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You are here: Home / Blog

Need Some Productivity Hacks? Here are 11 to Consider

April 19, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Most of the time, being more productive means striking a better work-life balance and learning to mitigate the little stressors that eat away at efficiency and the psyche.



Work Productivity Hacks

These work productivity hacks will help you maximize your time and happiness.

1. Know Thyself

What time are you at peak productivity? Now schedule your most >crucial tasks during that time. If you’re a genius between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight, then by golly, do whatever you have to do to block off that time and get ‘er done.

11 Genius Work Productivity Hacks You Need to Know

If you need a little help discovering your peak productivity, check out this app that promises to help you find it.

And if you work from home, here are some special hacks just for you.

2. Skip Facebook

It may be tempting to log in and just *peek* at what your news feed is up to, but that’s a dangerous move when you’re trying to get something done. Before you know it, you’re tangled in a web of cute animal videos and profilestalking, and it’s 30 minutes later before you realize you’ve entered the Facebook time warp.

One study showed 23 percent of workers cited Facebook as the destination to “waste time.”

But what if it’s your job to manage social media profiles for a company? Try staying within scheduling apps like Hootsuite so you’re not tempted to log in?—?or check out the Facebook at Work product that promises to keep work and personal separate on the network?—?and limit distractions from screaming goats.

3. Ditch the Smartphone

The average smartphone user checks his or her device 221 times a day.Putting your cell phone out of sight during work hours helps get it off your mind?—?unless you’re so far gone that you experience phantom cell-phone vibrations. In that case, start rethinking your relationship with technology.

4. Forget Multitasking and Just Focus

11 Genius Work Productivity Hacks You Need to Know

You might think you’re being more productive by sending those emails during a conference call, but think again. Multitasking reduces efficiency and the quality of work (plus, research shows it literally lowers your IQ). So when you have to get something done, just focus on the task at hand for best results.

And keep in mind that studies show the human brain can only focus for 90 to 120 minutes at a time before it needs a break.

5. Reimagine Your Inbox

11 Genius Work Productivity Hacks You Need to Know

Emails build a to-do list that other people create for you. So you need to manage that daily annoyance somehow.

Schedule certain times of the day that you check email, and stick with it. You can try tackling email first thing in the morning, after lunch, and at the end of day. And for God’s sake, turn off email notifications.

If you think this is going to be a problem for your teams or clients, let them know ahead of time how you communicate throughout the day.

You can also look into apps that let you get a handle on your inbox, like Productive Inbox , SimplyFile, or Boomerang for Gmail.

6. Change Your Scenery

If you’re feeling a little foggy midafternoon, try looking out the window into nature. No window? No problem?—?one study found simply looking at a computerized image of nature helped increase focus.

Even better though is to take a short walk outside. Research shows that a 30-minute lunchtime walk can help people cope with stress and boosts enthusiasm for the remainder of the afternoon.

7. Meditate

Just 15 minutes of mindfulness meditation can lead to more rational business decisions?—?not to mention better teamwork, being more creative, and a whole slew of health benefits.

Not the yogi type? Try the Headspace app, which has brought meditation to the masses. So go ahead and get your ohm on.

8. Ask for Help and Delegate

11 Genius Work Productivity Hacks You Need to Know

There is power in numbers. And frankly, there are things you’re just not good at and probably don’t want to do. When you’re feeling overwhelmed with tasks or underwhelmed by the tedious work on your plate, ask for help.

Guaranteed there is someone out there who can do the tasks you don’t want to 10 times better (try looking in Upwork), so find the person and delegate!

9. Create Innovation Time

Google made famous the idea of giving team members a percentage of time to work outside their normal projects and on what they think would most benefit the company.

If you’re constantly “doing,” you have no time to innovate. Making the same widget day after day does not allow you to think about what new widgets you might make.

Try setting aside time to work on something that will move the needle.

10. Be Agile

11 Genius Work Productivity Hacks You Need to Know

The agile approach to building products and software and managing projects is finding its way into other areas of business and even into people’s personal lives.

A popular method is Scrum (an agile framework), which breaks large tasks into smaller items that are worked on and completed typically within a one-week sprint.

11. Get Ergonomic

11 Genius Work Productivity Hacks You Need to Know

Sitting is the new smoking, don’t you know. And some research suggests that even if you exercise but still sit for long periods of time, your health is at risk. Not to mention aches, pains, and fatigue can be a real productivity killer.

Luckily, there’s been innovation in workstations that offer affordable sit-standoptions, chairs that move with you more naturally, desks that recline and even allow you to take a nap. (By the way, napping has also been linked with productivity.)

Republished by permission. Original here.

Photo via Shutterstock


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What You Need to Know to Create a Best-selling Book

April 17, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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My book made it to No. 1 on Amazon’s self-help, new releases. Here’s how you can find similar success.


April 17, 2018

7 min read

A Note From The Editor

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


Five years ago, I decided that it was time to write my first book. It was the story of how a single dad of five led his kids, his business and himself from disaster to success. At that time, I hadn’t written even a single word on the topic. Writing a book seemed like an overwhelming task and I didn’t even know where to begin. What kind of book should it be? A self-help, memoir, parenting, leadership or business book? Should I self-publish or try to get a traditional publisher or was there another option? I researched and found 10 individuals who were either experts, consultants or had published books. I got 20 opinions on what to do.

I have recently completed the long and arduous journey of writing a book. Leader of the Pack, a self-published book memoir, even reached No. 1 in self-help, new releases on Amazon. Now I get to brag about having a bestselling book and share how I made it happen. So, here are some the techniques I learned along the way that you’ll need to create your best-selling book:

Content is king

Before you decide to write a book, think about what the reader will get out of it. Tell your story to friends, family and on social media. See the reaction. I raised five kids on my own as a single-dad for 20 years, had a five-year divorce, a Supreme Court case and ran my own business with 100+ employees and had to reinvent that twice to survive. When I told people my story, I frequently heard, “you need to write a book.” If you are not hearing that, change your approach — or maybe realize your book isn’t worthy. It’s better to know this before you begin.

Personal branding

Start building a powerful and visible personal brand even before you begin writing your book, because it is going to be the most valuable asset you have to evaluate your audience, find your voice, sell your book, get reviews and get noticed by the press. I started building a powerful and visible personal brand years before I began writing my book and about a year before my book was done, I started preparing my audience for the content of my book. About 120 days before the release, I started telling my audience specifically about the book.

Blogging

Writing blogs relevant to your personal brand and book topic is the best way to find your unique voice, understand what exactly you are trying to say to the world and how your message resonates with your audience. Thoughts in your brain look entirely different when you write them down knowing other people will now read them. It is unlikely you will find success as a book author if you haven’t written a few dozen blogs first.

Seek professional help

Get help with your brand, messaging and your voice from experts. Since I was writing about single-fatherhood of five little kids, divorce, ex-wives and struggling businesses, how I crafted my words was crucial. I didn’t want to sound like an angry man or a superhero, and my branding expert was crucial in this process.

Ghost writers are real

If, after writing 25 blogs, you still aren’t good enough at crafting your message, hire a professional writer who has written in your subject area before. There is no shame in that. You don’t even have to list them as a co-author if you agree not to in advance.

Agents and publishers

I prepared an official book proposal, which includes an author’s bio, marketing plan, table of contents, summary of each chapter and a sample chapter — all before I wrote the book. I submitted it to a dozen agents, and one well-known agent accepted it. I was thrilled.

The agent submitted my book to many of the big publishing houses and smaller ones. I got rejection after rejection with a similar response: “You have a big personal brand, but we don’t know where your book fits.”

Eventually, a smaller publisher took my book and after going through six months of work with them, they decided my book wasn’t working for them for “legal” reasons and canceled the contract. I was less than thrilled. 

Self-publishing to success

Self-publishing is the best way to go for most first-time authors. There are many self-publishing platforms to use and you should research them carefully. I published my first edition with Bookbaby. But after learning the ropes, I published my second edition through Amazon Createspace for the paperback and Kindle Direct Publishing for the e-book. I had good experiences with them all. Bookbaby is more expensive to use but does most of the work for you. Createspace is less-expensive to print books and gives you all the control over your book you could ever want including the ability to quickly update the book itself and pricing. The best part of self-publishing is you keep more of the money from the sales. And since, you will be doing most of the book promoting anyway, why even bother with a traditional publisher?

Promote, promote, promote

Time to use that powerful and visible personal brand to promote your book. As soon as you know when your book is going to publish, you should start using all your social channels to get the word out. Email blasts, live video, requesting appearances on podcasts, and just telling everyone you know are all techniques you need to employ. Reach out to local bookstores and set up book signings timed to the release. Look for venues that are relevant to your book topic and see if they will let you speak to their audience. Be relentless and expect that it will take many weeks and months to continuously promote your book to get it to the top of the charts. This is as hard a task as it was to write the book.

Amazon book reviews

It is common knowledge that more reviews you get on Amazon, the more your book gets promoted by the Amazon algorithm and is likely to sell more. Some say the magic number is 50 and some say it’s 100. If you promote your book well, you will get some reviews organically – meaning readers will submit reviews on their own. But if you want to reach the 50 or 100 marks, you will have to solicit reviews one by one, repeatedly. Use that personal brand and personally ask people to buy and review your book. I spent time each day reaching out to anyone I thought would enjoy the book, and because I have a large social following, I was able to add an average of three reviews per day in the first month of release. This is a process you should continue through the life of the book.

Have a party

Plan to have a book launch party timed near the release of your book. It’s a fabulous way to generate interest in your book, get the attention of the press, and get a direct feel for how people view you and your book. This will be promotion money well spent and if you are able, look for a sponsor. My book party had over 75 people attend, I gave away 100 books, and I’m still having people contact me about the party and my book. The party also created a personal relationship with the attendees, giving you the opportunity to directly ask for book reviews. Finally, you have worked your ass off to get to this spot, and the party is a well-deserved reward for your efforts.

You can see now that writing a book and getting it to be a bestseller is not an easy task. It requires creative thinking, excellent writing skills, personal brand building and a truckload of hard work. But anyone can do it — you just have to ask yourself one question: “How bad do I want it?!”

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Virtual Enterprises International Teaches Kidpreneurs Life Lessons Through Starting a Business

April 17, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Learning entrepreneurial skills at a young age can be incredibly beneficial, both for kids that end up running businesses as adults and for those who go on to pursue more traditional career paths. And one company is working to bring those skills to classrooms around the country.

Teaching Kids About Business

Virtual Enterprises International sets up virtual businesses in classrooms around the country and even in a handful of countries around the world. In these classrooms, students actually run hypothetical businesses using real world concepts. Each of them is assigned a role within the company and they have to learn how to work together, source products, market their offerings and complete all of the other essential tasks that go into running a business. The classrooms even connect with one another to form a sort of virtual economy.

Virtual Enterprises president and national program director Nick Chapman said in a phone interview with Small Business Trends, “It’s about learning business by actually doing business. We give them the opportunity to go hands on, fail, succeed and learn that way, which is so important. It offers much greater potential than simply learning from a textbook. They get to learn leadership, collaboration and communication skills by actually running meetings and completing projects and tasks that you wouldn’t get in a traditional class.”

The program’s goal isn’t necessarily to make more young people into entrepreneurs. The businesses are set up so students can try out different jobs and learn about potential career opportunities as well. But of course, by giving students a taste of what it’s like to run a business, some do go onto run their own — even in high school in some cases.

Jacob Norwood is one example of this. A student entrepreneur from V.R. Eaton High School near Ft. Worth, TX, Norwood serves as the CEO of Connocrate, a Virtual Enterprises business. But he and his classmates have also started an actual business with a similar focus, Canivet, a specialty coffee brand also donating a portion of its earnings to first responders.

Teaching Kids About Business: Kidpreneurs Learning Business Do's and Don'ts in the Classroom

Norwood acknowledges he’s always had some entrepreneurial qualities, but he didn’t learn how to apply them in a business setting or even really consider it as a path until he started taking his school’s business classes leading up to the VE business course.

He said in a recent phone interview with Small Business Trends, “The business academy has opened my eyes and showed me that this is something I can grab hold of and really pursue.”

Norwood and some of his classmates intend to keep the business going after they graduate and go off to college next year. However, he echoed Chapman’s point about the exercise in entrepreneurship being valuable even for the students who choose to pursue more traditional career paths.

He adds, “One of the biggest things you get out of the class comes from the the leadership and teamwork skills that are so necessary to make everything run smoothly.”

Virtual Enterprises is hosting a Youth Business Summit this April 18-19 in New York City where students act as participants in a trade show, participate in business plan competitions, and get the opportunity to interact with other student entrepreneurs around the country.

Images: VEI, Jeffrey Holmes; Top Image: Youth Business Summit 2016; Second Image: Nick Chapman (left) with students from Brooklyn


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You've Reached a Career Milestone. Now What?

April 17, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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If you want to advance in your job and find meaning in your day-to-day work, consider these strategies. For further insights, read “What to Do When Success Leaves You Empty.”

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How to Choose a Business Partner (Infographic)

April 15, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Finding the perfect business partner isn’t easy, but it can make or break your company.


April 15, 2018

2 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


Finding the right business partner is a matter of chemistry. While it can be a tough, it’s extremely important to find someone compatible with you and whose skills complement yours.

Related: 5 Things to Consider Before Getting a Business Partner

So what can you do to have a good partnership? For starters, understand your business and leadership style so you know what you need from a partner. Ask yourself questions including: Do I prefer coming up with facts and figures or brainstorming ideas? Do I like to plan things or play them by ear? Do I look at the bigger picture or focus on details? Questions such as these can help you understand what you can bring to the table in order to figure out what you need from the other person.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Business Partnerships

Once you figure out the type of partner you need, there are a few other rules to live by. Before jumping into a partnership, you should know that person for at least a year so you’ve seen their true colors and have a solid grasp of who they are. Next, make sure your core values and beliefs line up. It would be no fun to butt heads later on. Lastly, draft it all out: Write out your partner’s responsibilities, rights and exit strategy so everything is clear and transparent.

To learn more, check out Business Backer’s infographic below.

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Webinar Set for May Will Teach Small Businesses to Cope with Greatest Security Threats

April 14, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Security, whether it is in the physical or digital world, is a big issue for businesses of all sizes.  With data breaches costing companies millions in the digital world, and inventory shrinkage and theft causing similar headaches for stores, an upcoming Brivo/Small Business Trends webinar seeks to educate on the subject.

The webinar happens May 16, 2018, at 2  p.m. ET with Anita Campbell, founder and CEO of Small Business Trends, Nicki Saffell, Senior Security Consultant at Brivo, and Sara Polon, owner of Soupergirl, a DC area small business.

These thought leaders will discuss data breaches, inventory shrinkage and theft along with ways to combat them.

You can get more details from the featured Events Section and sign up for the webinar while you are at it.

If you happen to have your own webinar or another event, contest, or award listing, you can post it by visiting the Small Business Events Calendar.





Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Entrepreneurs Cruise 2018Entrepreneurs Cruise 2018
April 22, 2018, Florida, United States of America

Are you an Entrepreneur and need to get away and take a break? Ready to recharge, rejuvenate in new surroundings and be inspired by other like minds? Then, you can’t miss the 4th annual Entrepreneurs Cruise! Entrepreneurs Cruise 2018 takes place April 22nd to 29th, 2018 onboard the Royal Caribbean ‘Oasis of the Seas’ Cruise Ship departing Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida, sailing to Philipsburg (St. Maarten), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Labadee (Haiti). Register today!


DigiMarCon East 2018 - Digital Marketing ConferenceDigiMarCon East 2018 – Digital Marketing Conference
May 10, 2018, New York, New York

DigiMarCon East 2018 Digital Marketing Conference takes place May 10th to 11th, 2018 at the luxurious New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York City.
It’s the one digital marketing event you can’t afford to miss! Whether your goal is to reinforce customer loyalty, improve lead generation, increase sales, or drive stronger consumer engagement, DigiMarCon East 2018’s agenda will help attendees enhance their marketing efforts. Sessions will focus on building traffic, expanding brand awareness, improving customer service and gaining insight into today’s latest digital tools. Register today!


WEBINAR: Small Business Doesn’t Mean Small Security: 3 Major Threats You Need to CombatWEBINAR: Small Business Doesn’t Mean Small Security: 3 Major Threats You Need to Combat
May 16, 2018, Online

Data breaches, inventory shrinkage, theft, oh my. On average, data breaches cost $3.62 million per breach and stolen customer data costs $141 per record. And inventory shrinkage in the United States is a $60 billion a year problem. Believe it or not, your business exists within both of those realities. Do you know who is accessing your most valuable assets and sensitive information? Do you know what your employees do when you are not physically onsite? On May 16, 2018, at 2PM ET join Nicki Saffell, Senior Security Consultant at Brivo, Sara Polon, Owner of Soupergirl, a DC area small business, and Anita Campbell, Founder and CEO of Small Business Trends, for a discussion on these challenges and discover modern ways to combat these threats – including electronic access control.


TECHSPO Houston 2018TECHSPO Houston 2018
June 06, 2018, Houston, Texas

TECHSPO Houston 2018 is a 2-day technology expo which takes place JUNE 6 – 7, 2018 at the luxurious Houston Marriott Eaton Centre Hotel in Houston, Ontario. TECHSPO Houston brings together developers, brands, marketers, technology providers, designers, innovators and evangelists looking to set the pace in our advanced world of technology. TECHSPO Houston 2018 promises to be better than ever and we’re excited to see all the amazing tech companies and talent that will join us. Register today!


Growth & Success ConGrowth & Success Con
September 17, 2018, Online

This small business virtual conference is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs at all stages who are stuck in the daily grind of building their businesses and struggle to get solid advice and guidance. An amazing panel of experts in various disciplines and business coaches will share tips & tricks on topics including Growth, Marketing, Management & Business Building for Success. Register today!


More Events

  • Leadership and Team Management Skills
    April 17, 2018, Ashford, United Kingdom
  • SILICON VALLEY BLOCKCHAIN CONFERENCE 2018
    April 17, 2018, San Francisco, United States
  • Time Management and Self-Awareness
    April 18, 2018, Ashford, United Kingdom
  • Funding a Business Application Deadline
    April 20, 2018, Oakland, CA
  • Small Business Expo 2018 – WASHINGTON D.C.
    April 20, 2018, Washington, United States
  • Sales Cruise 2018
    April 22, 2018, Cape Canaveral, Florida
  • DigiMarCon Orlando 2018 – Digital Marketing Conference At Sea
    April 22, 2018, Cape Canaveral, Florida
  • Tech Cruise 2018
    April 22, 2018, Orlando, Florida
  • DigiMarCon Cruise 2018 – Digital Marketing Conference At Sea
    April 22, 2018, Cape Canaveral, FLORIDA
  • AACSB International Conference and Annual Meeting
    April 22, 2018, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Social Media Week NYC
    April 23, 2018, New York, NY
  • PATCA Consultants Networking Lunch-South Bay
    April 24, 2018, Sunnyvale, CA
  • Create a Powerful Brand and Connect with Customers
    April 24, 2018, Online
  • Business Networking for Professional Success
    April 25, 2018, New York, NY
  • VR Franchise Seminar – Experience the only VR platform for Franchising 2018
    April 25, 2018, San Francisco, CA
  • SearchCon 2018 Digital Marketing & SEO Conference
    April 25, 2018, Breckenridge, CO
  • The Sixth International Conference on Digital Information, Networking, and Wireless Communications (DINWC2018)
    April 25, 2018, Beirut, Lebanon
  • CHICAGO BLOCKCHAIN CONFERENCE 2018
    April 27, 2018, Online
  • Free East Cooper Networking Event powered by Rockstar Connect
    May 01, 2018, Mount Pleasant, SC
  • Free Roseville Networking Event powered by Rockstar Connect
    May 01, 2018, Roseville, CA

More Contests

  • Public Vote to Crown America’s Most Unique Small Business Underway
    November 08, 2018, http://www.paychex.com/vote?utm_source=contest&utm_medium=press%20release&utm_term=americas-most-unique

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.

Photo via Shutterstock


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How 10 Billionaires Faced Failure (Infographic)

April 14, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Success doesn’t come easy.


April 14, 2018

2 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


When you’re starting a business, you can expect mistakes and sometimes even failures to come along with it. For most successful people, failure is always a part of their journey. It’s learning how to handle and grow from these experiences that make us stronger and better position us for future successes.

Related: 10 Blessings That Come Hidden in Rejection, Losing and Failure

Just take a look at Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Walt Disney. Before dropping out of Harvard and creating Microsoft, Gates co-founded a traffic monitoring website called Traf-O-Data, which failed.

For all Branson’s life, he’s struggled with dyslexia. He dropped out of school when he was 16-years-old, but then went on to create Virgin. Even at Virgin, Branson has faced many troubles, attempting to start a soda company, a bridal company and a digital download agency, all of which failed.

Related: 10 Strategies for Entrepreneurs Dealing With Failure

Walt Disney was also prone to failure: the high school dropout was fired from a magazine job at 22-years-old because the editor felt he “lacked imagination.” After that, he created Laugh-O-Gram Studio, which went bankrupt after two years.

To learn more, check out Quick Base’s infographic to see how 10 billionaires faced failures.

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What’s Best For Your Business?

April 12, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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April 12, 2018

3 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


When you own a digital marketing agency, clients want to know where to invest their marketing dollars. A question we frequently receive is, “Should I invest in PPC or SEO?”

Related: SEO vs. PPC: Knowing Which Is Right for Your Website

According to WordStream, PPC stands for pay-per-click, “a model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.” Essentially, it’s a way of buying visits to your site, rather than attempting to “earn” those visits organically.

Earned placement via Google organic (or SEO) means you don’t have to pay for each click.

An example

Below is an example of PPC result versus SEO via Google Search. The search term I used was “car insurance.” Using Google’s Keyword Planner, I was able to determine that the average cost per click for this car insurance keyword was nearly $60. This is one of the more expensive terms, folks!

You’ll notice there is a little box that says “Ad” to the right of the PPC advertisements. For organic results, this box does not display. Even though organic placements are below the ads, search engine users overwhelmingly click on organic results on Google and Bing by a margin of 94 percent to six percent, according to Search Engine Watch.

Related: 5 Pay-Per-Click Mistakes That Can Cost You Money

There is enough search volume where Geico, Progressive and Farmers could each get thousands of clicks per day via PPC advertisements. For this example, let’s say Geico generates 100 clicks daily to its site via PPC. This would mean it would pay $6,000 on paid advertisements daily (100 clicks x $60 cost per click = $6,000).

Allstate, on the other hand, ranks No. 1 organically. This means any time someone clicks on its organic placement, that is not costing it a penny. From an ROI perspective, this is obviously much more lucrative than paying $6,000 per day to acquire customers.

Diversification plus patience

The mistake we see most brands make is that they want to get results tomorrow. They don’t have the patience to invest in SEO for three months or possibly three years from today. This makes them quick to jump into PPC and forget about SEO. PPC can drive results tomorrow. SEO is a longer-term process.

On the other hand, we see businesses that don’t want to pay each time someone clicks on their advertisement. They want to have the No. 1 position, similar to Allstate. The issue is that their SEO metrics are far behind their competitors. Their on-site SEO needs work. They need assistance with local directory submissions. They don’t have a backlink and digital PR strategy.

Related: 9 Key Questions to Ask an SEO Company Before Hiring It — or Firing It

My recommendation

If you can rank in the top three positions on Google for every prominent keyword within your industry, you are fortunate and don’t have to invest much in PPC. For the majority of businesses, that isn’t the case, so PPC is necessary to drive traffic and generate sales.

If you are profitable with your PPC, why not invest in this channel as well along with organic? It is just another way to increase your customer base. Don’t think you can only invest in one of the two options between SEO and PPC. You should have a diversified game plan for both.

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Mark Zuckerberg in the Hot Seat and 'Grand Theft Auto' Beats 'Star Wars'! 3 Things to Know Today.

April 10, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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MailTag Chrome Extension Introduces Free Tracking and Auto Follow-up for Business Email – Small Business Trends

April 10, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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When you send an email for business, knowing the actions your recipient has taken provides valuable information about how you should follow up. The MailTag Chrome extension for Gmail and G Suite gives you unlimited email tracking, scheduling and auto follow-up, for free.

The MailTag Chrome extension lets you take three very important actions regarding the email you are about to send out or have already sent out. The extension does more, but by properly using these three functions you will get more from your email than just blindly sending them out and hoping for the best.

As a free tool, MailTag gives small businesses some of the many benefits of email tracking solutions. If your company needs more services, the Pro version provides more options. The cost is $3.15 per per month when you pay for the year. The free version has MailTag ads and signature watermark.



Features of the MailTag Chrome Extension

When you add the MailTtag Chrome extension to Gmail or G Suite, you will be able to track unlimited emails in real-time. You will know the exact time your recipient opens your emails because you will get alerts. Once they open the email and then click on any link, you will also be notified. And all of these actions can be analyzed.

You can track the performance of your email and figure out what is working with your audience. You can then make the necessary changes to correct what’s not working.

New MailTag Chrome Extension Tracks Unlimited Messages in Gmail and G Suite

With the Ping feature, you can automate the follow-up process of your email. You can customize the automated follow-ups by sending emails every other day, week or whenever you think is right to improve reply rates and bring your email to the top of the recipient’s inbox.

New MailTag Chrome Extension Tracks Unlimited Messages in Gmail and G Suite

Speaking of sending emails, you can schedule your emails so they get to their intended destination at the right time. Different time zones, reminders, and well wishing for birthdays, holidays and special occasions can all be scheduled.

New MailTag Chrome Extension Tracks Unlimited Messages in Gmail and G Suite

Email Stats

An analysis of the hundreds of millions of emails sent by MailChimp’s millions of users has revealed the average unique open rates, average unique click rates, average unique soft bounces, average unique hard bounces and average unique abuse complaint rate by industry.

MailChimp looked at industries from agriculture to vitamin supplements with companies ranging in size from 1 to 50 plus employees. The analysis reveals open rate averages of 15.22 to 28.46 percent, with click rates going as high as 5.13 percent.

The MailChimp stats highlight the importance of knowing if your recipients are opening their email, and what they are doing once they do open.

Even though today’s digital technology provides more ways to reach your potential customers than ever before, email is still a powerful tool. With the right applications, email can be optimized to engage with your audience and gather important data which can be analyzed to gain insights into their behavior.

Image: MailTag


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