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Providing Your Employees with a Safer Workplace

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interior-design-828545_640 (1)When you rely on others to help make your business a success, going out of your way for them certainly makes sense.

That said you can only do so much in and out of the office for your employees, especially when some of them might not be heeding your warnings.

Whether you try and care for them in the office with an extra amount of attention towards safety, matching that with an equal effort of care and compassion outside the workplace, always remember that you can only do so much.

With that in mind, what are you doing these days to provide your employees with a safer workplace?

Drill Home the Importance of Safety

So that you can hopefully strike a note with your employees when it comes to the importance of safety in and out of the office, remember these tips:

  1. Workplace environment

First and foremost, you have the most interaction with your employees obviously when they are in your presence. That said do your best to promote a safe workplace environment, one where workers know that you take their safety more seriously than anyone else.

Among the ways to do this:

  • Having monthly safety meetings for your staff, especially if you are in an industry (construction etc.) where workers do put themselves at risk on a regular basis.
  • Having protocol in place in the event an employee is injured. Make sure they know what to do in terms of seeking treatment, along with reporting the injuries, and of course making sure all paperwork is handled properly.
  • Having a system in place where employees can report unsafe work conditions, something many may be afraid to do if their name will be provided. Have an “anonymous box” or some other method in (or out of the office) where workers can report safety concerns without fear of reprisals, including possibly losing their jobs.
  1. Out on the road

When your employees go out on the road during part of their work responsibilities, do you do your best to ensure their safety?

Among the ways to do this:

  • Having safe company vehicles for your employees, vehicles that you have the utmost faith in. As an example, if you have workers who go out using company cars and/or trucks to meet with clients, make deliveries, assess projects out in the field etc. are they as safe as possible? By being properly maintained, offering backup camera systems, even lane-changing warning systems, your employees stand a better chance of staying alive.
  • Having a system in place where employees can check in with the home office regularly. For instance, there have unfortunately been incidents (especially in recent years) of workers being injured or even killed on the job in the real estate industry. If you work in this industry (or any business for that matter), be sure when employees go out to meet a client, they’ve alerted a co-worker as to where they are.
  • Having a solid set of rules in place regarding employee conduct behind the wheel. Although most employees never cross the line when it comes to operating company vehicles, some in fact do. As a result, they can put themselves, others on the road, even their employees in harm’s way. Make it clear whenever hiring someone that they are expected to operate company vehicles (or their own if they use them for work-related matters) with the utmost respect. This also means avoiding speeding and other reckless driving habits, along with not drinking and driving on the job.

As important as making a dollar is as a business owner, make sure you never take your eyes off the importance of workplace safety, notably that of your employees.

By focusing and refocusing on safety in and out of the workplace, you and your team will be the better for it.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

 

Let Guest Posting Market Your Brand

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blogging-1168076_640Are you at a loss for words as to why your brand is struggling these days?

If so, the answer might be right in front of you.

For many business owners, their brands have trouble getting traction as a result of inefficient and/or ineffective marketing.

As a result, there is missed sales revenue, revenue that could very well be the difference between a solid month of sales and a lackadaisical one at best.

With that in mind, what should be you doing to give your brand a boost?

While there are a myriad of options available to you, some typically prove to be more successful than others.

One such option is guest posting.

Between guest posting on other blogs and allowing relevant and authoritative authors to provide your site with guest posts, you can oftentimes increase your site’s traffic before long.

Although there are several reasons you will likely see a spike in your website traffic, one is that your site could very well improve its search engine rankings, most notably with Google.

So, has the time come to let guest posting for your brand be the possible boost it has been missing up to this point and time?

Knowing Where to Start

In order to understand why guest posting matters to your brand, start by looking at some of your competitors and their websites.

Are they running guest posts on a regular basis and/or guest posting on other sites? If they are, what are some of the topics they are routinely covering? While there are a myriad of things to discuss, search for posts that will be most useful to your regular audience.

As an example, if you work in the real estate business, consumers would tend to want to know the following:

  • Current trends – What is happening in the market as of now for both buyers and sellers?
  • Future forecast – What are experts saying about the market’s pluses or minuses over the next six months to a year?
  • Home repairs – For someone looking to sell, how much time and money should they invest in repairs? Oftentimes, repairs done prior to listing the home can increase the value of the residence.

As you prepare to do guest posts, the above-mentioned topics are just a few of the many things you can discuss on other real estate and financial blogs. Likewise, encourage those looking to post on your site to hit some of those areas and more.

Lastly, no matter what industry you are in, guest blogging won’t be all that successful for you if you don’t engage your readers.

Although some comments may slip through the cracks on occasion, do your best to read all of the remarks you get from readers. If you feel there is the need for a response and/or to continue the discussion, by all means do.

Promoting Your Guest Posts

Finally, turning to social media to promote your blog posts is imperative, especially if you are new to the guest posting scene.

For the best results possible, use a variety of social networking sites, with Facebook and Twitter the top two. You can also opt for Instagram and Pinterest, though both of those platforms tend to be more focused on imagery.

Going back to Facebook and Twitter for a moment, be sure to do some cross-promoting, allowing both you and others in your industry (except for direct competitors in most cases) to benefit from helping one another out.

As with your guest posts, be sure to engage those on social media taking the time to comment about your efforts.

If you’ve been lackadaisical about using guest posting in the past to market your brand, start changing that mindset today.

As a business owner, how are you using guest posting to bring more awareness around to your brand?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and marketing topics on the web.

 

 

 

Don’t Slack on Those You Hire

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handshake-1513228_640In order to give your small business the best chance to succeed, much of course depends on those you hire.

That said are you doing the best job possible when it comes to hiring talent?

In some instances, you’re going to miss on a few choices. If you can hire 90 percent or better successfully, you can oftentimes survive those cases where you made the wrong choice.

So, what goes into hiring the best possible talent out there for your small business?

While research on your part is certainly key, a little bit of luck certainly doesn’t hurt too.

From this day forward, will you do everything possible in hiring the right people time and time again?

Put Time and Effort into Your Review Process

When the time comes again for you to hire the right employees, keep in mind the following pointers:

  1. Experience

What employer would tell you that experience isn’t all that important? If you said very true, you’d be correct.

That said a person’s job experience up to this point can mean a myriad of things.

Were they in a position of management? Were they responsible for making key decisions for the employer or employers they worked for up to this point? Were they tasked with overseeing large sums of money? Lastly, were they someone who managed to climb the corporate ladder wherever they were at?

As you look at any candidate’s experience level, dig down deep to see just how thick it truly is.

  1. Research

Assuming you take your time to properly screen each and every prospective employee, that research should include a number of factors.

Along with standard items like education, job experience etc. you really need to be socially active in the process.

Yes, what a potential employee does on social networking sites is having more of an impact today with employers than even just a few years ago. While you should not automatically discount a qualified individual because of political posts etc. that you disagree with, look for the obvious.

If someone exhibits signs of racism, bigotry, questionable acts like inappropriate pictures or videos, yes, those are red flags you should not overlook.

  1. Education

Although some employers will tell you job experience is the overriding factor when it comes to hiring individuals, others certainly do not discount the importance of a quality education.

As you look at hiring educated talent for your small business, be sure you don’t neglect the value of those educations.

For instance, if you are hiring someone to work with your company in the criminal justice system, that education is as important as anything else you will review.

Hopefully, each prospective employee has used what they learned through schooling to put themselves and their experiences in the right position, the position of contributing to your business needs.

Lastly, as crucial as that education is, street smarts are imperative too.

That is especially true if you plan to offer someone a job in a field where snap decisions in law enforcement and related positions of higher responsibility are oftentimes required.

Personalities Can’t Ever Be Overlooked

  1. Personalities

Even as important as experience, education, and social media etiquette are, don’t ever discount the value of each and every personality you come across.

While someone can have fantastic experience and an education that is second-to-none, you want personalities that will mesh with your current team of employees.

That said be sure to keep the current makeup of your office in mind whenever you interview a prospective employee.

Ask yourself if this potential team member would in fact work well with the present team you employ. Could you see any personality clashes, perhaps people with personalities that are too strong or even too weak?

Finally, look to hire those individuals who exhibit a desire to go that extra mile for you and your employees.

In many instances, employees will have to do more than they’re originally hired for. The last thing you want is someone who complains about that.

Remember, when the team effort is in place, it is hard for a company to lose.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

Your Content Can Mean All the Difference

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content-is-king-1132261_640When was the last time you stopped and truly looked at the content on your company’s website?

Whether you do it frequently or infrequently, you at least need to be doing it. Preferably, you are checking it rather frequently. By doing so, you will hopefully see how good content is leading more customers your way.

For many companies, their websites are essentially their online calling cards. As such, it is important that they make sure their sites are chock-full of worthwhile information for consumers.

Much of that information starts and ends with their company blogs.

If you find yourself falling short when it comes to guest posting for your brand, there are means with which you can change that.

So, are you ready to see how content can mean all the difference in the world in driving more traffic your way?

Don’t Neglect Your Blog

Given blogs can’t write themselves, it is important that you are feeding your blog a regular dose of authoritative and relevant content.

In some cases, you will reach out to guest bloggers, asking them to author a piece for your blog.

While it is certainly encouraged that you offer such opportunities, be sure that you are getting quality content in return for the chance to promote others.

If someone doesn’t take the time to see who your audience is, what kind of message you are trying to send out etc. the blog posting can be a waste of your time and their time. Worst of all, your audience may begin to slowly tune you and your brand out.

Lastly, make sure you discuss with your guest bloggers the opportunity to do the same on their sites.

Getting your brand’s name out in front of others is a great way to drum up business.

Simply ask the publisher if you can include a relevant link in the copy or bio (preferably the former) in any piece you or someone from your company writes. This then opens the door for you and the other business owner to cross-promote each other’s sites. When that happens, it is typically a win-win situation for all involved.

Socializing Your Content is Critical

If you’re not a big believer in social media promotions, that quite frankly needs to change immediately.

For starters, social media is a medium that continues to be untapped by so many brands.

Whether it is the result of not enough time or effort, feeling like it is going to cost too much to partake in, or the wrong belief that social networking really brings no return on investment (ROI), too many businesses miss out on forming social connections. As a result, they are very likely passing up potential revenue opportunities.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a social media addict, but you should invest some time and energy into it.

Once you have a blog post (your site) or guest blog post (on another’s site) live, be sure to promote it socially. By doing so, you get each and every post in front of countless eyes.

Also, be sure to engage with any and all consumers who reach out to you on your social channels with worthwhile questions and/or comments.

Nothing will send consumers scurrying faster than if they feel ignored by those they are trying to talk to.

Given strong content can make all the difference in the world for your brand’s long-term health, start giving it more attention today.

By doing so, you can see those revenue numbers increase, something that can mean all the difference in the world.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

Does Your Brand Get the Right Amount of Advertising?

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night-692261_640Depending on the size of your business, you may or may not have a tight advertising budget.

No matter where your budget falls, you hopefully know that advertising (and marketing for that matter) is of major importance in your ability to spread your brand’s word.

Minus advertising, you then have to rely on word-of-mouth from satisfied customers. Although such advertising can work to a degree, getting your brand’s name, phone number, website address etc. out there for countless eyes to see is imperative.

Keeping that in mind, is this the year you up your advertising ante, looking to get added bang for your dollar?

If so, determining just where those ads will be placed is the crucial decision at hand.

Where Do You Get the Most Eyes and Ears?

Knowing where you are likely to get the best results for your advertising efforts will, of course, play into how you go about promoting your brand.

On the one hand, you could allocate more funds towards the web and mobile devices, especially given how many consumers use both to browse for and ultimately buy goods and services.

On the other hand, have you opted in recent years (unless of course, you are just opening up a business) for billboard advertising for your brand? If not, look below to the different advantages it offers.

They include:

  • Constant 24/7 exposure until your placement runs out;
  • Competitive prices depending on which advertising agency you go with;
  • Advertisement placement where you may not have direct competition from others in your industry.

Lastly, billboard advertising gives you the opportunity to get it right the first time around, typically with little chance for error.

As an example, how many times have you seen a brand advertise its products or services in a newspaper or magazine, only to see a misspelled word or two? When this occurs, the brand has to ask for a correction. By then, the damage may already have been done.

Even though the brand itself may very well not be responsible for the gaffe (in many cases, the individual at the newspaper or magazine typing in ad copy is responsible), many consumers may pause and giggle about the mistake.

In many cases, the brand has left an impression, one which will not exactly win it lots of new customers.

Where Should You Locate Your Billboard Message?

As important as your brand’s message is with billboard advertising, where exactly should your ad be placed?

Where that billboard message goes and how it is designed will, of course, be determined by several factors.

They include:

  • Whether you want in town or leading into or out of town. Your message will obviously play a role in this.
  • Do you want your billboard near a director competitor’s billboard and/or their office or store?
  • Are you looking for a rotating billboard message, one that is lit in the evening hours, and a message that offers imagery of someone from your company or a local model or actor?

Lastly, determine whether or not you want to add your website address to the billboard or not.

In today’s digital age, it is almost a surprise when companies do not add a website listing to a billboard.

When people are passing by (typically in vehicles); it can be difficult to jot down a company phone number. Your company’s web address should prove much easier for the consumer to remember.

In order for your brand to get the right amount of publicity, billboard ads can do wonders for your business.

With that in mind, are you building more recognition for your brand this year?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

Keep Your Customers in the Communications Loop

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agent-18741_640How good of a job would you say your business does when it comes to keeping your customers in the loop?

Keeping them in the loop typically revolves around your products and/or services, any issues that you’re having with one or the other and of course letting them know about payment issues etc.

With that being the case, you may at times take for granted how important it is to maintain good customer communications.

For one, you may get so inundated with other tasks at hand that you drop the ball with customer communications. If this happens, some customers may feel like you just treat them as dollar signs and do not really take a genuine interest in them. If that occurs, those current customers could become former ones in quite a hurry.

So, are you ready to review your customer communication initiatives, making sure your customers are in fact in the loop?

Use Various Methods of Communicating

So that you are best able to communicate with customers as much as possible, remember these keys:

  • Channels – What type of channels are you using to communicate with customers? While some businesses are able to get by without using what most would consider today’s modern channels of communication (emails, texts, apps, social media etc.), countless companies use those methods just mentioned and others. In today’s digital age, you have to embrace technology, not literally run away from it. As such, review your communication options to make sure you leave everything on the table;
  • Efforts – Even if you have countless channels with which to communicate with customers, are you putting the time and effort into properly using them? As an example, what if you are aware of a potential hazard with one of your products and/or services? Do you immediately get that word out to those customers who purchased said product or service? If you do not, you not only run the risk of customers being injured, but also potentially facing a personal injury lawsuit. When the latter happens, it can have a major financial impact on your business. Whether it is an issue involving a recall with heaters at Home Depot or another such major home improvement retailer, vehicles with GM, outdoor lawn care equipment with John Deere, you hopefully get the idea. Make sure you alert current and potential customers about the problem through recalls ASAP, thereby lessening the chances of one or more people being injured.

Truth Certainly Does Matter

  • Truth – Although you may be embarrassed and even quite worried about the public relations fallout from dealing with a major recall, be honest with customers. The worst thing a company can do is blatantly lie to its customer base. Not only is it wrong, it gives companies a negative PR image. Just ask some of the businesses over the years that were befallen with a negative public relations image. Many of them simply never recovered to what they were prior to that;
  • Feedback – Lastly, always be open to customer feedback. You can do this via polls, emails, texts, social media and more. By getting feedback from your customer base (positive and negative), you give customers a platform, one which many in fact will end up using. That platform leads many customers to believe that you care about them (and you should). While you will receive some negative feedback, don’t just automatically dispute it as rubbish. Learn from that negative feedback, allowing your business to improve itself on a regular basis.

When you truly learn how important customer communication is in your company, you are much more likely to keep customers in the loop, a loop that includes maintaining their business.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.