Category Archives: Business Planning

High-Tech Solutions Every Architecture Firm Will Benefit From

Posted on by Pete Brown
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Modern tools provided through digital solutions have become more prevalent and popular. These include machine learning and artificial intelligence to work with fabrication technologies and Big Data. Its impact on our daily lives has captured the interest of various firms regardless of size and scope. The digital aspect of construction is being utilized in every infrastructure and communications technology.

Here are some useful high-tech solutions used by every architecture firm:

Modernization of Prefabrication

From 3D printed models to precision-made construction materials, digital fabrication has made some headway in the architectural industry to create precision products and prototypes at an improved pace along with the versatility to accommodate changes. And it is through the high technological innovations such as precise laser engraving and CNC cutting that has become possible to realize even the most sophisticated design ideas.

Because it’s driven by sophisticated software solutions, it is now relatively easy to create high-quality designs using various materials, which could have been tedious and costly if done manually. Companies are often embracing copper cutting with lasers because of the unique and aesthetically appealing finish they can achieve from this process. Plus, it can be used for various applications such as signage, interior design elements, and architectural details.

When coupled with advanced virtual reality design models, prefabrication has evolved in its quality and precision. This reduces the variability of the project and allows for better control of resources. The modern technologies that are available off-site have compensated for the shortage of skilled workers on-site. Production plants also have a controlled environment specifically configured to optimize the manufacturing and assembly of the required components. This allows for better checks and reviews to improve quality control as well as maintain the safety of all the workers involved. 

Modern production control methods use RFID tracking to control supply chains of prefabricated materials. With tracking devices attached to every component, it makes it easy for them to streamline the process and effectively coordinate with other processes. Modern designers can benefit from this technology in reducing waste regardless if it’s a housing project or a major infrastructure endeavor.

Sustainable Technologies

Today, going green is the only way to be a responsible member of the architectural industry. Using sustainable methods means reducing your negative impact on the environment from the building perspective. But how does it benefit a firm? On the business side, with the widespread awareness of climate change, consumers have begun to tag and criticize irresponsible business practices while praising and endorsing those who are mindful of the environment. 

Designers consider different aspects of the structure and its surroundings as well as its process to come up with a sustainable strategy. Some of the things taken into account include:

Active and Passive Sustainable Designs

Architects and engineers use efficient electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and other systems to reduce the project’s environmental footprint. Passive methods make use of the surroundings like climate and sun orientation when considering window placements and how to manage sunlight and natural ventilation. This reduces the need for electricity for the HVAC and lighting. In certain places, they use thermal mass techniques which use solar energy by incorporating thick walls to absorb heat during the day to provide heating during the night.

Renewable Energy Systems

The use of solar energy has recently become more popular because of the advancement in producing affordable solar cells to convert light into energy. Buildings and houses integrated with systems that harness solar or wind energy have become more common as designers and consumers recognize the value of renewable energy.

Green Building Materials

The use of recycled materials is not only environmentally friendly but is also cost-effective. Architecture firms make it a priority to source raw materials as well as prefabricated components from vendors that are environmentally responsible to ante up their sustainable strategy.

Virtual Reality and 3D Printing

For many decades, Computer-Aided Designs (CAD) have become pervasive in architecture stemming from other industries such as shipbuilding, aeronautics, and automobiles. It changed traditional techniques as designers can now create complex 3D designs as opposed to a 2D representation. However technology did not stop there, nowadays, many architecture firms use augmented reality or virtual reality. This transformed designs from being visual to achieve a sense of being physically performative. 

Simulations allow architects to embody temporality, fluidity, change, and motions consequently influencing people’s interaction with their surroundings. From the initial concept of the building to the last finishing touches, virtual reality lends itself to provide an architectural experience to the user. During the design stage of the project, it allows clients to explore the structure far better than a 2D image, they can take a closer look at each corner of each floor and request changes prior to its implementation. Firms can invest in Virtual Reality and make a great impression on clients as they make real-time changes to accommodate their requests.

Although 3D printing technology has been around since the 1980s, it wasn’t until the last decade that it has become more accessible and affordable. 3D printing saves time in making models in two ways: it can virtually create unlimited copies of an object and revisions are easily done through its programming software. 

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things refers to a concept of connectivity, this particularly involves connecting basic or “dumb” things to the internet. You may have Alexa or any other smart devices in your homes like your thermostats, video doorbells, and coffee makers but designers are taking this concept to drive changes in the design and construction ecosystem.

Building Information Modelling (BIM)

BIM generates a model of the building and sorts out all of the plans. This enables different building plans to be updated simultaneously. By installing sensors into the building to read energy usage, foot traffic, temperature trends, and more, designers will be able to make the right adjustments or improve on future plans.

Green Systems

Humans tend to forget a lot of things and one of them is to turn off the lights when you leave the room. Through IoT, a designer can reduce the building’s energy consumption and CO2 emission without relying on the people.

Technology generally pulls other technologies forward. With the advancement of modern applications to provide better solutions, the building industry can benefit from these developments to take the business to the future. As architecture proceeds to make a physical and socioeconomic impact on the people around them, they have taken a deeper look into the digital solutions and advanced methods to cater to the demands of today’s market.

How To Use The PC And Technology For Entertainment Purposes

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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The PC has a very broad range of applications, such as watching movies, interacting on social media, and playing games. The list goes on. Still, many people don’t really know what to do when they get online. Whether due to habit or lack of knowledge, a lot of people still only edit word files and read the news on their PC. If you’ve got some extra time, why not try some of the many different forms of technology entertainment.

Technology Provides Endless Options For Entertainment

There are so many different things to do with modern technology, sometimes people get lost. Like trying to choose a single bag of chips when there are no less than 150 varieties available at the local supercenter. Of course, you could just download a new e-book from Amazon and be done with it. For your convenience, here is a list of some of the best computer activities. If you’re to be getting a lot of screen time, it’s best to invest in an ergonomic gaming chair to maintain proper posture.

  • Watch movies or TV series
  • Play games and simulators
  • Consume news from a variety of sources like independent citizen journalism 
  • Interact on social media. Try something other than Facebook. Like Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram 
  • Listen to some new kinds of music. Why not try out some Mongolian throat singing
  • Learn a fun new skill or research something you’ve been curious about
  • Read an e-book
  • Go shopping!

Gaming Is The Go-To Form Of Digital Entertainment For Today’s Youth 

If you’re under 40, there’s a good chance you are interested in gaming. Never before have so many people across so many generations been into the same thing as they are now with gaming. If you’re looking to get started with this hobby, it’s best to read some console vs. PC reviews before committing to a particular gaming platform.

You’ll need a little equipment if you’re going to spend a lot of time playing. You might consider investing in a gaming desk and gaming chair. There’s endless equipment you can buy to enhance your experience regardless of whether you decide to go with a console or a PC. It’s likely you already have a PC which makes PC gaming the most convenient at first glance. But unless you’ve recently bought a high-end PC loaded with RAM and a top of the line GPU, you probably can’t play the best available. Consoles, such as the PS5 or the XBOX Series S, are the most convenient ways to play. 

Of course, you might be a seasoned player looking to spice up your performance or change gameplay. One way to change your gameplay experience is to use cheats. Game cheats are a great way to enhance your gaming experience. These are wildly popular. Even though they came out years ago, GTA5 cheats and The Sims 4 cheats are still some of the most popular game enhancements. 

If you want a better entertaining experience without investing in the old games, go for online games. Games like Solitaire or Hearts and similar games can be played online without any need of downloads and loads of memory.

Online card games such as Freecell Solitaire are fun and free ways to spend your time gaming online.

A Plethora Of Digital Media Options At A Click Of A Button

It was mentioned in the list, but it’s worth bringing up digital media again. If you’re just looking to relax with minimal effort, indulging in some binge-worthy entertainment is the best route. There is a mind-boggling amount of new original media being brought to the consumer across many different platforms.

Regardless of whether you go with Netflix, Amazon Prime, or some other high-quality streaming service, you’ll find more fascinating entertainment than you could watch in a lifetime. Each streaming platform has a variety of classic films and TV series. This is in addition to the gripping original content. 

With so much difference in available content across the different platforms, it can be hard to choose which is best for you. But if you’re still paying for cable television, the decision is simple. At $100 plus dollars a month, you could subscribe to all the major streaming services and still save $50-$60 a month. People that make the switch are generally happier as they have much more content available on-demand and for a fraction of the price(without complicated contracts and fabricated taxes and fees). You can also access your premium streaming service on your PC, phone, tablet, or laptop with no additional fees. You can even login on to your friend’s smart TV when you go for a visit.

PCs and other forms of modern digital technology have the potential to entertain more effectively than ever before. The Next time you’re bored and sitting in front of your computer looking for something to do, try out one of the several suggestions detailed here instead of just scrolling through Facebook.

How to Control Your Affiliate Marketing Campaigns on Social Media

Posted on by Pete Brown
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If you want to make money quickly and easily online, you should try social media for affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing happens when there’s a partnership between a company and an external website. The third-party (external website) promotes product (s). The company/business pays the third party a commission for each click that transforms into a sale. If you’re a company, this helps to promote a business to a broader audience and increases your sales revenue. Social media is free and user-friendly, which makes it one of the best tools for affiliate marketing. In this guide, we’re going to dig deeper and cover some of the ways to help manage your affiliate marketing campaigns on social media.

1. Set Your Goals

Any successful affiliate marketing program is created from a steady blend of affiliate partners. This is why you should set transparent goals by using affiliate marketing software to help manage your campaigns. According to affiliate marketing experts from Voluum, setting clear and transparent goals enables you to identify the specific affiliates and types of affiliates you wish to recruit. It will help if you classify your goals as either short-term or long-term. For instance, you might be looking to expand your reach to other locations; this means you may need to partner with sites where shoppers look for reviews, advice, and ideas, which is a worthy long-term goal.

2. Convey Quality Content First

The best way to start promoting affiliate marketing offers is by creating quality and professional content. We would highly advise against the habit of continually promoting services and products without first understanding your audience. Instead, it would be best if you start by creating and sharing quality content that resonates with your audience. If you want good results, you should focus on delivering quality content, followed by promoting your affiliate link at the end of your content. Your content could be in various forms like a YouTube video, podcast, blog post, or an Instagram post. Additionally, if you’re promoting a particular product, ensure that you buy and use it. This helps to win your audience when you’re recommending the affiliate link.

3. Employ the Use of Photos in Your Campaigns

As the adage says, an image is worth a thousand words. In the new age of social media use, images help increase attention to your social media posts. It would be best to ask yourself this question: what kind of photos am I drawn to when scrolling through social media? Asking yourself this question helps to visualize your idea from a reader’s perspective. Using product photos to blend along with your affiliate marketing campaigns will help draw a user’s attention. Social media platforms like Instagram will help to accelerate the growth of your affiliate marketing campaigns. Finally, remember that quality matters over quantity, so ensure your photos have a satisfactory resolution.

4. Are You Using the Right Platform?

If you’re not careful, your affiliate marketing campaigns might fail if you’re not using the right social media platform. You should assess the best platform, which will help meet your affiliate marketing goals. You can start using popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and the latest addition, TikTok. However, don’t forget about topic-oriented platforms like Reddit or Pinterest. This also means that you should consider particular factors such as your ad type, sales process, and intended audience. If your target audience is active on a specific platform, it would be best to draw your efforts to the particular forum.

5. Understand Your Audience

This comes as a no-brainer. If you want to be successful in affiliate marketing, you should understand your audience. Any useful affiliate marker should aim to serve people; this means looking for exciting products that people like and explaining their benefits. However, you cannot do this if you don’t understand your audience. While we are not encouraging you to stalk your readers, there are plenty of ways through which you can learn about your audience that are more elegant.

6. The Reward System

You should assess which sites play the most influential role in influencing the purchase decision. Additionally, it would help decide whether these sites should be offered a more significant incentive to reward them. In many cases, affiliate fees vary a lot. Some industries pay more compared to others. For example, Amazon pays more if you sell more products.

7. Stay Active

If you remain active on your platforms, this helps to keep your audience in touch. This means that you should be keen to communicate back to your audience regularly. We would highly recommend working with a few social media platforms where you can easily manage the audience. Juggling across many social media platforms might mean neglecting a segment of your audience. You can start by working with two social media platforms. With time, you can shift to another platform when you’re sure that you can comfortably communicate and post actively on both platforms. Formulate a routine where you dedicate a few hours daily to each social media platform.

8. Perfect Your Program

We live in a past-faced world where technology evolves daily. Social media is not left out since the trends are also changing fast. Once your program is operational, ensure that you assess your social media promotions continually. One of the best ways is to update product information; this includes advertising and sale details. Additionally, you can seek out new affiliates and opportunities on a different platform. Finally, you should research new ways to help boost the growth of your affiliate program.

9. Work with Different Affiliate Marketers

You can work and connect with other affiliate marketers out there. Connecting with them helps you understand their success stories in using social media for affiliate marketing. Since social media means social, teaming up with other affiliate marketers can help increase your followers and help to get your link to a larger audience. While you may view other affiliate marketers as competitors, working with them might benefit both parties in ways you hadn’t realized before.

Social media is one of the best ideas you can use for marketing in the new digital era. Using social media for affiliate marketing is a helpful tool that you require to survive in the affiliate marketing world. Using a combination of one or all the tricks we have discussed above will help you navigate the world of social media for affiliate marketing.

How to Save Money using Power from Renewable Energy Sources

Posted on by Pete Brown
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More and more people are delving into the use of renewable energy sources because of the various benefits that it yields. For one, you will be able to reduce your carbon footprint and help the earth heal. But perhaps, the most notable advantage of using renewable energy sources is the significant amount of sum that you can save. This article tackles the ways on how you will be able to save money using power from renewable energy sources.

Reduced Energy Bills

One of the primary ways for you to save money using power from renewable energy sources is by reducing your energy bills. In this case, you can use a solar panel savings calculator to have a good idea of how much you can save on your monthly electric bill if you use solar panels instead of connecting to the grid. While it is true that you need to shell out a significant upfront cost to acquire solar panels, the amount that you will save when you no longer have to pay a hefty amount for your monthly electric bills will prove to be worth it.

The reason behind this is that solar panels are durable, with a typical lifespan of 20 years. Thus, for sure, you will be able to earn back the amount that you used to purchase the panels in the 20 years that you no longer have to pay for any monthly electric bill.

Protection from Price Fluctuations

Another way for you to save money using power from renewable energy sources is by being protected from price fluctuations. Like with other consumer commodities in the market, the price of electricity can also be affected by inflation, which means that you may have to pay more for the same kilowatt-hour consumption in the future. As a result, you need to shell out a bigger sum.

With the use of a renewable energy source such as solar panels, you are protected from these price fluctuations because you no longer depend on the grid for your electricity needs. Rather, you only need to leverage the energy from the sun, which is free.

Eligibility for Green Energy Incentives

To encourage more and more people to switch to the use of renewable energy sources, many governments are providing tax incentives to their people who will go about this route. Thus, if you decide to leverage renewable energy sources, you may be eligible for certain tax incentives or write-offs. These can drastically reduce the number of tax dues you need to settle later on

Perhaps this is the best time for you to delve into the use of renewable energy sources for your home, as well as for your business. Apart from being able to reduce your energy bills, you are also protected from price fluctuations. You even have the opportunity to earn decent revenue from the use of renewable energy sources, as well as be eligible to receive green energy incentives. Make sure to take advantage of all these perks by switching to the use of renewable energy sources.

Guide To Customer Communication While You Work From Home

Posted on by Roy Emmerson
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Here we consider the best approaches and proven tactics that will help organizations improve customer communications when working remotely.

Working from home is the reality many of us have been dreaming about while others have been afraid of it. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced almost everyone to get used to remote work. It has exposed us to challenges that pushed us out of our comfort zone. One of them is a remote customer communication process. It has also become a big reason for businesses to love the Internet even more than before.

Communication is essential for project success, as it helps set trust-based relationships and mutual understanding between stakeholders. It provides  smooth collaboration and results in business success. When most countries are locked at homes again, we need to rethink a customer communication strategy and adjust it to remote teamwork. 

How to Approach Customer Communication in The New Normal

McKinsey & Company defines three pillars of clear messaging to customers during the pandemic: transparency, customer protection, and customer outreach. 

Transparency means giving customers the behind-the-scenes views of the options you consider for them and perspectives that may come true for your business in the post-coronavirus world. Better to share honest predictions without sugar-coating, as it will help your company build trust with customers. 

Customer protection implies that you need to add more compassion to customer communication procedures and inform people about measures taken to ensure a safe and convenient experience with a brand for them. “Now” requires us to keep in mind the overall social mood affected by global critical events. Thus, support teams should be even more empathic when communicating with customers.  

Customer outreach means you should constantly keep the conversation with your customers across different channels. Talk to them, update them, and repeat the important information about the changes in your processes once again to ensure that it’s delivered successfully to everyone in your community. 

Customer Communication Channels & Tactics You Should Know

Considering “psychological” approaches to customer service, it’s also essential to take a closer look at digital channels making communication with consumers more effective when you work from home. Many companies have started using VoIP phone systems as alternative solutions in times of uncertainty.

Other businesses have considered unified communications as the best option for improved workflow and customer relations. However, customer communication options aren’t limited to those mentioned above. Here we present proven tactics that will help businesses empower customer service. 

Interact on Social Media

The first rule for digital business success is to be where your customers are. To be more specific, it’s on social media. Social networks are one of the most popular online communication channels. Imagine 74% of users log into Facebook at least once a day, with 51% of them logging in more than once a day. 

Social media is the first place modern customers expect brands to interact with them the most quickly. Consider that 40% of customers who send complaints on social media expect the company’s reply within one hour.

With tools like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, businesses can answer customer queries almost instantly. Many organizations consider them as the most effective medium for customer service and create separate brand profiles entirely dedicated to customer support.  

Incorporate a Live Chat

Live chat is a technology incorporated into a website that allows customers to stay in touch with their favorite brands round the clock. This customer service tactic has been widely used before and gained even more popularity today when most teams work remotely. With tools like HelpCrunch live chat, you can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty since your brand is always easily accessible online anytime.

Communicate via Email

Email communication might seem a traditional and very obvious practice. Probably, yes. However, it doesn’t also mean it’s inefficient. Emails are another way to stay in touch with customers while working remotely. According to research by Epsilon PeopleCloud Messaging, email is the most critical communication channel between companies and consumers because it’s personal, reliable, relevant, and targeted. Businesses can use email marketing to update customers about the changes in processes during the pandemic. 

Use Video Conferencing

Another actionable tactic to get in touch with customers is by using video conferencing tools and apps like Skype. Along with the top productivity apps, they help improve the overall team collaboration and performance when you work from home. Although it might be challenging to apply to customer communication in B2C companies it is particularly efficient for the B2B world. When organizing real-life meetings has become unsafe and almost impossible due to travel restrictions, video calls have become even more important. 

B2B customers may want to schedule a video call with the company to discuss their purchases or collaboration details. Thus, video conferencing tools are gaining popularity quickly, especially during the lockdown.

Engage Through The Content

However, all of these channels enable companies to set a direct and effective dialog with customers when teams work remotely, there is one more way to communicate with customers. It’s through the content. It’s recommended for businesses to reimagine their content strategies from the customer service perspective. 

For example, your brand can assist customers remotely by publishing how-to articles, guides, tutorials, or explainer videos to enable people to provide self-service. You can also store the “help” content in special online knowledge libraries or the FAQ section on a website.

It’s crucial today since many people feel anxious regarding the challenges and innovations encountered during the coronavirus. While you might have heard tips about diversifying your content earlier, it’s now recommended to prioritize the content informativeness even if it requires sacrificing content diversity.  

To Wrap It Up

Whether you are a B2B or B2C company, this guide to customer communication might be helpful. These actionable yet straightforward strategies will empower brands to cater to the target audience’s needs and increase loyalty. Hopefully, they have also inspired you to and will help you improve support service and bring customer relationships to the next level regardless of the coronavirus recession and pandemic.


[Infographic] Why Companies Need to Rethink Their Communication Strategy for Remote Teams by Team Communication App

Top 10 Apps That Increase Your Business Productivity

Posted on by Genia Genia
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When choosing a mobile application for solving some business issues, users often focus on all sorts of priority apps, taking the choice of specialists who know the market. The problem is that there are a lot of such ratings. To make the full picture of the situation, we have to study a huge number of sources offering business apps.

Many business tasks can be simplified with top business apps. These range from service or tracking apps, to development and web page building apps. The top business solutions are readily available and at your fingertips.

Their assortment on the market today is impressive. It should be noted that some of the listed developments function and apps like Edubirdie works only on laptops and desktops. But most of the applications are also adapted for mobile devices.

Bynder

Good brand management makes your business instantly recognizable and trusted, like a delicious restaurant people love. It brings in new customers, makes them happy with your quality and service, and sparks excitement about what you offer. Invest in your brand, and watch your business flourish!

Evernote Scannable

This top business app is created for both OS Android and iOS. Evernote is an application developed by the creators of one of the most convenient note-taking programs. It helps to quickly and accurately scan documents and other necessary things. For example, contracts, invoices, a check from a store, or a business card of a partner. Unlike a regular photo taken with a phone camera, Evernote Scannable automatically detects the document, its location, and immediately makes a scan.

Wunderlist

This is another business time management app. The Wunderlist has different functionality. This business app helps you create shared task lists with your partners, employees, or family. A perfect business application like best EMR for urgent care can be synchronized with several gadgets and opened from a tablet, smartphone, computer, or smart watch.

Keynote

If you have to make frequent presentations, choose one of the top business apps. Keynote is what you need. You can control presentations from your smartphone, iPad, or Apple Watch. In other words, Keynote turns a gadget into a remote because it functions in a similar way. Please note that the developers of the app didn’t care about the Android owners. Therefore, Keynote only works on iOS.

WhatsApp Business

This app is different from the regular WhatsApp messenger and is specially designed for entrepreneurs. Among business applications, this is a simple and practical option. Here you can add your account information, work email address, or store address. To communicate with customers, you can write a greeting or goodbye which will appear in the dialogue.

Do not confuse this application with another messenger from WhatsApp Business API. Unlike the usual WhatsApp Business, this business app is paid and used in large companies. Includes features such as sending bulk messages, manage multiple WhatsApp business accounts, automating messages and more. While the application is available only to Android owners, the developers have already announced its release for iOS.

TINYpulse

When it comes to decent business apps, TINYpulse is another top choice. The app collects feedback from employees. If you feel that not everyone on your team is happy with the way things are, send out a simple survey to employees. Employees will be able to anonymously share what they do not like, what they would like to change, and how they feel in the team. You will receive valuable information and get to know better how subordinates live.

QuickBooks

Whether you are in business or freelancing, keeping track of your finances is always very important. QuickBooks has a version applied on a computer and a smartphone. With the help of such business apps, it is convenient to maintain records, calculate income and expenses, or send invoices to customers. You can see the current sales figures or check the latest payments directly from your phone.

Things 3

The developers of Things 3 believe that a productive person should not bear all their tasks in mind. It is much more rational to concentrate on solving them one by one. The recommended business app fully meets this theory. Things 3 helps to create tasks and subtasks, categorize them by importance and due date. The following application saves time. But most importantly, the list of all tasks is always at hand.

HootSuite

If your brand has many followers on different social networks, it can be inconvenient to control everything at once. In order to make multiple posts on Instagram and Facebook, you have to constantly switch between applications. HootSuite developers have solved this problem.

With the HootSuite business app, you can manage all your accounts, publish content, reply to all emails and comments with a few clicks. You will also find many HootSuite Alternatives with more extensive features and lower pricing.

Spark

This is one of the in-demand business apps that somewhat resembles HootSuite. If you have multiple personal and work addresses on different services, Spark can help you combine them. You will get a handy list of all emails and many other functions. The available function of team discussion is the general chat between employees. Previously, the application was only available to iOS owners, but a few days ago it was released on Android.

Bookmate

All entrepreneurs know how important it is to constantly learn new things. But not everyone has enough time for this. The Bookmate app allows you to listen to audiobooks while on work travel or while driving. Audiobooks are far from revolutionary but they are still a great way to gain new knowledge.

Business apps remind the user of an important meeting, the deadline of a project, keep notes, connect with colleagues hundreds of miles away. However, when there are too many applications, the convenience and safety of their use become questionable. The optimal solution may be the introduction of a corporate social network as an integrative system that works on the principle of “all-in-one”.

The list above was composed with direct help from Kyle Drummond, a financial advisor from DirectLoanTransfer, which is specializes in quick payday loans,

How to Map Your Sales Territory Effectively

Posted on by John Brooks
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Businesses spend a lot of time and money to create the perfect products and services to sell to clients. However, it can be difficult to determine if the business is thriving without the use of a sales territory map. We will be discussing the benefits of using a sales territory map and how to create one.

What is a Sales Territory Map?

This type of map is a way for your employees to assign sales based on the area. It gives the sales team a plan of action in regard to where they will be focusing their efforts, and which areas still require claiming. This will make it easier to determine where your team is at all times and to ensure that sales reps are not overlapping each other while they work. Your team members will also appreciate the use of a sales territory map because they will be receiving new leads at a consistent pace. This gives them more opportunity to collect bonuses and earn promotions. The benefits of using a sales territory map include increased sales, rising above the competition, identifying new customers, and better serving existing customers.

Using Mapping Software

Mapping your sales territory can be done with the use of mapping software Maptive.com, powered by Google Maps, is a good example of mapping software that can help you achieve data leads and improve your sales numbers. There are a few different steps that should be followed in order to achieve your ultimate sales territory map.

Step 1: Create a Custom Map

Creating a custom map is simple, as all you have to do is enter your location data into the software. When creating a sales strategy, the data will usually include information about the item or service purchased and the area where the customer lives as a minimum. This data can be manually entered or imported from a spreadsheet.

Once the data is uploaded, you can customize your map. For example, you can use the filters to show certain data types and hide outliers to analyze the numbers accurately. You can also use tools to help you organize and analyze your data to suit your needs.

Step 2: Use the Boundary Tool

Maptive offers users a boundary tool, which makes it easier to divvy up the information. You can create boundaries based on zip/postal codes, cities, states, or countries. If these options don’t work for you, you can create custom boundaries and draw them in yourself. This is a good method for sales teams who have previously worked within certain areas that are not contained in established boundaries.

At this point, you can incorporate demographic data into your selected regions. This data includes statistics about the population’s: race, age, education, gender, median family income, and others. By examining this data, your sales team can determine who their customers are, and how they can adjust their advertising to appeal to potential new clientele.

Step 3: Use the Heat Mapping Tool

Heating mapping is another tool that you can try out. This tool allows you to plot your sales on the map so you can see which areas are generating more revenue for your company. The data is coded with colored circles, indicating how dense the sales are in that area. When the sales density increases, the circle changes to red. Any areas on the map that are not red are opportunities for you to expand your marketing campaigns.

Step 4: Use the Route Optimization Tool

After using the boundaries and heat mapping tools, you will better understand which areas are doing well and which ones could use some more attention from your company. This is when you can use the route optimization tool to your greatest advantage. This tool will allow your sales representatives to plan the best route that they can take between client meetings. On a typical day, the sales rep might be attending meetings all over town. This tool will cut their commute time in half, giving them more time to spend with potential clients. You will be able to plan the shortest route to get to multiple locations, and you can also check the projected ETA to ensure that it is the most efficient use of time.

Energize your Storefront with Attractive Textile Frames

Posted on by Marunis Nutma
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Attractive textile frames can feature your products and bring in new customers. You can change them easily, making eye catching displays that draw people to your business. Drukbedrijf has recently expanded its range of textile frames. In addition to free-standing and wall frames, you can now also choose LED and ceiling frames. This way you can provide every place in your store, showroom, store window, office or other space with a beautiful visual design.

Change your Advertisements in Minutes

The advantage of a textile frame with a canvas is that the cloth us super easy to change. This way you can change prints every action, promotion or every season. On the textile frame there is a mechanism that allows you to easily tension the fabric into the frame. So a textile frame is ideal as a temporary advertising tool!

Eyecatcher: Textile frame with LED

Are you in retail and would you like to have your shop window to light up the evening? Then opt for a textile frame with LED lighting! With the help of the uniformly distributed lighting, the colors of your fabric come to life. Even in the dark! A textile frame with lighting is available as a free-standing textile frame and as a wall frame.

Advantages of a free-standing textile frame

You can use a freestanding textile frame as a display for in a store or store window. Another way to use the frame freestanding is as a partition. Ideal to create more privacy or divide up a space.

Textile frame with photo

And textile frame is not only ideal for business use. You can also use it to freshen up a room at home! Printing on a textile cloth gives a sleek and razor-sharp end result. A textile frame is ideal if you quickly get bored of an interior piece, because you can change your image or design regularly. The textile cloths with tendon can be ordered separately.

In addition to various textile frames, you can also contact Drukbedrijf for all your other printing work. For example, you can have the super popular tissue paper (translation: vloeipapier) printed with your own design. This relatively new product is popular because it gives your packaging a more luxurious look in no time. Because the online print shop excels with challenge. Contact them for special customization. No challenge is avoided!

How a Website Downtime Can Affect Your Business (and How to Prevent It)

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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When it comes to owning a website, it’s vital that you do everything on your end in order to ensure that your website is fully functional and hence doesn’t suffer from any regular bouts of downtime. Downtime leads to many drawbacks that are ultimately going to affect your SEO, increase the bounce rates, as well as tarnish your companies credibility and sometimes even lose your loyal customers. All of this is going to cost you sales and revenue, which is something that you definitely want to prevent.

All of that being said though, what are the main causes of downtime, and what can you do exactly in order to prevent it? 

In this article, we are going to discuss the most prominent reasons why websites go down, as well as how can you ensure that you minimize the possibility of that happening.

What’s dangerous about websites being down?

As we have previously mentioned, website downtime is pretty much synonymous with profit loss. The exact amount of money that a business will lose as a result of downtime varies from website to website. 

One of the more extreme examples is when one minute of website downtime in 2018 caused Amazon.com to lose around $1.57 million every minute. Now, surely, most sites aren’t going to see such a drastic loss as Amazon did, but even though that is the case, no company can really afford to just throw away profits like that, especially since they could easily be saved – considering proper planning and failsafes aren’t being overlooked.

What circumstances cause website downtime?

Website downtime is, in most cases, curated by similar factors. Once you get to understand them, you can take all the necessary measures in order to minimize the possibility of the website downtime happening for longer than a couple of minutes, even seconds. 

The most prominent factors that result in a website downtime include planned downtime due to different upgrades or tweaks, hardware or software malfunctions, malicious attacks from a third party, as well as different issues caused by your hosting providers. It’s crucial that you keep these issues in mind, as well as that you take time to understand why and how do they happen in order to be able to begin to develop a plan that’s going to minimize your website’s downtime, or so that you can improve a plan that for dealing with such scenarios if you already have one.

Make sure that you have a plan for these scenarios

It is vital that you remember the fact that your website’s uptime isn’t something that should solely be ascribed as the responsibility of your hosting provider. As experts on this topic from magento maintenance services explain, planning on how to minimize website downtime starts as early as website design. Basically, a proper website designer is going to make sure that all the necessary precautions and measures on their end have been made even before the website has actually launched.

Another important precaution regarding planning is to partner with a quality website monitoring service. Basically, they are going to be able to will notify you the very moment that your website downtime has occurred in order for you to be able to immediately go to work so that you can fix the issue or perhaps put a failsafe plan into place if the issue has happened to be a result of your hosting service. Magento as an ecommerce platform can be used to specifically cater to you and your business and customer needs.

Take time to look for quality providers

It’s vital to note that quality providers aren’t only going to notify you of a total website failure, but they are also going to ensure that you are notified of any existent trends that could indicate that your site is going to go down. They are also going to notify you of any performance issues, and the best of providers will even allow you to put failsafes into place automatically.

Communication is vital

Make sure that you remember that you alone are able to put the above-mentioned failsafes and precautions into action and still happen to encounter unexpected downtime in addition to already planned downtime that your site encounters. So, what’s the best way to handle these issues? Basically, it all boils down to communication. 

Make sure that you utilize social media platforms in order to communicate any issues regarding both planned and unplanned downtime with people that visit your website. When it comes to unplanned downtime, it’s best that you maintain transparency throughout the incident. It’s crucial that you provide updates regarding how the issue is being handled as well as when the site can be expected to be up again. 

In case of planned downtime, you should post a notice to the pages of your site days prior to it happening in addition to doing so on social media. The more you communicate with your audience, the higher the chance that they are going to be forgiving when the downtime occurs.

To wrap things up

In the end, it all comes down to taking time to do all the research necessary in order to be well informed about both the reasons and the results of these scenarios. Doing so is going to enable you to plan in advance, hence making the possibility of downtime affecting your company way lower.

What To Know About Affiliate Marketing And Its Business Advantages

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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There are plenty of ways for people to take advantage of new capabilities in the business world. Before it used to be confined to the office setting, but now that business has moved into the digital sphere. There is a lot more potential to grow and create something special.

One of the most promising areas of business possibilities is in affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is allowing individuals and businesses to expand their reach of influence. Affiliate marketing has been blowing up in terms of interest, and it is only right for you to learn more to take advantage of it, and here are some of the advantages it poses from a business perspective.

Work From Anywhere

This one works for businesses and individuals getting into the world of affiliate marketing alike. One of the main reasons why affiliate marketing is making people so interested in its potential is because of the fact that it can be done anywhere. Affiliate marketing is not tied to a fixed location which makes it flexible. If you have a cellular data connection or WiFi, you can make money and expand a brand from a phone or computer from anywhere in the world.

Plenty of Resources to Learn From

Affiliate marketing is not a new trend, it has been practiced for a long time which means there are bonafide experts in this field of business. Being able to find a detailed book or website to learn from is easier than ever, and the resources are getting better and better as we speak. Being able to learn for free or at least for very little makes it lucrative for frugal people. Obviously, if you want to actually learn you need to spend money to make money, but the breadth of information out there to help you get started is immensely satisfying.

Low Overhead Costs

This one is something that is going to pique the interest of business owners looking to expand into the arena of affiliate marketing. The number of overhead costs for a business can be frustrating. Paying for services can really creep up and leave you experiencing a desire to cut down on expenses, and affiliate marketing may be the solution. The costs of ads and digital services are exponentially cheaper when you cost-average for long term solutions. This makes it incredibly easy to reduce costs without losing out on business potential.

Scalability

Being able to scale a business to meet the ongoing needs of the market is the difference between living and dying for operations. Scalability is hard for a lot of businesses, especially individual entrepreneurs of businesses that need some serious support but lack the funds. Affiliate marketing helps meet that need without sacrificing quality. Scaling a business is not easy, but taking full advantage of digital marketing capabilities and using third-party services to help improve functional capabilities is making that barrier for businesses much easier to hurdle.

Nearly Recession Proof

On a very difficult note, this year has been hard for just about everyone. The world has been hit with some troubling issues due to the pandemic which has shown how unstable many economies are, especially for business owners. Finding a solution that is recession-proof or crisis-proof is not easy, but the digital world is able to fill this need with useful solutions in affiliate marketing. A business survives on its clientele and products, and thankfully affiliate marketing is an example of a recession-proof way to keep operating and still maintain business integrity, even during the toughest of times, which makes it an incredibly valuable area of focus to learn and implement into a business ecosystem.

Good Potential Source of Income

This one will intrigue those that need to find ways to supplement their income. Affiliate marketing is not easy, but it is incredibly easy to make money from it when you put in the time and effort to learn the in’s and out’s. Like other business ventures, it requires focus but it can be a good way to create another source of income outside of your main source or be a life raft for those seeking a skill-based industry to help them learn on the go while also earning money. This can lead to a better appreciation of business as a whole and improve your skill set.

Affiliate marketing is an intriguing side of the business world that is making people see that they can learn skills at their own pace while applying them in real-time to make money, but most importantly, develop a much stronger business acumen.

If you want to learn more about affiliate marketing and learn the new skills you need in this field, visit this course page.

Could You Be a Victim of Identity Theft Without Even Knowing? Software and Tools to Protect Yourself

Posted on by Claire Ward
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There are plenty of people who want to do malicious things with your data. Criminal organizations will go to great lengths to get your hands on your personal information, such as your bank accounts, date of birth, and credit card numbers. There are many tools and signs you should be aware of to prevent identity theft in the future.

Useful Tools you can Use to Protect Yourself

Identity theft can strike when you least expect it, so it’s essential you stay ahead of hackers by being prepared. You can use powerful identity theft protection software, like Identity Guard, to keep an eye on your statements, so you can notice small data breaches before they become severe. Here are some other ways you can protect yourself:

  • Make sure all of your software and apps are updated
  • Only download apps from reputable companies
  • Avoid jailbreaking your phone and other cracking risks
  • Lock your SIM card and your phone with a passcode
  • If your phone is breached, use its integrated kill switch
  • If you lose your phone, contact your phone company
  • Keep copies of important files off of your smartphone
  • Use a VPN on unsecured WiFi or avoid them altogether.
  • Check security settings on all websites (must have an SSL)
  • Don’t click on random links unless it’s from a trusted source

Common Signs of Identity Theft

It’s possible you’re already a victim of identity theft. Any intelligent criminal won’t just steal all of your money at once – that’s too obvious. Instead, they will make small security breaches that will go unnoticed until it’s too late. Check for these signs your information is compromised.

You Receive Odd Collection Calls

If you already have a credit card in collections, this won’t be a cause of alarm. However, if the collection agency asks about a card you didn’t open, that’s a telltale sign of identity theft. Let the collection agency know the card isn’t yours, so they stop contacting you, then immediately place a fraud alert on your card to prevent this in the future.

You’re Denied for a Loan or Credit Card

Bad credit means you’ll have fewer options for loans, but if you are positive you have good credit, this will come as a surprise. Lenders need to tell you if you’re denied due to your credit report, but you’ll be entitled to a free credit report once you’re rejected. Take advantage of this to see if you’re a victim of identity theft.

Your Credit Report has an Extra Card

Always look at your credit report every month to determine if all of your credit cards are accounted for. An extra card on your report is an obvious sign of identity theft. Take action immediately by initiating a credit report dispute to get the account removed from the report. Call the company and report that fraud occurred.

You’re Getting Unfamiliar Hard Inquiries 

Credit reports will contain soft and hard inquiries where hard inquiries result from an application either you or a fraudster filled out. Unfamiliar hard inquiries that someone applied for a credit card in your name is a sure sign of fraud. Be sure to put a fraud alert on your credit report to warn businesses they should provide credit products from you until further notice.

You Stop Receiving Your Credit Card Bills

Fraudsters will reroute your credit card bills to another address. While this is another clear sign of identity theft, it could also mean a porch pirate is taking your mail out of your mailbox. To prevent this from happening in the future, ensure that your mailbox is secure. You can prevent this from happening entirely by rerouting your mail to a post office.

What Canadian Businesses Need To Know About Taxes, Insurance, and the Link Between Them

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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Starting and operating a successful business in Canada requires several considerations that every entrepreneur should keep in mind. One of the main factors is that all businesses should comply with the insurance and tax laws to ensure that the operators meet the standard expectations.  Read on to learn more about taxes, insurance, and the link between the two.  

Corporation Income Tax Ratios

Each business has to be registered under the Canada Revenue Agency and is required to pay tax to operate legally.  For large corporations, that basic tax comprises 38% of the taxable income and is reduced to 28% after the federal tax abatement. After the tax reduction, your company’s net tax rate will be 15%. The net tax rate for small businesses comprises 9% of their taxable revenue. In other words, both small and large corporations operating in Canada are mandated to pay tax to the CRA. The rate is determined by factors like industry, size, and revenue generated by the business.  

Health Insurance and Taxes

There are mainly three types of health insurance in Canada: Private insurance sponsored by the employer, Public Health Insurance provided by the government, and Personal Health Insurance offered by private insurance companies. Health plans that are provided by private insurance companies are taxable, whereas public health insurance and private health insurance are not. However, public health insurance is funded by taxpayers in Canada, and different individuals and companies paying various taxes contribute to these public health plans. 

Business Insurance

Business insurance offers you protection against unforeseen losses that your business may encounter in its day-to-day operations. There are different types of insurance policies available, so you can choose the type that suits your industry, revenue, and size of business. The common types of business insurance include liability, commercial property, errors, and omissions insurance. The following factors determine the cost of your premium:

  • Annual revenue
  • Size and location of a business
  • Years of experience
  • Number of employees

Insurance is not required to operate a business but it is critical to get a policy for your company to protect it against unforeseen events like defective products, injuries, and damages caused by third parties. You need to speak with your insurance broker to get a policy that suits your business needs. The other thing that you must know is that you need to consider your profession before getting any business insurance. 

The other important aspect of business insurance is that it only covers incidents that involve third parties, and it does not cover you or your employees. It also does not cover cost estimates, contractual liability, or intentional criminal acts. There is a different insurance policy for the worker.  

Business Insurance is Tax Deductible

It is possible to deduct insurance premiums from your business expenses. You can subtract the following insurance premiums as business expenses: professional liability insurance, general liability insurance, cyber insurance, and commercial property insurance among others. By deducting various business expenses from your taxable income, you reduce your taxable income. You must include the cost of insurance for vehicles, rental property, manufacturing, and vehicles. 

Your premiums together with other deductible expenses should be signed before you start getting tax benefits from them. For instance, medical expenses and health insurance should be at least 10% of your gross income before you start getting tax deductions. However, there are certain insurances you cannot deduct as business expenses like homeowner’s insurance and and best cheap auto insurance. You can only deduct car insurance if you use the vehicle for your business. 

The Tax Act Business in Canada maximizes the deductions that you are entitled to get together with other business expenses. You must get more information about how taxes and insurance work before you start a business so that you do not violate the laws. Both tax and insurance are somehow related though the link is indirect. The amount you pay for taxes is somehow affected by other expenses related to insurance you pay for different elements of your business.  

Before you start a business in Canada, you must know that you will be required to pay taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency. The tax you pay largely depends on the size of your business and its revenue. Your business should be insured to protect it against unprecedented losses that it may encounter in its day-to-day operations. There are different types of business insurance policies that you can consider. As you can see, there is an indirect link between taxes and business insurance. Fortunately, business insurance and other expenses are deductible from your taxes. 

Simple Solutions to the Most Common Internet Connectivity Problems You’ll Encounter

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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When running a business, your internet connection must be stable and fast since you’re dealing with corporate data along with your clients’ data. In other words, employers and employees alike must vigilantly maintain online security. However, you will likely encounter some common connectivity problems; they’re part and parcel of getting your organization up and running. Therefore, you must know how to handle issues as they arise, or better yet, prevent them from occurring in the first place. So, on that note, let’s take a look at the common internet connectivity issues you’re likely to face and their straightforward solutions.

Limited Bandwidth

Limited bandwidth is a widespread problem in the corporate world. No matter how big or small your business, the more people interacting on your network, the more bandwidth you’ll need. Employees and customers expect your Wi-Fi to work efficiently, and if it doesn’t, it reflects poorly on your organization.

When offering free Wi-Fi to your customers and staff, you must consider how many people you intend to support. Use the Robert Moskowitz rule, which is ‘120 kilobits per second for each user.’ In other words, you’ll need 1.2 megabits per second for ten users, and this will increase with more users. Estimate how much you’ll need and then compare prices at local internet service providers to get the right bandwidth level to suit your needs. 

Insecure Networks

Insecure networks can cause a lot of trouble for both employees and customers because it makes private and sensitive information vulnerable to cybercriminal activity. If people cannot make personal transactions, such as credit card payments, over your network, you will be risking your business’ security and your customers’ security, too. If you receive a notice stating that your connection is not private, this error message is your browser informing you that the website you are trying to reach is not secure. You must ensure that your network is safe to access for everyone involved. Shared access points can also be very risky, so it is best to consider two different access points for employees and customers. A Wi-Fi hotspot is an ideal solution as it helps keep your network secured. 

Always have your router’s security protocol set to the highest setting. Try to use Wi-Fi Protected Access, aka WPA, for a more robust security level – you can also take it up a notch by setting it to an even higher level, like WPA2. If your router does not support this security level, then you can either update your firmware or exchange it for something that will protect your network. In any case, avoid settling for Wired Equivalent Privacy, aka WEP, as the general consensus is that its security is relatively weak and will likely compromise your business’ network’s efficiency and safety. 

Bad Wi-Fi Network

Similarly, a bad Wi-Fi network can also put your company’s reputation at risk. If you regularly encounter customers asking to restart the router, it means that something is improperly configured in your network, making it difficult for users to connect. Recurring connectivity problems are a sign that you have a bad Wi-Fi network, and when you are connected to the internet, the connection is probably slow or unstable. 

Troubleshoot your connection to find out what is improperly configured to ensure your Wi-Fi equipment isn’t the cause of a dropping connection or slow speed. All you need to do is identify whether the cause is that your router is old, your firmware is old, or there’s some interference with nearby networks. Moreover, check the router location, and extend the connection to reach more employees and customers if necessary. 

Slow Connection

A slow connection is going to frustrate your employees and possibly put your clients off your business. Studies show that if content takes too long to load, people exit the site or platform, refrain from downloading email attachments, or may switch to a different network; this will not bode well for your business. Slow connections are easy to fix and require a similar solution to a bad Wi-Fi network. Check the router location, upgrade it with an extension, and gauge whether the slow speed is due to any nearby network interference. 

No business owner wants to put their clients’ or employees’ sensitive information at risk, nor do they want insufficient internet connections to frustrate customers to the point they decide not to deal with your company. It’s crucial that you address these common network problems before they escalate. With the above guide, you’ll know what to watch out for to prevent things like a slow internet speed from messing up your operations. 

7 Reasons Your Business Needs a Social Media Presence

Posted on by Adam Holland
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It’s almost 2021, and it seems like nearly everyone in the world uses some form of social media! While in the past, many businesses have relied on television, print, or radio marketing to reach customers, today, the place to reach an audience is on social media.

People spend a lot of time on social media, and it’s the perfect place to let people know what your business has to offer. According to some statistics, many people spend up to three hours a day using social media sites.

Marketing on social media is also called content marketing. This means creating content for your brand such as blog posts, photos, or videos.

Grow Your Business

With people spending so much time on social media, it’s a great place to interact with your customers and deliver your company’s message. If your business is not already using social media, now is the perfect time to begin considering how you can use it in your marketing.

There are a wide variety of platforms to choose from, each offering its own benefits and challenges. Whether you choose to focus on Instagram, YouTube, or even TikTok, the great thing about using these online platforms is that they allow you to interact with existing customers, and discover new ones!

Get Free Publicity

Social media is a great place to get publicity. Simply create content, and then share it on one or more social sites of your choice. Your content could focus on announcing a new product or service or explain some valuable features to your customers.

As you begin to build a following on social media, new people will discover your business and learn about what you have to offer. It’s an amazing way to generate publicity for your company that doesn’t cost a dime!

Easy Promotional Initiatives

People love promotions, whether it’s the opportunity to win a prize in a drawing, a quiz about your customer’s opinions, or a fun holiday message from the company. Special offers or coupons that are exclusive to your social followers are another great way for people to develop a strong connection to your business through social media.

Social media also allows users to send direct messages to followers. With upcoming holidays such as Valentine’s Day, creating free online Valentine cards and delivering them to your followers could be a great way to create your first promotional campaign on social media.

Don’t Get Left Behind by Competitors

There are many companies out there that have entire teams dedicated to their social media strategy. This can seem daunting, but even if you work at a small company, you can still create social media marketing that brings in great results.

One great way to build a dedicated following is to welcome your followers into your day-to-day work process. It’s easy to take photos or record videos on your phone during the workday and then share them with your followers. It gives them an insight into what you do and helps them build a connection and loyalty to your brand.

Reach New Audiences

Social media sites tend to reward accounts that post content regularly. When an account has frequent posts and active followers who “like” or “share” their content, the social platform often rewards that account by causing it to appear more frequently in search results, and in recommendations to other users.

This makes social media a great place to connect with new customers. People who may not have heard of you can discover your business and learn much more about what you have to offer. They can also begin developing a personal connection to you and others in the company as they get insights into the day-to-day operations of your business.

Get Feedback and Reviews from Customers

Knowing what your customers are thinking and feeling is invaluable in business. Social media provides the perfect place to discover what your followers are interested in and how they feel about your products. You can even create simple questionnaires or surveys for your customers to fill out for a more targeted look at their opinions.

Your social media page is also the perfect place for satisfied customers to leave reviews, which will be discovered by new followers as they learn about your business.

Search Engine Optimization

Spending money for marketing online can be quite expensive. Whether you’re setting up ads on Google, Facebook, or another platform, those costs can quickly pile up. Search engine optimization is a way for you to appear in search results when people are searching online without spending money on costly ads.

Optimizing for search engines requires some careful planning with your website, but a social media presence is another important part of appearing in search engine results. It’s another website for your business for users to discover through search results.

These are by no means the only advantages to using social media for your business, but they’re some of the most important ones. Whatever your brand or industry, with a little bit of careful planning and strategy, you can create a social media presence that will benefit your company in ways that you haven’t imagined!

5 Rules For Beginner Entrepreneurs

Posted on by Timothy Miller
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Congratulations on setting up your business or company! As an entrepreneur, I don’t need to remind you that the most demanding stage of a business lies in the starting up. The rules you adopt at the beginning serve as the framework with which your company builds.

A business starting with three persons will surely not be all smooth and rosy. There are countless mistakes you can make in business that you can recover from. However, some mistakes are so dangerous that it may require a new startup or rebranding. According to myhomeworkdone.com, such errors may include incorrect accounting details.

Most businesses don’t survive the test of time because of many unwritten rules that many ignore. This article has written five of the unwritten rules that will help you as a beginner entrepreneur.

1. Have a Business Plan

Many local businesses do not have a picture of what they want to achieve within a stipulated time. The company is just starting, they say. Success in any business lies in how the entrepreneur sees the future of the company and the road map he puts in place to achieve them.

No matter how small your business is, put a beautiful and reasonable structure in place to guide you into what you want to become.

2. Be Frugal

I understand the pressure of trying to impress clients or customers. The pressure can be so intense that you may want to get a loan from banks or relatives.

Here is a piece of advice – don’t take up unnecessary expenses. Any idea that will not help your business, in the long run, is not worth considering.

Employ the minimum number of people that can get a job done quickly. If possible, give your employees a target that will provide them with a sense of accomplishment. Remember, don’t go on a spending spree to impress those who will not be impressed.

3. Build a Vision Carrying Team

When seeking employment, most job seekers are concerned about pay. That is sensible, you know, who doesn’t want a company that pays cool cash?

In as much as you are trying to attract the best employees out there with good pay, try and inculcate in them your vision for the company. Paint the beautiful future you see the company; the one you want them to be part of.

Act these visions out. Let them see you’re committed to making it happen so that your employees will not perceive themselves as tools or pawns with which you want to actualize the visions of your company.

4. Call for Help

The ‘CEO pride’ has sent many companies to bankruptcy. Most times, the thought of seeking for a business idea or advice is something some entrepreneur’s dread.

Let me get this straight, always call for help when you know you desperately need one. Get across to your mentor, attend seminars and exposés that will boost your confidence. Never be left vulnerable.

5. Safeguard Yourself and Your Venture

It can spell a lot of negatives for your firm if you suddenly fall ill. Eat well, take enough fruits, hydrate consistently and go to the gym where necessary. Your life is more important than business.

Many small businesses fold up after the demise of the pioneer. In the same vein, insure your business so that you won’t see its end while you’re yet alive.

Here’s Where You Can Save If You’re Running a Small Business

Posted on by Pete Brown
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Essentially, every business aims to maximize profits from its operations. However, this may not be the case for small companies that have yet to realize their major goals and objectives. Small business operators often face unprecedented challenges that can cripple their activities if not managed properly. 

The good news is different measures can be implemented to help small business owners to tame the problems they may encounter. Read on to learn where you can save if you are running a small business. 

Define Your Goals

Running a successful business is not an easy task since it involves a lot of challenges. You need to set clear goals and determine effective strategies that can help you achieve them. A business without a plan is doomed to fail, but this can be avoided if you set your priorities. It is imperative to define your core business and set realistic and achievable objectives.   

Reduce Printing Tasks

Going paperless may not be feasible for many small businesses, but enlightened operators can save money by reducing printing tasks. If you reduce the consumption of paper, it means that you will have fewer paper purchases and greater efficiency. You must also buy inexpensive printers that won’t break the bank as long as you can still accomplish the task at a relatively affordable price. When you buy a printer, you must ensure that it is budget-friendly, easy to repair, and maintain. A printer requires accessories like toners, ink, and other components that can be expensive. 

Consider Using Solar Energy

If your business does not use heavy industrial equipment, it is a good idea to switch to solar energy. Apart from saving you money on electrical bills, solar power is sustainable and good for the environment. No matter how much you may try to be conservative, utility bills are indispensable in the operations of many businesses. On top of that, you may also consider using energy-efficient gadgets in your company. With the constant technological advancements taking place every day, you need to do some research and get efficient tools that will not lead to downtime in your operations so that you can also save some money in the long run.

Hire Independent Contractors 

Depending on the nature of your business, you can save a lot if you enlist the services of independent contractors to perform non-essential tasks while you focus on your core business. It is costly to hire full-time employees for specific jobs that can be performed by contractors. Full-time workers require basic salaries plus benefits of which many small businesses operate on tight budgets. If your venture has not yet reached a full profitability scale, it is wise to cut costs. If you have permanent workers, you should also fulfill your company’s tax obligations. 

Minimize Expenses

As a rule of thumb, you should know that business and personal expenses do not mix. It is essential to do away with unnecessary costs that can drain money from your business. For instance, it is a noble idea to avoid traditional advertising since it is costly for small businesses. Instead, there are other viable options like social media that can help promote your business without wasting a lot of money.

In addition to cutting costs, implementing asset management for small business can help you maximize the value of your existing resources. By effectively managing your assets, you ensure that your business is operating efficiently and that unnecessary expenses are minimized. 

You should also document all your business expenses and make sure you reconcile them to make necessary changes that can drive the growth and development of your venture. You must also visit your budget regularly to ensure that you are operating in the right direction.     

Switch Off Lights And Gadgets Not In Use

You should train your employees to be responsible citizens in the workplace. Many businesses pay high utility bills as a result of preventable actions by other people in the company. For instance, you need to make it a company policy that all lights should be switched off when you knock off except for strategic places to enhance security. On top of that, electronic gadgets not in use should also be switched off to eliminate large energy bills. 

Heating and air conditioning systems also consume a lot of energy, so you should use them wisely. If your office space has sufficient ventilation, it is a good idea to resort to natural heating and cooling. Alternatively, you need to invest in the right heating and air conditioning units that do not contribute to high power costs. 

The success or failure of any business depends on your operating strategies and your goals. Many people are excited to run their companies, but they end up losing focus and spending money that they do not have. If you want to avoid this unfortunate situation, there are many tips that you may need to consider. The most critical thing in business is to avoid unnecessary expenses.