business Archives - Page 22 of 36

Know the Merits of Guest Posting

November 25, 2015 by Thomas

What takes up the majority of your time running a business?

Some business owners will point out the task of keeping customers happy. Others will note overseeing employees takes up a fair amount of their work week. Meantime, some will state that marketing and advertising their brand constitutes countless hours weekly.

One of those aspects of marketing is content marketing. More specifically; having an authoritative and popular blog on your website grows by the importance each day.

So, what happens when you don’t have the time and/or resources to field a noteworthy blog? What happens when you’d like to contribute to other relevant blogs, yet time and resources are again issues?

Is it too late to change course or can you make your blog worthwhile, along with contributing to others in order to drive more business and revenue your way?

Your Content is Critical

With 2016 knocking on the door, it is more important than ever that you don’t lose focus on the importance of content marketing for your brand, material that oftentimes will be displayed on your website.

Among the ways to make your content marketing stand out:

Hiring the right talent to write copy – If you find that you’re too busy yourself (and also your staff) to do the content marketing writing, look to guest posting services. By using such a service, you eliminate the need for you and/or your staff to research and write the copy. As long as you hire a service provider that knows their stuff, has a feel for your industry and can provide that necessary voice (see more below), and promotes your brand in a variety of ways, you can stand out in the content marketing arena, By doing so, you increase the odds of landing more business;
Talk to your audience – All too often, companies will try and tell the consumer what the business owner wants them to hear, something that is not necessarily always what the consumer in turns wants to hear. When using a guest posting service, make sure they properly represent your brand, something which will receive a better response from many consumers. The copy should be informative, yet not too heavy on the sales side. If the voice is one of simply a salesperson, you may very well push the consumer/s in the direction of your competitors. Talking to your audience also means being a social butterfly (see more below), so don’t be shy about talking-up your brand;
Socializing is where it is at – Finally, properly using social media to promote your content marketing initiatives is very important. You can have the best content/writers in the world, but what if no one or few people are reading it? Use various social media vehicles (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.) to promote your brand. Yes, YouTube has become more and more popular with companies looking to market their products and services. Having a small amount of worthwhile content with the video/slides etc. you want to show can go a long way in converting a potential client into a delivered client.

If you’re finding that you don’t have the time and/or expertise for properly doing content marketing now and down the road, a guest posting service could be just the right call.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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

Educate Yourself on Importance of eLearning for Business

November 20, 2015 by Thomas

It’s time to educate yourself on the importance of e-learning for business.

Both employers and employees can benefit from taking online courses. The choice of courses is almost limitless.

Whether you are seeking to obtain a certification, a degree, or simply to increase your knowledge in a particular area, e-learning offers a way to achieve those ambitions.

Convenience of eLearning

E-learning offers flexibility for students.

Enrolled students can log on to their classroom dashboard from any place with an Internet connection.

So when a business owner has an employee in the field who they want to enroll in an e-learning course, that employee doesn’t need to come in from the field in order to sit in a classroom and learn.

Timing is also a huge benefit to e-learning courses.

Most often, there is no time limit for how long a student can take to finish any one course, or to get their final certification. In cases where there is a time limit, it’s usually quite liberal.

After all, e-learning courses are specifically designed to meet the needs of students who have other major demands on their time, such as raising a family or working a full-time job.

Location is another valuable benefit for most e-learning students.

Armed with a laptop and a set of ear buds or headphones, students can engage with their course work outside in a park, in the employee break lounge, on public transit, or anywhere else they find themselves with extra time to spare.

How eLearning Benefits Employers

Even if employers don’t enroll in e-learning courses themselves, their businesses will benefit when employees are motivated enough to take e-learning courses.

Employers can greatly enhance their talent resources when they encourage and reward employees for taking e-learning courses.

As the following article looks at, there are 3 basic needs for inspiring motivation in eLearning.

The first one is accessibility. Having the courses be accessible to the employees is a key part of making sure everyone is treated fairly in regards to the opportunity.

One great way to ensure this is to post news about the e-learning opportunities in employee newsletters, in company emails and on office bulletin boards. This is also a terrific way for employers to protect themselves against the possibility of discrimination suits.

A second way to motivate employees to take up e-learning is to make it relatable to their job success. It is in this way that employers can really benefit from helping all their employees to do better in their job performance.

Any industry can benefit from employees who are more educated in terms of dealing with the issues that come up in their job.

For example, a factory worker would benefit from courses that teach about automation. A salesperson would benefit from courses about purchasing behavior. A retail clerk would benefit from courses regarding preventing shoplifting.

Finally, employers can motivate employees to enroll in e-learning by offering rewards based on measurable goals.

When employees see that they can be promoted or earn more money by taking e-learning courses, everyone benefits.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Kate Supino writes about best business practices.

Put Some Bounce Into Your SMS Marketing Plans

November 18, 2015 by Thomas

Your club or other form of entertainment establishment is alive with nightlife.

Excitement and energy pulse through the space and the air is fused with electricity. You want your marketing efforts to exude the same vibe.

Have you thought about bumping up your SMS marketing?

Text message marketing is one of the smartest marketing techniques right now.

You can reach large numbers of people who will follow through on a call to action. Most people have access to text messaging and check their texts throughout the day.

With smart messaging, this can be low cost, high reward form of marketing. Your club will be even more vibrant and exciting.

As the article “6 creative ways to advertise your club’s SMS marketing program” looks at, here are some things to remember:

Motivate people to sign up with incentives – Include a free drink or discounted cover charge when they sign up for text alerts. Think about this for getting current customers to sign up immediately, as in when they are in your club – post the number to join in your club and offer a free drink with sign up.
Make it urgent – With a quick turn-around time, people are more likely to take you up on your offers. For instance, when you say you get free entrance to the club with SMS sign up, make sure you include an expiration date and make it quick, like one week.
Let your subscribers know of special events – They can be the first to know about events like ladies’ nights or special DJ’s. It’s a great way to form those connections with your customers; they’ll love the feeling of getting insider’s tips!
Post your SMS offers on your social media – The people coming to your club are probably pretty into social media, so get this out there. Those that subscribe to your Instagram and other social media will get reminders to sign up for SMS. You can also send texts now and then with social media participation reminders. These work hand in hand.

Easy She Goes with SMS Marketing

The great thing about SMS marketing is how easy it is.

Because you are limited in your text characters, you don’t have to worry about creating long winded content. Short and sweet is the way to go, with a clear call to action, a reward and an expiration date.

Be sure to text consistently, but no more than a couple of times a week. You don’t want to annoy your customers, but you want to keep their attention. Vary your incentives and be creative.

You’ll see more and more subscribers and more and more revenue coming in!

Good luck and please share anything fun and creative you’ve done with SMS marketing for your club.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Heather Legg is an independent writer who covers topics related to social media, SMS marketing strategies, and small business.

Take Your Company’s Data Integration to New Levels

November 14, 2015 by Thomas

Now that you’ve got your company off and running and your business intelligence all locked up with data integration, it’s time to take it to new levels.

Data integration is the latest way for businesses in all industries to meet the constantly evolving demands of their clients and customers.

It’s also a proven way for businesses to streamline all their department efforts, including HR, marketing and sales.

Take Human Resources to the Next Level

Human resources professionals are always looking for new and better ways to attain and retain quality employees. The task hasn’t always been easy.

In the past, HR professionals had to perform their personnel hunt on the sly, plucking top employees from their current jobs, wooing them over secret lunches and convincing them to jump ship. The entire affair was cumbersome and fraught with frustration and disappointment.

Half the time, after that entire struggle, the caught employee turned out to be not as expected, and ended up jumping ship – again.

With data integration, HR professionals can cease opportunities to finely tune their search for high potential job candidates, to a point where they are nearly certain they are chasing the right rabbit.

Once on board, data integration systems give HR professionals a bird’s eye view of employee’s performance and where there is room for improvement.

Take Marketing to the Next Level

As the following article looks at, your marketing department may be the area where you will see the most benefit from unlocking knowledge and enhancing collaboration with data integration.

With the correct data integration system in place, your marketing team can project trends, target leads and customize marketing strategies in record time.

Using data integration systems, marketing managers can swiftly react to changing patterns and interests in your target demographics.

It’s like being able to read a customer’s mind, and then changing what you say seconds before you say it.

Take Sales to the Next Level

With a data integration system at your sales team’s disposal, they will be able to act on information that is input into the system.

They will be able to collaborate with other team members, whether they are across the room or around the globe.

Sales efforts no longer have to be put on hold because one or more members of your sales team are out of pocket. Shared data is data that can be acted on instantly.

Those who are able to utilize the data and move ahead with projects will be able to update the project status, sign their digital name to the work, and move on to next steps.

The lead, or target customer, will then move automatically and organically to the next stage in the buying decision, ready for the next sales member to take the lead.

Streamlining your business with data integration is the next big thing that technology has brought to the hands of business owners.

Take advantage of this latest wave and find out how data integration can change the way you do business.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Kate Supino writes about business and marketing practices.

Go Blogging and See the Results

November 11, 2015 by Thomas

Do you sometimes feel like your brand is not getting the attention it deserves and more importantly needs?

For some business owners, their websites can mean the difference between a healthy brand and one that is on life support. Whether your brand is doing well or not so well, are you looking to improve it? If the answer is yes, make sure you review your blogging efforts.

Given the fact that more and more consumers are going online to browse and ultimately buy products and services; having a strong website presence (including a relevant and informative blog) is more critical than ever. So, take some time to see how you can improve your blog or even how to start a blog today.

Blogs Matter More Than Ever

No matter what product or service you sell, blogging about your line of work is a great way to not only attract new customers, but also retain current ones.

With a solid blog on your website, you can:

Promote your brand – First and foremost, promoting your brand should always be a priority. A stellar blog on your website allows you to do just that and more. The blog can be an ambassador for your brand, introducing your products and/or services to millions of consumers. Make sure the information contained in your blog is relevant, timely, and provides a call to action without coming across as a sales pitch;
Be more socially active – Having a solid blog to work with allows you to be more social, meaning go to social media. Promoting your blog posts opens the door to consumers who may not be familiar with your brand. In turn, you are more likely to get inquiries about your brand when you are publicizing it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and even YouTube. Just like with your blog, you need to be active on social media, meaning share or tweet regularly in order to maximize your opportunities;
Engage with industry experts – While some companies decide to do all their blogging in-house, many others welcome guest bloggers. If you decide to work with guest bloggers, make sure they are a good match for your site’s blog. What kind of experience do they have in blogging? Are they an authority on the topics they speak of? Do they have a decent to solid social media following and will they promote their posts and your site? Yes, some guest posters will not be a good fit for your blog, but many others could be just what you are looking for;
Use it as a networking tool – In the event your business attends a number of trade shows and conferences during the year, your blog can be a topic of discussion. Along with promoting the respective event on your blog you will be attending, bring a laptop to the event and set the viewing page to your blog. As attendees visit your booth, it can make for a great conversation piece.

If you’re looking to improve your company’s blog or finally getting around to starting one, know that it can help your brand in so many ways.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about marketing your business on the web.

Engineer a Better Career Approach Moving Forward

November 7, 2015 by Thomas

How to Get Ahead words on a board game advance your careerWhat is your career approach?

Whether you want to be an engineer or a CEO, a nurse or a big data scientist, the right approach to your career will give you a valuable boost.

What are some things you can do to keep a positive attitude and make sure you have the best approach to your career?

Make Your Career Your Business

It is all too easy to drift along, even in a career you’re successful at. That’s why you need to make your career your business.

Make time for a career review; ask yourself where you would like to be in five or 10 years. What would you like to achieve before you retire? Once you know where you want to be, map out a plan of how to get there, and regularly review where you are.

Think about your talents, motivations and likes.

If your career is the right one for you, how can you use your skills to make it even more rewarding? If it’s not, ask yourself what you would like to do instead, and how you can use your existing skills in a new way.

Keep Learning

One of the keys to engineering a better career for yourself, is learning. Keep abreast of what’s hot in your industry from new technology to new ideas.

Be willing to invest in your education (sometimes employers will be able to help you with this). Continuous learning will keep your skills up to date, making you more valuable to an employer, and helping you get more satisfaction from what you do.

If you want to move in a different direction, learn as much as you can about your intended career so you can figure out if it’s right for you.

Make the Most of Mornings

Making the most of mornings can help you advance your career.

The morning provides prime quiet time, before the rush of work, family commitments and deadlines. As the article “Boost Your Engineering Career” says, you can use that time for making plans, motivating yourself, and starting your day with a goal in mind.

Time spent in the morning planning your day is a good career booster.

Start every morning with a clear plan of what you want to achieve, and which tasks are most important to that end. You’ll be taking charge of every day and making sure you use your time in the best way possible.

Look For Opportunities

If you want to forge the best career path for you, keep your eye out for opportunities. Having a positive attitude and being willing to seize opportunity will help you move forward.

Be proactive in looking for chances to boost your career.

That might mean taking a new course, attending an event, or simply connecting with the right person. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, make suggestions and start conversations. You never know what might come of it.

If you want to go in a new direction, look for chances to learn and grow on your new path.

Don’t wait for the perfect training course, for example. Read books, talk to other people in your desired industry, or even look for ways you can volunteer to find out what it’s all about.

Being in a career that you love is fulfilling and rewarding.

Make sure that’s the case for you with a positive attitude, great time management, and a nose for opportunities.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn writes on a variety of topics including social media, how to build customer relationships, content marketing and how to move forward in your career.