Contributed Post | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

Here’s how your Website could be Hurting Your Business

April 5, 2019 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

If your site is not everything that it should be, then it certainly won’t be doing your business any favours. In fact, in some instances, it may actually be hurting your business and this is the last thing that you need when you are trying so hard to convert your leads into loyal customers.

Unresponsive Design

If you are yet to optimise your website design for your devices, then there is a high chance that you are losing out on a ton of traffic. Local mobile searches are now surpassing desktop searches, so you have to make sure that you are targeting this audience. Your site needs to operate seamlessly across multiple devices if you want to compete in the industry. Another thing that you should note is that unresponsive sites make navigation much harder for your customers and this can lead to a lot of frustration as well. The more intuitive you can make your design, the higher your conversion rates will be and the more your customers will come back to your site. It doesn’t take a lot to convert your design into a responsive alternative either, and with a little work, the results will speak for themselves.

Slow Loading Times

They say that time is money, and this is very true. Internet users are incredibly impatient, so if your page does not load up in a couple of seconds then you could be missing out on valuable traffic. A one-second delay could cause you to lose out on traffic up to 7% and this is the last thing that you need when you have so much on the line. There are a couple of ways that you can improve your loading time, and this could include minimising HTTP requests and even by optimising any images that you have too. If possible, you should try and compress any bigger pages that you have, and combine CSS sheets. Studies have shown time and time again that 47% of customers expect a site to load up in 2 seconds or less, so don’t make your business lose out on customers just because your site is a little slow.

Hosting

Website hosting packages come in a huge range of shapes and sizes. It doesn’t matter whether you choose to have a shared server, a dedicated server or even something in-between because your website host should always be able to provide you with 24-hour support. They should also be able to guarantee a certain degree of uptime. Protecting your data is also crucial. A lot of hosts will backup your data on a completely separate server, and this will protect you in the event of a security breach. Of course, they should also be able to scale their services, so that as your site grows, you can stay with the same service provider. If your host is unable to provide you with this basic support, then you may want to think about finding someone who can. This even applies to hosting for resellers too.

Call to Action

If you want to turn your website visitors into repeat customers, then it is so important that you add a call to action to your site. This will give you the chance to thank them and it will also help you to connect with them as well. Invite them to like your page, or even sign up for a newsletter. This will help you to keep appearing in front of them when they are browsing the internet and it will also encourage them to get in touch with you should they ever need anything.

Optimisation

It’s important to know that you cannot rely on branding alone to help you to generate online leads. Charts have found time and time again that customers use online searches to find reliable companies. If you want to be one of those companies then you need to make sure that your site is visible. You also have to put the work in to try and optimise it as well. If people cannot find you on the internet then they certainly won’t purchase from you, so this is very important for you to keep in mind. There are a lot of things that you need to think about when you are setting up your own SEO strategy, but in general, you need to think about including the right keywords. You also need to think about optimising your meta tags, title tags and alt text. It also helps to add some relevant information to the posts that you have as well.

Poor Navigation

Sure, having a lot of pages might work well for your SEO but if you do not try and make your layout as simple as possible, then you will almost certainly lose customers as a result. If you want to help yourself here then you need to try and set up your site so that everything can be found with ease. Have a footer on your page with a site map, and also have dropdown menus. When you implement things like this, your customers can have access to nearly every page on your site as soon as they land, and you also don’t have to worry about them navigating through everything either. Of course, having a site map can also really help search engines to find the right pages as well so there are numerous benefits to having this done.

So, making your site everything that it can be doesn’t need to be difficult. In fact, if you follow the above strategies then there is no reason at all why you can’t go on to experience a ton of success. If you are concerned about making site changes then it may be a good idea for you to hire a professional to take care of them for you. When you do this, you can then get everything you need done without worrying about messing with code or disrupting the flow of the site in general. A lot of professionals can even help you with your SEO too!

The Pros and Cons of a Mobile Business

April 1, 2019 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Thanks to the huge popularity in food trucks, which have sprung up to great success in recent years, many businesses, even those not in the food industry, have started to think about the prospect of taking their businesses mobile, and many have done so successfully from mobile barbershops to dog groomers, and even mobile party buses.

If you run a business, or you’re thinking of starting one, you may yourself be thinking about taking your operation mobile Before you do though, you should take some time to think about the pros and cons because although it can work well for many businesses, it certainly isn’t for everyone.To help you do that, here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of taking your business mobile:

The Pros

Low Startup Costs

One of the biggest benefits of starting a mobile business is that it typically costs less to do so than setting up in a bricks and mortar shops. So, if you’re just starting out, or you’re looking to expand into new markets, it can be a good choice. Your average mobile more trailer or truck will set you back between $5000 and $20000 size, condition and finish and this is far more affordable in the long-term than the $10,000 per year that it would cost to rent just 1000 square feet of commercial space. That’s before you take into account other property fees and taxes that you may be liable to pay in your area.

More Potential Customers

If your business is based in a single location bricks and mortar unit, then you clearly have a limited number of potential customers. Only those people who live or work close by, and potentially tourists if you’re based in a popular area, will come into contact with your company and maybe pop in. If, however, your business is mobile, you potentially have an infinite number of people to entice in. You are only limited by your own efforts and how many locations you choose to take your company out to. If you don’t get much interest in one area, you can simply move and try somewhere else – you can basically find your target market instead of having them find you. This could save you lots of money on marketing dollars apart from anything else.

Smaller Inventory

Mobile businesses can typically get away with stocking a smaller selection of products because customers are well aware that trucks and trailers have a limited amount of space. This means that you can save money by not spending so much on stock in advance. Even more importantly, it gives you the opportunity to curate a really good selection of stuff. If you do this well and appeal to a particular niche, you could have customers queuing up to get their fix every single time you’re in town. Just make sure that you ask for and listen to customer feedback so that you DO stock the things that they really want to buy or your small selection could backfire on you and make your mobile business less appealing.

Payment is Easy

A lot of mobile businesses deal in cash, but these days, all you need is a card swiper and you can take credit and debit card payments on the go too, which means that you will never have to turn any customers away.

The Cons

Local Laws

One of the potential sticking points with a mobile business is the law. The laws and regulations that apply in one town or state may be very much different than those that apply in another area, which means you will have to do a lot of due diligence to ensure that you can, for example, park in a particular area or sell a certain product where you are.

Marketing

Since you won’t have a permanent location, you won’t be able to list your business space on Google Maps or similar tools that make it easy for customers to find you. This means that you may need to do a little more marketing to ensure that the right people can find you at the right time. This could be a headache, but with social media, it is getting much easier to market your company locally to the right audience, You will need to do this diligently to see results though, so hiring a social media manager could be a good idea. You need people to know when you will be around if you want them to pay a visit and spend some money with you.

Would your business suit going mobile?

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start A Business

March 25, 2019 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Starting a business is a big move to make, and a lot of people simply aren’t ready to take the plunge. Even if you’ve got a great idea in your mind about how your company is going to work, you need to have the support and the planning there to make it a reality. Without this, you’ll find that you don’t live up to your potential, which could ruin your dreams of business forever! We’ve put together a list of 5 simple questions that you should ask yourself before you start your business, so that you can make a great success out of it, the first time.

1. Do you have the time?

What most people don’t realize about business is that it takes up a lot of your time. You have to be ready to sacrifice some parts of your life, possibly for a few years as your business takes off. Some business owners work upwards of 12 hours a day, and you need to be willing to put this time in if you’re going to make your endeavour a success. Sure, you don’t always need to take it to this level, but you still need to put the time aside, and you need to be aware of this before you take the plunge into business. Can you – and are you willing to – spend the hours that it will take to establish yourself?

2. Do you have the resources?

When it comes to setting up your business, you need to make sure that you’re as prepared as possible. This doesn’t just mean that you have the cash to get yourself off of the ground, but it also means that you have anything that you may need to provide your services. Perhaps you need to look into recovery trucks for sale, or you need to purchase farming or building vehicles? Whatever your company is going to be doing, make sure that you have enough resources to keep you going for at least a few months. Sure, you can build them up at a later date, but make sure that you start out well.

3. Do you have the team behind you?

Whilst your business success will largely be down to what you do in order to make it a reality, the truth is that every business person needs some great people behind them. Think about those people that you’ve encountered during your professional career, that would be great for your business, and ask them to come on board. You need honest, reliable, hard-working people, and you may have to pay out a little more than average in order to get them. If it will get you through those crucial first few years in business, however, it is certainly worthwhile, so pick out an experienced and committed team.

4. Are you ready to make mistakes?

There are a few rules of business, and one of them is that you’re going to make mistakes. In fact, everybody does, and if you didn’t, then… well, we’d be pretty shocked! Whilst a string of mistakes can feel like the end of the world for a business owner, it’s actually what builds you up as the person that you need to be. What matters the most is what you learn from these mistakes, and how you deal with them. If you throw the towel in at the first sign of something going wrong, then you’re not ready, but if you keep battling through, you’ll be glad that you did when you come out of the other side victorious.

5. Are you ready for the most exciting experiences?

OK, so we’ve drawn on some of the stressful things about business, but we’ll give it its due. As a business owner, you’re going to meet some amazing people. They’re going to inspire you, and you’re going to work together to create things that really make a difference. You’re going to learn a lot about yourself, about your skills, and about what you can do if you really push yourself that extra step further. And it’s going to be great, especially when all of your hard work pays off, and you can reap the benefits of all of your labors. Whatever you do, keep going, and you’ll be glad that you did!

So, before you start your own business, be sure to ask yourself these 5 simple questions. If you feel pretty confident in them, then go ahead! You’ll be glad that you finally took the plunge and went your own way into the world of business.

Making the Break from Brick and Mortar to E Commerce

March 21, 2019 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

In the past, when you decided to set up a “business”, commercial property was bound to be involved. You’d have to establish some sort of store or office space in order to provide customers with a space in which they could engage with your brand, purchase your products, or book your services. While this type of business model does still exist today (after all, the majority of us do still carry out a portion of our shopping on the high street), increasing numbers of small business owners are making the move from brick and mortar to E Commerce stores. Either that, or they are maintaining their brick and mortar business and operating online at the same time.

The reasons for switching to E Commerce are varied. It tends to be cheaper to run an online business. You can operate around the clock. You can also easily reach out to a national or even international audience. But if you are considering making the break from brick and mortar to online retail, you’re going to have to do your research. People tend to shop in a different manner when they shop online. You need to familiarise yourself with these trends in order to maximise your sales and profits!

The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to fork out a fortune on market research in order to achieve this. There’s existing, published research out there that will help you to better get to grips with consumer habits in various areas of the market. Just take a look at the infographic by Trade Vitality below!

Infographic Design By Trade Vitality

How to Keep Your Employees Motivated Every Day

March 15, 2019 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

If you are managing a team, it is important that you pay attention to the needs of your employees, and listen to their suggestions, or they will end up leaving you or caring less about your business. If you are a business owner, one of your most valuable assets is your organizational knowledge and your employees. They represent your brand in front of your customers, so you have to look after them.

Lead By Example

Image via PxHere

One of the reasons employees think they get away with slacking work or not paying attention to the instructions is because they see the leadership do the same. If you would like to become an exceptional leader, you should learn how to lead by example, and get to know as many processes and techniques as possible, so you can show that you don’t shy away from work.

Help Them Become More Productive

It is crucial that you are supporting your employees, so they don’t feel lost and alone. One of the main reasons why workers quit their job is that they don’t feel appreciated and cared for. You will need to implement a training and development program that will allow you to deliver value to your employees, which they can later on pass on to your customers. Don’t make them feel like they are in a dead end job; get them to strive higher.

Create a Reward System

To motivate your employees every day, you will need to create an advanced reward and recognition system, so your employees know what is classed as standard work and what counts as going the extra mile. You don’t necessarily need to create a bonus scheme; early finish or flexible working will have just as much motivational power.

Get Rid of Distractions

It is crucial that you eliminate the major distractions at work. This doesn’t mean that you should ban people from chatting to each other; simply ensure that productivity doesn’t suffer. Social media can be very distracting, so you have to eventually make a decision whether or not to restrict the use of these sites to lunch breaks. Set daily targets and measure productivity on an individual and team level.

Automate Boring Jobs

Image via Public Domain Pictures

There are some jobs that make employees bored and losing the will to live. If you are asking them to schedule meetings or social media posts all day, or crunch numbers, you will have to ask yourself whether there is a more effective way of doing the job. You should talk to an IT professional at www.frontlineinc.com to find out which small business software can make your life and your employees’ easier.

If you would like to make the most out of your business and keep your employees happy, it is important that you implement systems that allow you to measure every business process and collect feedback. Give your employees the chance to grow personally and professionally, so you can make the most out of your time and your human resource costs.