Imagine how to manage a team at this office: everyone arrives to the building, has their own parking spot physically sectioned off from everyone else; a walled-off path that leads to their own desk, in a closed-off room, equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom; and their own walled-off path leading outside of the office to cafes and bars where they can take their laptop if they want to work outside.

There are neither internal phone lines in the office nor are cell phones permitted, only wireless internet via laptop. Whether there are 100 people in the building or only one, there’s absolutely no way of running into another human being on your team.

This sounds bizarre, but it’s basically how a remote team would be expressed in terms of a physical layout. Remote teams are great for lean startups, for businesses seeking to reduce costs, and even for attracting top talent – but project managers and company owners can’t expect the same results from using their in-person office management skills with their remote teams.

When you’re not physically working in the same space as your team, it’s vital that you use these six types of tools to get your work done:

COMMUNICATION

In the imaginary office earlier, it’s impossible to physically encounter another person on the team, so no updates can occur without using online communication tools. It’s the same for your remote team, so unless their volume of work is very simple and very small, it’s vital to invest in several systems of communication.

What you choose will depend on your style – some prefer webconferencing services to complement email, other teams use Skype for chat and video calls, some prefer to use video rooms like Sqwiggle.

Setting a business email address for each of your remote employees will help you keep your business communication more professional and safer.

Whatever tool or combination of tools you go with, just make sure they’re reliable. It’s incredibly frustrating for a remote worker when communications tools frequently fail – their work depends on having clear, recurrent communication.

FILE SHARING

This is similar to communication, but focused on sharing work products. For successful remote team work that actually generates results, you have to have a system of file sharing that avoids duplicate work or multiple versions of work product in different stages of editing.

Some people are fine with Google Drive or Dropbox. Other teams prefer to use Evernote or collaborate on files directly within their project management system.

Make sure to create a secure file sharing system as cybercrime continues to be on the rise, according to Hari Ravichandran.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

No matter how small the project or the team, don’t give in to the temptation to wing it by email. A good project management system avoids inbox clutter, organizes important documents, and tracks progress on key deliverables, while also communicating that progress to collaborators on the same task.

Asana, Basecamp, and Trello are versatile favorites that can work with a variety of different kinds of projects, while options like GitHub tend to be more popular with software developers.

There are quite a few business phone apps to help you manage projects with different teams.

TIME TRACKING

Remote workers don’t have the equivalent of face time, so it’s vital to implement a tool that gives them a comparable amount of accountability and credibility. Especially if there’s a delay on deliverables, being able to track time gives remote workers something to show for their efforts in the meantime.

It’ll also make progress reviews easier by giving managers another variable to compare with KPI’s during performance reviews. Hubstaff or Harvest are examples of easy to use tools that also integrate with project management and payment systems, and provides greater accountability than self-reporting.

PAYMENT

Nobody likes working hard and then not getting paid on time – especially not employees who’ve never physically seen you and who are located thousands of miles away.

Delays can happen even despite your best, good faith efforts to pay your remote team on time – but repeated occurrences can seriously damage morale.

That’s why it’s essential to have systems and procedures set up for accounting and payment. Whether it’s a tool that integrates with your time tracking system to automatically pay your workers, or hiring a virtual accounting team, get automated payment tools set up to make sure that your team members are promptly paid for the work they do.

Tools like Quickbooks will help you manage your finances effectively. Here’s a Quickbooks coupon to get you started.

RECOGNITION

Everyone likes to feel appreciated – and remember, in the remote office, you can’t just walk down the hall and congratulate a team member on an awesome job.

Something as simple as a thank you via email, a gift certificate, or even a small bonus will go a long way. Even better, share the appreciation – create a wiki or newsletter thanking that week’s or month’s star player for their work, and you’ll increase morale on the entire team.

Remote teams can form the base of highly successful businesses and create rewarding work for both entrepreneurs and their remote employees – as long as managers use these 6 types of tools to facilitate their working relationships.

Image source: Pixabay

If you’re a business owner or are just starting out, then you cannot underestimate the power of good marketing. 

Marketing is now an essential part of running any business, and so no matter what the product or service, you should have a marketing strategy in place.

I assume you already have a site. If not, here’s a very detailed guide on starting an online store.

Read on for five ideas on how to market yourself and create the type of buzz around your business that you need.

Build an Email List

Assuming you have a website and blog, then building an email list will help you directly engage with your customers and specific target markets. 

Make sure you have an email sign-up form on your web page, and give readers an incentive to fill it in, such as a free ebook relevant to your industry. You can then send out direct messages, newsletters, or marketing emails to your list.

Optimize Your Website and Marketing Content

Optimization is key to achieving a positive place in the SERPS, so use basic SEO strategies to improve your visibility. 

You should research and use keywords that aren’t too competitive, build good quality backlinks by producing shareable well-written content and posting on guest blog sites, and track all your results to keep on top of bad links and identify your most successful strategies.

However, as the search engines have cracked down on poor quality content and SEOs who ‘game’ the system, be very very careful. You don’t want to be penalized. So always make sure your links are natural, don’t produce copy stuffed with keywords, and never post on sites that provide poor-quality content or where you have no control. If in doubt, engage an SEO specialist for help.

Good branding is more than just a logo – it tells customers about your business a lot more effectively than thousands of words ever could

Create Strong Branding

Good branding is more than just a logo – it tells customers about your business a lot more effective than thousands of words ever could.

Essentially, good branding gives your business a visual identity to differentiate it from competitors, creates an image that customers want to buy into, gives your business its own personality, demonstrates your values, and builds trust. Ultimately, whenever customers see your brand, it should create a powerful connection between your customers and your business – and therefore build sales.

Create an Editorial Calendar for Blog Posts

A blog is an excellent tool for marketing, but be careful not to just post up haphazard and random content when you think of it. Create a plan for your blogs so that each post is carefully thought out and published regularly. 

Ultimately, you’ll save time on head scratching and trying to come up with ideas when under pressure.

Diversify Your Content Marketing

The most successful marketing strategies employ a good mix of types of media and platforms for customers to engage with. Use videos, images, articles, infographics, or webinars, and distribute them across a wide number of platforms for best results.

Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay

Freelance and gig work is an ever-rising trend in the modern business world. Now, many workers around the world depend on side hustles to supplement or create their income, with over 57 million Americans working some kind of freelance job.

Most of these freelancers are working several jobs at a time — called “serial side hustlers”.

If you already have multiple side hustles or are interested in branching out, consider helpful serial side hustle tips on how to successfully manage multiple gigs.

1. Set a Goal

Creating a goal means that you aren’t working aimlessly for the sake of working.

Set up an idea of what your end game is. This goal can be anything: the amount of money you earn, the experience you gain, or the how much content you produce.

2. Create Time Blocks

Organization is key for any job, but when you are managing yourself, staying organized and managing your time effectively is crucial.

Organize your gigs into chunks of time. Block off time slots for each activity so that you have a clear and simple plan going forward, and don’t get bogged down by having to remember when to do what.

3. Add Some Variety

Burnout is very common among freelancers, particularly when work gets repetitive and stressful.

One way to avoid this is by pursuing new gigs in different industries to keep your work diverse and interesting.

4. Keep Your Professional and Personal Life Separate

If you start discussing professional life on your personal social media accounts, borders get fuzzy. If you use your personal email or phone number for business communication, you are always available and never have time off.

Never give away your personal info, only use your business phone number for your public profiles.

Guard your personal life carefully.

If you can, avoid working with your family members too.

5 Take Time Off

Make sure you are aware of the time commitment that freelancer work demands, especially if you are pursuing multiple side hustles.

Another way to avoid burnout is to allot time to relax and de-stress. Build this time into your schedule to force yourself to take a break occasionally.

6. Use Simple Life Hacks

Multiple gigs are a big time commitment, so simplifying your life and optimizing your time in other areas is a good way to maintain a comfortable schedule and not over-exert yourself.

Make your life easier with simple hacks like meal planning at the beginning of the week or time blocking during the day to focus on one task at a time.

Starting a new business is both exciting and daunting at the same time. Any budding entrepreneur will likely be full of energy at the beginning and at the same time, scared of any possible pitfalls.

It is an emotional time and the wave of energy and determination must be directed towards productivity.

The first 100 days of your new business, commencing on the day you commit yourself to turn that wonderful idea of yours to a reality, need to be spent wisely on tasks that would eventually be your basis of reference for the next months and years to come.

It is therefore necessary and vital that you do the steps correctly and timely to give yourself a head start and get the ball and momentum rolling.

Here are some guidelines on what to do once you have commitment to bring that bright idea of yours into a money making venture.

Create a Business Plan

You may think yourself as a genius but it is still important to write the things down associated with your business idea and formulate a plan . Tackle the basics first, figure out your core business, your competitive advantage, narrow your target market, sort out a general marketing plan, work on the finances.

Seek a second opinion from a trusted friend or a business mentor once you’ve made a plan and be open to their insights. In the course of writing down your thoughts, you’ll discover the philosophy you want to adopt when doing your business. Perhaps you can write that down into a mission vision statement.

A good plan may just be the key to your success so check and review your plan very well, take your time. It is better not to rush this part as the opposite may cause you trouble in the long run. Use this time to think about the organizational chart as well.

And once your business has started, it is wise to refer to the original plan once in a while to assure you are on the right track. And should you need to revise some items due to different market conditions and other factors.

Select a Good Company Name

At this modern times, not only should you make your business name unique and catchy. You also need to consider a matching domain name and whether it is still available.

Likewise, the email addresses to use which normally bears the business name too. All these online labeling should not be too long or complicated.

And since most businesses nowadays need an online presence in order to thrive, you need to submit your name to Google to index your website. Then there are business cards, brochures and invoices which may require a logo.

That is why the right company name must me chosen as a lot relies on it. You can refer to your business plan for inspiration.

Register Your Business

To formally mark the first step of probably the most important project in your life, register your business at to the proper government department.

Gather all the requirements to guarantee that your work is legit and is open for business. Once registered, you are able to casually market your business to friends and family.

And hopefully they will spread the word that will reach potential customers who may just give you a call soon and just in time when you are all settled down and ready.

If you are into local business, make sure to verify your business with Google Local, Bing Local as well as most important local directories like Yelp and DirJournal. This will ensure your business will be visible to your customers on maps as well as drive traffic to your site.

You don’t have to go local, of course. Thanks to the Internet and Cloud PBX, any business can go global.

Determine the Type of Business

With a business plan at hand, you can determine what type of business will work best. You can opt for a sole trading or a partnership depending on the situation you are in. Picking the right structure will impact the way you do business.

So read up on the difference, advantages and disadvantages of each. Know what are the legal repercussions and what extra work or insurance you may need to take as a result of your choice.

When in doubt, consult a business adviser or ask a local government department for further information. You cannot afford to miss out any important details.

Set up the Foundation

What’s your initial investment is going to be?

Common startup costs include:

• Incorporation fees: Under $300
• Marketing: 0% to 10% of total budget
• Website: About $40 per month
• Insurance: An average of $1,200 per year
• Taxes: Variable, but 21% corporate tax rate

You may be able to save here and there. For example, you can save money by hiring a digital marketing company that’s located outside of the United States.

Keep the Faith

Have faith in the process and do not give up should you encounter any pitfalls. Learn from your mistakes and do it all over again.

Customers will not be lining up right away unless you are giving out scrumptious hotcakes. It will take time and a lot of effort on your part to finally make your mark on your niche and for people to take notice of you.

Keep a positive outlook and always observe quality of your service to keep the customers satisfied and coming back for more.

Digital marketing can be overwhelming: Here are the two essential steps to get it under control:

1. Develop, monitor and defend brand identity

When you first enter a room, and no one knows you, you wield a certain power – The power to be anything, the power to recreate yourself. However only some of that power is truly yours, the rest is a result of circumstance and the other people in that room.

The first step is finding a brand name that will be easy to market. This business name generator will be a great help!

This is why most marketers believe that the “brand” isn’t created by the company, but their customers. But you can control certain factors that help your social media audience form that “brand perception”. The content you put out is the primary cause, and every social media manager’s most valiant struggle.

The solution:

1. Identify the intersection of your buyer personas and your social media audience (on each platform) using surveys and secondary research.
2. Note down their topics of interest that correlate with your business niche
3. Create and curate useful content that matches those topics of interest
4. Use a social media monitoring tool to catch and respond to mentions of your brand

You could set up notifications on a social monitoring tool like Brand24 on which each mention of your brand is associated with a “sentiment” and reported to you real time. This is great for averting potential boil-ups and making good on valuable opportunities to gain invaluable social capital (favor with your audience).

2. Fight the noise/value ratio battle on multiple platforms

Your established clients may encourage you to be present and active on all social media platforms. The classic ones, and the upcoming ones all the same. They’re afraid of missing out on action and falling behind in the development curve.

Not being on some social platforms isn’t necessarily a hindrance. In fact, you can allocate resources to social media platforms that matter more if you aren’t squandering them on social media platforms that don’t matter. There’s just so much content out there, that there is no point pushing on platforms that aren’t worth the effort.

The solution:

1. Survey social media audiences and pinpoint where most of your brand’s potential buyers are present (You could do this by creating accounts and actually testing the platform or by accessing third party research of demographics)
2. Allocate most resources (time, monetary and human) on the social media platform that promises the most returns and accordingly focus resources on the rest

Ensure your company’s unified communication readiness to avoid organization silos and build a productive digital marketing strategy.

I hope your digital marketing strategy will become much more productive and effective after this article. Good luck!

Image source: Pixabay

Whether you realize it or not, your brand has a tone of voice. You may have a hard time identifying it, but you can bet your customers are aware of it. 

The good news is that you can control and shape this tone – but you better act sooner rather than later.

The Value of Your Voice

The term “tone of voice” typically conjures up thoughts about spoken words and how we speak in certain situations. However, in the case of marketing and branding, it refers to written words – or the words a brand uses on websites, emails, advertisements, social media, and packaging.

“A tone of voice both embodies and expresses the brand’s personality and set of values,” writes Harriet Cummings, freelance writer and content marketer. “It’s about the people that make up the brand – the things that drive them, their loves and hates, and what they want to share with the world.”

Your brand’s tone of voice doesn’t just refer to the words you select, though. It’s also defined by the order, pace, and rhythm of the words. All of these factors come together to create something that’s bigger than the words themselves.

Three Tips for Shaping Your Voice

As a brand, how often do you consider your tone of voice? Don’t be ashamed if the answer is “never.” 

Many marketers and modern business professionals have been taught to focus too much on the mode of communication and not enough on the words used. If this is true in your situation, it’s time to reevaluate. Here are a few things you need to know about shaping your brand’s tone of voice:

1. Understand Your Audience

“It may seem simple, but it is more important than ever to understand who your audience is and what they expect,” says Lisa Giosi, social media manager for Active Web Group. “Gone are the days when one message fit all consumers. Today’s sophisticated audiences expect there to be a conversation, as opposed to just one-way communication.”

Do you know who your audience is? Your audience will shape your voice to a large degree. The good news is that you can learn a lot about how your customers speak and interact by studying what they do and like on social media.

Set up a customer appreciation week to get to know your customers better, or organize a local meetup. Implement email marketing to collect customers’ feedback, use surveys and feedback forms, etc.

2. Hone in on Your Values

Your audience plays a large role in shaping your voice, but there are also plenty of internal factors that determine the tone you select. Think about your brand’s core values, goals, inspirations, and other important factors. 

How do you want them to come across in your messaging? In most cases, these elements will coincide with your audience’s preferences, but there can be subtle differences.

3. Study Relevant Examples

One of the best things you can do is study other successful brands and evaluate their tones. You don’t want to mimic what they’re doing, but it can be incredibly helpful to see what they’re doing and watch the consistency they achieve across the board.

This resource over at Marketing Land has 20 different examples of effective social media voices. Check out a few of them and see if there are some lessons you can apply to your own brand’s tone of voice.

Do Your Brand Justice

Your brand’s voice says a lot about the values your company stands for and believes in. In order to connect with customers and create meaningful online experiences, you must master the art of crafting and using a compelling voice that does your brand justice. 

Using the tips in this article, and your own intuition about your brand and its target audience, begin shaping your voice for the future. Your ability to create effective content depends on it.