Successful Blog

Is Your Business Staying up with the Times?

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Man Hand writing Resource with black marker on visual screen.How do you set your business apart from those you are competing with?

One of the ways to do this is making sure your brand is current with the times. This means a number of things, most importantly of which is technology. If you’re lagging when it comes to the tech world, you could very well be watching business and money pass you by.

So, how do you make sure your brand is current when it comes to staying up with the times?

Review and React

Start by doing a review of all your business activities, checking each and every pertinent one.

How much emphasis does your company place on technology?

As the tech world continues to change and grow on seemingly a monthly basis, it is crucial that your brand is along for the ride.

One such area is the uptick in mobile sales in recent years, something your business can be capitalizing on with sound marketing initiatives.

As more and more customers continue trending towards browsing and buying goods/services on mobile devices, your brand must be along for the ride. This includes when it comes to customers and their payment processing options.

Is your company doing all it can to make sure customers have a smooth checkout when completing a sale with you?

Secondly, look at how your employees treat not only the customers that do business with you, but also their co-workers.

Running a successful business in 2016 and beyond means having a workplace where things run like a fine-tuned automobile. That means doing whatever is deemed necessary to make the business tick.

Sure, some co-workers will not get along entirely well with other ones, but always emphasize that it is the company which today, tomorrow, and the next day that ultimately comes first.

Don’t Forget the Social Experience

Also review how relevant your brand is on social media.

Face it; not being active in the social networking world in 2016 is akin to not having an ATM card or still using dial-up to get on the Internet.

Businesses with that social media presence stand a leg-up on their competitors for several reasons.

They include:

  • If a customer isn’t happy with the service he or she received from a business, they’re more apt to tell the world about it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or any number of other social vehicles. The last thing you want as a business owner is having your brand talked about in a negative manner. This is one of the reasons having a voice on social media is important for your brand;
  • You should also use social media as a tool for your promotional efforts. Your products and/or services essentially receive free advertising when mentioned on social networking sites, so why wouldn’t you turn to these? While you want to go easy on the sales pitches on social sites, you should use social networking to tout why your brand stands apart from others. If you are running special deals for current and/or potential customers, use social sites to broadcast such news. You can even include coupons and other rewards on these pages that consumers can then download for savings;
  • You’d probably be lying if you said you never truly cared what the competition is up to. With that in mind, social media is a great means whereby you can learn about your competition. See how they use social media to promote their brands. Do they run contests on their Facebook pages? Do they use their Twitter page to retweet a number of interesting blog posts either from their site or industry-specific to them? Do they have a regular presence on Instagram, allowing them to post images of their products or services? These should all be areas of interest to you as you look to improve upon your own brand.

As you can see, there are many things for you to do in staying up with the times.

When you do just that, it is your business which stands to benefit the most.

Not only are you up to speed on technology, customer intuitions and what the competition is doing, but you show your brand to be relevant in 2016 and hopefully beyond.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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

The Business of Earning More Money

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Budget ConceptWhat are you doing to earn more money?

Some business owners (and regular consumers for that matter) will try and come up with myriad of ways to bring in some extra income, especially in a day and age when media incomes are stagnant for many people.

With that in mind, have you been toying with ideas in 2016 as to how to make your wallet or purse a little fatter in terms of the green stuff?

Be Innovative

So that you can increase your income this year and moving forward, have you thought about some of these ideas?

  • Selling products on the side – From Avon to jewelry and much more, selling a product or products on the side from your full-time job is a good means to earn extra money. In fact, some individuals sell such products as their regular jobs. This allows them in essence to be their own bosses, work from home, set the hours best suited to them and more. If this might sound of interest to you, going online is a good place to start. Doing a Google search of such items will get you going in the right direction. You may also have a friend or friends that sell such items on the side or full-time, so they would be great reference points;
  • Overtime hours – While some companies have strict rules on working overtime, many others will allow employees some overtime opportunities from time to time. Get with your boss to see if you in fact are eligible for some bonus hours at work. This is great because you do not have to (unless you so choose) find a part-time job or two on the side. Working extra hours at your full-time job also allows you to build up more experience in your current position, something which could help you with a possible promotion and raise down the road. One thing to avoid, however, is working too many hours to the point where you essentially suffer burnout at some point;
  • Consulting – It is not uncommon to see older workers turn to consulting, something which can lead to less stress and still provide a decent stream of revenue. This is especially a good option if you have years and/or decades in a chosen field. Go online and do some Google searches for consulting in your field of expertise;
  • Leasing your land – Not everything revolves around your resume when it comes to making some extra money. If you own a sizable amount of land, you could lease it out on occasion for a variety of purposes. Hunting on leased land has become more popular in recent years, especially given the fact that more and more land is being consumed by developers, those same developers that are looking to build office spaces, shopping facilities and more. If you are willing to rent out some of your property for hunting, fishing or other such outdoor activities, be sure to draw up a contract each time, making it clear what the rules and regulations are for anyone spending time on your property. You might also consider renting out space on your property if it is large enough for someone to run a small business from there. With rents oftentimes sky-high in cities and towns, small business owners on a shoestring budget wouldn’t mind saving some money. Having them renting a portion of your property to get or keep their businesses up-and-running until they have more resources to expand one day makes sense. Still another idea is renting out extra parking spaces if you have them on your premises. Neighbors may be willing to pay you on a monthly or yearly basis to use such spots, especially if they are limited where they can currently park and/or have multiple vehicles. While your land is your pride and joy, there could be cash-flow opportunities sitting right under your nose;
  • Helping those in your community – From family and friends to neighbors, there are probably a number of extra income opportunities you have not thought of before. Some of these involve helping those closest to you. From babysitting to working on people’s properties, get creative and see how you can pad your wallet or purse. Sometimes knowing you are helping others, all the while adding a little extra to your income reservoirs, is a great feeling.

No matter what you do full-time for a living, are you interested in earning more money?

If the answer is yes (you might be hard-pressed to find those who would say no), then put your thinking cap on and get to work at it.

Being savvy when it comes to earning more money and just improving your overall life is something you should always be thinking about.

What are you doing in today’s challenging economy (business or personal) to make more money?

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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

Did You Hire the Right Financial Advisor?

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Risk Reward GraphGiven the importance of your financial investments (whether you are a business owner or just a normal consumer), it should come as no surprise that having the right person oversee them is something you should never take for granted.

That said you might be surprised how many consumers leave their financial well-being up in the air.

As a result, they leave themselves vulnerable to financial calamity sooner rather than later. Even if they stave off financial problems for the foreseeable future, their idea of a perfect retirement can very easily be put in jeopardy.

So, with the idea that investing in your financial future should always be taken seriously; take stock in your current financial picture and also where you would like to be down the road.

Research and Never Settle

If you haven’t already, start by research financial experts to see who and which investment company is best suited to handle your money needs.

With many still expressing concerns about an ability to retire one day, keep in mind that you are not alone with your fears.

You want a financial pro that has the following:

  • Experience – Although it sounds like a no-brainier, be sure that you hire someone who has some real meat on their financial resume. How long have they been in this line of work? Have they stayed with the same firm over time or jump around from place to place? What do their colleagues think of them? Have they and/or their company been involved in any concerning business matters over the years, notably complaints or even lawsuits from consumers? These are all areas that you should research;
  • Customer service – Nothing is more irritating as a consumer than having to chase down the person who is supposed to be working for you, not the other way around. While that individual obviously has countless other clients, be sure they can make time for you when needed. Whether it is a simple financial investment question or you have a financial matter of urgent concern, they need to be as accessible as possible to you.

You Have a Job Too

While locating the right financial pro is necessary in advising you of the best moves with your money, you also have an important role to play.

Unlike younger investors who have some “recovery time” on their hands when they either get a late start and/or make a few financial investment mistakes here and there, older investors do not have such luxuries.

If you are an older investor, it is important that you make sure all your financial eggs are in order, including playing catch-up if you are over the age of 50. Investors over that age are allowed to invest more money (up to a limit depending on if it is an IRA, 401K etc.) than younger investors.

Another key area of importance is whether you have a family or not.

If you are on your own, you have a little more flexibility. For those with a spouse and perhaps a child or two, financial decisions become all the more important.

Individuals in these situations should also make sure that they have a sound life insurance plan in place.

With a good life insurance plan, the breadwinner of the house can rest a little easier, knowing that his loved one or ones are covered should he or she become disabled and unable to work or even pass away.

While insurance agents are typically the go-to people for life insurance and other such needs, your financial pro can help lay out the basics for you, giving you some guidance on how having such a policy can impact your financial situation now and down the road.

Finally, with April 15 (tax day) creeping closer and closer, be sure to understand how your financial decisions can and will impact your tax burdens.

If you are contributing to personal IRA’s for example, you can note those contributions as deductions for the previous calendar year, lessening your taxable income.

With all there is to know about your financial situation today, tomorrow and ultimately down the road, make sure you’ve gone about hiring the right financial advisor for all your monetary needs.

When you do, you could find yourself being one happy camper.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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

Repair Your Marketing Message

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Market Business Global Business Marketing Commerce ConceptIn the world of marketing, getting your message out to the public can mean the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

No matter what brand you are marketing, it is critical that you get your message out there correctly the first time around.

So, do you feel confident that your brand’s message is being heard by the right people at the right time? If not, how can you go about repairing that message so you get it right more times than not?

Get Your Brand the Attention It Needs

To start with, take a good look at your brand and who you are trying to promote it to.

For example, say you want to market a repair manual, be it for electronics, vehicles, household appliances or a host of other items. Such manuals are all but a necessity for millions of people, especially just after they have purchased a new product.

You have several options to market such manuals, among which include:

  • Your website – First and foremost, your company website is your greatest tool when it comes to marketing your brand. That said too many companies drop the ball as it relates to their sites, having websites (specifically blogs) that are ho-hum at best. From boring copy to broken links, there can be (and oftentimes are) a host of reasons as to why consumers are simply passing your brand by. When that happens, it is oftentimes your competition that swoops in and scores the sales. In order to lessen the odds of that occurring on a regular basis, review your site often. Look for not only stale copy or copy that fails to gain you ground in Google searches, but also links that do not work, a lack of imagery, and failure to leave proper contact details for interested consumers;
  • Social media – If you’re one of those company heads, who still hasn’t jumped on the social media bandwagon, why is that? SM is a great tool whereby you can give your brand the attention it needs, all the while barely spending a dime in the process. If you’re yearning for inspiration, take a look at some competition’s social networking endeavors, seeing what clearly works for them and what may need to be tabled. One word of caution, do not try and be too many things for too many people. Instead of trying to be on multiple social sites and not having a true handle on things, focus-in on a couple of sites (typically Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. are good starters) and get to work. Your Facebook page is a great place to run surveys of consumers, offer specials and deals (contests are great too), and interact with those interested in your product or service. With Twitter, you can tweet and retweet messages about your brand and the industry you are a part of. Make sure you’re brand is part of any relevant discussions, as you can very well find new customer opportunities with just a few tweets and retweets. Whether you know it or not, Instagram has exploded in just the last year or two, giving businesses a great opportunity to market their products and services. Post images of your brand (including how-to manuals etc.) so consumers have a better idea of what you offer. As the word spreads from shares, your marketing message will better position itself to take off (see more below);
  • Employees – Stop for a moment and think about whom are some of your greatest marketing ambassadors. If you missed your employees, revisit that topic quickly. As part of your company, your workers should always be assisting you in getting the right marketing message out there. While you likely have a marketing coordinator (and or department) in place, there is no reason everyone in the company can’t do his or her part to help in repairing your marketing message when it is not working. Have company meetings from time to time, with instructions and feedback on how to better market your brand. Also consider letting your employees use social media on occasion to help push your marketing message to the public.

If your marketing message is in need of some repair, open the manual of commonsense and get it working today.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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

Success Oftentimes Comes From Helping Others

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A thermometer with mercury rising past the 100% goal mark and shWhat makes you feel successful as a business owner in today’s competitive world?

For some, it is seeing your revenue grow quarter to quarter. Others, meantime, like it when their brand not only gets lots of promotions, but is also expanding into other markets.

While those are all great marks for a company; so too is helping others.

When your brand can reach out to those in your local community (and even nationally at times) and lend a helping hand, it gives you a good feeling about your role as a business owner.

Business of Lending a Helping Hand

It truly doesn’t matter if your business is big or small, there are myriad of ways you can leave a positive imprint on the lives of others.

In the event you’ve not been too robust in community activities over the years or are new to the business world, keep some of these ideas in mind for 2016 and beyond:

  1. Outreach – What are you doing as a business leader to help those in your local community? Get together with your employees to come up with some ways of making lives better for those in and around town. There are options such as participating in running or walking events, book drives to get more people (especially kids) reading, packing up supplies to send off to the troops, doing toy fairs for area children and so much more. When you and your employees sit down and think about ideas, the best idea to come out of this is that you will be helping others;
  2. Partnership – If you do not want to headline a fund-raiser or other such event, partner with others in the community to do so. This takes the pressure off of you to be the prime organizer, yet you still add your company’s time and effort to the mix. Have someone on your staff be in charge of looking for opportunities to get your business involved. Work with the local chamber of commerce and other business leaders in the community to see where your brand can best leave its helping footprints around town;
  3. Educate – Learn from some of the “big boys” as to what they’re doing not only nationally, but in local communities. Companies such as McDonald’s, Nike, Target, Las Vegas Sands and many others are well-known for their efforts to assist others. Take a lesson from these and other known brands, learning how they put these different helping programs in motion. Once you’ve done that, you can then implement likewise efforts on your local level to help both individuals and families;
  4. Publicize – Once you have a fund-raiser or other such type of helping program or plan in place, promote the heck out of it for maximum success. You can do this through a number of channels, notably press releases and social media. Your press release/s should include pertinent details not only about the event, but how and why others in the community should get involved. With social media, you can inform countless people of the event planned and how to participate in it. Use your social networking opportunities like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. to promote your plans. Lastly, share the plans with as many people you know in your social networking circle, encouraging them to promote as well. It is also a good idea to help promote others who are doing likewise initiatives in their respective communities. Another business in town may be doing its own type of fund-raiser that you’re not participating in, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give direct non-competitors a little promotion on your social sites. When everyone takes a little bit of time to spread the news about assisting others, much more gets done.

When you stop and think about it, having the right focus applies to many facets of the business world.

Yes, you’re in the business world to sell your product or service and ultimately make money.

That being said, helping others a little less fortunate along the way will bring you just as much success and a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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

Do You Elicit Great Followers in the Business World?

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Young business man standing in front of his co-workers talkingWhen it comes to gaining followers, quality trumps quantity especially in the business world.

Thanks to social media, it’s easy to become fixated on the numbers whether that’s how many employees you have working for you or how many people attend an event you host.

But attracting great followers, the right followers, can pay dividends.

They include:

  1. Right followers make it happen.

If you’re a business owner, your followers are the people on the ground making your vision happen and helping you to realize your goals. Great followers are more than just foot soldiers or cogs in the wheel of your business machine.

Any qualified worker can complete the task they are assigned but loyal followers will fight the battles that go on behind closed doors. When you leave a meeting or log-off of a conference call, you want to know that the people you’ve hired will quash any toxic dissension.

  1. They’ll challenge you to be better.

Quality followers will feel empowered to hold leaders accountable. That sounds dramatic and maybe counterintuitive to the idea that bosses are superiors, but it’s a positive sign of leadership.

Great followers respect your expertise and therefore hold you to a high standard. If they see you or your business slipping down the slope of complacency, they’ll challenge you to be better.

If for example, say you’re a thought leader in your industry with a considerable Twitter following. If you’ve attracted quality fans that care about your brand and reputation, they’re going to tweet at you with constructive criticism and not just blind praise.

  1. They can help you get out ahead of conflict.

As the article “All Engineering Leaders Need Great Followers” points out, followers can teach leaders as much as leaders can teach followers. One of the primary roles of a follower is a responsibility to listen, take stock of situations, and learn from that input.

In a business environment, great employees will communicate to you problems as they happen rather than letting conflict fester.

They’re professional adults that know there’s a difference between “being a snitch” and proactive problem solving.

  1. Passion is the best PR.

As Forbes explains, there’s a difference between a follower and a subordinate.

A passionate follower may not have authority in the form of a fancy title, but they hold a great deal of actual power.

When you are an innovative leader in the business world, you likely won’t need to take out a billboard announcing your talent because your passionate employees or men-tees will be spreading the positive word for you.

  1. Today’s followers may be tomorrow’s leaders.

This isn’t hyperbole.

Industries like technology and media are in a constant state of change thanks to new mechanical innovations and strategic disruption.

Your intern today could be your peer at another company in a year. Taking the long view, that assistant could be your boss at some point. You want to have great followers because your future employment could depend on it.

Great followers can help you save money with positive PR, challenge you to be better, and help prevent future conflict or unemployment.

For these reasons it’s just as important that leaders consider the quality, not quantity of their followers.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Kristin Livingstone writes on a variety of topics including leadership and business.