 2019, New York, N.Y. - Advancing Preconstruction and Estimating 2019 Conference, Dallas, Texas
May 20, 2019, Dallas, Texas - TECHSPO Silicon Valley 2019
May 23, 2019, San Francisco, Calif. - Breaking Through: Taking Your Consulting Business to New Heights
May 29, 2019, Waltham, Mass. - The Brand Marketing Summit West 2019, San Francisco, USA
May 30, 2019, Burlingame, Calif. - ProSeed
June 01, 2019, Singapore - DigiMarCon South 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
June 05, 2019, Houston, Texas - Small Business Expo 2019 – NEW YORK CITY (June 5, 2019)
June 05, 2019, New York, N.Y. - TECHSPO Los Angeles 2019
June 12, 2019, Los Angeles, Calif. - Predictive Analytics World Industry 4.0
June 16, 2019, Las Vegas, Nev.
More Contests
This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends.
You can see a full list of events, contest and award listings or post your own events by visiting the Small Business Events Calendar.
Image: Depositphotos.com
This article, “Virtual Event Focused on Starting a Business Mid-Life Happens June 11” was first published on Small Business Trends
[ad_2]
Source link
Internet Marketing Trends and Forecasts – Online Businesses
[ad_1]
In this article, we discuss Internet marketing trends, focusing on the interaction between brands and customers. We also talk about digital tools that assist businesses in increasing profits.
In today’s
world, it is difficult to predict consumer behavior. What do customers prefer?
And how will they respond to a particular marketing approach? How can you
develop a winning marketing strategy? How will marketing innovation affect
consumer behavior? Answers to these questions will guide your marketing
strategy.
Internet Marketing Trends
1. Digital Marketing Strategy and Planning Trends
With regard to this marketing trend, experts strongly recommend using customer-oriented approaches. Also, these experts point out that you should audit your marketing approach throughout the entire life cycle of your product. Your mission is to be constantly aware of what your customer is searching for, whether it is a list by NativeCasinos or recently launched VPN services.
Another aspect of this important marketing trend is the transition to multi-channel marketing. The approach relies on the use of comprehensive communications primarily focused on customers and their interactions with the product or service on offer. In short, multi-channel marketing gives customers opportunities to make choices in ways that suit them best.
2. Data Collection and Analytics
To improve your digital tactics, develop a marketing strategy that brings in sales and builds your brand. To do this, rely on various services to monitor your customers’ online behavior.
In other words, track your customers’ preferences. Thereafter, precisely target your audience based on what you learn. Then you will be able to offer each segment of your market exactly the product they are looking for.
3. Changes in Search Engine Algorithms
Search engines play a big role in development of marketing. For example, Google has made several major changes to its search algorithms. Each of these changes forced corresponding changes in various marketing trends.
RELATED ARTICLE: GIVE YOUR BUSINESS A HEAD START WITH A SMART SEO STRATEGY
4. Trends on Social Networks
Social media platforms are a rich source of information about your customers. For example, people older than 55 made up the largest group of Facebook users in 2018. On the other hand, all age groups use Instagram. However, its major audience consists of users aged 25 to 34. Likewise, most Snapchat users are between 25 and 34 years old.
Using targeted advertising campaigns on social networks is an important trend in online marketing. Therefore, learn where your target audience hangs out online. Then you can formulate offers to your customers more effectively.
5. Email Marketing Trends
Many businesses in various niches use email marketing. One of the new directions in email marketing is the “mobile-first” approach. What does this mean? This is one of several marketing trends that takes into account the fact that nearly everyone uses a smartphone to access their email. Therefore, it is critically important that your email campaign is easy to read on mobile screens.
6. Content Marketing
The Content Marketing Institute does a great job of identifying innovative marketing trends in their area. According to them, the main trends in the near future will be:
- Content quality that’s based on an understanding of customers’ needs
- An increased investment in new content structures that contribute to marketing activities
- Improved tools for measuring content marketing effectiveness
7. Paid Ads
An important trend in marketing is paid online content and video advertising. Often, paid ads help both small and large companies to establish their brand and increase their customer base with less effort.
Be Alert to Internet Marketing
Trends and Get More Wins with Your Marketing
We hope this discussion about marketing trends will inspire you to be more innovative in your marketing approach. You already understand, no doubt, that the quantity of your sales depends on the quality of your marketing. Therefore, make use of the marketing trends that work for your business, and your marketing will surely bring you more wins.
[ad_2]
Source link
9 Secrets to Having World-Class Customer Service
[ad_1]
Hint: It starts with your people.
9 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Good customer service is crucial to ensuring your business will continue to grow. These nine experienced leaders and Advisors in The Oracles, including Canva founder Melanie Perkins and clothing designers Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, share their secrets for guaranteeing a world-class customer experience.
1. Turn feedback into an actionable list.
Melanie Perkins
Image credit:
The Oracles
There are endless projects our team could be working on, so prioritizing goals is incredibly important. Keeping customers at the core of every decision makes that easier.
It is vital to connect and empathize with our community. As we grow, one of the challenges is ensuring that we have systems to actively listen and respond to our customers’ needs. We’ve had over 800,000 pieces of feedback across all of our channels; so we launched an internal tool to help us turn that feedback into an actionable list. We also host regular in-person workshops that are open to the public, called “Design School After Hours.” That way our team can see how people use Canva, and continually improve the product. —Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva, which is valued at over $1 billion
2. Ensure the entire team knows everything about your products.
Emily Current and Meritt Elliott
Image credit:
The Oracles
We are constantly inspired and influenced by our customers. To best serve them, we ensure that everyone from the e-commerce team to retail staff knows the how, why, and where of our products — from the creative inspiration behind them to the fit, nuances, care, and durability. To disseminate product knowledge to the customer, it’s essential that our team members know everything there is to know.
We strive to be good listeners and keen observers, and use language that is polite, thoughtful, and educated. We tackle the biggest issues first, in a timely manner, and work our way down to small, easier issues. We value all feedback and questions and honor the fact that each person has invested in a piece that we’ve made. —Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, co-founders and creative directors of the global lifestyle brand Emily + Meritt and women’s apparel line THE GREAT; follow Emily and Meritt on Instagram
3. Hire the right employees and be consistent.
Michel Falcon
Image credit:
The Oracles
Taking care of strangers authentically and habitually day after day requires “customer-centric DNA.” Focus on hiring people with this quality. One of my favorite customer-centric interview questions is, “What is the temperature of the sun?” I don’t expect an exact answer; I’m interested in how they behave when they don’t know the answer. Do they respond with “Um, I don’t know … hot,” or “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out for you”? If they email me later with the answer, I’m interested in hiring them — because that’s how they will treat our customers. I won’t hire a candidate who doesn’t pass this test.
Your customers are looking for familiar, consistent experiences. They want confidence in your brand before, during, and after they do business with you over the phone, email, social media, or in person. Whether it’s your call center or billing process, evaluate which interactions cause pain points for them. Then focus on that area for an entire quarter before moving on to another. —Michel Falcon, entrepreneur and keynote speaker, with expertise in customer experience, company culture, and employee engagement; author of “People-First Culture”; connect with Michel on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook
4. Prioritize positivity, empathy, and resolution time.
Mike Peters
Image credit:
The Oracles
Every time a customer contacts you, you have a choice: be like everyone else, or exceed their expectations and leave a lasting impression that turns them into raving fans. After handling tens of thousands of calls, emails, and live chats for our clients, we have found three keys to standing out and building a following: positivity, empathy, and resolution time.
Our customer support agents are trained to smile and use positive keywords to brighten the caller’s day. Empathy is about active listening, reiterating what the customer said, and truly caring. Resolution time is how quickly you solve the issue. When there’s no immediate resolution, communicate an estimated timeline and do whatever it takes to beat it. Making customers happy is about expectations and actual experience. Whether you handle customer support or use a company like ours, your customers will love doing business with you if your support team commits to these principles. —Mike Peters, entrepreneur, philanthropist, XPRIZE Foundation board member, and founder of the Yomali group of companies, which has generated more than $1 billion in sales online
5. Streamline your client onboarding.
Yuri Elkaim
Image credit:
The Oracles
At Healthpreneur, our driving metric is not our revenue — it’s the revenue we help our clients generate. Everything we do is based on their goals and how we can help them win. We’re always looking for feedback and ways to better serve our customers.
We continuously improve our trainings so our customers get everything they need. We add to our team when needed to help clients overcome their issues. If a client is stuck in a particular area and there’s a gap in our offering, we bring in a specialist to support them.
We have a client concierge and a specific onboarding process that starts as soon as they enroll, to ensure they have everything they need and know exactly what to expect. The first seven days are critical for momentum, so we always have an immediate onboarding call with each client. Then we have a check-in call within the next 14 days to make sure they’re on track. —Yuri Elkaim, founder and CEO of Healthpreneur, former professional athlete, and New York Times best-selling author; connect with Yuri on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube
6. Be your own customer.
Craig Handley
Image credit:
The Oracles
Hiring the right people is extremely important. Build a commission plan that aligns them with your vision. The customer’s voice should drive your customer service. They want correct, consistent answers and an easy and quick turnaround. They also want to speak to friendly people who are knowledgeable about your products and how to use them.
If you outsource customer service to another country, prioritize value, not price. I ran call centers around the world and saw how important it is that agents know your customer’s culture, so they can relate, connect, and personalize the conversation.
Finally, inspect your processes. Order your own product; call your customer service team; listen to calls; score them, and even answer some of them so you understand everything going on with your brand. — Craig Handley, co-founder of ListenTrust and author of “Hired to Quit, Inspired to Stay”; read more about Handley: Why These Founders Train Their Employees to Quit
7. Value people over profit.
Lin Sun
Image credit:
The Oracles
There are three primary reasons you need customer service: your product or service sucks, you didn’t deliver on expectations, or your systems weren’t thorough. This underscores the simplicity of taking care of customers. They want a quality product or service delivered in line with promised expectations, and with simple processes to handle any challenges that arise.
We truly listen to what our customer wants and needs. If we can offer it, we will. We value people over profit and teach our customer service team to handle issues accordingly. For example, a customer purchased a $150 mala necklace seven years ago. It was so deeply meaningful to her that she wore it every day. When she accidentally broke it, she came to us very distraught. Because she took the time to explain the circumstances, we sent her another for free. It didn’t make the most sense financially, but we earned a fan for life. —Lin Sun, CEO at Tiny Devotions and partner at Crimcheck
8. Constantly improve the client ‘experience.’
Casey Weade
Image credit:
The Oracles
“Client service” isn’t in our company’s vocabulary. We call it the client experience because it embodies every interaction we have with others. The entire experience is what people remember and talk about — not an offhand service.
To remain a top priority, the client experience must constantly improve and evolve. We want our team to think about and explore how they can offer our clients a one-of-a-kind interaction. That doesn’t come from a training manual; it has to be part of their DNA.
We have a specialized “Secret Service Team,” an idea inspired by customer service expert John DiJulius. Team members from each area of our business constantly evaluate ways to improve the experience for our customers and their co-workers. Before your team can provide a one-of-a-kind experience to others, they must feel it firsthand; because if your team is getting a second-rate experience, you can bet your clients are too. —Casey Weade, CFP, retirement planning expert, author, president of Howard Bailey, and host of the “Retire with Purpose” TV and radio shows
9. Anticipate what customers want.
Gail Corder Fischer
Image credit:
The Oracles
We’ve found that the best way to earn and keep customers is to anticipate what they want and need before they do, and then provide world-class solutions. This helps establish a relationship based on truth and trust. If you say you’re going to do something, do it.
We pride ourselves on being the first to integrate technology and other business advancements into our real estate services for corporate clients; it’s one of the things we’re known for. Our platform integrates these advancements with honesty, transparency, and frequent communication to secure the best deals for our clients and provide an experience that is impossible to get elsewhere. —Gail Corder Fischer, executive vice chairman of Fischer & Company, a leading global corporate real estate firm that provides consulting, brokerage, and technology solutions
Want to share your insights in a future article? Join The Oracles, a mastermind group of the world’s leading entrepreneurs who share their success strategies to help others grow their businesses and build better lives. Apply here.
For more articles like this, follow The Oracles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
[ad_2]
Source link
We Were Forced to Cut Back on Hours – Slightly
[ad_1]
This article, “We Were Forced to Cut Back on Hours – Slightly” was first published on Small Business Trends
[ad_2]
Source link