Archives for 2019

[ad_1]

Once, companies and brands touting their ethically-sourced ingredients and environmental values found themselves in the minority. This “feel-good” messaging remained the primary language of homespun business owners. And they sold rustic wares at farmers’ markets. But today it pays to be “green” in a very big way. And the size and scope of your business makes no difference in  this regard.

Sustainability Marketing

Consumers increasingly get turned off by products or services perceived to be wasteful or harmful to the environment. So right now your company should start thinking about sustainability. And include sustainability-related messages in your marketing. You’ll find it easy to adopt an environmentally-friendly image if you sell artisanal organic snack food. But what if your business operates in a B2B vertical? Here your environmental impact and sustainability efforts become less obvious?

But it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. Your business likely undertakes some form of sustainability initiative or another already.

• Do you offer e-billing to your customers so you can reduce paper waste?
• Does your physical plant participate in a local recycling program?
• Do you use recycled paper products for your shipping/packaging needs?
• Does your business go above and beyond to engage in ethical supply chain and sustainable sourcing of your products?
• Do you get your energy from renewable sources?

It doesn’t matter if these measures are also good for you bottom line. You should include any of these sustainability efforts in your marketing messages too.

Practicing Sustainability?

You won’t find sustainability to be the most glamorous part of your business. But you can probably find some examples already in place. And you must publicize these examples whenever possible. In many cases, you could probably take at least a few of your company’s existing environmental practices and protocols and showcase them. Use them show a commitment to environmental sustainability on your website and other promotional materials. 

But do you want to put your money where your mouth is?

You can always cut a check and donate to a worthy environmental cause. And publicize the donation! Perhaps your company can find a closely related environmental charity to which you can donate. Or become a sponsor of local organizations in your community.

For example, if you sell fishing poles, maybe you could donate money to an organization or government agency that helps protect freshwater resources. You could also team up with an environmental organization to fund a special event that encourages natural resource conservation and raises awareness in your own community.

Your company could collect a percentage of sales from a certain product and then give that money to a local group that promotes environmental stewardship. Cash donations are a tangible way for you to do some good for the environment, while also bolstering your company’s image in the eyes of the public.

The generosity of your financial gift can help offset some of the environmental impact of your business, and it’s a great way to make inroads with environmentally-conscious consumers.

Why Should You Practice Sustainability?

The “why” in the discussion of sustainability is just as important as the “how.”

For example, let’s say that your company has just installed a few new solar panels on the roof of its headquarters. That’s great! You’ll save some money on your energy bill each month, but try to think about what you would tell your customers in a press release or a blog post: “We want clean air and value healthy communities, so in order to reduce the harmful effects of burning fossil fuels we are now sourcing more of our energy from alternative forms of energy.”

People are much more inclined to get excited about these overtures – and more excited to support your business – if you can find a way to include them.  Sustainability is a profoundly complex and important issue. Virtually every aspect of how we live and work will continue to evolve as the demand for natural resources continues to rise.

Many consumers are eager to support businesses that are embracing the challenges of the present and anticipating the changing needs of the future. Demonstrating to your customers that your business is forward-thinking about how you conduct your operations to minimize impact on the environment is a great way to show that you’re a forward-thinking, innovative company in other aspects.

Progressive sustainability is not just good for marketing, it’s good for business and it’s good for people, too.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “The Secret Behind Using Sustainability in Your Marketing” was first published on Small Business Trends

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

Today, every business needs an online presence. Whether you run a local business or sell products online, a website, social media and other online profiles can help you reach a larger audience. Whether you’re just starting to build an online presence or looking to step up your efforts, here are some tips from members of the online small business community to help.

Create More Effective Instagram Videos

Video is the perfect outlet for getting a unique message across to your potential customers. If your target audience is active on Instagram, then you should be utilizing video on that platform. But how can you make your videos more effective? Joe Forte explains in this UpCity post.

Use Organic Social Media as a Base for Paid Marketing

It’s true that ads and paid promotions on social media can help you increase your reach significantly. However, you can’t really make use of these options without a solid base of organic social media content. John Jantsch explores this concept in this Duct Tape Marketing post. And the BizSugar community discussed it further here.

Fix Your Local SEO Mistakes

When you’re trying to reach local customers online, you need to be very careful when shaping your SEO strategy. There are tons of mistakes that impact businesses and make their efforts less effective. Gary Shouldis outlines some of them in this 3Bug Marketing post.

Target Adjacent Markets with Smart Risk Taking

If you want to expand your target audience, it helps to look into adjacent markets that are very similar to your current customer base. But it’s important to do this without alienating your current customers. That takes some smart risk taking, according to Ben Gibson of Marketing Land.

Leverage the Full Potential of On-Site Search

A search function is important for any website. It helps your visitors find specific types of content they’re looking for, providing a better experience overall. But simply having a search bar may not be enough. To make the most of this function, check out this Search Engine Journal post by Jes Scholz.

Get Inspiration for your Landing Page Designs

Landing pages can help you provide a more targeted experience for your website visitors, making it easier to purchase or convert into paying customers. If you’re interested in making use of this tactic for your website, see the examples in this DIY Marketers post by Lana Miro.

Examine the DNA of Shareable Content

If the content you create on your blog or website is shareable, you can extend your reach significantly. But what separates great shareable content from the rest? This Social Media HQ post by Christian Zilles includes a full explanation.

Embrace Different Ways of Promoting Your Business

If you always stick to the same methods for promoting your business, you’ll continue to get the same results. So if you want to grow, you need to embrace new methods, according to Lisa Sicard of Inspire to Thrive. BizSugar members also offered commentary on the post here.

Stop Making Simple Mistakes with Your PR Pitches

PR pitches can help you gain more attention for your business both online and off. But if you make mistakes with your pitches, they may not have the impact that you’d like for your business. Learn about the most common mistakes and how to avoid them in this RightMix Marketing post by Rachel Leist.

Create Content That Attracts Customers

Quality content can really help you step up the impact of your website and online presence. But it’s important to consider exactly how your content can attract your target customers, rather than creating generic posts. In this Social Media Examiner post, Michael Stelzner dives into what constitutes quality content.

If you’d like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “10 Expert Tips for Creating an Effective Online Presence for Your Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

A survey of more than 900 consumers by the Expedia Group reports guest ratings carry more weight than brand value.

Impact of Hotel Reviews

For 72% of the respondent in the survey, the reviews and ratings of guests are more valuable. So much so, they say they are willing to pay more for hotels with a higher rating. As much as 35% more for a 4.4 rated hotel over one rated 3.9, and 24% more for a 3.9 rated hotel over a 3.4 rating.

Small hotel owners who can’t compete with large brands in terms of sheer size can now do so with quality service.

Abhijit Pal, Head of Research, Lodging Partner Services, Expedia Group, said as much in the press release.

Pal said, “This shows that guest ratings have essentially leveled the playing field for independent hotels, as more potential guests seek out third party endorsements for hotel properties they are considering. It also reveals that independent hotels can compete on a global scale with brands if they focus on guest experience.”

Guest Rating

The internet, social media, and smartphones have changed the way consumers interact with a business. If your business doesn’t provide a quality customer experience, they will let you know with their peer reviews.

It is this ability which has empowered consumers and given small businesses the potential to compete with much larger brands.

Consumers also want unique experiences, which is much harder to deliver for a large hotel with 200 rooms. What this means for small hotels is they can go above and beyond a large chain to provide the best possible experience. And if it is done right, the reviews from your guest will drive in more customers.

Survey Report

The report says guest reviews are important, but it is not the number one factor in making a decision on where to stay. Not surprisingly, price is number one.

Consumers first look at the price of the hotel, whether it is a popular brand or not. According to the report, promotions and discounts are an almost sure fire way for customers to choose your property.

After price, guest ratings is the most important factor for the majority of the respondents in the survey. This was the case on both sides of the pricing structure. No matter how much a customer is willing to pay, they want value for the amount they are paying.

To get this perceived value, they are getting the information they need from previous guests and the reviews they leave behind.

The report concludes by saying brand as an attribute isn’t as powerful as guest ratings. And the days of brands solely driving the decision are gone.

For independent hotels who are delivering a customer experience above and beyond what their guests are expecting this all good news.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Good News for Small Hotel Owners, 72% Rank Guest Ratings Above Brand” was first published on Small Business Trends

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

A new report highlights how small businesses turn to their accountants for technology advice. AndZoho partnered with AccountingWeb on the report. It shows small businesses are asking for this advice 83% of the time. And 40% of the accountants say they are asked tech questions up to 20 times a month.

Small Business Trends contacted Andy North at AccountingWeb to learn more. North put the survey together with Zoho. And he started by talking about the kinds of technology accountants most often answer questions about. First, 62% answer questions on desktop accounting software. And 46% answer questions on software training. While 46% answer questions on support services. And 57% answer questions on data security.

North filled in some detail on these numbers.

“By far the most common (according to the survey) is desktop accounting software along with related third party apps and integration. That’s followed closely by the same for cloud software,” he wrote. “Software training and overall needs analysis was also a common area in which businesses sought advice.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports almost 20 percent of SMBs fail in their first year. Half do the same by the end of year five. Technology is a partial answer to higher success rates. Small businesses are turning to accountants for tech help and more than just bookkeeping.

The report shows that business owners see their accountants as much more than just number crunchers. North said the challenge for accountants is to keep pace with the demand. He outlined the reasons he thought accountants are good at this.

Trust is Important

“ First, one of the most important factors when seeking expert advice is trust,” he writes. “Hopefully, the accounting partner has already earned that trust, so it’s a smaller step to ask for advice about technology. ”

The second is the common notion that accountants know everything about how a business functions financially.

“Finally, tech systems are integrated with accounting solutions on the web. The person who knows the accounting system is in a good position to advise on technology.”

Clients Ask For It

Thirty eight percent of accountants supply technological advice because clients ask for it.  Still others (21%) reported answering these questions allowed them to use their passion for technology.

Even though they are being encouraged to charge for their advice, some accountants still have misgivings.

Some reported they felt they were out of their depth (22%) while others (19%) worried about liability.

North said there were some consequences for the SMB/accountant relationship.

“It is a shift from being a relatively passive partner focusing on what happened in the past, to a proactive partner focusing on the future,” he wrote. “A major conundrum here is ‘What are accountants actually charging for? The time spent completing a task or the knowledge and advice added to that? Furthermore, firms have to become much better at packaging and selling these services to their clients.”

He also talked about where he sees the trend going.

“I think, ultimately, accounting firms will develop more mature business models. We will see firms across the board offering clearly defined and priced technology consultancy services.

It may eliminate some of the variables and therefore risk,” he said.

Industry Leaders

He pointed to Zoho as one of the industry leaders. They offer a wide range of the kind of technology needed on one platform. North said this simple platform will make it easier for accountants to provide this type of advice.

“Zoho helps accountants overcome the challenges of giving business advice by providing an all-in-one suite of apps. It connects an accountant’s core focus, finances, with nearly every tool that their client may need,” said Raju Vagesna, Zoho’s Chief Evangelist in a company release.

AccountingWeb conducted the survey in North American with over 400 firms.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “83% of Small Business Owners Ask Their Accountant for Tech Advice” was first published on Small Business Trends

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

Laptops continue to increase in popular for business use. And not only do they allow you and your team to get work done from anywhere. But many also provide all the power, storage and speed that you really need. And this allows you to perform your day-to-day functions.

However, with the increasing popularity of laptops, there are also more devices to choose from than ever before. Wading through all the brands and specs can get complicated, especially for small business owners who already have tons of other tasks on their plate.

How to Choose a Laptop

Whether you’re looking for a laptop that you can use personally in your home office or a selection of devices to supply to a small team, here are some helpful tips for those who aren’t sure how to choose a laptop for business use.

Evaluate Your Workload Needs

Every business owner or profession is going to use their laptop slightly differently. So that means their specific feature and spec requirements are going to vary. Before you get started comparing specific models, you need to figure out what it is you need from a laptop. And that starts by looking at the tasks you regularly accomplish on your device.

Jason Harrison of Harrison Technology Consulting LLC said in an email interview with Small Business Trends, “What you need depends on the workloads you plan to tackle with it. If you are doing typical tasks (Email, word processing, spreadsheet work, basic presentations, web surfing, etc.) Then a mid-priced mid-powered device will do you well. If you plan on doing some heavier compute tasks like video editing, heavy image rendering/manipulation, coding, or music production, then you’re going to want to invest in as much as you can afford to get enough power and other system resources to do these tasks in a reasonable amount of time.”

Avoid Really Low Cost Equipment

Of course, you need to find a laptop that fits within your company’s budget. However, opting for bargain basement devices can often cost your business more in the future with extra repairs, loss of productivity or more frequent replacements.

Harrison says, “Most of the time you get what you pay for. Typically, the higher quality equipment from companies like Apple tend to hold up well, last a really long time, and be less trouble.”

Don’t Get Weighed Down by Tons of Specs

When shopping for laptops, there are tons of different specs you can look at. You might see terms like CPU, screen resolution, 4G cards and hard drive storage. Some of these things might impact specific businesses. For example, if you work with high res graphics, a high screen resolution may be important.

However, many of these aspects are fairly comparable within specific price points. So Harrison cautions against getting bogged down with minutiae unless it’s a very specific need for your company.

He adds, “These days most mid-priced and up computers are more than capable and specs mean a lot less. Obviously, if you plan to do audio or video work, then you’ll want to pay attention to the devices video and audio hardware. For basic computing needs, most specs are often more than enough.”

Look into RAM

However, there’s at least one spec that is relevant to pretty much any computer buyer. RAM impacts each device’s performance based on how much memory and storage it can hold.

Harrison explains, “That said, RAM is still one key spec to pay attention to. While most basic configurations are at least in the 8GB range, I typically suggest 16GB as a minimum to help provide a bit more performance when running many apps and to provide a bit more longevity in the devices life without the need to worry about upgrading the RAM anytime soon.”

Consider Getting Help from a Professional

If you want to invest in a quality laptop that’s perfect for your business, but don’t want to do all the research and comparison shopping on your own, consider hiring an IT consultant. To ensure that you get unbiased advice, Harrison recommends going with someone who does not resell hardware or software products from specific vendors. That way, you can be sure they’re actually going to recommend you the products that are right for your business, rather than trying to earn some extra money.

He says, “These pros are hired by you and work for you and are out to help you get the best solution for your business. These pros often pay for themselves many times over. They can also be a very valuable resource to assist with ongoing needs such as developing a solid security plan for your system and helping maintain the system. Computers and like devices are not appliances. They are complex devices that do require proper software management, security management, and ongoing attention to keep them running securely and smoothly.”

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “How to Choose a Laptop for Your Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends

[ad_2]

Source link