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As more people work remotely, they are doing so from different places. And one of those places is a coworking space. So, what are the challenges users of these spaces face when they work there?

According to a new survey from Clutch, safety is one of the issues. Almost a quarter or 23% of the respondents in the survey say they don’t feel safe. Moreover, 88% experience different types of challenges.

In the report, Clutch says there are more than 20,000 coworking spaces in the world. And as more companies send their workforce to work in these spaces, they should address the challenges they are facing.

Titled, “6 Challenges of Coworking Spaces” the report looks at each issue with a workaround for the problem.

Coworking Challenges Survey Results

The survey for the report asked 500 coworking employees across the U.S. to find out challenges they experience in coworking spaces.

When it comes to where they prefer to work, only one-third of coworking employees (33%) would prefer to work in their coworking space. Another 39% prefer to work remotely and 28% want to do so in a traditional office. The data points out the growing trend is heading towards working outside of the office.

image: ClutchWhile this doesn’t necessarily mean a coworking space, it is one of the growing options for people who want an alternative option to just working from home. After all, working from home all the time has been associated with loneliness and other mental issues.

Top 6 Coworking Challenges

1. Distractions and noise (48%)
2. Lack of privacy (48%)
3. Limited space (39%)
4. Insufficient equipment (31%)
5. Inability to personalize workspace (31%)
6. Security/safety issues (23%)

Distraction and Noise

Almost half of the respondents (48%) say distraction and noise are a problem. As with any open space with a number of people, the noise will be a distraction.

Clutch suggests for businesses who send their employees into such a space to invest in noise-canceling headphones. Finding companies that offer quiet spaces is also a great option.

Limited Privacy

The issue of privacy comes in with the same 48% of respondents as distraction and noise. According to the report, employees need privacy to succeed even when they’re working as teams.

The suggestion is to add privacy screens between desks if it is allowed. Some coworking spaces also have single-person booths for people who want to be alone for some time.

Small Space

The goal of a coworking space is to have as many people working there as possible. With 39% of the respondents saying space is an issue, this can be a real challenge.

The only solution to this problem is finding an operator with a large enough space to accommodate the needs of your employee.

Not Enough Equipment

If a coworking space is not adequately equipped, it makes it that much more difficult to be efficient. Thirty-one percent of the respondents say insufficient equipment is a reality.

Before you sign your contract with an operator make sure to look at the number of outlets they have, the quality of the chairs, internet speed, copy machines, printers, cleaning service and more.

Not Able to Personalize Workspace

Many individuals and businesses use coworking spaces. This means most companies have strict policies when it comes to personalizing the space. However, with a long enough contract, it is possible to make some arrangements.

With enough desks as part of your unit, you can assign desks to your employees and allow them to personalize them with pictures, memorabilia and other trinkets.

Security and Safety

The security and safety issue affects both personal and physical things as well as intellectual property. The 23% who say security and safety are a concern points out a number of issues.

They worry about Wi-Fi and shared connectivity, leaving computers in the office overnight, and working late at night. With many coworking spaces running 24/7, the problem is very real.

Inspect the space to make sure it has surveillance cameras, alarms, and security guards to make your employees safer.

Bottom Line On Coworking Challenges

Clutch ends the report by saying you shouldn’t avoid coworking spaces because of the above challenges. With enough research, you can find a space that can solve all of these and other problems.

According to Coworking Resources, there will be 25,968 spaces around the world by 2022. This is a jump of almost 6,000 units in just two years. So, operators will get better by providing more space, privacy, security and equipment.

In the meantime, if you don’t find a location near you with all the features you want, ask the operator if they can add them for you.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “23% Feel Unsafe at Their Coworking Space” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Public Relations (PR) helps build and maintain positive public image of your business to the public. At the heart of this form of communication lies effective dialogue. It includes gaining exposure to audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payments.

Across America thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses conduct PR campaigns every day with little investments. Whether you’re a small-business owner or an entrepreneur, PR can help level the playing field between you and your bigger competition. For you to excel in PR you will need to sharpen a set of practical skills and strategies designed to enhance your company’s reputation.

If done right PR can help you achieve your marketing objectives at a fraction of the cost of paid advertising. The key to success in PR is to be creative in your messaging. In a nutshell your PR tasks should be newsworthy and communicate the marketing message.

This is achieved through a planned and sustained set of activities.

PR Vs Marketing

Public Relations is a business tool that often gets confused with marketing or advertising. Though the two are related they are very distinct activities. There are four key differences between PR and marketing. These are appeal, control, credibility and repetition.

Appeal

Your publicity effort should have an angle. The messaging should appeal to the media, the intended public and customers at large. Ads appeal to only one audience which are sales prospects and do not reach a broader audience.

Control

When you advertise, you have almost total control over the content, format, timing, and size of your message. You specify how big your ad is and when it runs. With public relations however you have almost no control over the content, format, timing, and size of your message as it appears in the media. Though you can write anything you want in a press release, you can’t dictate to the newspaper how it is printed or used.

Credibility

People are ever more skeptical of advertising. They tend to take advertisements with a grain of salt when it comes to believing the claims. However, people might be inclined to believe what they hear on radio, see on TV, or read in the paper. They come with the belief that if it runs in the news it must be true. This is because publicity is promotion masquerading as editorial, feature, or news.

Repetition

Advertising is repeatable while PR is not. The same advertisement can run repeatedly as many times as you want it. Conversely, with PR, a media source will run a given press release or cover a publicity event only once.

Public Relations Strategies

Below are some effective public relations strategies that will help guide you to success.

1. Know Your Audiences

For your message to reach the impact that you want, you will need to first understand and segment your audiences. Remember that not all audiences are the same. You can reach some through events, others through social media and yet others through networking events. Whatever content you generate should have your audiences in mind.

2. Get Organized

PR is achieved through a planned, sustained set of activities. You will need a calendar to organize your outreach activities. You must also start generating a contact list of media, opinion leaders, personalities, customers and likeminded companies to engage and collaborate with.

3. Think like a reporter

Your press release should be interesting and to the point with a sprinkle of insightful quotes in it. A brief company history at the end can help too and don’t forget to include your contact details.

The goal here is to ensnare the right editor on the right title with an interesting media release that grabs their attention. The more you can think like a reporter, the better it gets.

4. Do your Research

There are no substitutes for research and careful planning in your PR work. Research is an essential part of public relations management as it allows you to be strategic. This ensures the communication is specifically targeted to audiences who want, need, or care about the information. Study PR campaigns that you would like to take inspiration from. See what the competition is up to and think about outmaneuvering them.

5. Work with a Team

First off you will need to set up a dedicated team for your PR efforts. If you have a staffer who is great in graphics, writes witty copy or simply takes good pictures then get them to your team. Your team will help you add value to your messaging, provide feedback and help you distribute your messages. A team can help ensure that any messages you convey are by design rather than an accident.

6. Enhances Your Online Presence

In this world where everyone is digitally connected you need an online presence to reach to your customers. Your social media presence Facebook, Instagram, twitter are great mediums to reach your public. You can use them to make announcements, make connections and publish content.

7. Know your Competition

The key to any successive business is to strengthen your comparative competitiveness. Your business, and every team within it, must have a source of competitive advantage. Understanding, identifying, creating, and sustaining a competitive advantage is at the heart of a good strategy.

8. Create compelling content

Public relations is about sharing the right information to the right places and people. This helps build your brand and brand reputation. You need to learn your target language, desires, things that resonate with them, and the things they don’t like. Choose the right topic for your content. Compelling content should include elements of curiosity, urgency, relevancy, value and emotion.

9. Think like your Audience

Remember to design your campaign from the public’s point of view, not your own. Subtlety is key here! As a business you will need to use wording that conveys a solidly positive image, forcing opponents to take up the negative stance. Run by your message with friends and family to see what they think of the messaging before sending it out.

10. Define Goals and Objectives

Knowing what you want to achieve and how you want to get there can help bring clarity to your approach. This will help in determining which audiences you need to reach, and which messages and tactics are most likely to help you achieve your goals.

11. Establish a working Strategy

Choose the right PR strategy to suit your business needs. You will need to distinguish between public relations strategies and PR tactics. Strategies fall under the realm of general approaches to achieving objectives. While tactics are the day-to-day activities a business implements to carry out each strategy. 

PR Tips for Getting Publicity

12. Get the media’s attention

The key to getting media coverage is to offer them a story that they can’t resist. You will need to understand your marketing message and creatively craft them to get maximum impact. Understand that the media is looking for news – anything that is new, different, and creative. You will need to build a good relationship with your local paper or TV station. Try to have consistent engagement with them so that the press doesn’t omit you because they don’t know about you.

13. Get your Promotion game on

Promotion is a great way to attract customers and could be worth a thousand ads. The better your PR visibility, the more your other marketing communications efforts will draw interest. So, get out your freebies, merchandising, T-shirts and posters and start spreading the love. Your merchandising will help create resonance among your customers. Make sure that your marketing collateral have your logo on them

14. Be funny

Humor has always been a good way to get people to feel positive about an organization. Many businesses produce humorous advertisements, but there is no reason why PR should not also operate with a sense of fun. Look for something that your target audience would like. Use this to tap into their sense of humor; remember this may or may not be the same as your own.

15. Tease them, make them anticipate

Most companies like to blow the fanfare when they have something new to promote. After all, it is a great opportunity to show what can be done with an effective PR campaign. This will allow them to give the media something really meaty for a change. Here success lies from doing something different from what everyone else is doing.

Make sure to offer something that people will find exciting. This often works best for new products in a series, such as a new model car, book and movie sequels, and new menu items in restaurants. To do this first set a date for the release of the product and publicize it. Release the product in a limited way to enhance anticipation.

16. Have them compete

Competitions, raffles, lotteries, contests of any sort always attract attention, but some are more newsworthy than others. Those who compete will remember the firm and often talk about the competition. Think of an issue, event or topic relevant to your business and then launch a competition along that theme. For a great outcome, the competition should make the news in some way. Above all make sure that the competition is strongly branded.

17. Use the reverse pyramid format in your press release

The mainstay of any public relations endeavor is the press release. The ideal press release is simply, thinly disguised advertisements masquerading as news. If you write it in a manner that it is too promotional the media might not run it. First, write it in a style that is familiar to the publication you have in mind.

Make things easy for journalists by writing in a reverse pyramid style. The whole story is contained in the headline, then each paragraph should offer a little more detail. This will prevent your press release from being cut out too much in the editing room. Avoid using more than 1,000 words.

18. Hold a media event

The media is your go-to medium to disseminate your message. Hold a press conference or a media junket whenever you have something important to announce. Don’t do it only when there is a crisis. Remember what you announce needs to be real news—otherwise, the media will not run it and see the event as a waste of time.

These events will give the media a chance to ask questions in a way that a press release does not. Thus, help build a more robust story on your business. Use the opportunity to further build in some time for journalists to talk one-on-one with your partners, customers and staff. Schedule the event to suit the media’s deadlines and always consult with them beforehand.

19. The young audience

Most PR efforts are aimed at adult audiences. You should know that people start forming their opinions of companies long before they are in a position to do business with them. Children, for example, form clear brand associations at a very early age, so why not try to reach them before your competition does?

20. Think local

Major media such as national newspapers and TV news can be difficult to attract. Your press release might be too small to make it in their media. In addition, the competition to get your business in their radar might be too intense. Rather target your local media such as local radio news, local TV news, and local newspapers because they are much easier to approach. As a local business, they are most probably looking for you in terms of familiarity and newsworthiness.

21. Be prominent on the web

The internet is a valuable tool for businesses to get their word out. People seek out information online, and in fact, control the flow of information. What they are looking for is something agreeable. Either from the viewpoint of being familiar and easy to use or from the viewpoint of having content that matches the individual’s own views.

If you customize your SEO and feature prominent on search engines, chances are you are reaching more people. Choose your keywords carefully, based on what your audiences are likely to enter into their search engines. And ensure that your content will not disappoint.

22. Become your Own Brand

People love a business that has a story they can relate to. Be prepared to promote your brand at any and every opportunity. As such, be consistent in your message and positive at all times. You will need to be enthusiastic about your brand and business for people to take notice of you.

23. Cover All your Angles

Being truly newsworthy is a golden opportunity to leverage your brand and it can be a good publicity opportunity. Being consistently relevant to the news is even greater. Think through all the angles when you decide to engage with the media. Know what the media likes, and give it to them.

Never send out a blanket release to everybody—it just creates work as journalists try to figure out the relevance of the story.

24. Create photo opportunities

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Always incorporate your copy with a stunning picture.

A striking picture not only take less space but offers a great deal less effort to produce. Getting the photographers along to your events will make the story publishable and also create a great deal more interest. Also, don’t forget to invite television news crews as well. Good photo opportunities are also good video opportunities!

25. Tell Stories

The media are always on the lookout for good, interesting ideas for documentaries. They want shows with strong human interest, and preferably ideas that are unusual taking on topical subjects.

Humble beginnings, a sense of community, humor, human interest, tragedy all sell. Think from the perspective of the media and the public. Ask what will they gain from it? What spin-offs might there be?

26. Don’t forget the holidays

Holidays like Christmas can be a great time for PR work. This is because people are generally full of goodwill, and appreciate goodwill gestures by companies. Support charities, endorse campaigns and give to charity during these periods. They help create warm, fuzzy feelings towards your business. They help highlight the company has a human face. Also, involve your employees as it will help them get into the holiday spirit too.

27. Involve others

Nothing says a community business as one that forges ties within the community. Participate in events in your local church, support the local football team and network in your local chamber of commerce. Your stakeholders need not just be passive recipients of your PR efforts but also partners. They can join in and be part of what’s happening. In fact, the greater the involvement of stakeholders, the greater their feelings of ownership and loyalty toward you and the project.

Consider carefully the agendas of the stakeholders you want to involve. Also, find common ground and work with them- don’t try to dictate.

28. Write your own story

If possible, publish your own newsletter. You can piggyback media to send out your message. But having your own outlet can help you churn out great content more frequently. Decide to publish regularly either once a week or at least once a month.

Don’t let the newsletter become a propaganda device, encourage your staff to also contribute. The key is to have your own medium and platform where you can engage with your audiences on your terms.

29. Join Associations

By being a member of the Rotary Club, chambers of commerce and local associations you get access. Besides providing networking opportunities for business people, and can also use them to distribute your messages. Establish your credentials as an industry spokesperson and if possible, involve your trade association. Volunteer and support to get more recognition and partnership. Image is everything, be proactive in asking for roles, producing articles, and dealing with the press.

30. Be passionate

As a local business, you should be actively engaged in what happens in your community. Be it the new zoning laws, climate change, support the local hospital or help renovate the local church. By being a business that is passionate about your community you are not only drawing attention to your business but also positively impact your community at large. Think beyond just fundraising, perhaps you could donate your time or the time of your team to a good cause. These are often easy to report on and show that yours is a company with a heart.

31. Involve your employees

A business is run by a collective of people with a common goal to serve its customers. Try to infuse an element of humanity into your business’s story. Highlight what your business does to help staff pay their mortgages, how you as a company have social interactions, and performing interesting and useful tasks as a team. Tell your company’s story from the perspective of your employees. Involve your employees at every opportunity and make sure you have a regular employee of the month post.

32. Link your PR with your advertising

Most firms only link their PR with their advertisement superficially. A smart business will create an integrated campaign based on a combination of communication techniques, each one boosting the other. Infuse collaboration and synergy across all your departments.

33. Get partnered up

One way to grow your audience is to leverage someone else’s visibility. This is a great PR tactic if you have a business that depends on having strong local community connections. Think in terms of co-branding as well as using your business to connect with likeminded businesses and offer activities to engage the local community.

34. Produce your own marketing collateral

It is great to be in the public view. It is even greater to get your marketing collateral as well. Printing collateral such as business cards, brochures and flyers still have tons of value. If you have a physical presence, leaving people with the information they can take with them is a useful way of ensuring they come back.

35. Look for awareness days relevant to your business

Use awareness days to piggyback off for your PR efforts. A quick Google search will give you a huge list of awareness days relevant to your business. By choosing a date and think of a product, service or event you can launch to mark that day and have the media cover it. You can also leverage yourself or your business as a relevant expert to mark the day.

36. Mark Anniversaries relevant to your business

If your business has lasted for a significant period of time think about using notable anniversaries for your PR work. Anniversaries and your company’s milestones are by nature newsworthy and your local media will want to know about you and the story of your success over the years.

37. Highlight innovations in your company culture

Don’t only think about the product and service you provide – think also about how you do it all. Focus on highlighting how you encourage diversity in your work force, how you source your products from the local economy or how eco-friendly you are. Highlight what your company culture is all about and what makes you unique – then share it with media outlets or the national press.

38. Do something Amazing for one of Your Customers

Use your customers as your story piece. Look for your most inspiring customers and think about how you could build a PR campaign around them. Maybe you can make a long-held wish or dream of theirs come true for them. Nothing sells like a business giving back to its valued customers.

39. Try a Press Release Service

Press release services provide the opportunity to reach out to a broader media for your company. They come for free or are priced depending on the services you might want to get from them. Make sure you have a solid vision of your PR so you can match it with the services they offer.

40. Reach out to your customers

The key to PR is all about maintaining regular communications. Generate a contact list of your customers and reach out to them on announcements, special events or simply to send them holiday greetings. Be sure to get their permission before you include them on the list. If possible, use what you know about your publics to ensure they only get messages they need. Don’t over use your privilege by crowding up their inboxes otherwise they might unsubscribe.

41. Create ‘How to’ tips

Let’s face it everyone loves life hacks and expert advice. So, start sharing your knowledge to attract attention to yourself and demonstrate you know what you are doing, and can be trusted. Write tips people can easily understand and are useful to the average Joe. Make yourself available for interviews for the newspapers or even TV and radio shows.

42. Get yourself on Wikipedia

More and more people these days go online to do research. One very widely used site is Wikipedia. People who know something about something can write an article for Wikipedia. As such why not have your own Wikipedia entry. Remember to be truthful about yourself and link it to your website.

43. Join LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking site for businesses. This allows you to network with businesses as well as raise your business profile. You will, however, need to invest time contributing to the site. In particular, be prepared to help people who contact you through the site—this is about building your reputation, not about selling your products.

44. Leverage Testimonials

The best type of PR is the one that comes from others. What your staff, customers and suppliers say about you is very credible. Always ask people if it’s OK to publish a testimonial on their behalf. It’s powerful when you allow happy customers to voice their excitement about your brand. If possible, seek video testimonials. Feature full-length customer case studies. Use testimonials to enhance your standing as a successful business.

45. Get your website

Websites are becoming the cornerstone of a company’s outreach. If you don’t have a website yet, get one now. Websites will allow your clients and prospects to get one-stop information about your business on their PC or at the palm of their hands. You can also include videos and your social media handles to increase your reach.

46. Offer Exclusives

Rather than blasting your press releases to all the media outlets, offer your exclusive story to one targeted outlet at a time. This will help increase ties with the media and offer them an opportunity they can’t refuse. You will need to research journalists in your industry and pitch them on why you selected them for each unique and exclusive story.

47. Don’t forget social and corporate responsibility

Include the work you do to impact your community. This will help you use the opportunity to directly impact public perception of your company and brand. So, start showcasing your environmental work, ethical business practices or philanthropy.

48. Be part of business events

Host, sponsor or attend business functions to showcase and increase your brand exposure. Such events will help you reach potential suppliers, collaborators and even customers.

49. Get on YouTube

YouTube is among the most popular mediums on our planet. It allows people to post pretty much anything they want to on video provided the community guidelines are followed. Try to avoid outright commercial plugs by keeping it personal, and don’t forget to tell a story.

50. Start or endorse a campaign

By starting or promoting a campaign you give people a cause to rally behind. You not only help a worthy cause but also create a sense of community around a particular cause. Make sure you also include an element of fun and creativity – think Ice bucket challenge.

51. Get influencers

An influencer is someone responsible for engaging with and promoting your brand. This might entail payment where the influencer gets something in exchange for their media contributions. The influencers might agree to post three Instagram image and write a blog review of your company. With influencers, you can dictate the direction you would like them to focus on, provide branded hashtags and other plugs.

52. Make your Events Fun

For your events to be successful, make them fun and memorable. The key is not to spend huge amounts of cash but to be creative and original. Hire clowns, comedians and entertainers to make your events fun and easygoing.

53. Perfect before you pitch

Staking your name and reputation before your product or service is ready could bring negative reviews. First focus on bringing the best out of your product or service before going public with it. A good product is more likely to get better press upon review.

54. Always personalize your pitch

Don’t get lazy and send out a bulk press release. Identify the media outlet and if possible, the journalist that will most likely take your pitch. A customized pitch shows you are organized and know what you are talking about. Always address your email to the particular reporter/editor concerned.

55. Create an Annual PR Calendar

Always plan your PR efforts ahead. Most media produce either daily, weekly or monthly so think of them in advance to ensure coverage. Create a PR plan with press announcements that are well-timed before each season, holiday, business calendar announcement and other events.

56. Include a media or press page on your website

Having a well-organized media or press page on your website will project an image of being organized. In addition, provide a where to go in the site for press queries, press releases, bios, company facts and history, and archival material – resources that media would like to use.

57. Be a guest speaker on podcasts

Small business owners are the heart of American ingenuity. Leverage your position to provide insights in regards to your industry, on running a business, current affairs and others. Podcasts are widely popular and have millions of listeners. You can use them to amplify your presence.

58. Be prepared for rejection

Just because you put a lot of effort into your PR work doesn’t mean the press will pick up your story automatically. When trying to capture the attention of the media it’s easy to think you know better than they do. You might be so invested in your product or service and so convinced of its importance to the market it can seem inevitable people will want to write about it.

It is always okay to miss targets in your first try. What is important is to learn from your mistakes and work towards achieving your goals. Work towards improving your appeal and pitch. It might take a lot of telephone ping pong, emails and mixers to get the media on board. Always keep on trying.

59. Always Build up your profile

Your goal is to connect with as many people as possible. You should not connect with everybody but with people who look after the section of the very publications you want to get into. Aim to become a good contact person who has knowledge about your industry and community.

60. Remember speed and relevance is everything

In this ever-connected world, news travels fast; if you blink you might have missed it. In public relations, speed is not just about getting news out the door. What it actually is reflected in the way a company disseminates relevant and timely information to its customers and business partners.

61. Include Monitoring in Your PR

You can’t effectively respond to a bad situation if you don’t know what’s happening and who’s talking about it. Always make sure you monitor all reports, comments about your business to see how you fare with the general public. Make sure you have the capability to analyze the impact of coverage or comments so that you can respond with the appropriate degree be it positive or otherwise.

62. Understand the Problem Before Acting

There can be tremendous pressure to respond immediately, it is never a good idea to make a statement before you understand all of the facts. Consult with involved employees or other stakeholders so that you are clear about exactly what happened and what information has been published.

63. Focus on What Really Matters

You might be tempted to respond to a crisis by sharing every detail, but keep in mind reputation management is about sharing what the public needs to know, not what you want to say.  Be content with providing just enough information so they understand your response. Focus on giving a good level of detail to those who are actually impacted by the problem.

64. Focus on the long term, not the short term

Businesses are ever more conscious of the values of lifetime customers and customer relationship management. The key here is to recognize keeping your customers satisfied for the long term is more important than the immediate sale or the profits from it.

Likewise, treat the press as you would a customer. Don’t place today’s story above the long-term relationship. If the media say no and you’ve tried to convince them otherwise, letting go is advised. Preserve the relationship so that the media concerned will continue to be friendly and receptive when you call with your next pitch.

65. Act ethically

Never violate your code of ethics for PR or any other business pursuit. The media, in particular, are better able than other people to spot unethical behavior. If you try to pull a fast one on the media such as offering a bribe, chances are they will spot it and it will backfire terribly. Good business ethics maintain your reputation and enhance your assets. People who trust you are more likely to do business with you.

66. Plan, Plan, and Plan

For every outreach make sure you have a plan. The plan is just the start but will help you get through the intricacies required for your success. Make sure your plan defines explicitly what the key deliverables are and how they measure success.

67. Always Preserve your Integrity

Integrity is the cement that must be in place to assure your promotion. Integrity means not compromising yourself and taking the high road whenever you can. Don’t let rivalries with your competition distract you from taking the high road. Stick with the right decision even when you know it may not be the most popular decision.

68. Create your own press kit

Whether it is a press conference, an interview or an event always have a press kit on hand. Your press kit should include your company’s background, brand story, factsheet, bios, high-resolution images and media contact details. This will show you have thought things through and are prepared for any eventuality. Your press kit should be impactful enough for the media to be intrigued and understand your company better.

69. It’s about relationships

Your PR efforts should focus on people who are already influencing your target customer. Look for people who have a lot of clout and build that relationship. Help them understand your message and how their followers can relate to you.

A successful relationship will help build trust between your company and its customers. Building positive relationships with the right media outlets is essential to developing trust. If the relationship isn’t already there, you won’t reach the right audience, no matter how many places feature you.

70. Don’t Discount Press releases

Press releases are an easy way to get credibility and publicity. Submit your press releases to media outlets to help you garner exposure in business journals, newspapers, radio shows and television morning shows.

71. Budget Accordingly

PR resources can be expensive sometimes. Regardless of what your budget is, make sure your budget covers all your priorities. If you have extra left in the budget, that’s ok too. You never know when you might need to use it to promote last-minute releases and ads.

72. Share your coverage

Getting good media coverage is good. Make sure your clients and prospects know about the coverage as well. By sharing your media coverage, you are making it known your business is in the spotlight and is credible.

73. Don’t Fib

Don’t lie to clients, journalists or bloggers. Lying about your company is the surest and fastest way of destroying your business and reputation. Your PR efforts must uphold the principles of truth and accountability, which are vital to building trust and credibility with all stakeholders.

You should work with the assumption the truth will come to light, regardless of what you say. So, don’t gamble and destroy your reputation with dishonesty.

74. Plan a Crisis Response

Makes sure you have a crisis communications team in the event a crisis occurs. Your crisis team will be tasked for planning a crisis response and ensuring its execution. They can also develop strategies to address the situation, identify responses, and monitor the media.

75. Remembering the Rules in a Crisis

Follow these simple rules. Always tell the truth; be prepared; show you care; make fast decisions; and make swift adjustments. And never ever, ever say, ‘No comment’. In a crisis always demonstrate care and compassion. 

Successful Public Relations Examples

76. Opt to Use a PR Firm

If you are not sure you cannot handle your PR outreach in-house, always have the option of hiring a PR firm. A PR firm can help you set up your PR efforts, provide you with analytics in terms of reach and use their connections to leverage you some media exposure.

77. Look for some great templates for your PR work

The task, planning and executing PR efforts can be overwhelming. If you have access to the internet you can tap into a treasure trove of templates and planners that are freely available to download.

78. Create your own blog

A blog can be a great way to tell your story with relative ease. Another reason to have a blog of your own is it will make it easier for bloggers to include you in their blogs. It will allow them to see what you’ve done, what you’ve said, and what others are saying about you.

79. Integrate Your PR with your other communications tools

Don’t fall into the pitfall of fragmenting your PR and communications efforts. If you are looking for an effective outreach bring consistency in messaging and a unity of purpose to your outreach. media clippings about your business should be posted to your social platforms, your newsletter and other media you use. It will also help significantly if you have a dedicated individual who handles all your communications.

80. Snag your celebrity early on

A celebrity endorsement has some great returns. Be a talent spotter, look towards the long term when you pick your celebrity and make sure you have a bulletproof contract. Your celebrity might not hang around if he or she will get other tempting offers. In order to capitalize on your celebrity, design a wide-ranging program of events for your celebrity to be involved in. Above all keep the rights to all the photos and endorsements.

81. Offer Free Stuff

Make sure you have free t-shirts, caps, flash drives or even a gift basket in your events. Thank your most loyal customers by giving them something nice, reward staff with freebies, or hand out company calendars. These will help build your brand and increase your visibility in your community. A branded apron for the summer or a cool T-shirt can take you a long way.

82. Invite the Media to write a ‘day in the life’ piece

Human interest stories sell, especially in regards to small communities. Whatever your business does the media will be keen to see ‘behind the curtain’. A ‘day in the life’ feature is a great way to build trust and demonstrate transparency.

83. Send samples to the press

If you have a product you want to launch think of the types of reporter who will be interested in it. Send out an advance sample to the media to get good reviews on it and create a need among your customers. A good product review will always beat an ad drive.

84. Break a record or reach a stunning milestone

Choose a record that is relevant to your business and then try to break it. It could be by sponsoring the largest pizza in the state or the highest number of turnouts to your events. Invite the media as well as personalities within your community to become part of the fanfare as well.

85. Embrace a mascot

In a customer-oriented world where a positive happy public face can bring customers to your door creating a mascot is both simple and fun. Having a friendly face is often the best way to spark people’s interests. Sports teams, McDonald’s, Dairy queen all use mascots to personify their business through a recognizable character. While choosing your mascot make sure it symbolizes the spirit of your company, develops positive impact and is engaging.

86. Keep up with the Game

Read, research and stay informed with everything in your industry. To better position yourself as a resource person for media looking to garner insights from you. If you are knowledgeable in your industry you will be highly sought after to comment on developing stories.

87. Assign a spokesperson

Though PR work is a team effort you need one person to respond to all queries related to your business. Make sure there is one person who is assigned the job of speaking to the press and they are fully on-message should a writer call up. It is important the person is clearly stated as the go-to person for all media related releases. Don’t forget to include his/her contact details in all releases.

88. Try Show and tell

Invite potential clients to visit where you can showcase your business. Why not offer media and the general public the opportunity to see product demonstration and also create some buzz as well.

89. Help a Reporter Out

Reactive pitching is a good way to get in front of a journalist that works in or around your industry. These can be a terrific way to fit your business into a current story. All you need do is to respond to the query with a pitch on why you would be most qualified to address the topic.

90. Your Customers are also Brand Ambassadors

You can use your customers as brand ambassadors. The mere fact they are using your products and services makes them ideal for endorsements. They can engage with prospects by helping them go through the unique attributes for your product or service from a customer’s perspective. Use those happy customers as your spokespeople.

91. Remember SMART

Use SMART acronym when measuring your PR goals before rolling them out.

• Specific- Specify your goals and be able to communicate them to others.
• Measurable- Use analytics or other programs to see your progress toward the goal.
• Actionable- Break down your goal into smaller objectives, with realistic timelines.
• Realistic- Establish what you and your team can reasonably do in a set amount of time.
• Time-Based- Set a final date for your overall goal and shorter deadlines for the different stages of your goal.

92. Show your support by sponsoring events

Sponsoring a major event such as a charity, the town fair or sporting events carries a great deal of publicity value. Find an event that links to your product in a fairly direct way and support it. Sponsorship has always been a popular tool of PR as it generates word of mouth and creates a good impression of the company.

93. Create a publicity Stunt

All PR savvy companies have pulled a publicity stunt of some nature. The aim of a stunt is to generate word of mouth to keep people talking about you for days. The best stunts are ones that relate to the product and are eye-catching and creative.

Publicity stunts might be tricky. Make sure your stunt is legal, it fits in with the images of the people involved, and be wary of upsetting the public.

94. Make it Personal

Apply a personal touch to whoever you deal with. Provide a free caricature picture of your customers, give them gifts with their names printed on them. Nothing sells more than personal service and attentiveness.

95. Be a Patron of the arts

Support your local band or artists in your community. Support them by allowing them to showcase their works in your place of business. It not only increases the aesthetics of your business but also shows community spirit.

96. Use existing ideas

Sometimes you don’t need to create anything new in terms of your content. Draw a parallel between something you’re already doing and something familiar or trendy which you can piggyback of. Organize competitions such as lip-syncing, beauty pageants or cookouts to draw in the crowds.

97. Take risks not chances

Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks. Risks are important if you want to get promoted. Nobody in their right mind is promoting non-risk takers. Just to survive, much less succeed, you must learn how to get out in front of the tide and make risky decisions. If you wait too long, someone else will do it for you. Your biggest risk is not to take risks.

98. Make Great First Impressions

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. You make first impressions every day and you succeed or fail by the impressions you create in briefings, interviews, phone calls, meetings, and a myriad of other daily encounters.

99. Know How to Sell Your Ideas

The powerful art of persuading others your ideas are great and should, therefore, be implemented is critical to the promotional process. The more ideas you sell, the more people will think of you as a contributor to the organization. Always stress the benefits, try to see from the perspective of naysayers and justify your positions.

100. Keep Your Arrogance to Yourself

From the moment you start talking to anybody on the telephone or face-to-face, it’s important you project confidence without sounding arrogant. Arrogance turns people off. Don’t let your ego get to you and cripple your chances of getting promoted.

101. Always be Positive

Avoid making your messaging from being all about doom and gloom. Your messaging should inspire action not cringe. Work towards messaging that includes a call to actions, stress attributes and your unique differentiation.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “101 Public Relations Strategies, Tips and Examples” was first published on Small Business Trends

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One of the key factors for improving how your customers see you in today’s digital ecosystem is by improving the Customer Experience (CX). To make this happen you need to listen to what they are saying.

Applied Marketing Science (AMS) is holding the next open-enrollment session of “Listening to the Voice of the Customer” to teach just how you can do this.

The training workshop will introduce you to the Voice of the Customer market research with the goal of accelerating innovation in business-to-business markets.

Using a live and interactive format with hands-on activities and practice exercises to build skills, the workshop will expose you to the latest techniques in machine learning and journey mapping.

Whether you are a B2C or B2B business, listening to what your customers say and acting on it will make your company that much more successful.

The training workshop will take place on October 7-8, 2020 at the University Club of Chicago.

Click the red button and register. While you are at it, enter the SMALLBIZ discount code and save $100.

Register Now

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Featured Events, Contests and Awards

“Listening to the Voice of the Customer” Course
October 07, 2020, Chicago, Ill.

Join Applied Marketing Science (AMS) for the next open-enrollment session of “Listening to the Voice of the Customer,” our acclaimed training workshop. Participants should expect to leave the session ready to execute VOC at their own companies.
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More Events

• The Responsible Business Summit New York 2020
  March 16, 2020, Brooklyn, NY
• ACES Summit
  March 17, 2020, Washington, D.C.
• The Responsible Business Summit New York 2020
  March 17, 2020, Brooklyn, NY
• LEAP HR: Life Sciences West
  April 20, 2020, San Francisco, Calif.
• Advancing Construction Analytics 2020
  April 27, 2020, Dallas, Texas
• National Small Business Week
  May 03, 2020, Online
• Advancing Preconstruction 2020
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• TECHSPO New York 2020
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• LEAP TA: Retail 2020
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• TECHSPO Houston 2020
  May 20, 2020, Houston, Texas
• Sales Cruise 2020
  May 23, 2020, Baltmore, Md.
• DigiMarCon Caribbean 2020 – Digital Marketing Conference At Sea
  May 23, 2020, Baltimore, Md.
• Machine Learning Week Las Vegas 2020
  May 31, 2020, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Predictive Analytics World for Business Las Vegas 2020
  May 31, 2020, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Marketing Analytics Summit – Las Vegas 2020
  June 01, 2020, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Digital Growth Unleashed – Las Vegas 2020
  June 01, 2020, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Email Innovations Summit – Las Vegas 2020
  June 01, 2020, Las Vegas, Nev.
• DigiMarCon West 2020 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
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• TECHSPO Los Angeles 2020
  June 10, 2020, Santa Monica, Calif.
• DigiMarCon Midwest 2020 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
  June 17, 2020, Chicago, Ill.

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, “Chicago Event Tackles Customer Experience Issues” was first published on Small Business Trends

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We’ve all heard about Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana but what do they do? They are voice assistants that use voice-activated apps and AI technology. As a result, they can help us get directions, research, make appointments and more.

Spurred by the explosive growth in digital technologies, the voice assistant revolution is quietly finding its way into our daily lives. Where we were once limited by the tools for our business, today we have a wide variety of smart tools at our disposal; and voice assistants are one of those. Moreover, businesses today are discovering voice assistants perform more than just mundane tasks like setting alarms and weather information.

Depending on the particular application of the voice assistants, they often go by a variety of monikers. For example, they include intelligent personal assistants, automated personal assistants, smart assistants, virtual digital assistants, chatbots and of course voice assistants.

In effect voice assistants are assistants on our phones or smart speakers that perform a variety of tasks after hearing a wake word or command. By just saying say, “What’s the weather?” the voice assistant will answer with the weather report for that day and location. For example, they can answer queries, turn on lights, play music or place online orders. As a result, voice assistants are always at our beck and call no matter what time of day it is. They are your virtual assistants available 24/7.

Growth of Voice Assistants

A popular use is to order your voice assistant to make calls if you are busy with your hands. As a result, embedded assistants captured a 33.2% share of in-car voice assistant use compared to Bluetooth connected smartphones at 30.5%. This according to voicebot.ai.

By simply entering your voice query the assistant will send your recorded request over the Internet to its database to provide answers. Voice assistants are intuitive and use machine learning. This means you get better responses the more you use it. Like a Google search, it studies your patterns and your preferences to provide you with more personal experience.

Some voice assistants come with smart wireless speakers integrated with a virtual assistant. It provides interactive actions and hands-free activation with the help of ‘wake words’. Wake words are voice commands a phone or smart speaker uses to begin communicating with a server to do its job. Some smart speakers can also act like smart devices to control home automation devices such as your TV or appliances.

Voice assistants don’t just serve your personal needs but also help you increase customer experience, marketing, track projects and increase productivity. Voice assistant adoption has taken two paths, one on smartphones and another on smart speakers.

Some 46% of American adults admit to using voice assistants according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. The survey reveals 2% use them for their smartphones and only 14% on their computers and tablets. In terms of owning smart speakers, some 47.3 million Americans now have smart speakers.

Voice Assistants and your Business

Voice assistants have great applications in the business place. Businesses now use voice commands to work with virtual assistants in the office. These digital assistants can help boost productivity in the workplace as well. They help create calendars for appointments, read your emails, add tasks to project management apps, and more.

According to a report by the Capgeminin Research Institute, the ability of voice assistants to interact with businesses and organizations matches the rise in use and satisfaction with voice assistants.

Close to three-quarters of consumers (74%) say they use conversational assistants for researching or buying products and services, and other functions. With a further 59% saying they keep improving their personalization over time. In fact, according to the report, many consumers are highly satisfied with their conversational assistant experience.

Customers prefer to use voice assistants across the consumer journey. Among these include chatbots which are automated personal assistants such as Siri and Alexa. They are helping to bring new ways for businesses to communicate with the world and most importantly with their customers through messaging apps.

With the integration of chatbots, voice assistants will be even more useful for businesses.

Chatbots

Chatbots powered by AI help simulate real interaction with users in the form of conversations just like people. They help you provide customer engagement with your clients 24/7. In addition, they help your clients easily navigate issues such as registration, making payments and delivery issues with relative ease.

This increases customer engagement. And companies that engage with their customers on social media are often able to increase customer spending by 20% to 40%. Chatbots with relatively little investments can help businesses tap into this prospective selling. As automated solutions, chatbots can handle many customers at once, and simultaneously help you reach economies of scale in your client outreach.

Not only do chatbots help in reaching out to your customers but they also help you crunch data. Using the feedback collected through simple questions, they can help make improvements to your services/products. AI assistants have access to your company’s database, they can compile statistics, automate tasks, and turn dictations into text reports. They can also run customer surveys, map customer needs and help you optimize your offering.

You too can build your customized bot. For example, for a text-based bot, you don’t even need to know how to code. There are apps available in the market that can help you create assistants that can automate tasks or events. A text-based bot automates tasks and interacts with customers. It can also help answer questions for clients, access databases, and help customers help themselves.

There are several apps that can help you develop your own bot.

Chatfuel

Chatfuel can support both Facebook Messenger and Telegram, making it somewhat flexible in some aspects. It uses templates to get your bot up and running and works well for publishing, real estate agent, influencer, and Shopify bots. The free tier can cater to up to 1,000 subscribers and includes basic features to automate your messenger inbox. Paid accounts start at $15 per month with no subscriber limit, full-featured bot and access to multiple team members.

HubSpot

HubSpot Chatbot Builder integrates with Facebook Messenger, Slack, Short Message Service (SMS), e-mail, and the web. As a result, it is geared to provide solutions for visual workers, as the back-end platform is built on a flowchart style setup.

It includes contact and lead management; Gmail and outlook integration pipeline management; contact and company insights; and others. As a content marketing company, HubSpot is optimized to help you qualify leads, book client meetings, and respond to a growing customer base without hiring more customer service representatives to respond manually.

HubSpot offers the chatbot builder as one tool in a larger Marketing Hub package that includes many other features. Its free basic feature comes at a price tag of $50 a month. It comes with ad management; Live chat, email marketing; and ad re-targeting.

INTERCOM

INTERCOM provides a code-free customization of chatbots and boasts faster customer resolutions. It claims its Custom Bots can start conversations by using advanced targeting and enrichment, only engaging the leads you want. In addition, through the launch of a bot to engage high-intent leads you can replace web forms. Moving qualified leads directly to a conversation results in faster conversions. INTERCOM’s offering starts at $87 a month and progressively increases as the features are extended.

ManyChat

ManyChat is popular with bot enthusiasts for its fast and simple Facebook Messenger bots. It automates and combines Facebook messenger and SMS. As a business solutions it helps get more leads, engage prospects and drive up sales. It starts with a free plan account that offers unlimited broadcasts and two sequences. It also comes with some layers of customization such as audience segmentation, landing pages and web widgets. Paid accounts start at $10 per month for interactions with sponsored messages, advanced automation, integration with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, email marketing and more.

PandoraBots

PandoraBots offers users an application programming interface (API) that gives developers the power to deploy your bot nearly anywhere. Taking your chat experience beyond Facebook to nearly any social platform.

The AI platform claims over 275,000 developers, 325,000 bots, and 75 billion messages sent. You can start using PandoraBots for free with slimmed-down support for public office hours, use open source chatbot libraries, and unlimited sandbox messages. The next tier charges $19 a month and comes with up to 1,000 messages per month, email support capabilities API access and more.

With these and other tools, you can get started and build a bot in as little as two minutes with no code. Using a drag and drop builder, you can create conversations, responses, and get your most important settings up in a few minutes. Connect to Facebook and you can get up and running quickly with an automated sales funnel and list builder

How Voice Assistants Stack Up

The voice assistants on our list are becoming more popular.  We explain what they are and what small businesses should know.

Amazon Alexa

Amazon Alexa, also known as Alexa, is a virtual assistant AI developed by Amazon. The assistant is touted as having capabilities for voice interaction, making to-do lists, playing music, setting alarms, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic, news and other real-time information. This smart speaker-based voice assistant also helps control smart devices using a home automation system. Alexa is reported to have 50,000 skills or functions demonstrating users can find something from Alexa.

Most devices with Alexa allow users to activate the device using a wake-word such as Alexa. On other devices such as the Amazon mobile app on iOS or Android and Amazon Dash Wand requires users to push a button to activate Alexa’s listening mode.

Alexa can communicate in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Hindi languages.

Google Assistant

Developed by Google, Google Assistant is a virtual assistant that is primarily available on mobile and smart home devices. Google Assistant is a follow-through of the previous virtual assistant, Google Now, and can engage in two-way conversations. Google Assistant according to reviews consistently outperforms other industry leaders, repeatedly recognizing and correctly responding to questions. It is also faster.

Google Assistant is compatible with everything from refrigerators to third-party smart displays and is able to understand commands made in pairings of languages- which comes in handy in bilingual households.

Cortana

Microsoft’s Cortana can set reminders and recognize natural voices without the requirement for keyboard input. In addition, using Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, it answers questions using its database and web results. Cortana will alert you to breaking news about your interests in Windows action center. This voice assistant also adds things there that need your attention, like commitments, reminders you may have missed, and more. It has features where Cortana will help you pick up where you left off on a different device.

Cortana is available in English, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese language editions, depending on the software platform and region in which it is used. To speak with Cortana, select the Cortana icon in the taskbar and start talking. Another option is to type a command in the search box.

Bixby

Bixby is Samsung’s virtual assistant. It is considered a reboot for S Voice, Samsung’s voice assistant app introduced in 2012 with the Galaxy S III. As a result, Bixby adapts to your needs by learning your routine and even remembers what you’ve already asked for and how, so it becomes more helpful over time.

For example, the app can help you set alarms, manage your schedule, or even ask for dinner recommendations. As a result, you can use it to pair your phone to the TV and watch movies, change channels and also control your smart home devices. Bixby also helps you to edit photos, send messages, and composes emails on command.

MyCroft

This is a free and open-source voice assistant for Linux-based operating systems that uses a natural language user interface. MyCroft can be used for planning your schedule or work as an enterprise software application.

The software runs on many platforms  including desktop, Mycroft Mark 1, or on a Raspberry Pi. This open-source software can be freely remixed, extended, and improved. Mycroft may be used in anything from a science project to an enterprise software application.

Mycroft makes its own smart speaker called the Mark and the project being open-source, you can install Mycroft on just about any Linux machine. For privacy concerned users MyCroft promises to not sell your data or show advertisements on its technology.

Siri

Apple’s Siri is a virtual assistant that uses voice queries to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions. The software has the capability to adapt to users’ individual language usages, searches, and preferences, with continuous use. Siri can also offer proactive suggestions — like texting someone that you’re running late for a meeting. Returned results from Siri are also individualized.

Siri supports a wide range of user commands. For example, performing phone actions, checking basic information, scheduling events and reminders, handling device settings, searching the Internet, navigating areas and finding information on entertainment. It can also engage with iOS-integrated apps.

Features to look for in Voice Assistants

Compatibility

The value of a voice assistant or any software for that matter rests on how well it melds with your business processes and the degree of control it allows you. The voice assistant you choose should be able to access apps and complete tasks with little effort. Voice assistants that are compatible across various platforms and devices should be at the top of your list of voice assistants.

Correct Information Completed Tasks

Any application voice assistants should provide you with utility and functionality. As a result, your voice assistant should live up to the promises it makes and complete tasks. You should ask whether the assistant does the tasks it purports to? Does it take long to load; provide you with high quality and relevant responses; does it often crash; is it compatible with other applications? Are your smart speakers up to the task?

Privacy

While selecting your particular voice assistant for your business you should ensure your clients’ privacy is secure. Make sure you don’t inadvertently expose your customers to spam or provide their information to third parties.

Looking Forward

Voice assistants are improving all the time. They pretty much learn the same way people do but at a much faster rate. As a result, voice assistants look poised to further integrate into our lives. For example, their selling points include improved user experience, reliability and their growing breadth of features, which makes them highly attractive.

Voice assistants, virtual assistants, chatbots are all the products of innovations trying to help businesses increase their competitiveness. Through automation and machine learning they help businesses increase productivity as well as save time and resources. Whether they are simply used to manage queries or solve complex marketing tasks, voice assistants today provide us with a plethora of solutions.

With Geographical Information System Mapping and intuitive learning to handle complex data, we are at a cusp of a new era of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). As a result, gone is the era of hunches, scenario mapping and intense pondering over spreadsheets, lengthy focus group discussions or surveys.

The key to any successful business process is to deliver synergy. As a result, the days when businesses struggle to bring about coherence, integration and unity of mission are quickly fading away. As AI continues to evolve it is providing clarity in operations. And this is giving businesses the freedom to focus on more important tasks.

These solutions are applicable to businesses of all shapes and sizes regardless of their business models. As a result, companies can build automated business processes without a single line of code, complex formulas, or help from their IT departments. Thus, making them ideal for any business.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Guide to Voice Assistants in Business” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Filing costs for forming an LLC range from under $100 to several hundred dollars depending on the state. And that’s just the beginning. Then there’s paperwork and attorney’s fees that add up. And a host of other ongoing requirements. Still, stats point to the fact thousands of people start businesses every year. Cutting costs is always a priority for startups and more established SMBs that want to take this plunge.

That’s where Incfile comes in.

Infile.com and Free LLC Services

Incfile.com LLC is an American document filing service focusing on forming business entities. They offer LLC formation, a registered agent, compliance, and startup services in one place. All for $0 plus the state fee to start.

Small Business Trends contacted Dustin Ray who leads business development and growth initiatives at Incfile to explain how this service works.

The Company has a Team of Experts

“Incfile removes barriers to getting businesses started,” he says. “We use technology to streamline the process and have cultivated a team of experts. It’s easier than ever to get started and grow a big idea into a healthy business.”

Here’s how it works. There are three steps. First find the right entity for your enterprise from the drop-down menu. You select your state the same way.

“Second, you choose the package that is most suitable for your business needs,” Ray says. “There are three options available.”

All the documents that get filed are backed up in digital format.It’s another way that this service takes the anxiety of incorporation off your shoulders.

“Finally, you tell us about your business. By completing the online order forms and providing information about your enterprise, we can recommend the services that will best suit you.”

Helping Small Business Owners

To date they have helped over 250,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners.

You get a registered agent with Incfile. Sorting through incorporation can be confusing and overwhelming. This company offers a nationwide agent service. They act as a legal buffer in the event your LLC needs them. Annual reports and business tax filing are other services offered.

The company files all your articles with the state your business is in. When returned, they are made available online.

Other Advantages

One of the other advantages here is being able to get a variety of digital services under one roof.

“Incfile is the one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs,” Ray says. “We started off in 2004 with just LLC formation but now we’ve grown.”

Startup Services

He talks about the other options they provide.

“It’s our full suite of startup services that really set us apart. We’ve got our entrepreneurs covered. Incfile helps business owners get started and succeed.  ”

So, what kind of small businesses should be interested?

Help with Personal Liability

First, any business looking to limit their personal liability should consider getting on board.

“Solopreneurs and small teams that wear many hats in the business and who are seeking to put more focus in sales, marketing, and hiring are another category,” Ray says.

Finally, businesses looking for services to help them as they grow should look at Incfile.

Image: incfile.com

This article, “Can Incfile Really Help You Form a New LLC for Free?” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Creating an effective marketing strategy requires having a strong understanding of your target customers. You need to understand the platforms they use, the messages that will resonate with them, and how they feel about your business. To increase your understanding, here are some tips from members of the online small business community.

Create a Facebook Marketing Plan That Models the Customer Journey

If you want to connect with customers on Facebook, you need to do it in a way that makes sense in their journey. Understanding where your customers are in the buying cycle and creating content around that can help you create an effective Facebook marketing strategy. Learn more in this Social Media Examiner post by Jessica Campos.

Make Sense of Customer Sentiment Analysis

Figuring out how customers feel about your business can help you better shape your strategies moving forward. As you measure customer sentiment, deciphering what the results mean can sometimes be tricky. But the tips in this Target Marketing post by Rohan Ayyar can help.

Create Winning Audience Personas

In order to really market directly to your customers, it helps to have personas in mind as you make decisions. If you’re ready to take a deep dive into who your customers are, read this DIY Marketers post by Jennifer Clare Ball for some tips and explanation.

Use a Fabulous Content Management System

As you’re creating content that’s tailored to your specific audience, you need to keep it organized and optimized. A solid content management system can help you do just that, as Lisa Sicard details in this Inspire to Thrive post. You can also see commentary over in the BizSugar community.

Increase Your Business Profits

Ultimately, the goal of understanding your customers better is to bring in more business and eventually make more money. But there are also other tactics you can use to increase profits. Ivan Widjaya offers several tips for doing just that in this Noobpreneur post.

Make Smarter Martech Investments

When you truly understand your customers, you can invest only in the marketing platforms and strategies that are going to make a major impact with that specific group. In this Marketing Land post, James Moore shares tips to help you get the most out of your martech investments.

Create Authentic B2B Marketing

Both B2B and B2C businesses can benefit from some authenticity in their marketing. This can help customers feel more genuine connections with your business. In this TopRank Marketing post, Lane Ellis examines the power of authenticity when it comes to B2B marketing.

Learn How to Run Seasonal Marketing Campaigns

Throughout the year, various seasons and holiday likely influence your customers. As a result, your business might benefit from utilizing themed marketing campaigns. Get the most out of these initiatives. For example, check out the tips in this GetResponse post by Michal Leszczynski.

Write Effective Instagram Captions

To connect with customers on Instagram, you need to create captions that are designed to get results. So how do you achieve this? Tim Jakes elaborates in this Pixel Productions post. And BizSugar members commented on the post here.

Tell the Difference Between Trends and Fads in Digital Marketing

Trends pop up in the marketing industry all the time. As a result, you may find it beneficial to try new things. But other times, those trends fall away quickly. And they don’t make an actual impact on customers. To tell the difference, read the tips in this UpCity post by Lauren Snyder.

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 Tips to Help You Better Understand Your Small Business Customers” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Businesses all agree: you must serve customers well. But in today’s always-on digital ecosystem, this has been ramped up to the umpteenth degree. If you ignore your customers on the many different channels in which they communicate, they might just go away — for good.

Micah Solomon’s book, Ignore Your Customers (And They’ll Go Away), hammers this point home.  A few weeks ago I reviewed his book and gave it a 5-star rating. (Read: Review of Ignore Your Customers)

And now we’re excited to bring you an exclusive 3-chapter excerpt of his book.  Scroll down to the end of this article for the download link — but first let me tell you a little more.

Who Micah Solomon Is

Named as  “a new guru of customer service excellence” by the Financial Post, Solomon explains what you need to do as a business. Today, customers have a dizzying array of ways to reach you — in-person, phone, live chat, email and website forms.  Not only that, they can be talking on social media channels, online review sites, even their own blogs.

With all the touch points that now exist, how do you engage?  And convey an attitude that helps your business, not hurt it?

Micah Solomon is a customer service consultant who has experience with leading brands to make his case.  From Richard Branson, to Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, as well as insights from companies such as Amazon, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Cleveland Clinic and others, you will learn how to engage with your customers and build long-term retention.

What “Ignore Your Customers” Tells You

In Ignore Your Customers, Solomon lays out an approach to customer service that he insists will yield huge results. It also is immune to being copied, he says:

“What I’m going to challenge you to do in this book isn’t easy: to build an organization that is centered on your customers in fundamental yet sophisticated ways. But it will be an incredibly fruitful venture, resulting in a multipart payoff:

1. You’ll retain a higher proportion of your existing customers
2. You’ll increase per-customer spending
3. You’ll attract new customers … and you’ll do it all in a way that is almost entirely immune to being knocked off by competitors

If this last claim, ‘immune to knockoff,’ sounds farfetched, let me explain and defend my reasoning. I’m making this claim because I have a strong hunch that if you do the work suggested in this book, you can sleep easy knowing that it’s unlikely that your competition will buckle down and do the same. Although your competition may copy your pricing, ape your innovations, duplicate the look and feel of your website, and so forth, they’re unlikely to muster the vision, energy, and follow-through required to replicate the customer centered organization that I’m here to help you build.”

Solomon counsels organizations to develop an “automatically positive” approach — employees who want to respond “yes” automatically.  Not “no” or “I’m not sure if we can do it.”

They should convey the following general attitude:  “The answer is yes! Now what was your question?”

He recognizes that companies cannot always say yes.  However, he explains, there’s almost always a way to soften the blow and say “no” in those situations.

Instant Download

Download your 3 free chapters here.  (No registration required!)

If you want advice on WHAT to do to build a world-class customer service approach, you will get it.  And if you want advice on HOW TO do it, you will get that too.

Many thanks to the author for making this excerpt available, with permission.

Image credit: Micah Solomon

This article, “Free Book Excerpt: Ignore Your Customers (And They’ll Go Away)” was first published on Small Business Trends

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In order to retain the customers, you currently have you first had to acquire them. So, once you have your customers, how important is customer retention? According to a new survey and report from Brightback, 93% of professionals in subscription businesses think it is just as or more important than the acquisition.

The value of one over the other comes in play with business models. If you have a subscription model, the 93% answer makes a lot of sense.

However, it doesn’t mean a small business with foot traffic wouldn’t like repeat customers. When you take into account Lifetime Value (LTV)/ Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio, businesses will have different perspectives. Furthermore, B2C, B2B and hybrid companies will have contrasting approaches in their customer acquisition and retention.

In writing the blog for the report, Darrian Wright explains, “The data underscores the differences in how companies that sell to consumers vs. businesses set their metrics and approach retention tactics.”

Adding, “We found subscription companies have completed a shift in focus toward retention over acquisition, but still struggle to execute and engage their customers across teams and systems.” And when it comes to subscription models, the industry is prioritizing running a business with a focus on retention to drive more revenue and actively reduce customer churn.

Customer Retention vs Acquisition

Similar to the 93% of professionals who see the importance of customer retention, subscription leaders are banking on their current customers to drive most of the growth in 2020. According to the report, the top priorities for companies are retention, acquisition and onboarding.

With so much emphasis on retention, it is not surprising 96% believe they can manage or fix the reasons customers cancel. Although this level of optimism is impressive, the fact that no single department or team is in charge of reducing the attrition levels is distressing.

When it comes to the ownership of customer churn, more than 80% say it falls under customer success, sales, operations and marketing department. Creating or identifying a single department for churn ownership is extremely important in today’s digital ecosystem. This is because the customer experience is playing an increasingly important role. If your company can’t identify the problem and solve it, the churn rate will continue to increase no matter how optimistic your employees are.

When a department or individual has been identified to manage churn, a business can start to implement concrete retention measures.

Retention Measures

Overall, the report reveals there is not a single retention strategy or program rising to the top in 2020. The respondents in the survey gave a wide range of solutions. But the highest resource was allocated to customer loyalty programs at only 17%.

An equal percentage of respondents (14%) say better tracking of why customers cancel and creating or improving automated workflows. And investing in new channels to engage customers is next at 11%.

With so much discrepancy, the survey highlights the need to find a proven method to keep customers coming back.  There are many reasons why customers cancel a subscription. But using predictive and proactive solutions with the right data set and retention tactics is how businesses are moving forward.

By collecting better data and analyzing the information, businesses can better respond to customer churn as soon as it takes place. In the survey, the professionals say they plan to offer discounts (50%), personalized offer based on reason for cancellation (40%), bundles or cross-over selling promotions (39%), and option to downgrade (37%) as some of the tactics to keep customers who are planning to cancel.

image: BrightbackWhile on the subject of cancellation, it is just as important to make the process as easy as a purchase. Remember if they have a bad experiencing when they cancel, they will likely not come back. After all, the reason for the cancelation could be a long vacation, moving or temporary stoppage for reasons which have nothing to do with the quality of the service.

If you have intentionally made the cancellation process difficult, think it over. Because it doesn’t have to be as online processes can simplify things.

Online Processes and Subscription Businesses

Digital platforms are a key component in today’s subscription services. Everything from Netflix to insurance payments, mortgages, groceries, and ride-sharing can be managed digitally.

For service providers, it means having a complete view of their customer profile to better serve their needs. This, in turn, is allowing them to create new product lines based on the specific needs of their customer base. With such offerings, customers will continue to see more value in doing business with the company, thus prolonging long-term relationships.

And as mentioned earlier, the customer experience has to be paramount for an online process. Making the process complicated is one way of ensuring your customers never come back.

The Survey

Brightback carried out an online survey in partnership with consumer research company, Centiment. The close to 435 participants in the survey work at subscription-model companies that self-identify as having a direct impact on customer retention.

All the respondents live in North America. And they work in the technology, manufacturing, finance, retail, healthcare, banking, education, and other industries. Some of the respondents were CMO, CEO, Founder, CRO (Chief Revenue Officer), VP Marketing, VP Retention Marketing and more.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “93% of Professionals Find Customer Retention Just as Important or More than Acquisition” was first published on Small Business Trends

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