Breaking down the fundamentals of sales we can see where low energy and motivation can adversely affect parts of the sales process and construct significant countermeasures.

Motivation

Motivation itself may be at the core of the issue. There are numerous schools of thought on this. Motivation is the core of pushing the sale. Motivation does not exist. It is just a label for our behaviors. Regardless, the concept of motivation is one of action toward a goal. But, motivating a sales team can be difficult.

This is something low morale can adversely affect to a staggering extent. Here are several ways how to motivate a sales team.

Create Deeper Value

Whether it is from a higher purpose, a sense of community within their team, or even a vision for a better position and brighter future, motivation to action comes from a deep place. By finding value agents and servicing them toward the team’s individual needs you can harness a much more powerful response.

It is unlikely that many of the people on the sales team aspired to be in this place as children and even less likely to aspire to remain here into their final days. Truly motivating a sales team stems from a deeper sense of purpose and calling. Think about what the team needs. What are the team’s individual callings?

Make People Feel Good

Make people feel wanted, valued, and respected. Heck, make people feel special. It does not matter so much what the nuance of the term is so long as you can tailor what you do to make each individual feel good. That feeling of reward from doing a job well is all that many individuals need to propel themselves forward.

It could be as simple as allowing performing salespeople to have greater involvement in decision-making. They are important and their opinion matters. It may take the form of a flexible work schedule. They are important and their time matters. Compensate them fairly and offer them growth opportunities and autonomy in their providential future. They are important and the work they are doing matters.

Create the Right Environment

This involves building the right sales team. However, once you have collected that sales team with all the proper moving parts and people you need to begin fostering your environment. This will in part be a piece of company culture. That means the demeanor will be tilted in the direction of whatever job you are aiming to accomplish. One could presume that a professional football team will have a different mentality than a bakery. Maybe not, I don’t know.

Regardless then it is your job to take that group and define where you need to be within the space of that industry. This depends largely on the skills and demeanor of the people you have hired. Cultivate the environment that works best for them.

Concise, Clear, Consistent/Confident/Complete

It seems there are believably endless amounts of “3 C’s of ______.” Well here is another. Technically three others, because ironically “experts” are unclear on what the final C actually is. No matter, I can break down all five of them and how a lack of motivation can impact each along the sales line.

Concise, Clear, Consistent, Confident, and Complete. These are the three (five) C’s of communication. They exist to streamline conversation and messaging so that they can be held in high regard throughout the duration of the sales opportunity. Sales mean communication.

Concise

This is keeping the conversation inbounds. It does not necessarily mean that the conversation itself needs to stay “on point.” However, it does mean that only things that help the conversation need to be said. Concise, means letting the prospect speak. Then using your mind to return their problem to the solution that what you are selling can solve.

A lack of motivation in this area could result in the salespeople not listening and understanding the prospective client or failing to keep their pitches highly efficient.

Clear

Clarity is the baseline of understanding. If the client cannot understand you then you will have difficulty selling to them. You must be understood as a salesperson. Being concise will help with this. Conciseness should keep it simple. Simplicity acts as a favor to clarity. Clarity is paramount to being understood by another. It could be favorably argued that sales and communication as a whole are most fully reliant on this one, singular aspect. You must be understood.

The lack of motivation could affect this by instilling apathy in the salesperson to be understood. If the salesperson is not understood and does not aspire to be understood, the result will likely be flubbed sales. Even with potential eager clients sales will fall short.

Consistent

Get the idea across. Increase familiarity and conversational rhythm with having intermittent “touchstones.” Fair enough? Being consistent establishes confidence within the prospect which is what this driving part of sales is all about. Confidence and reliance within the client’s eyes.

Again, no motivation here will take form in the conversation going off the track. The salesperson will likely not keep it to a point. From there the lack of flow will likely stunt the sale for anyone unsure of their desire to purchase the product or service.

Confident

This element serves the same function as “consistency.” It serves to create confidence in the potential customer. While you are trying to sell the customer on the product. The savvy salesperson is trying to sell the individual on their own confidence throughout the conversation. High-end selling is the transfer of emotion from the salesperson to the client.

Belief in oneself commonly lacks with loss of motivation and in regard to confidence. The lack of motivation here is one of the most apparent as this is one of the exposing elements of the idea of “selling” someone on something. That energy and verve is once again paramount and a lack of motivation heavily affects that.

Completeness

Pull it all together. Completeness is the “trial-ready” version of your pitch and style. Likewise, this involves taking the other person’s perspective and fear’s into account. From there it asks how to tailor your messaging to best work off of that. Completeness additionally asks that you make no assumptions within that and are understanding and open to the parts of the conversation that may change the course of the plan. From there be able to review and fully break down the natural elements at play during the process.

No motivation here will likely take the form of disorganization and scattered thinking. Like “confidence” there will be the feeling of a missing element. Which is why these two are so often exchanged. They provide the unspoken backing of the other areas of good communication.

The post Low Morale? How to Motivate Your Sales Team appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Over half of Facebook users go to a local business’ page weekly, so it’s not surprising that marketing agencies see Facebook as one of the best social media platforms to invest in as a small business.

This platform can help small businesses build brand awareness, attract new customers, retain existing customers, increase sales, and improve customer service.

1. Create a business page.

Is your small business Facebook-ready? A small tea shop, an eCommerce store, or a landscaping company may benefit from Facebook. If you can only concentrate on a couple social media networks, make Facebook your top choice.

How do you find out? Ask your clients whether Facebook is a good way to interact with them. You can send a survey via an email list or through a social media post. Inquire about their preferred platforms and brands.

Getting Started

The Facebook page you create for your business will inform prospective customers about your business, its mission, and what you offer. If you’re nervous about setting up a page, it’s actually quite easy. Facebook provides templates, so you just choose the one that works best for you.

Upload a profile image that includes bright colors and an easy to read logo. Include contact information like a phone number, email address, and website (if you have one). If you serve customers locally, include your location or physical address as well.

The About section will allow you to give background information on your company’s mission, history, and products/services. It’s vital that people know what you do! Tell them what makes your company unique.

A cover picture is your brand’s initial impression. Evoke an emotion or inspire action, like taking advantage of a seasonal sale. Take a snapshot of your product in action, your business, your staff, or your current deal. Be sure to fill in all of the contact info fields.

2. Match your target demographic to Facebook users.

Some social media networks have more active audiences than others. You can match your target audience’s interests, values, beliefs, and personality to the social media platforms you’re considering.

For example, Millennials love Facebook. With over 290,000,000 users, the platform is worth exploring for all age groups. On the other hand, if you want to reach adolescents, try TikTok, where 25% of users are aged 10 to 19.

3. Examine your competitors.

Your target demographic is likely on Facebook if comparable companies have significant followings and get many comments and likes. After all, your competitors’ customers could be yours! Just start posting.

However, if your rivals aren’t on Facebook, it’s probably not for you. On the other hand, if numerous clients say they’ll follow you on Facebook, it means there’s untapped potential in your industry.

4. Customize your CTA button.

At the top of your Facebook page, you can customize the CTA button to encourage your followers to take a specific action. Other CTA considerations include:

• Vanity URLs: After 25 followers, you may obtain a branded URL, which helps to further brand your business page.
• Videos: Posts with videos get more attention and interaction than posts with only text. Facebook videos immediately play, making them much more appealing.
• Text Posts: Utilize text-only postings to poll your followers or create discussions. If you include a link, it will display a sample of the website, grabbing more eyeballs than text-only posts. Use them to promote a bargain or a blog article.
• Photo Postings: People notice photos on Facebook while looking through their feed. Photos are easier to publish than videos and have a higher possibility of interaction.
• Phone Videos: These are natural and may help viewers connect. Showcase new items, behind-the-scenes shots, and Q&As through video. Go live to interact with the audience in real-time.
• Stories: Instead of creating a status update, share a story. Facebook users are more interested in a business or product after seeing it in their stories, according to Facebook. Stories are suitable for informal content. Post exciting questions and polls to keep folks interested.

5. Be human, not pushy.

Your customers come for what you can offer them, but they remain for your human-like interaction with them on social media.

Consider Facebook to be a brand extension. You may still upload promotional material, but it should be mixed in with lots of compelling, non-promotional content to attract Facebook fans. And remember to respect their privacy as much as possible.

The post Grow Your Business on Facebook in the New Year appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

However, there is one thing that your sales team alone cannot cure. And that is customer churn. If customers don’t return, no amount of new customers can help achieve a steady growth rate for your business.

Yet many sales and marketing leaders in organizations are always busy looking “out there” for new customers instead of introspecting and improving customer retention. In fact, a paltry 40% of businesses are equally prioritizing both customer retention and acquisition.

Don’t let your company fall into the same trap. You should find ways to delight and generate more revenue from your current customers than relying solely on acquiring new customers. Below, we’ll look at the top reasons why.

Why You Should Prioritize Customer Retention

There are several benefits that make customer retention critical to your company’s bottom line.

Every loyal customer presents an opportunity to develop a brand advocate, get more referrals, and encourage word-of-mouth marketing. Let’s take a closer look at each key advantage, one by one.

Get positive word of mouth.

75% of customers loyal to a brand will refer their friends and family to the same. And this desire to spread the word comes from the customer retention efforts of the brand.

A decision to prioritize customer retention initiatives has the power to convert customers into brand advocates, increasing your likelihood of gaining referrals. A recommendation from a third party can be the final nudge that moves a prospect to action and persuade them to buy from you.

When customers are happy with your brand, you can even launch a referral program to realize their full potential in promoting your business. Ellevest is a great example. The company rewards both the referrer and the referee for each successful transaction.

To launch a similar program, you can use a tool such as Early Parrot. It lets you create referral marketing campaigns. These can seamlessly integrate with any of the major website builders in the market.

However, you can’t expect such an initiative to work without a focus on retaining customers. Disengaged customers are less likely to tell others about you, even if you reward them for doing so.

Boost conversion rates.

A customer who has bought from your business twice is 9 times more likely to purchase again than a new buyer, as per a study by Adobe. In other words, current customers help you get more conversions and make more money.

CVS Pharmacy is great at targeting present customers, for example. The company sends customers personalized email messages with deals and coupons based on what they have purchased before.

An email campaign is not the only way to target current customers. You can also insert Google Ads or Facebook pixels within your website’s code. These snippets can be used to run advertising that targets people who have already visited or purchased from your website.

Since the customers are likely to need similar products again, a retargeting campaign allows the company to bring customers back and sell more in the process.

Increase your customer lifetime value (CLV).

In case you’re unaware, customer lifetime value is the total monetary worth of a customer during the period of their relationship with your business. And it’s an important metric that speaks to the overall financial health of your company.

A recent study suggests that 37% of buyers will shell out more money on a business if they’re loyal to the brand. So repeat customers are not just more likely to buy from you as we discussed above, but they are also inclined to spend more.

The result? High CLV and low cost of marketing, which brings us to the next benefit of prioritizing customer retention.

Reduce marketing expenses.

It is widely agreed that customer acquisition costs more than customer retention.

When you acquire customers, you also get to learn about the best ways to reach them. And you have the contact information to reach them again and again in a cost-effective manner.

Acquiring new customers, on the other hand, requires you to allocate a dedicated budget to sourcing new leads, advertising your website, lead nurturing, and customer onboarding. No matter how careful you are, you are always left with a huge dent in your pocket.

Get predictable revenue.

Running a business is a game of risk and uncertainty. But that doesn’t mean you can overlook ways to minimize them as much as possible. And that’s another aspect where customer retention shines more than customer acquisition.

As we discussed above, happy and satisfied customers will keep buying from you again and again. As a result, your overall revenue is more steady and predictable.

In fact, annual subscriptions — a recent business model that has taken the world by storm — relies solely on a business’s ability to retain customers as the main source of growth.

When a customer pays for the annual subscription, the business has a certain amount of assured income for the whole year. And at the end of 12 months, customers renew their subscription based on their needs and level of satisfaction with the product or service.

The global SaaS market (subscription software) is projected to touch $437 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 12.5%. So you can imagine the kind of growth possible with retaining customers for the long-term.

By retaining customers, you can say goodbye to your day-to-day sales worries and focus more on the future vision of your brand.

Shield your business from the competition.

The more customers connect with your business, the more habitual they get in terms of preferring your brand. They do not get easily swayed by other brands as long as your product or service is working fine for them. And this is a huge competitive advantage to have in a fickle world.

A brilliant example of a brand that builds customer loyalty with an authentic connection is Bombas. The company openly communicates its philanthropic mission of donating to the needy, which plays a big role in customer retention.

When customers are served with stories that help them connect with a brand’s mission and values, they experience a strong sense of loyalty.

Improve business operations.

82% of consumers agree that they would move to another brand if they experience poor customer service from the brand they were loyal to. As scary as it seems, the truth is that it takes just one bad experience to push buyers away from your business.

That means you must do everything in your power to ensure that your business operations are aligned with customer preferences. And that’s another area where customer retention can help.

Loyal customers give you a valuable source of feedback that helps improve your products, services, and overall customer experience.

Case in point: Southwest Airlines. The company quickly follows up with customers who voice a negative experience or a piece of feedback, even on social media platforms. In doing so, it gets insights straight from the customers instead of relying only on internal research and development.

Wrapping Up

The value of acquiring new customers can’t be denied. However, it’s equally important to level up your customer retention strategy. If you’re focusing only on empowering your sales reps while your customer success team is grasping at straws, then you’re compromising your organization’s potential to succeed.

The solution? Give equal weightage to customer retention. As we discussed above, customer retention is crucial for the long-term sustainability of your business. Moreover, it gives you new opportunities to leverage the trust you have built with current customers to take your business to the next level.

After all, customer retention is what differentiates one-hit wonders from strong and stable brands that dominate their industry for decades.

The post Why You Should Prioritize Customer Retention Over Customer Acquisition  appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What is call monitoring in small-business marketing, and why is it important? With powerful cellphones and laptops, and virtually ubiquitous Wi-Fi, we all increasingly expect current consumers to research goods and services online. Surprisingly, many individuals still prefer contacting a company’s phone number to filling out cumbersome online forms or chatting live.

Call monitoring may be a handy tool for small companies as it can help them assess their performance and uncover possibilities based on the phone calls they get. Any agency knows this because we utilize a unique marketing plan that integrates with our clients’ calls to maximize their marketing investment and help them build their company. Confidentially, it’s all edge technology.

What is the term “tracking?”

Measuring which marketing initiatives are generating calls and creating interest among prospective clients is known as call tracking. You may use this data to determine your next marketing strategy and budget.

Call monitoring also collects useful caller information that you may use for customer service and marketing. Therefore, small firms may use call monitoring to make data-driven marketing choices.

What is the mechanism behind it? There are two fundamental components of how call tracking works:

1. Set up a call-tracking system.

When you set up call monitoring for your company, the questions you will answer are if you want a toll-free number or a local number.

You may also choose to have calls redirected to your workplace, home, sales department, third-party answering system, or even your mobile. Your provider will match them with your phone tracking number.

2. Gather and analyze data.

Your provider will notify you whenever a prospective client contacts your number. The contact service records the origin, time, and duration of each phone call and whether or not the customer answered the call.

However, caller information, such as the caller’s complete name, location, and purchasing history, will also be revealed. Above all, call monitoring will reveal which marketing effort prompted a prospective consumer to dial a phone number.

What are the benefits of call tracking for small businesses?

Call monitoring is helpful for small firms for a variety of reasons.

Analyze and enhance the marketing return on investment.

You may gain insights into which keywords, advertising, or campaigns attract new clients via call monitoring.

It’s possible to increase conversions and ROI by learning which marketing methods work for your company.

You will miss no more calls.

Customers may be disappointed if their calls go unanswered owing to congested lines.

All tracking delivers a real-time notice through email or voicemail every time a call is lost. Once call agents are available, they will be able to take quick action.

Conversion rates should be improved, and lost leads should be recovered.

Conversion numbers are accurate when you use call tracking. You’ll be able to track the source of the call back to a specific campaign since you’ll be using a unique phone number.

Call monitoring also records phone conversations to examine a lost lead’s interests and worries. Then build retargeting advertisements or emails that address their concerns.

The company should improve customer service.

You may determine your target audience and learn how to pique their attention with call tracking. Contact tracking will offer crucial caller data to enable the customer care agent to customize their encounter with the consumer when they call you.

You can analyze your sales procedures to understand the client’s journey better.

You will have a thorough insight into your sales processes and your consumers’ experiences when they contact your organization if you use call tracking.

Call tracking allows you to learn more about:

• the days of the week when the most people contact you;
• when individuals contact your company throughout the day;
• how successfully your team members deal with incoming calls;
• who answers the phone;
• if your call takers are doing well or if they need further training;
• if you can turn leads into appointments, and how often;
• the caller’s intention; and
• whether the company should improve employees’ call-handling abilities.

Leaders may use call tracking to record both incoming and departing calls. Therefore, they may assess your staff’ customer service skills by listening to recorded calls.

The company may evaluate its agents on their ability to follow call scripts, handle bookings, and sell effectively. You can figure out which call takers require more training.

Get detailed information on the caller.

Call monitoring provides detailed caller information for marketing, customer service, and quality assurance. However, you may provide the following information about the caller:

• number to call;
• the caller’s first and last name;
• the caller’s current location;
• whether they’re calling for a campaign;
• if they’re a new or returning caller;
• the call’s length and quality;
• the reason for the phone call;
• purchase history of the caller; and
• explore uncharted territory.

Small companies may utilize call tracking to find new business possibilities and develop their firm.

You may examine the location details of the individuals that call your firm when you monitor calls. You’ll learn where most of your calls are coming from, which you may utilize to create new marketing efforts.

During high call hours, be more efficient.

You may determine when your firm gets the most calls from prospective clients by monitoring calls.

Consequently, with this information, you may effectively organize your employees’ working hours so that you can handle all calls during peak hours.

Call monitoring is a simple yet effective practice that may help small companies in various ways. It will help you better understand your consumers and develop your marketing tactics.

The post What Is Call Tracking? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Why do your NPS and CSAT matter?

In any company, client satisfaction is vital. After all, you wouldn’t be in business without happy consumers. Metrics like NPS and CSAT may help you understand how satisfied your customers are. However, have you ever heard of them? We’ll explain what they are and how you may utilize them in your company. (You might wish to hire a technology partner to do this.)

What are NPS and CSAT?

You may have many queries if you are new to NPS and CSAT. What are they?

NPS

An NPS, or Net Promoter Score, measures consumer loyalty and likelihood to refer a firm to a friend or colleague. Ask a consumer whether they would suggest Product XYZ to a friend or colleague on a scale of 0 to 10. Here’s how the scoring works:

• 0 – 6: Detractors are dissatisfied clients who may leave.
• 7 or 8: Passives are moderately happy with your product or service
• 9 or 10: Customers who adore your products and are lovers of your company. This is word-of-mouth marketing!

Using an NPS technology has a lot of advantages. Therefore, it can not only assess client loyalty but also improve long-term connections, minimize churn, and identify issues. For example, Patriot Software loves utilizing NPS to gain fast feedback from consumers.

Regularly checking your score will help you understand how consumers feel about your product or service and where you can improve. When satisfaction drops and negative feedback rises, it’s time to change. (Remember that Net Promoter Score varies by industry, so conduct your research to find out the average score.)

CSAT

A Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is another customer satisfaction statistic. A CSAT gauges consumer satisfaction with a product or service. So, you may utilize your CSAT to get feedback, e.g., customer service, recent purchases, etc.

Like NPS, you usually ask clients one straightforward question. How satisfied were you with your experience? You may customize survey scales. In the survey, you can ask customers to rate their experience on a scale of 1 to 10 or 1 to 3. A CSAT score of 80% or more is considered satisfactory.

Industry-specific average or “good” ratings differ. So, do your homework and determine what type of marks you should aim for. Once you know your industry’s average rating, you can compare and improve.

Your CSAT is a simple method to gather consumer feedback. To collect client feedback, you can quickly embed brief surveys in your app, website, or email. It’s quick and easy to respond to. Therefore it gets a lot of responses.

Your Scores Help Business

Don’t simply toss your customers’ or participants’ scores away. Instead, utilize them to enhance procedures, goods, services, and operations. Here are four strategies to increase your company’s ratings.

1. Improve customer interactions.

You can utilize both NPS and CSAT to gain meaningful client feedback. Depending on the program or approach, you may ask consumers for further input. Based on such input, you may enhance customer interactions.

To learn why customers favor your company over a competition, utilize NPS ratings. Then utilize your insights to improve customer relations. Say you’re utilizing CSAT to assess your company’s customer service. Your ratings may help you enhance customer communication.

Your business’s success depends on communicating with present and future clients. You might lose loyal consumers and money if you don’t listen to what potential customers have to say.

2. Identify issues.

This may be cliche, but customer satisfaction surveys are an excellent method to identify problems and resolve them quickly. Why? They give you honest comments.

Negative criticism usually hurts a bit as a company owner. But it’s required if you want to develop your company. Your CSAT and NPS may help you identify common issues, enhance your product or service, and assess your overall company performance.

So while reviewing your results, focus on the flaws so you can discover where your company is lacking and make adjustments to enhance KPIs and client happiness.

3. Cut churn.

Nobody hates to lose a client. But, tragically, that happens. Not everyone will enjoy your company or products.

OK. You may dread the concept of client turnover, yet it is a reality for every successful organization. However, you may utilize customer satisfaction surveys to boost and minimize client turnover.

Also, keeping consumers is far cheaper than getting new ones, so you want to do all you can to keep them. Get ready for feedback.

Your scores are a big red flag for churn. You may use them to capture a disgruntled consumer and (hopefully) resolve the problem before they depart for good.

Again, keep an eye on the nasty comments so you can stop issues before they spiral out of hand. Picture terrible word of mouth, negative reviews, and disgruntled customers.

Positive Reviews Boosted

Your customer satisfaction measurements aren’t only about fixing issues and making people happy. You can also utilize NPS and CSAT to positively ask satisfied consumers to promote your brand.

Pay as much attention to good feedback as negative comments and ratings. You may invite promoters (9 or 10) to submit reviews about your company. Customers who offer you good CSAT scores, e.g., satisfied or highly satisfied.

You may also use positive comments to your advantage. Reach out to your promoters or very pleased consumers from your good evaluations. Therefore, they probably won’t mind sharing their positive experience and promoting your company.

The post Why Do Your NPS and CSAT Matter? Because Your Clients Care appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The cash register was formerly the most sophisticated technology in most retail establishments, yet it was nothing more than a calculator with a cash drawer. It’s a new day! The consumer experience has been altered by mobile shopping applications, self-service kiosks, and more. The employment experience is often relatively low-tech. Therefore, as long as consumers desire to buy in shops, we’ll need real people to welcome, assist, and ring up their purchases.

Fewer retailers are using new technology in frontline personnel processes. With smart workplace technology integration, you can enable your sales associates to work more intelligently, efficiently, and effectively to support your brand and clients. However, you’ll need all the edge you can get, now that the USPS is promising even slower, messier delivery.

Modern technology is changing the rules for frontline staff in three ways.

1. Keeping technology in order.

If your workers can’t keep up with everyday activities like stocking stores and scrubbing restrooms, customers will suffer.

Many businesses now use task-management applications with reminders and even gamification to help staff remain on track. Instead of confusing lists pinned to break room bulletin boards, managers may utilize analytics to predict worker needs and online calendars to openly handle shift assignments.

But employers should be cautious. Salespeople aren’t interchangeable cogs, and you can’t expect them to be delighted if a computer rearranges their schedule or alters their shifts at the last minute.

Therefore, they utilize technology to listen to their employees and create fair timetables, enabling people to voice their preferences and preserve a feeling of autonomy.

2. Promoting new forms of connectivity.

ABC stands for “always be connected” for today’s sales teams.

Great teams join together and share their ideas, know-how, and insights to become more than the sum of their parts. Connectivity allows employees to learn from one another, fix errors, and push each other to new heights.

Of course, technology makes this possible. You can’t genuinely cooperate if your only chances to connect are all-hands meetings or daily breaks.

Instead, we have news feeds, instant messaging, push alerts, and social media. It enables managers to listen and learn from their staff. It enables us to collaborate in real-time, turning sales teams into a cohesive unit focused on success.

3. AI augmentation.

While AI may not seem like a natural match for retail personnel, there are several ways that AI may help frontline staff.

So, instead of traversing the aisles with a clipboard and stitching your notes together later in Excel, machine vision can manage inventory. Consequently, improve displays based on photographs collected in seconds by smartphone and automatically stitched together.

As a result of their performance and the experiences of others in the business, machine learning can intelligently curate the optimal learning experience for every employee. Consequently, AI systems can pool data from numerous shops.

Moreover, AI can quickly identify abnormalities like underperforming SKUs, price problems, inventory difficulties, and offering fixes.

Integrating AI capabilities into sales staff operations allows them to do extraordinary things.

Retail associates are technology educators.

Assisting retail associates with technology may improve their experience by increasing efficiency, decreasing active labor, and allowing them to think creatively and interact.

However, the goal is to integrate these technologies into a sales associate’s daily routine. Beginning with checking their online schedule to traversing the shop floor to check inventory.

Therefore, discuss a fresh idea or finish their shift by reading a learning resource to improve their skills. Right present, every retailer has labor concerns.

Recruiting and retaining brilliant workers will be simpler for merchants who consider their frontline personnel genuine knowledge workers. That is to say, provide them with intelligent mobile tools.

Giving retail employees digital superpowers and eliminating tedious work and hassles would help them learn quicker. Additionally, they stay happier, more engaged, and more likely to stick around.

After all, you rely on them to represent your brand, promote your goods, and build consumer connections. Therefore, this profession demands intellect, charm, efficiency, and competence. Employees, consumers, and the company benefit from incorporating cutting-edge technology into retail workers’ workflows.

In the end…

Keep checking your technology pulse. Don’t allow your business to get behind the 8 ball.

Make sure your small business knows how to keep up with the fintech crowd. Consumers will pay more for exceptional service, so just make sure you’re the first provider that comes to mind!

The post Technology Changes Retail Frontline Experience appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Brands simply cannot put it at the bottom of the pile any longer. Social media has become the need of the hour.

Be it the provision of content to an audience or an engagement incremental, social media platforms come in handy. It could ultimately boost the online presence of any business.

Social Media Marketing and Brand Awareness

Social media is all about being loyal and real in your business while presenting your brand in front of an audience. The well-established “captivity” of social media has helped businesses place themselves in the light by which they wish to be seen.

What seemed like a struggling phase without the advantage of social media platforms has become a simplified and smooth process with socializing networks.

And now social media strategies and business marketing plans have become a critical part of digital brands.

When done correctly, your social media campaign can boost brand awareness and recognition globally. It enables your company to receive enhanced digital traffic and social media success.

Most importantly, social media platforms have allowed businesses to interact well with their audience. Brands can use all the various communication mediums to have interactive sessions with their targeted groups.

Below, I’ve jotted down the 4 S’s that can work wonders for your social media success. Use them to craft a flawless social media marketing strategy in the near future. Let’s begin!

1. Setting Goals

Hear me out. Any good marketing plan always begins by establishing goals.

Before designing social media strategy for your business’s growth, you need to understand the objectives of your business. Measure the end results and write down what you want to work for.

Set your goals first. After that, it will be easier to think about a strategic plan. This set of goals and curation of objectives for the core purpose of business helps in inspiring the targeted audience.

Plan to have your social media marketers use the appropriate resources to curate data and publish posts.

Further, social media analytics and tracking tools can be used to measure the performance of the implemented strategies. Key metrics of social media analysis can be used to track your performance so far!

A Few Tips:

The specified data on your posts could also indicate which of your strategies are working and which aren’t. Data must consist of:

• the popularity of your published posts;
• engagement of followers on certain posts; and
• the reactions of your audience.

Creating an objective outline and marking them off after completion would also help you see how far you have come…and what changes you should make now.

The Evaluation Process

Evaluating your goals is also a necessary step in your social media and digital marketing, including SEO, email marketing, blogger outreach, PPC, etc.

You need to stay updated and should make changes depending on your company’s growth. Social media goals further fall into several categories including:

• increased brand awareness;
• traffic increment;
• new leads generation;
• revenue growth;
• ideal research of your audience; and
• more press mentions.

Once the objectives of the brand are identified, it should become easier to achieve them with a strategic plan.

Most of the social media platforms have made it easier to track metrics. And you cannot afford to miss out on this golden opportunity.

By integrating your social media accounts, you can kick start your digital marketing of the business. You can also use the proper analytical tools for impressive growth.

2. Setting Up Profiles

Another important step of social media success includes the setup of profiles and this should be done perfectly.

Take a look and check that each of your information blocks is filled out on your social media profiles and that you have not missed out on any essential points.

Your profile should include the location of your company, contact information, website link, and proper description of your business and services.

With the help of a brief description, you can target your audience. You can provide them with the proper information about your business.

In this way, the targeted group of people can gain valuable insights about the brand impacting their buying decision. Furthermore, this ensures that potential customers would be able to find everything in one place.

Be it the LinkedIn marketing strategy or the Facebook community campaign, you need to set up your profile first to grab the targeted audience.

If you hope to win their trust, your business profile should be set up on each social media platform.

It might be easier for you to present the brand on the local and foreign levels. Once the profiles’ setup is complete, it would be convenient to design their related strategies.

The Benefit of Consistency

At this point, after completing the setup, you also need to make sure that all the information mentioned on the profiles is the same across every platform.

With the absolute same and optimized information across all social media channels, it would also be optimal to measure the SEO performance of your business’s profile and pages throughout the search engines.

Social media profiles can help you to build brand recognition and brand awareness. Keep all the elements the same across the social media platforms including the message and design elements. This would further include the logo, company name, color theme, and profile photo.

When businesses work over their branding techniques, it helps them to build stronger brand recognition in the minds of customers.

3. Strategic Planning

Let’s talk about the third S of social media success and that means strategic planning.

Designing a social media strategy for success is nothing nearly as complex as rocket science as there are several resources that could help you to research and learn from them. Having the right plan in your hand can enable you to maximize your social media efforts, indirectly producing huge efforts.

Be it Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or whatever, businesses have to show up with the strategic planning for their business.

Ensure that all your tactics and tips are simplified and maximized enough for your social media platforms. Reaching out to the audience from the social platforms is easy but keeping them engaged is a bigger problem.

A Few Tips:

First of all, you need to know your targeted audience and should understand what their needs are. Once you know their demands and tailor your business accordingly, it will be easier to come up with a plan.

Also, observe keenly which platforms your audience is spending more time on. Once that platform has been identified, get ready to craft some unique and engaging posts.

It’s quite evident that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have become the hot favorite social media channels among iGen. And using them to promote your business is definitely a great idea.

You need to implement the ways in which your brand might gain recognition and worth in the customers’ eyes. Keep publishing the content that could grab the attention of these consumers.

In this way, you should also be able to get in touch with the influencers from your industry. If the influencers would mention you in their posts, your brand would get noticed in amazing ways.

Moreover, take the advantage of social media management tools to track the performance of your business’s social pages. This will also help you to get a bigger picture of how your posts are performing among the audience.

4. Scheduling

The last S in the list is scheduling, which is another most important component to keep your business on track and organized in an effective way.

With the help of a scheduler or scheduling tool, you can post consistently without having to remember to do so. Scheduling is a key factor in social media success. It helps brands to manage their content posting tasks easily.

There are several social media management tools available with the help of which, you can work upon content creation, distribution, and publishing. Schedulers make it easy for business to manage and post their content and social media posts on different platforms.

Be it the LinkedIn, Twitter, or even Instagram hacks of scheduling posts and recycling content, management tools have made it all easy.

Once you understand how social media scheduling tools work, you can easily design and edit the content for future use.

At this point, it is very important to use the right type of social management tool so that nothing could go wrong once you are done with the scheduling of your content.

Once all is done, you can enjoy the perks of sitting back and letting your automated scheduler handle the rest.

A Few Tips:

You can use all-in-one social media management tools such as Social Champ. These can make your life easier like never before. With an internet tool such as this, you are able to upload the content easily and can save the posts for years.

For busy marketers and social media managers, all-in-one automation has been a huge help. These tools also allow you to track the performance of your social media posts.

It’s all good to create a social media calendar and take the help of social platforms management tool. But while mapping out, keep some important tips in your mind. The real key is to share as much as you can rather than promotion.

Don’t forget to link the content to your brand’s website as well. Moreover, check out to post at the best time so the audience’s engagement on your posts is high enough to impress others.

Wrapping Up

Social media success is nothing like rocket science and could be achieved with the above-mentioned 4 S’s of social media.

What you need is a strategic and smart approach towards your business goals. Once everything has been defined, it will become easier for your brand to maintain its reputation in the market of digital businesses.

Consistency is the key to win the audience’s heart and attention, so get the best designers and writers on the board to hit your mark successfully.

The post The Four S’s of Social Media Success appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Supply chain disruption and low pricing are not new phenomena. You don’t have to dig hard to find statistics on it daily. Unluckily, there is no one straightforward answer to the present problems resulting from a perfect storm of various variables. Overseas manufacturers are still reeling from the epidemic’s effects.

Ports are bursting at the seams, and there aren’t enough trucks to transport the requisite amounts of cargo. This involves some deep technology for small businesses.

This interruption has had a significantly negative impact on small enterprises, which cannot typically store products well before the disruption. And we are well aware that this has directly correlated with a dramatic spike in inflation. With many other disturbances we have seen throughout time, this one also offers an opportunity.

There are several ways to prepare the groundwork for taking advantage of these changes as they present themselves. Things like reexamining price seem to be straightforward solutions, yet there are other levels of intricacy involved. Here are five essential questions to think about.

1. What is the nature of your competitive environment?

The first and most important question is…do you clearly understand your competitive landscape?

What strategies are your rivals employing? Is it true that they’re boosting prices? Is it difficult for them to even meet the needs of their most important customers?

Do they have extensive inventories or large capital reserves that they can use to leverage their position?

Of course, most of this will not be made public, but the word on the street may be pretty effective. Contact people in the business to see if you can get a complete view. This will serve as the lens through which you will view all subsequent decision points.

2. Is raising pricing even a possibility at this point?

In light of the nature of the products and services you supply, do you believe there is a chance to boost your prices?

Price hikes might take months to take effect, depending on your company’s sales cycle. This is particularly true for organizations that have long-term contracts.

Pricing is either limited or mandated to some sectors and organizations that provide services to government consumers, such as those in the healthcare industry. Each company is different in this respect, and there are numerous shades of gray around it, but there are some fundamental issues that we can address.

How much of your cost increases do you think you can avoid? In this case, let’s consider the effect of price rises.

The cost of inputs increases for businesses across the board, affecting everything from labor to raw materials and supplies. The same factors that affect offsets apply when it comes to sales cycles. If the cost of inputs increases, there may be a lag before your pricing adjustments become effective.

Price increases may also need to be phased in over time to minimize your clients’ impact. Understanding the potential net impact of price adjustments can assist you in making decisions about the quantity and timing of price increases in the future.

3. Is it appropriate to increase prices at this time?

A firm may decide that increasing prices is not the best course of action despite the challenges and possible effects on profitability.

Using your knowledge of the market environment, do you think this presents a chance to acquire a market share or strengthen consumer loyalty?

Several companies effectively used this technique during the early stages of the epidemic, allowing them to reinforce their position with their consumer base while simultaneously luring customers away from bigger, slower-moving rivals.

The ability to provide excellent customer service may be a much more effective instrument for increasing the long-term worth of a firm than changing price.

4. How much more are you willing to hike prices?

After going through all of the filters up to this point, the next step is to look at the increases’ structure.

Are the price hikes consistent across the board, or are they product-specific? If there is a staggered approach, are the increases in equal increments, or is there a spike followed by a series of more gradual rises? Is it preferable to raise prices faster than the rate of increase in your expenses to stay ahead of rising costs…or is it better to lag?

5. Examine the surrounding environment.

Do the necessary calculations, and determine the prospective consequences. Pricing may be a valuable tool in the middle of supply chain upheaval, but if utilized incorrectly, it can do long-term harm to your company.

Understand the levers you may use and the locations of the ceilings so that you can thoroughly analyze your alternatives. Although pricing may seem to be the obvious solution, is it the best solution? A thorough examination and a deliberate forward-looking approach may make all the difference.

Keep calm and discount mindfully.

Be prepared for however long it takes. Stay focused and hoard energy for the big push.

Know when to pick your battles. Engaging in a price war might do more harm to your business than good. Play the long game, and keep communication lines open with your customers.

The post SMB Strategy to Survive Disruption: Low Pricing. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Read on for more about how Google Analytics can help your small business run more effectively and increase your online sales.

Segment your audience more accurately.

For any type of small business, Google Analytics can give invaluable insights into customers’ online behavior.

If you keep track of your website’s analytics long enough, you’ll start to notice different demographics engage in different browsing patterns as a result.

Particularly, here are some metrics you should look for to identify these patterns.

• Interactions per Visit: How many web pages a user visits in one session.
• Return Visitor Conversion: How many users return to the site a second time.
• Bounce Rate: The rate at which users leave the website without completing any actions.
• Conversion Rate: The rate at which users complete an action on the website.
• Pageviews: How many users visit a webpage.
• Average Session Duration: How long users stay on a page.

Users of different ages and backgrounds will interact with your site a little differently.

So, the more information you have about their behavior, the more accurately you can segment them. Then, you can create more individualized marketing campaigns and get higher conversion rates.

Along with Google Analytics, any small business owner should use a customer data platform (CDP) to track and archive consumer data. It’s important to have easy access to all relevant data to make informed business decisions about your marketing efforts.

Create a more personalized user experience.

With clearly defined audience groups comes a more personalized user experience for each segment. This is extremely important for different age groups, as their tools and technical skills can vary.

For example, younger generations use mobile devices for most of their browsing. So, your online content and marketing campaign must be mobile-optimized to fit their habits.

Personalization is important. But, all of your content still needs to work together to attract as large an audience as possible. For example, Millennials (people aged 23-38 as of 2019) now make up the largest portion of the United States workforce. Thus, most of your online content should have conversational language and a lot of graphics to appeal to them.

You can easily personalize standard marketing tactics, like social media posts and emails, to appeal to a group’s needs and habits.

To do this, include videos, images, language, and pop-culture references that resonate with your target audience. You can also use analytics to:

• identify unusual browsing patterns;
• determine what kind of people participate in those patterns; and
• tailor your content directly to that audience.

Predict future market trends.

Google Analytics lets you monitor trends in your website’s traffic, no matter how small your business and its traffic may be.

Over time, you’ll gain a better understanding of what your customers want, when they want it, and how they want to obtain it. Every business experiences these patterns, no matter their product or service.

For example, your website’s traffic might spike around a specific season or holiday. Google Analytics gives you the information to foresee the spike in plenty of time to prepare your small business with an effective marketing plan.

Cut costs and increase revenue.

With a narrower target audience, more personalized content, and a look at future market trends, you can accomplish two tasks at once.

• Cut costs.
  • First, Google Analytics helps identify content that’s too expensive or unnecessary.
  • Thus, you can remove anything that isn’t pulling its weight to cut costs and streamline your business model.
• Increase revenue.
  • Also, Google Analytics gives you the data to make the right changes to your marketing strategy, encourage sales, and thus increase revenue.

By properly using analytics, businesses have seen a 10% decrease in total costs and an 8% increase in profits on average. Clearly, planning and executing your business plan becomes much more straightforward when you can see real numbers showing your customers’ behaviors.

Support your team.

Analytics also gives you helpful information about your employees’ performance.

You can see which people generate the most traffic and revenue, and which are lagging behind. This data lets you allocate your resources and help struggling employees pick up the slack.

Over time, you should see more consistent productivity across the board and a more supportive work environment.

Optimize your small business with Google Analytics.

Google Analytics gives you raw data about your small business and its relationship with your customers. And with the right information, you can identify unique market segments, create more personalized content to improve the user experience, anticipate market changes, and thus increase sales.

There’s no better time to start optimizing your small business with Google Analytics!

The post How Small Businesses Can Use Google Analytics to Increase Sales appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Technology has changed practically every aspect of contemporary life, from education to shopping. As a small company owner, you probably utilize various IT tools. But are you wisely using modern technology in your company? Especially with regard to cyber security?

Likewise, small business tech may help you save time, energy, and even money. These tools aren’t only for cutting-edge IT companies.

In this post-pandemic world, it’s more important than ever. Small enterprises that use digital innovations have double the revenue per employee. They have higher revenue growth rates and higher employment growth rates. In short, whether you manage a plumbing company, a florist, or a freelance event planner, these ten pieces of small business technology may help you.

1. CRM Software

Customers are the lifeblood of every firm. We make money by generating leads and converting them to paying customers. Cloud-based CRM software allows you to manage your company’s interactions with new and current clients.

A CRM is a piece of small business tech you can leverage to increase use, boost lead conversion, and save marketing expenditures. You may choose from various tools, depending on your company’s size and kind. For post-pandemic small enterprises, Insightly is a simple and user-friendly solution. Popular all-in-ones include Salesforce and Zoho.

2. Payment System Technology

Payment processing is crucial in all sectors. As a company owner, you want to accept several payment methods as simply as possible. This saves them time and money. If a customer can’t pay via their chosen method, they may leave.

You may accommodate online payment gateways — such as PayPal and SecurePay — and credit card terminals with a payment processing system.

Check out Braintree. It’s a cloud-based payment processing platform that accepts credit and debit cards. Likewise, it accepts PayPal, Venmo, and digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay. Others include Stripe and PaySimple.

3. Cybersecurity Answer

Our reliance on digital technologies has created new risks.

Any post-pandemic company owner is concerned about cybercrime. Business owners must secure personal information such as employee Social Security numbers. You must also protect payment information.

Meanwhile, data security solutions guard against digital threats. Companies require a secure environment for all computer and mobile devices. The proper security defends your company’s data and money against cyber-attacks. Comodo is one affordable alternative for small businesses.

4. PM Platform

Keeping track of project deliverables and deadlines is critical to corporate success.

The prompt delivery of products and services assures consumer pleasure. It can be a challenge in this post-pandemic world. Project management may be complex when numerous individuals are engaged. It’s especially challenging when employees work remotely.

Solution? Project management software. Tools such as Trello and Asana let you track tasks and keep track of deadlines. You may also use these tools to assign assignments and track progress. In short, the products’ messaging features enable you to ask and answer questions, keeping everyone informed.

5. Inventory Management Technology

Inventory management is probably one of your top worries if you sell things. You must ensure sufficient stock to fulfill client demand. Overstocking eats up expensive storage space and leaves you with unsold things you can’t sell.

Inventory management software helps enhance data analytics, reporting, and processes. It is also simpler to grow with coherent inventory management software. Finally, inventory management software may improve customer service by simpler product tracking. Use technologies such as LOCATE to help manage your inventories.

6. Reliable Internet

Social networking has become a crucial marketing and communication tool for small companies. You may use it to acquire new consumers, convert leads, and retain current clients. Using social media to share bargains may further improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty.

Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook are just a few examples. Instead of joining every network, concentrate on one or two that best match your target demographic. For example, younger customers choose TikTok, whereas older consumers prefer Facebook.

Posting across platforms may also be automated, saving time and effort. Popular is Hootsuite. Their technology is spot on.

7. Company Website

In addition, your company’s website is a powerful digital tool. This is where you may notify customers about your goods and services, pricing, and business hours. Further, you may create new company leads by optimizing your website for search engines. Above all, their tech is au courant.

For example, you may be a general contractor in San Francisco. Someone may find you by someone searching Google for “San Francisco general contractors.”

Your website is your online showroom. Having no website makes your firm seem amateurish and might turn off customers.

Create a website using resources like ZenBusiness’ business website service. You don’t need to hire a high-priced web designer to implement effective small business tech.

8. Location-Based Technology Services

Consumers may utilize location-based solutions to identify services and items nearby using mobile technology and GPS.

Another strategy is to attract customers and grow your company. A localized online presence is crucial for local listings like Citysearch, Yellow Pages, and Yelp.

Make sure your company name, address, and contact information are consistent. Also, utilize Google My Business. For example, create a custom profile and connect it to Google Maps to improve your Google findability. It also provides crucial consumer feedback. These are excellent marketing tools.

9. Interactions with Customers

Again, the success of every company hinges on keeping consumers happy.

But post-pandemic business owners may now contact consumers through various means. For instance, chatbots, social media, review sites, telephone, email, and website contact forms. In the same vein, constant contact might be burdensome for a small company owner.

For instance, a customer contact management system centralizes all consumer interactions. You have greater control over customer interactions and can enhance the consumer experience by communicating in real-time. Genesys and Podium are both valuable tools.

10. More Tech Tools for Small Business

Depending on your firm or sector, more tech tools may be helpful. Consider these options:

• Scheduling: Above all, you may track meetings and deadlines using a linked calendar software like Google Calendar. For workers and customers, you may also use it.
• Mobile Scanner: To clarify, apps like CamScanner allow you to scan and share documents right from your phone. It saves time and keeps you on top of essential documents.
• Third-Party eCommerce Apps: On the other hand, you may also reach consumers through eCommerce sites such as Etsy. Using a reputable third-party platform also increases customer security.
• Proposal Tools: Automate proposal writing and follow-up using the software. Start with Better Proposals.
• Online Learning: As a small company owner, you must remain competitive. As a result, for you and your team, this implies ongoing improvement. Google Digital Garage, for example, provides free online instruction.

With all the right must-have small business tech in place and operational, attracting and retaining customers is a snap.

The post Small Business Tech: The Must-Haves appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Even though small company owners confront great challenges, such as the ongoing supply chain issue, they continue to bounce back. And customers continue to support them. Even though finances can be troublesome.

As recently as last month, the National Retail Federation predicted that over 58 million people would shop on Small Business Saturday. Marketers had a chance to recover and reassess how to best serve the rising small company sector during the previous year.

We wanted to discover how small firms were reacting to the present climate, preparing for the future, and encouraging innovation. Recently, Forbes polled 500 small company owners in the United States to provide marketers with the information they required to effectively serve this market.

And, based on the statistics, the mood is upbeat!

Despite the fact that 41% of owners reported low growth last year, over half believe their company emerged stronger than before the pandemic. According to the same study, small company owners will be spending in five areas in the next year. What exactly are they?

Customer Satisfaction Challenges

Customers are at the forefront of small company owners’ digital developments. In the Forbes Small Business Survey, more than 80% of respondents stated they would concentrate on customer experience next year. One-third of respondents responded that the primary purpose of new technology investments is to serve more consumers.

Small company owners want to empower their teams when deciding what technology to invest in. Three out of four aim to improve their workers’ ability to create transformational client experiences.

It’s no surprise that many small company owners are turning to data to improve their client experience and reach a larger audience. According to our poll, 45% of respondents want to acquire consumer analytics software next year.

Initiatives Promoting Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

Brands will continue to prioritize diversity, equality, and inclusion next year, regardless of their size.

Despite this, 62% of small company owners want to invest in additional DE&I efforts in 2022, according to our poll. While Forbes is not a small business, it’s providing a good example for promoting a diverse, egalitarian, and inclusive workplace while assisting small companies. Forbes EQ is a dedicated area for companies, entrepreneurs, and charitable organizations.

Supporting underrepresented groups to share their experiences and insights with Forbes.com widens its audience through the BrandVoice content marketing platform.

The Challenge of Technology

According to 78% of poll respondents, technology will be a major investment challenge in 2022.

It’s perhaps no surprise that technology would be front and center for small company owners. However, they have no intention of investing in just any technology. Research also revealed that a staggering 80% of companies have invested in the cloud or intend to do so in the next year.

What is the primary goal of all of these investments? To service a more significant number of customers — and to do so successfully.

Workforce and Talent

Small company owners now aim to improve their employee experience, with 73% of owners predicting that personnel would be a major challenge and investment in 2022.

To empower their workers, 36% said they’ll concentrate on enhancing mental health and well-being while 35% said they’d focus on promoting work-life balance.

More than three-quarters of chief experience officers (CxOs) claimed they’ve already enhanced parental leave. CxOs have created clear limits around working hours to recruit and retain female talent. With “The Great Resignation” continuing in full gear, small companies will continue to prioritize talent in 2022.

2022 has arrived, and smaller companies are eagerly embracing it.

As an entrepreneur or small company owner, you need to be a futurist. Think past today. Imagine tomorrow, then act on your intuition, no matter how far-fetched.

Marketers will also need to be futurists in order to target small enterprises. Small businesses faced difficult times as a result of the epidemic. We’ve seen and heard about several firms that found creative methods to adapt and prosper.

Salesforce, the world’s largest cloud-based software firm, saw this coming a long time ago. At the height of the epidemic, Salesforce wanted to encourage small companies. They hoped to encourage them to keep pushing ahead while also recognizing those who had already made significant progress. This key action yielded great results.

So…find your blissful state when it comes to the modest requirements you have. Or, go big if you have the guts for it and are not risk-averse or fearful of challenge. Always remember that the longest journey begins with that single, first step.

The post Challenges to Small Business Owners in 2022 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

With the right email marketing software and a strategy to win over the hearts (and wallets) of your contacts, you could be raking in some serious cash this holiday season.

How to Boost Your Christmas Sales

Before we officially head into the New Year, we mustn’t gloss over the last major shopping season of the year. Consumers are ready to buy and they’re looking for the best deals on the internet. So how do you get their attention?

1. Shout out your website with a sense of urgency.

With wishes of “Merry Christmas” from family and friends filling up the inbox, there’s even more competition for your subscribers’ attention. For a successful bout of buying from your store, you’ll want to adopt a strong sense of urgency.

With copy that captures the essence of time is running short (but also points to a solution), your target audience will get the picture — your site is the perfect place for fulfilling any last-minute shopping this year.

2. Problem? Solution!

You want to create copy that’s clear and to the point. Keeping your email brief means your contacts are more likely to read it in its entirety and act on a compelling call to action. For the best results, we return to the problem-solution strategy.

The end of the year sets the stage for a major bout of last-minute shopping. The problem is clear…your shoppers are running out of time! Give them quick gift ideas by showcasing your best sellers or outline a current sale with helpful links.

3. Show off your customer knowledge.

It’s time to break out the flattery. With Christmas sale competition eating up valuable inbox space, your email campaigns will need to stand out with a bit of personalization. There are a few ways to go about this.

• Personalize product recommendations that capture your target audience.
• Capture cart abandoners with the old “get it before it’s gone” technique.
• Better yet, encourage would-be customers with a discount on the things they nearly purchased.

Personalized messaging goes a long way in email campaigns as it makes it easy for a customer to feel confident about a buy. Feeling like a company truly understands them takes the guesswork out of finding the perfect product to purchase.

4. Make your campaign website mobile-friendly.

Now more than ever, it’s important that your email message is compatible with multiple devices.

In this day and age, it’s likely that a good portion of your contacts will be shuffling through their inboxes on the go. With visually enticing and clickable CTAs, you invite your clients to swiftly follow through with an effortless click of the thumb.

5. Free shipping = a shopping cart follow-through.

Have you ever wondered why shoppers abandon their carts so frequently? The greatest influence is unexpected shipping costs.

The best way to get customers to complete their purchase this holiday season is clear: offer free shipping.

6. E-gift cards are here to stay (and for good reason).

They’re super convenient and don’t require any shipping wait time! Contacts that are really cutting it close with their last-minute shopping will be hoping for a solution this simple.

Give them a shout-out in your subject line, to the tune of, “We’ve got your last-minute gift right here.” With a clickable link that goes straight to your e-gift card options, consider the sale complete.

7. Go a different email route…with a huge shopping success rate.

SMS campaigns typically host an ultra-high open rate, so if you’ve had the opportunity to collect your contacts’ phone numbers, launching SMS automation might be the thing you’ve been missing when it comes to closing that sale.

Sending an automated text won’t do much good without a clickable link attached, so be sure to include one — and maybe even a photo if your platform allows!

In conclusion, what’s the moral of the story? Christmas isn’t over yet! Your customers still have time to buy! Employ those snappy CTAs. Whip up some attention-grabbing copy. Create clear, concise messages to get your point across. When it comes down to the final hours before Christmas, your contacts will be glad they opened your email.

The post The Best Ways to Enhance Your Pre-Christmas Sales appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

It’s safe for us to say that the year 2020 was like none other, and 2021 is also proving special and challenging. As marketers look to build brands, next year may be challenging as well. What’s the way that marketing is being reinvented after Covid-19?

The ability to ask and answer these questions is crucial for marketing success throughout the coming months and years. In the past several months, there have been many comparisons. We’ve learned a lot in this one year of massive transformation.

Here are some truths from the past, as well as newer truths that have replaced them.

1. The old saying still goes: Marketing starts by knowing your client. Add in a new reality: Marketing starts with understanding your customer segment.

The Covid-19 pandemic confirmed that marketing must be more customer-specific. It requires a thorough understanding of the reality of the market country by country, state by state, zip code by zip code. For restaurants, banks, or retailers, it could be a matter of tailoring the communications store for each store.

We’ve realized that marketing messages must be personal and relevant, corresponding to the individual’s needs and beliefs. And not the influence of demographics such as gender and age. Making a human, personal connection with any commercial communication requires the definition of consumers as segments.

The EY Future Consumer Index, which has conducted five rounds of research with 14,500 participants across 20 countries since the outbreak of the pandemic, has identified five distinct cohorts of consumers:

1. First, affordability (32 percent of customers): Living within their budget and means, not focusing on brand names and more on the functionality of their products.
2. The health first (25 25 %): Protecting their health (especially from the pandemic) as well as that of their families, by choosing items they believe to be secure and minimizing the risk in the way they shop.
   
3. Planet First (16 percent): Trying to minimize their impact on the environment, and purchasing brands to reflect their values.
4. Social first (15 15 percent): Working together to benefit the community purchasing from companies that they consider to be transparent and honest.
5. The first experience (12 percent): Living in the moment and making the most of every moment and often making them more open to new brands, products, and experiences.

Utilizing personas and segmentation of customers can provide more insight into marketing strategies for media and innovative methods. And even better is that these insights are able to provide the complete customer journey.

2. Older truth: You have to compete with your marketing rivals. The new truth is that you compete with the most positive experience your client ever had.

Consumer expectations were already rising prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Gen Z was raised with technology that was seamlessly woven into their daily lives. Direct-to-consumer companies (such as Glossier or Parachute) were already conditioning us to expect a level of hyper-personalization as they were particularly adept with our personal data.

However, when the pandemic struck the technological transformation increased exponentially.

This resulted in rising consumer expectations of what businesses could provide them with. The consumer expects more than a simple digital transaction, say marketing experts. With the advent of companies having their customers’ personal information, they are looking for personalized, anticipatory experiences throughout the customer journey.

Companies should implement three steps to ensure their services meet their customers’ ever-growing expectations:

1. Create brand scores as a crucial KPI for all customers in the company, and ideally use real-time analytics instead of an image looking backward from an earlier date.
2. Develop the proper information and technology marketing foundation to help support the most critical use cases across your customer’s journey.
3. Affiliate goals of both individuals and collectives across the entire customer journey. Any gaps in functional silos such as sales, marketing, or customer service are not visible to the end-user.

3. An old truth that is still true: Your customers want to know you’ve got what they want. The new truth for marketing is that customers are expecting you to provide exactly what they need.

If the bar continues climbing, we should strive toward a new customer experience — from both a B2C as well as a B2B context. Today, consumers expect that any experience they have will be seamless, timely, informative, and asynchronous. That is, they’re focused on receiving what they want whenever they want it. They will not let anything distract them.

Companies need to put marketing data and technology at the center of their business.

This could mean incorporating some level of machine learning or artificial intelligence in the mix. Why is that? Because data allows us to provide more relevant experiences that span one or more that comprise the four Cs:

• Content (that could be delivered via mobile apps or emails);
• Commerce (such as physical retail, e-commerce, or the hybrid experience);
• Community (such as gathering B2B buyers in a virtual trade fair or hosting an online webinar on home repair for consumers) as well as
• Convenience (like giving consumers coupons or other benefits of the loyalty program).

Nowadays, the majority of 4Cs are offered in “one-size-fits-all” strategies. However, consumers demand more personalization. Businesses are required to utilize more data and information to improve their decision-making.

Increase the relevance of your interactions with customers. Build more human connections with their brands.

4. The old adage: Courting customers is similar to dating. The new fact: Customer service is the online world of dating.

For many years, marketing was mostly focused on buying massive coverage or targeted for the highest rates for media and hoping to make money from it. In essence, it was similar to going to every bar or party you could, hoping you’d meet that perfect person. It was a place of serendipity, spontaneity, and, frankly, many meetings with friends.

Start online dating and swiping through apps. Today, finding your ideal person could be less than luck, and more about algorithms and data.

In terms of marketing, we’ve witnessed the shift from branding marketing to expand reach and performance marketing to create leads. The rapid growth of digital channels only amplified the trend. Get ready for this trend to continue and sharpen.

The post Truths About Marketing After the Pandemic appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Literally millions of businesses are all working to attract consumer attention. They hope to get people to visit their websites and convert them into paying customers. Search engine optimization (SEO) managers are also busy ensuring websites are optimized for search engines. They hope to boost their rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) and increase site traffic.

What exactly is website traffic?

By definition, website traffic boils down to the number of people who visit a website. Traffic has historically been measured by the number of unique visits. Today, however, many additional parameters are measured. These include the length of a session — one visitor’s time spent viewing the site — and how many visitors stuck around long enough to make a purchase. Businesses also evaluate how much the organization spent to convert a single visitor into a customer.

Why is website traffic relevant to your business?

The more visitors you have accessing your website, the wider the awareness. This may seem obvious, but keep in mind that not all traffic is “good” traffic. What’s essential to your business is to get high-quality website traffic.

It’s possible to get what’s known as “organic” visitors via standard searches that make use of specific keywords. However, most people visiting your site will show up as a result of marketing campaigns. You can gauge the effectiveness of the time and money you spent on marketing and advertising by using specialized URLs, tracking software, and other tools.

Spending to make customers aware of your website is fine, but you won’t know how to tweak future campaigns unless you track your return on investment (ROI). You’ll want to convert those website visitors into customers at some point. Otherwise, you’re wasting time and effort that could easily be better spent elsewhere.

How relevant is website traffic as you seek to improve your business?

While all traffic might be appreciated, qualified website traffic will lead to conversion. Conversion means that your website visitors became sufficiently interested in what you offer to take action. They might have chosen to submit an inquiry, sign up for a newsletter, or even make a purchase. You’ll ultimately wind up with more sales if your website generates more conversions.

So…how do you get website traffic?

Despite what you may have been told, increasing website traffic isn’t nearly as complicated as rocket science. There are three things anyone — even the tech-averse — can do to boost website visits.

1. Start by improving your website’s SEO as part of an overall marketing strategy.

Once you’ve optimized your website to focus on industry-specific terms and keyphrases, you can begin increasing traffic to your site using a range of options. Your overall strategy can include paid advertising, such as from Google AdWords or ads on specific social media channels. You can also use pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Of course, you should continue refining your SEO efforts and thereby improve your organic search results.

2. It’s vital to provide high-quality content for marketing purposes.

Blogs, when consistently updated, can be an excellent source of referrals and links. When you regularly provide content relevant to your industry, business, and products, you become known as an expert. Over time, you establish yourself as a trustworthy source of information. This alone will increase visits to your sites.

3. Create specialized content for selected social media platforms.

When diving into social media, it’s critical to pick platforms that appeal to your target audience. Make sure that you provide complete contact information along with links to your website. Pick specific web pages you want to promote. Leverage different content formats including short video snippets, stories, high-quality images, and product-related activities and event videos. Social media is one of the fastest ways to disseminate information, whether you pay for the announcement or get it for free.

Increasing website traffic to improve your business bottom line is an ongoing process. However, if you don’t have a dedicated team able to handle it, you can work with a third-party provider specializing in online marketing services. With their experience and expertise, they can respond to your organization’s needs quickly and in the most effective and relevant ways.

The post Why You Need Website Traffic to Improve Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Additionally, native advertising platforms support the creation and distribution of ads or paid content that match the form, style, and function of the media in which they appear. By blending into the native content of the target platform, these ads are perceived as being less intrusive and sometimes readers are even unaware of the promotional nature of the post.

Native advertisements are typically presented as in-feed ads that appear in social media, are promoted via search listings, or show up as related content recommendations. They can even be blended into social media platforms, streaming services, and news sites. Oftentimes they get picked up by ad agencies and affiliate marketers.

These types of ads are becoming an increasingly popular format for advertisers. Native advertising can be considered a part of any company’s ad distribution operation. They are often part of a company’s overall content marketing strategy.

The majority of native advertising platforms will offer A/B testing, ad inventory management, affiliate management, AI/machine learning, analytics/ad attribution tracking, audience targeting, automated publishing, behavior analytics, and bidding strategies. Some services offer even more features. It’s worth noting that these types of platforms typically support Cloud, SaaS, and web-based implementations.

Native Ad Networks Can Help Boost Brand Awareness Rapidly

If you’re looking for an effective way to generate increased awareness for your brand, product, or service, native advertising is worth consideration. Native ad networks represent an opportunity that can provide a lot of bang for the buck. Listed below are nine of the top native ad networks.

1. Taboola

Taboola has a global reach of 1.4 billion monthly visitors, approximately 44.5% of the global population of internet users. Roughly 50% of Taboola’s traffic comes from countries such as the United States, UK, France, and Japan. Taboola partners with 10,000+ top websites including Fox Sports, NBC, USA Today, Business Insider, Bloomberg, MSN, CBS News, etc. Their ads are delivered as recommended content and in-feed content across partner platforms.

2. Outbrain

Outbrain ranks among the top three native advertising platforms in the world. It currently boasts a reach of 1.2 billion monthly visitors. The company partners with premium publishers across different countries including the United States and UK, delivering ads in the form of recommended content, in-feed, search, and promoted listings.

3. MGID

MGID has been in the business of native advertising for 12 years. It’s ranked among the top three advertising networks in the world and MGID’s reach equals 850+ million unique monthly visitors from the web. MGID partners with top websites and blogs around the globe.

4. Revcontent

Revcontent delivers native ads in the form of recommended content and in-feed content across premium publishers such as USA Today, Tribune media, Nasdaq, and the like. Their ad inventory encompasses e-commerce, finance, health, beauty, and politics. 50% of the companies’ traffic comes from the United States and UK.

5. Yahoo Gemini

Yahoo Gemini has a reach of over one billion unique monthly visitors, with 50% of their traffic coming from the United States, UK, and France. To begin advertising with Yahoo Gemini, applicants need to have a minimum of $25 deposited in a Yahoo ad account.

6. Admixer

With over 10 years of experience, Admixer is another veteran in the native advertising industry. Their ads are delivered as in-stream, in-article, native display banners across top publishing platforms.

7. Plista

Plista partners with over 1,500 websites around the world. Approximately 80% of their traffic comes from Germany, Poland, Russia, and Australia, so this distribution makes Plista appealing to advertisers who are interested in driving high-quality traffic from these countries. The company charges clients using a cost-per-click billing model.

8. TripleLift

According to their business statement, TripleLift promises to help advertisers generate 3x higher brand awareness and consumer purchase intent. TripleLift targeting is based on country, region, browser, operating system. They partner with top publishers such as USA Today, BuzzFeed, eBay, BBC, and the like.

9. Nativo

Nativo boasts approximately 220 million unique visitors from the United States alone. This makes Nativo one of the top native advertising platforms for targeting audiences in the United States, UK, and Canada. Nativo further targets audiences based on country, device, region, and operating system.

Native Ad Networks Can Help Cut Through the Noise

In today’s media-saturated world, native advertising should be a pivotal part of every successful marketing strategy. Native ads mimic the surroundings in which they appear. This makes sure your message is delivered as discreetly as possible and allows you to catch and hold a user’s attention.

There are many native advertising networks out there, so doing some research is definitely in order. The nine listed above are the top networks you can trust to help you get your brand message in front of your target audience. Depending on your niche, you stand a better chance of converting and generating quality leads when ads are not perceived as interruptions.

The post Native Ad Networks: Top 9 Services for Advertisers and Publishers appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1. Focus on your people — all of them.

Do you have a sales superstar who brings in the numbers but doesn’t get along with the team? If so, your reliance on that person could end up costing you more than a headache.

Research published by Harvard Business School found that results achieved by toxic employees don’t offset their negative behavior, even when the toxic employee performs in the top percentile. Your company would sell more if you fired that toxic “best employee” and employed a team of average people who know how to work together.

The longer you let the bad dynamic go unchecked, the more trouble your team will have. “Behavior is contagious … we find that when a toxic person joins a team, others are more likely to behave in a toxic fashion,” says Dr. Michael Housman, co-author of the Harvard study. 

2. Show some love to the marketing team.

The sales team celebrates the final reward, but no sales department lasts long without marketers pulling in qualified leads. Align your sales and marketing teams more closely to ensure both sides do all they can to ensure mutual success.

Get your salespeople to talk to the marketing team about the questions prospects ask most frequently, then make sure the marketers deliver content that matches the need. Build a demand generation strategy that frees up your salespeople to spend more time closing and less time qualifying. When marketers and salespeople work in harmony, good things follow.

Better yet, make use of a sales coaching software to analyze effective strategies, identify areas that need improvement, and monitor progress weekly. This software uses artificial intelligence to listen to your best sales reps, learn from them, and imitate their behavior. You can think of it as a self-service training coach.

3. Appreciate your current customers more.

While nothing beats the thrill of earning a big new account, your current customers deserve love, too. Communicate more frequently with your existing clients to hear about their experiences with your products and find opportunities to upsell.

Even if you only offer one product, don’t sleep on the value of your customers as lead sources. A good relationship with a small customer could lead to a massive partnership with a new client down the road. You never know how social circles connect, but by treating everyone with respect, you can boost your word-of-mouth marketing and up your chances of earning new business.

4. Check out chatbots.

Chatbots allow prospects on your website to ask questions without the pressure of a human salesperson on the other line. Take advantage of this dynamic by using chatbots to qualify leads through your website and on social media. With a little robotic help, customers who were “just browsing” could end up speaking with a salesperson in a matter of hours.

“The decision to deploy virtual agents can be complex,” says P.V. Kannan, co-founder of AI company [24]7.ai. “Even so, we think this sort of conversational interface to companies is destined to displace the current app and web interfaces over the long term, simply because it’s faster and in many cases, better for the customer.”

5. Evaluate your products and markets.

Provide customers with options to deepen their engagement with your company before you lose momentum from your existing line of products. Your niche may be successful for now, but every niche grows more crowded over time. To maintain your position at the front of the market, you must either offer something new or offer the same value to a different group of people.

Look at your current buyer personas to find similar groups who might enjoy your products. Could someone else use your product for a different purpose? With a few small tweaks, you may discover an entirely new marketing opportunity. Regularly evaluate your best markets, and think about how you could provide more value to current and prospective fans.

6. Experiment with email.

Email is a double-edged sword for small companies. Yes, it might be your best lead source — but how many hours a week do you spend in your inbox? Try techniques like time-boxing to keep email from eating up your schedule, but also consider your copy. Could less formal emails take less time to write and boost conversions? 

“Change the length, change the focus, try sounding cheeky instead of polished,” suggests TJ Macke, who handles go-to-market strategy for sales enablement company Regie.io. Although Regie uses AI to recommend copy that’s likely to resonate with your audience, Macke makes it clear that there’s no substitute for manual experimentation.

The 2020s will be here before you know it, so don’t waste time on sales tactics that belong in the 2010s. Use this opportunity to evaluate your sales strategy and achieve your sales goals next year — and the years beyond.

The post 6 Essential Tips to Reach Your Sales Goals in 2020 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

There are a lot of reasons why a small business might not make it. But what about the reasons why they do make it?

I’ve beat the odds, 4 times in fact, and you can too! I’ve started 4 companies, all of which have been successful, and I’ve sold one. But I’ll be completely honest with you, it wasn’t always easy. In fact, it still isn’t easy, even for someone who has done it 4 times. I’m building some new businesses from the ground up right now, and even after all I’ve learned and gleaned over the years, it’s still tough! Despite the hardships, you don’t have to feel like you’re alone in the challenge of owning and running a small business.

Intuit is has your back. As the makers of TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Mint, Intuit is committed to providing the financial tools that empower you to take control of your own prosperity. Check out their latest video to learn how they are powering prosperity.

In celebration of of this video, we wanted to share 3 simple and powerful pillars to starting and growing a successful business.

Leverage Technology

It’s no secret over here at smallbiztechnology.com that we wholeheartedly believe that technology is vital in order to grow a successful business. Keeping up with the latest tech trends can give your small business an edge over competitors. I was a technology consultant for several years and I have extensive hands-on experience in technologies across the board including social media, computer networks, mobile computing, online software and more. I’ve found that as I do the best I can to leverage technology from great partners such as

• Dropbox,
• Google,
• Intuit,
• Microsoft and others,

I can operate faster, smarter and more efficiently. Intuit is one of the leading brands helping small businesses succeed. A BIG company using their power to help us smaller businesses. I am an advocate and evangelist for these technologies for small businesses because I know from firsthand experience–they work!

Marketing

Without this fundamental strategy, your business isn’t going to make it very far. We’re not talking about billboards and sales flyers anymore. We’re talking about levering technology to draw more customers to engage with your business online. While traditional marking methods are still very much relevant and important, incorporating social media, explainer videos, and email campaigns can get your brand name out there. To grow a successful business, you need to keep the customers coming. Ignoring the importance of marketing an building a strong brand image could mean the difference between being in the 50% of small businesses who make it to 5 years or the 50% who don’t.

Financial Literacy

A key tenant of running a successful business is knowing how to manage money. It seems glaringly obvious, but so many small businesses get this wrong and never make it out of the red. You don’t have to have a PhD in Accounting to get your finances right. However, it is critical for business owners to understand the basics and to be able to read financial statements and understand the financial and tax implications of their business decisions. If you don’t already consider yourself financially literate, there’s no better time than now to get smart on small business financials. There are tons of resources, like Money Smart for Small Business provided by the FDIC, that can help get you up to speed for free.

If you’ve already got a handle on your business’s finances but are looking for some tools to make your life a little bit easier, partner with big businesses, like Intuit, who are committed to powering prosperity and helping small businesses grow. Intuit is powered by an “unrivaled set of small business data and sophisticated technology,” and they’re making these tools available to small business owners to “save them time, deliver more money and provide greater confidence in their financial decisions.” Just because you’re a small business doesn’t mean you have to operate in isolation because you’re not connected to the traditional financial system.  

Intuit has some amazing tools to help you and your small business excel financially:

• TurboTax– Taxes can start to get really complicated as a small business owner. You’re probably not an expert in tax code, so let the pros at TurboTax help you navigate those murky waters.
• QuickBooks– QuickBooks makes it so easy to keep your business accounts organized and in one place. It’s simple to use and you don’t have to be an accountant to figure it out. You can share it with your accountant though if you use one. And as time goes on, more and more companies will create products that integrate with QuickBooks, whether it’s a cloud based inventory management system or apps to help manage employee payroll.
• Mint- There is literally nothing to lose by using Mint. This free app allows you to link all of your accounts so you can track your spending, create budgets, and find new ways to save. Having your personal finances in order is the cornerstone to having successful business finances and Mint will make it easy for you to get and stay on track.

The post The Power to Prosper: 3 Pillars to Grow a Successful Business. Celebrating Intuit’s New Video appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Since business is relatively slow, summer months are the perfect opportunity to take the time to make sure your business is moving how it should be.

• In regard to finances, it is important to ensure that every product you put out is bringing in a reasonable profit.
• Teach your employees how to maintain superior customer service.
• Customer service is a key component in a business as it determines if they will return to your business.
• It is also important to make sure your employees/contractors are well taken care of; they are the heartbeat of your business, and the business’s success depends on them.
• Another thing you can do in this slow season is advance your marketing techniques as it is important to bring in new customers.

As summer sets in and your existing customers are out vacationing, it is essential that you bring in new customers through your door.

This can be done through simple things such as thank-you cards or lowering prices for customers who refer your business. Another thing is to accept a variety of credit cards, including the American Express card. Marketing is a key factor in ensuring that new customers continue to patronize your business.

During these hot, humid, and slow summer months, small business owners can take advantage of any spare time to insure that your business is moving forward. Keep a steady watch of your finances, devise new marketing skills, maintain excellent customer service, and continue to bring in new customers.

The post Summer is Slowing Down, Your Business Doesn’t Have To appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.