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Guide to Social Media for Small Businesses

Marketing your small business is no easy task. Particularly, with all the channels and platforms available. To stay top of mind with your target audience requires strategy, planning and consistency.

One of the best ways to keep your brand relevant with your customers is through social media. Research shows that companies will spend over $17 billion on social media this year alone. For a small business owner, however, it can be difficult to make time for social media among all the other requirements of running a business. With limited funds or employees, marketing your small business can be difficult.

To build a successful small business social media presence, first evaluate your goals. Set goal metrics by determining what makes your business unique, looking at your competitors, and considering what’s important to your company. A social media strategy that is consistent and contains quality content will help to engage your audience and attract new followers. To stay consistent, build a content calendar that helps you stay organized.

To help you get started, Valpak put together a guide to social media for small businesses. It covers everything from setting social media goals and metrics to crafting an omnichannel experience. Whether you’re looking to improve your small business social presence or you’re just starting out with a new business, walk through this step-by-step guide for helpful how-to’s and tips.

Download Guide: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uev9yvq323lvpz2/VAL_%20PDF_final.pdf?dl=0

UK Office Workers vs Telephobia

With Stress Awareness Month upon us, it’s only natural that we explore the things that increase our stress levels. We believe it’s important make every effort to support those around us, check in with ourselves and become wary of how our daily lives induce stress.

A little bit of stress can sometimes be healthy. It can help you accomplish tasks and even boost memory, but when it’s brought into the workplace or our personal lives on a consistent basis this can have a serious impact on our wellbeing and overall health. Face for Business, a telephone answering service, decided to conduct a survey on anxiety levels experienced in UK office workers who need to answer the phone. Phone fear (or most commonly known as “Telephobia”) affects 62% of UK office workers and can have a serious impact on the way we carry out office duties.
The fear of answering the phone can be a catalyst for stress. Millennials are experiencing this the most compared to any other demographic, with 72% experiencing the most telephone-answering anxiety compared to just 40% of baby boomers. Crowned the “anxious generation” – we feel that businesses need to work harder to help millennials feel confident in tasks the older generations find second-nature.
But what can we do to help reduce these anxiety levels across all demographics, as well as millennials?
• Provide adequate telephone training so that employees can comfortably deal with a variety of scenarios
• Remind employees to recall successful conversations to enhance feelings of empowerment
• Anxiety thrives when fear starts winning you over and avoidance becomes a regular pattern.
o Educate employees on anxious behaviours and provide a support network to help them feel relaxed and confident when answering the telephone.
Below is a summary of our results in infographic form:

Author bio
Christina is a Copywriter for Face for Business – a call answering service that offers excellent customer service and call handling to ensure SMEs never miss an incoming call.

11 Things To Negotiate Besides Salary

Negotiating salary and can be a nerve-racking conversation but the sooner you conquer the skill, the better. Keep in mind that the goal of a negotiation is to reach a solution that benefits both parties. Whether it’s your happiness or financial security, you have the right to advocate for what you deserve.  

While salary is one of the most common negotiations you’ll encounter, only 39% of people will ask for a higher salary. This could be due to a lack of confidence or a wish to avoid hearing “no.” If you believe you are being underpaid and undervalued, do some research on similar positions and the value you bring to the company.

In addition to salary, there are many other benefits on the table. From work from home flexibility to having a more accurate job title, these conversations could have a huge impact on your well being. There are many financial benefits to negotiating as well. Why pay the asking price on monthly rent if the market value and comparable houses are much lower? This infographic from Self Lender highlights 11 things you can negotiate to bring more savings and value to your life.

11 Things You Never Thought You Could Negotiate

How to Become an Industry Disrupter – lessons from Transportation Startups

Did you have the idea for Lyft when you were out late looking for a cab one night, or maybe you wanted to go out with friends but none of you wanted to drive? Do you seem to have the knack for coming up with the next industry disruptive idea and then watching it grow to national prominence, only to regret not coming up with it yourself?

These days it seems like everyone gets around in a different way, whether it’s by traditional means, ridesharing, car sharing, or even scootering! These industry disruptors began as startups and quickly changed the way we get around major cities and sometimes even small towns. They’re called industry disruptors because of they tend to impact other industries, the way Lyft changed how taxis operate. Lately, these new modes of transportation have impacted three key industries: public transportation, taxi and limbo services, and of course, the automotive industry.

First, breaking down the immense projected profits of ridesharing companies should be solid motivation to glean as much as you can from this. One thing that might be good to keep in mind is that while there might seem like a natural evolution in an industry, let’s not forget the lessons that can be learned from laser disks, blue ray players, and betamax machines. Just because something seems a little better, doesn’t mean that consumers actually want it. Instead, it’s crucial to look at user experience for inspiration.There is a specific connection between customer pain points and how these innovations come about. Whether the issue is cost, in the case of car purchasing or convenience, or incorporating existing tech more effectively, there is precedent that will teach you how best to approach your next idea.
In the following visual, we break down startups and their impact as an industry disruptor and transportation startup. And while some industries may not survive these innovative periods that change how people view transportation, others turn to investing into it. For example, looking at Toyota, they adapted to the rideshare industry by investing in Uber and Grab, both of which received billions in funding overall and proved to be immediate successes. So, if you have one key takeaway here, it’s that if you can’t beat them, join them!