Successful Blog

How to Add a Contact-Us Form to Your Site

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The last three times I have gone to contact someone through a website, there has been no contact page. I am not joking or exaggerating, there was no contact page at all. One of the three had a little, tiny blurb mixed into too much text providing an email address, which was a very strange choice in design. But otherwise I would have had to go through their social media accounts to speak to them.

I was very disappointed with this turn of events, because at least one of the blogs I contacted barely used their Twitter and I never got a response, and another still hasn’t read their Facebook message. Why wouldn’t they be more concerned with connecting to their readers? And why wouldn’t they take the five minutes it requires to install a plugin (these were all WordPress sites), and create a Contact Page?

After all, implementing ways to hear back from your site users is one of the most important elements of any landing page.

Create an Awesome Contact Page Fast

I don’t want anyone else to make this very pointless mistake. Not when it can be rectified so easily.

First of all, the Internet is full of free tempates and tutorials for you to handle almost everything at home. If you are looking for beautiful forms, here’s a great selection of free HTML5 and CSS3 contact form templates for you to choose from. There’s also a great tutorial on how to edit those here.

If your site is not on WordPress, here’s a good selection of other available content management systems and useful resources to learn using them.

Here are six WordPress plugins for making a contact page that is fast, easy and effective.

1. WP Forms (or WP Forms Lite)

When someone who has no website building experience first gets the more advanced version of WordPress, they can feel a bit intimidated. Getting the plugins down can be hard, and there is a learning curve associated with any new software. WP Forms was made to cater to those beginners, and is probably the easiest form builder around.

You can use one of their many contact page templates with drag and drop functionality, and fully customize it to fit your needs. It is compatible with responsive websites, and they offer instant notifications of contact so you never miss a message. There is a free version also available, if you don’t mind skipping some of the advanced features.

2. Formidable Pro

If in addition to your contact form you want to be able to display data, you may prefer Formidable. It is a great tool for extendable forms and information that will be posted across your website.

I have seen it used to great effect on joint Contact and About pages that sim to show the person why they should contact them. Something that I personally like very much. They are a bit more costly, but effective.

3. Ninja Forms

Looking for something totally free that just creates great looking forms for you to use? Then Ninja Forms is your best bet. It provides easily adjustable settings that customize the form, and leads you through every step of the way.

They provide widgets and shortcodes to integrate into WP seamlessly. Plus, they are translation ready.

4. Contact Forms 7

This is an oldie but a goodie, and one that is still being supported by the developer in spite of its age. It is very basic, just a fill out form from the plugin’s dashboard.

There are no bells or whistles at all, which can be considered a good thing. The results are a very clean, functional contact form.

5. Pirate Forms

Want to make your contact form more feedback based? You may like Pirate Forms, then. It gives you full control over customization, and has the option of sending emails via SMTP.

It has a recaptcha generator, so you can try and limit spam.

Manage Your Leads Like a Pro

Putting up a form is just the first step. Don’t forget that as your site is going to become more popular, you’ll be receiving hundreds of email requests and pitches. You need to manage and organize those properly.

One good way to keep an eye on your mail is Cyfe. It connects to Gmail, your CRM or anything else under the sun. Put simply, Cyfe lets you keep a lot of pieces of your marketing under one roof.

Cyfe leads

Different Forms for Different Purposes

I am a firm believer in cold contacts for guest blogging. I have sent out my fair share of unsolicited offers and while they don’t all work, about a third of the time they do. The ones that almost always succeed? Those that come from sites with a Write For Us page.

To attract guest bloggers, some of them quite well established, put up a Write For Us page yourself with a set policy on posts. You should get some interesting pitches and offers from people of varying talent and influence.

Let Your Customers Help Market Your Business

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How much marketing of your business do you do? Of even more importance, are you doing the right things to market your business?

Unfortunately, too many owners come up short in marketing their businesses. As a result, they can be missing out on some great opportunities to pull in more business.

One of the best ways to market your business is by letting your customers spread the word.

With that in mind, is it time your customers went to work for you?

Have You Been Missing Out on Good Marketing Opportunities

In deciding to let your customers help market your business for you, keep these ideas in mind:

  1. Social media – Given many of your customers are likely on social media, let them spread the word. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and more are all top-notch social sites. As such, customers talking social in regards to your brand can help lead to better marketing. This is true whether marketing the best steak knives or countless other products. When you see your brand mentioned in social circles, get involved in the conversation. For instance, a customer goes to your Facebook page and has a question or even an issue with your business. Do not let the matter go unnoticed. Consumers appreciate when business owners lend them an ear. Even if you do not get more business from that customer, he or she may be happy enough with a response to recommend you.
  2. Testimonials – It is not uncommon to do testimonials in hopes of landing more business. You should ask customers if they’d be willing to do this with you. Whether a TV ad, online note or others, customer testimonials can help generate sales. To increase the chances of testimonials, be willing to give your customers incentives. This can be discounts on future sales and more. A good testimonial from a satisfied customer can lead to bringing in other consumers.
  3. Word-of-mouth – Even with how great social media and testimonials are, word-of-mouth is big. That said make it so your customers want to tell their family and friends about your brand. This all starts and ends with great customer service. Your customers want to be treated like kings and queens when they come to you for business. As such, don’t drop the ball in this all-important endeavor.

In letting customers help market your business, are you getting the job done?

Photo credit: Pixibay

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

Does Your Brand Get the Right Attention?

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Making sure your brand has a foothold with consumers is important on many fronts.

That said getting the right attention is more important than attention in general.

You do not want to be spinning your wheels trying to get the attention of consumers. If you are doing this, it can be both a waste of time and money.

So, does your brand get the right attention?

Make Sure You Are Doing the Right Promotions

In going about getting the right promotions for your brand, keep the following in mind:

  1. Message – What is the message you want for your brand? Without a strong message, you can miss out on great opportunities and revenue for that matter. Your message should not only be on your website, but also on your promotional items you send out to the public. Let consumers know why they should do business with you and not competitors.
  2. Help – If you are a small business owner, there’s a good chance you are wearing many different hats. As such, it can be hard to get everything done that is necessary. That said you may need to reach out for help to cover all your bases. As an example, are you using search engine optimization (SEO) to further your goals? Not doing so can be missing out on a great opportunity to connect with the public. With that in mind, you may well want to explore the top SEO companies in San Diego or elsewhere. Working with a solid SEO provider can mean the difference in success and failure.
  3. Demographics – Know the proper demographics for your brand. Trying to reach out to consumers without focus is often going to prove worthless. You want to know which consumers will most likely have an interest in your products or services. Some simple surveys can be a good way to find out about the level of interest one has in your brand. In doing surveys; give consumers an incentive to respond.
  4. Social media – While you do not need to have a fixation on social media 24/7, it should be in your repertoire. With that being the case, make sure you know what you are doing when it comes to social networking. Too many business owners are not up to speed on how to use social media the correct way. Having activity on many social sites is fine. That said make sure you give equal attention to them. Your best bet is to start off with one and go from there. For instance, try Facebook. Given it is the world’s most used social site, it will be a good starting point for you. Use it not only to promote your brand, but also engage with the consumer friends you build up over time. Consumer engagement is critical to a winning social effort.

While there are more promotions for your small business brand, review those above to see if you have them.

Given how important the right attention is to your brand’s ability to succeed, are your bases covered?

Photo credit: Pixibay

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

 

10 Gen Zers Who Are Innovating the World

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By Kayla Matthews

 

Generation Z sometimes gets a bad rap from older people, but just as with every generation, there are those who are bad seeds and those who strive to make the world a better place.

Gen Z makes up the largest population in the United States, even though it is only 25 percent of the population. There are many reasons why they’re transforming the workplace, but one reason is the large number of Gen Zers who are innovating the world. Here are 10 of the more interesting and innovative Gen Zers.

Jason Li

Jason Li is the founder of iReTron, an electronics company. While in high school he sold comic books, and then he took out a $2,000 loan from his dad and started his company in his bedroom. He is one of those college students also running a business, so when he graduates he will already have hit the ground running with a highly successful company.

Noa Mintz

Noa Mintz, the founder of Nannies by Noa, was only 12 years old when she started the baby-sitting business. While she did eventually hire a CEO to oversee day-to-day operations so she could finish her own education, her vision for a service that was much needed in the New York City area allowed her company to grow into a powerhouse.

Anna Zhang

Anna Zhang is a photographer and social media influencer. She is the editor-in-chief and founder of Pulse Spikes, a quarterly online and print magazine. She also is publishing a collection of essays written by other young influencers.

Akhilesh Khakhar

Akhilesh Khakhar wanted to help other students ace their college entrance exams, so the recent high school grad came up with an app called PrepUp to help them do just that. He’s teamed up with a company to create a complete SAT and ACT prep service that will utilize the app, an online platform and online tutors to prepare students for testing.

Alyssa Kapasi

Alyssa Kapasi noticed that some of her fellow students were going hungry, so she and some of her friends decided to do something about it. Through fundraising and finding sponsors, they were able to expand awareness and motivate school districts to provide free lunch and to donate to the nonprofit Food for Thought.

Matthew Whitaker

Matthew Whitaker is a young jazz musician who has already played in festivals and secured sponsorship deals from musical instrument manufacturers. Whitaker plays the piano, organ and drums, and he also composes and arranges music. Whitaker is blind, but states that he is blessed by God and wants to be a blessing to others.

Sasha Matthews

Sasha Matthews is one of the youngest entrepreneurs to make this list, and her talent is a bit unique. She is a cartoonist who uses her drawings to give a voice to free speech efforts. Her series is called “Everyday Superheroes.” She used the sale of her comics as a fundraiser for the ACLU.

Marley Dias

Marley Dias is a young author who was inspired when she realized there weren’t many stories about girls like her. She said all the books in school were about “white boys and their dogs,” so she launched a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks, where she collected and donated books that featured black girls as the main character. She also has her own book out now.

Ryan Felner

Ryan Felner started a business by combining aerial photography with his skills operating drones. He began taking photos in Westport, Connecticut, for those selling real estate, but ran into some issues with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for operating without a commercial license. Not one to be easily dissuaded, he worked with the FAA and took the training needed to get a commercial license.

Maddie Greenspan

It probably isn’t surprising that Maddie Greenspan was destined to become an inventor, since her father is in manufacturing and the family runs a business. Still, when she was frustrated trying to make something fun — slime — because she couldn’t find the ingredients, she decided to just go ahead and make her own.

 

How Can You Change the World?

These young innovators prove that to make an impact, you simply need a vision and the passion to see it through. These are just a few of the amazing under 20-somethings doing big things. It will be interesting to see what they accomplish in their 20s and 30s.

 

About the Author: Kayla Matthews writes about communication and workplace productivity on her blog, Productivity Theory. Her work has also appeared on Talent Culture, MakeUseOf, The Muse and Fast Company.

 

Getting Things Done: How the Best Leaders Improve Team Productivity

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By Kayla Matthews

Whether you’re leading a team now or aspire to do so soon, productivity is essential, but it’s not always at a consistently high level.

That’s why it’s smart to learn from other leaders about what they’ve done to keep teams working together for the best possible output. Here are some tips.

Keep Meeting Sizes Small

Meetings are inevitable. And if people are asked the things they dislike the most about them, they’ll probably say the gatherings drag on too long or include too many people. To make his teams as productive as possible when they meet, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos institutes a “two pizza rule.”

It doesn’t mean pizza is a part of every meeting, but that if two pizzas could not feed the entire team attending a meeting, it’s too big. Keep that philosophy in mind when determining whether it’s really necessary for so many individuals to come to a gathering you’re planning.

Resist Rigidly Sticking to a Chain of Command

At many companies, there’s an obvious and enforceable chain of command people must go through when distributing messages or attaining information. However, when he sent out a letter to employees that revealed his productivity tips, Elon Musk warned that such a hierarchy was not appropriate for Tesla employees.

He emphasized that communications should go through the shortest path possible to achieve the desired result.

Furthermore, Musk said managers who tried to make employees stick to the chain of command approach would soon have to look for work elsewhere because they’d not be appropriate for Tesla’s culture.

Make Your Office a Comfortable Place to Work

It’s difficult for people to feel productive if they have to tolerate uncomfortable chairs, too much chatter in the office or an atmosphere filled with tension, backstabbing among colleagues and other types of stress.

Although there’s merit in thinking about the way your employees do tasks, it’s also necessary to take a close look at the environment and determine if there are things you could do to make it better.

When Laszlo Bock was the head of People Operations (the equivalent of human resources) at Google, he advocated for giving people freedom at the workplace while providing real-time coaching and forgiving people’s failures as long as they learned from the experiences.

When people feel happy at work, they’re an average of 12 percent more productive. And it’s easy to see why employees are more likely to be in good moods while they work in teams if you’re not hovering over them like a helicopter boss.

Consider enhancing comfort by investing in non-traditional office furniture too. While he was at Google, Laszlo said he didn’t use a desk but loved how his workspace had a couch plus a chair that flexed to allow various angles for a person’s knees and hips.

Encourage Teams to Give Input on How to Make Things Better

Many business leaders can tell there’s something not quite right about their teams’ performance levels but can’t put their finger on precisely what’s going wrong. When that happens, it’s easy to get caught in a cycle of unproductivity and make everyone involved feel frustrated.

Sometimes, though, the trick to getting out of the rut involves urging the team members themselves to give their thoughts on what to do. Mary Barra — the CEO of General Motors and first female CEO of a major auto manufacturer — does that with the team members who have earned her trust.

People see Barra as a person who does things differently in almost every aspect of her work by breaking well-established business rules if doing so gets the results that keep the company moving forward.

People familiar with the company say one example is the way that Barra empowers team members to make cases for the things they think need to happen for improvements to occur. She can make efficient and difficult decisions on her own but knows people on her team have potentially useful ideas too.

Recognize the Individuality of Team Members

It’s easy to take the common approach of attempting to improve team productivity by using a single popular managerial style, for example.

However, it’s often preferable to take the time to learn about each of your team members and understand that they have different traits and may get more done by capitalizing on those specifics.

Ursula Burns, the former CEO of Xerox, is a big fan of mentoring and discusses how she had mentoring during her career at the company that began when she got hired as an intern. Burns says her mentors taught her the importance of relating to people and the perspectives they offer and not trying to intimidate individuals by managing them all in the same way.

Burns had also described the Xerox team as being like a big family and made efforts to form close relationships with employees.

When leading your teams, strive to get to know the things that make the individual members unique. When appropriate, let them work in ways that cater to their preferences.

Better Productivity Is Possible

Throughout your leadership career, you’ll consistently look for ways to help increase team productivity. By learning from the leaders mentioned above and following their tips, you could reach a productivity high point.

 

About the Author: Kayla Matthews writes about communication and workplace productivity on her blog, Productivity Theory. Her work has also appeared on Talent Culture, MakeUseOf, The Muse and Fast Company.

Featured image: Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

Are you Making Mistakes with Your Customer Data?

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Customer data is one of the keys to running a successful business. In order to provide great service, you must know as much as you can about your target audience, the people in your “funnel,” and those who have actually purchased from you.

It used to be that you could collect tidbits at any time, any place, via cookies, online forms, customer surveys, etc., without much regard for what happens to the data after it’s collected.

That is no longer the case.

The smart business owner now views customer data as belonging to the customer. This requires a mindset shift:

  • Only collect information that is specifically needed, to serve a business purpose
  • Always tell the customer what you’re going to do with it
  • Make a plan to protect and keep the information secure
  • (Ideally) allow the customer to view, edit, and delete the information

When you start with the idea that the consumer’s data belongs to them (and you’re just a custodian), you’re on a better path to deal with any potential regulatory challenges that might arise.

Regulations like the EU’s GDPR and California’s new Consumer Privacy Act are only the beginning of the global shift that’s happening. Consumers and regulators alike have been driven to action by sloppy data collection and sharing practices, and now it’s time to to establish new best practices.

What does this mean for a solo entrepreneur or small business owner?

  • First, keep yourself informed of changing data protection rules in your state, country, or region. If you belong to any professional organizations, that can help you stay on top of relevant news. When GDPR went into effect a couple of months ago, you wouldn’t have been able to avoid the news unless you “went ostrich.” So don’t give in to the temptation to just bury your head in the sand and hope it goes away.

 

  • Second, take a look at the customer information you have. Even if you aren’t subject to any regulations (contractual relationships often legitimize data retention in the rules), you might want to purge outdated information, or data you no longer need. Double check that you’re maintaining good security over the data (both technologically and physically). Establish good “housekeeping” processes to delete information when a customer leaves (perhaps after a specific period of time). And make sure you’re transparent with all of the above.

 

  • Third, start thinking about privacy by design. It doesn’t have to be a highly technical, structured system. It’s really an approach. If you put your customers’ privacy foremost in your mind when you’re working on a new marketing campaign, purchasing new CRM software, or working with a new partner, you’re already ahead of the game.

This article is not legal advice, and I don’t play an attorney on TV. If you’re handling sensitive information (medical, legal, financial) you certainly should consult with your own legal advisor to ensure that you’re doing it right.

 

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who is CEO of Narrative, a new social content platform coming in beta in Q4 of 2018.  You can find Rosemary on Twitter as @rhogroupee