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

Five Ways Automation Can Improve Your Marketing

September 12, 2018 by Contributed Post 1 Comment

If you are thinking about improving your marketing, you’re in luck, thanks to the various tools available today. You can even take care of your marketing tasks on the go, and monitor your progress and statistics from your mobile. No matter if you are in network marketing or are running a busy local consultancy, you are going to benefit from improved visibility and results. Below you will find a few ways automation will help you improve your marketing.

1. More Time to Get Creative

If you automate your business marketing you will have more time to focus on what really matters in your business; strategy and campaign development. You can go out networking and develop a system to create a residual income, while your machine is working and generating you leads and sales automatically.

2. It’s All In the Numbers

Marketing is still a numbers’ game, however, quality also matters. You would be limited to reaching out to a couple of people manually, but your marketing automation tools will take care of selecting the right people and keeping in touch. Just imagine that you don’t have to type up all the emails or set up all your social media promotions and boosts; schedule them instead, and you can focus on measuring the results and improving your marketing.

3. Personalization

It is also easy to personalize your content based on the information you are getting from your own system. If you have a marketing management tool, you can personalize emails and even your messenger messages, your LinkedIn communication, and other materials. This means that you can filter your leads based on their position in your sales funnel and create content that is most likely to be valuable for them.

4. Testing

Another great benefit of automating your online marketing is being able to access the statistics and analyze the results. If you are placing an ad in a newspaper, you have no ways of telling how many people have read your content, but if you book an ad on Facebook, you will get all kinds of statistics concerning engagement, click rate, and even the geographic location of your visitors. You can also set up AB testing for your email marketing campaigns that will allow you to compare the results of different headline and text variations.

5. Improved Conversions Through Advanced Sales Funnels

If you figure out what works in your business when it comes to online marketing, you will be able to make continuous improvements and develop effective sales funnels that will turn your website or social media visitors into leads and then – eventually – into customers. If you measure everything about your marketing, you are more likely to get a better value for your advertising bucks, too.

There are several more benefits of internet marketing automation, including saving time and money. If you are looking to improve your results and engage with more potential customers, this is an area you should really look into. Test drive a few marketing automation tools and see which ones work for your business.

9 Ways To Set Up A Cozy Winter Garden

September 10, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Winter Garden

Now that the summer is coming to an end and autumn has well and truly landed on its wake… we can start to look forward to all of the comforts of winter. The days are getting shorter, the air is becoming chilly and everywhere we look there’s tartan and pumpkin spice in the air. Although most of us usually want to hibernate inside for the winter, there are still many of us who enjoy being able to sit out in the garden on those crisp mornings and chilly evenings by the fire. Here are some of the ways you can start to change your garden setup to make it ideal for the winter.

Create A Deck

The first thing you can think about doing in the autumn to prepare your garden for the winter is to create some decking in the space which you can use to make a comfy seating area for you and your family on a chilly winter morning. You can take a look at lots of different decking styles at Decks & Docks Lumber CO. and you will be able to pretty much find something to fit any type of garden and size space that you have. For a bit of fun, you can even paint your new decking a bold colour such as orange or yellow to create some life and warmth in your garden.

Plant A Greenhouse

One of the things we often think about during the autumn and winter is that the garden will go dormant and all of the lie will begin to die back. While this is definitely true for many plants and shrubs, there are still a few ways you can enjoy your gardening hobby in the colder months in a different way. If you love to grow your own vegetables and fruits, you can still enjoy fresh produce in the garden as long as you make a greenhouse which is warm enough to cope with it. If you can find a greenhouse, you will be able to grow all of your favourite vegetables such as lettuce, peppers and even pumpkins!

Shield With Trees

During the colder months of the year, as much as you want to get outside and sit in the garden on a sunny day, there is usually one thing that will stop you in your tracks: temperature. When the summer dies away the climate changes and this can make it hard for us to want to leave the comfort of our heated homes. However, you can make a huge difference to your garden by planting some trees or large shrubs around the perimeter of the space. This will shield you from the cold wind and it will make sitting outdoors much more comfortable.

Ensure that you are also taking care of the trees that you are using to shield your garden. It’s important that you know the signs of common tree diseases for example so that you can notice and treat them where necessary.

Add A Pergola

If you want to be able to sit outside and get a dose of fresh air each day, you can have some fun installing a pergola in your yard this winter. Pergolas are a great addition to any garden because they can add a wonderful focal point for the space and you can decorate it throughout the year to fit each season. For having guests over, a pergola can be a great way to stay comfortable and it can also be a great place to escape from the rain. You will have a wonderful area in the garden to host parties, drink a glass of wine with your partner and eat alfresco!

Winter Flowers

Flowers are something we all associate with the spring and summer, and this is usually due to the fact that most plants prefer lots of sun and warm climates. However, the great thing to know if you love to see colour in your garden all year long is that there are plants which thrive off cooler climates. For example the most well known flower which blooms during the winter are snowdrops. Snowdrops are beautiful white flowers which bloom through December to February and give your garden a burst of life even in the dullest of days. You can also find other flowers for the winter such as heather, cyclamen and Japanese quince.

Get Creative With Planters

You will have likely seen many different fun crafts and DIYs online such as homemade candles, herb gardens and seating for the garden: and something else you can have fun doing is making some fun planters for the space. For example you can use items such as teapots, cups, tyres and even old welling on boots to make some fun and unique planters for your outdoor space. Take a look on Pinterest this weekend and have some fun looking at different crafts to do. It can be a way to spend the weekend with the kids and make your winter garden feel more like a home and more personal.

Lighting Is Magical

During the colder months we have a lot of different things going on in the world. The main change we see is the fact that the days are much shorter and this means that a lot of our time is spent in the dark. You don’t have to abandon the garden though during the autumn and winter, you can instead have some sun with the darkness and install lights into the space. There are many different types of light you can add into the garden, such as solar lights, battery operated fairy lights and things like security lamps and large features. You can play around with light in the garden and this will definitely make your garden more magical.

Candles For Warmth

Candles are the epitome of comfort and cosiness during the winter and we often light candle after candle in the house during the colder months to make the home as comfortable as we possibly can. However it isn’t only the garden which you can place candles in to make it feel cosy and warm. There are many different lanterns, candle holders and decorations to add to the garden which will hold tea lights and allow you to bring that warm glow to the space. You can even add a candle or two to your pergola if you have one and this can be the ideal thing to make your garden feel comfortable and warm.

Soft Furnishings

What better way to make the garden feel cosy and comfortable during the winter than to bring in some soft furnishings? You can buy lots of amazing waterproof cushions and seat covers for the garden and these can allow you to feel like you are sitting in a more luxurious place when you are outside of the house. Another thing you can add into the space is some blankets. You can bring blankets out into the garden and have them ready for chilly nights snuggling up with a hot cocoa and the people you love. It is the best way to enjoy your outdoor space when the weather is unforgiving.

Never Ending Problems of Workers and How Recruiters can Help…..Or Not

September 9, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Are you taking charge of your career and heading off problems before they happen? Or are you subject to the whims of your company’s management?

Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain”.

The more you advance in your career the more valuable your time becomes. This is certain. However, this fact is lost of many companies. Firms often give their staff lower raises than they could get by taking a job with another company. Compensation isn’t in step with the market. This is especially true when there is a shortage of workers with key skills. Managers tend to overlook the fact that their compensation is a big contributor to retaining top talent. Many workers value higher pay above all else. How can we not with student loans, mortgages, and auto loans being common?

Furthermore, this problem so many companies have reveals something deeper. They ignore the high cost of hiring a replacement – which can often be from 50% to 200% of annual compensation. Also, the new hire will have to be offered the market rate (which was not given to the worker who switched firms to get that rate). Wouldn’t it make sense to develop a process that avoids the high cost of replacing workers?

The thing is not all management sees that and aligns themselves with this market reality.

So what options do you have if you find yourself not being compensated adequately for the skills you bring?

Consider recruiters.

By building relationships with recruiters, you will have options. They can bring you opportunities regularly. This will give you an escape path away from under compensation and ineffective management.

Compensation might be under-reported as a cause of turnover. We have been told by pop culture to view always wanting more money as being “greedy”. Never mind the media executives who earn far more than their average customer.

Even so, a PwC poll has compensation as a close 3rd as reasons for voluntary turnover at 12%. The other 88% include factors that can change AFTER taking a job. These include “Lack of Supervisor Respect” at 13% and “Supervisor lacked leadership skills” at 9%.

It doesn’t matter how good you are at taking care of customers, shareholders, and your supervisor.

Making friends and influencing people is no guarantee.

Your supervisors and co-workers are individuals and new ones will come and go. A way to lessen this risk, it to have recruiters who know, like, and value you. You don’t need to be at the mercy of chance, politicking, your boss and co-workers.

Sending an email regularly to employment recruiters will lesson the risk of these problems. A good method is to email one recruiter every other business day. This will keep you top of mind.

In his book Pre-Suasion, Robert Cialdini says “anything that draws focused attention to itself can lead observers to overestimate it’s importance”.

By being important in the eyes of 10 recruiters, they will think of you first when they have a client who needs your skills. Recruiters and their clients want positions filled as fast as possible. They will both be happy to consider you first (since you’ve built a connection with them).

If you have not developed relationships through email, you might be apprehensive about regularly putting yourself in someone’s inbox. The way to make this work is to be infotaining. Recruiters work long hours with many boring clients and job candidates. By sending a weekly email with a bit of creativity and humor in each, you will have recruiters looking forward to reading your emails and matching you with a client. Everybody is an individual. You might find some recruiters who don’t match your personality. That’s fine. Think of this as making friends. You will find recruiters who like you for you.

Building relationships with recruiters has a downside. As much as recruiters may like you, their clients still have to be convinced. However, you can develop relationships with hiring managers directly as well. Twitter is a good way build professional relationships and be viewed as an expert in your field. Using polls, charts, and automation makes building a reputation and a following a smooth process.

And I know this process works. I was offered my dream job by a Twitter follower.

To see how I implemented this approach check out the videos I made of the process.

https://rezzue.com/twitter-for-job-seekers/

Is Your Business Fair To Its Customers?

September 7, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Customer Feedback The world has changed a lot over the last few decades. When it comes to the way that people expect to be treated by businesses, expectations have gone up by a huge margin. Laws have changed, new ones have been brought into place, and accountability has never been the same, making it practically impossible for a business to operate on an unethical basis for very long at all. Of course, though, it isn’t always easy to assess this side of your company. Being at the center of the chaos, the way you leave your clients feeling may not be on your radar, and this is something which needs to change. To help you put with this, this post will be exploring some of the key elements of your business which you can look at to understand where you stand.

In Their Shoes: In reality, it’s very unlikely that you’ve ever been on the receiving end of the services which your business provides. Even if you were, your employees would know to treat you as well as possible, as they would want to make a good example of the company. To solve this issue, a lot of groups decide to use a mystery shopper for this sort of research. Having someone who can go into your venture, reporting back the way they are treated and made to feel, can offer a good insight into how your real customers might feel. This is very important, as these are the people who will be most vocal about issues your company has caused.

Some Real-World Feedback: Over the last few years, loads of companies have started offering the chance for their customers to give feedback about the time they’ve had with them. Enabling them to do this anonymously is a good idea, as this will help to get the truth out of people, and can be done with a simple comments box. Of course, you will need to ask people to do this for you, and may even have to give them something in return, but this will be worth it for the information you gain.

A Professional Assessment: Finally, as the last option available to you, it’s time to think about getting a professional to have a look at your business. A medical practice assessment, for example, will not only test your ethics, but also help you to answer other questions about your business’s operations. You will have the chance to have an expert give you advice, while also avoiding scrutiny from a party which could use the information they find to damage your reputation. If you haven’t done something like this before opening, it’s worth having it handled as soon as possible, as this can be a powerful tool if people ever make complaints.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder on the ethical side of your business. Being fair to your customers is very important, especially in a world where every business is under a spotlight. This doesn’t have to cause any trouble, as long as you’re happy to work on it.

Background Marketing: Appearing In Mainstream Life

September 6, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

You know your business has made it when you become a part of everyday normal life.

It’s a strange paradox because a brand that is subtle, in the background as if it’s almost part of the furniture, doesn’t need to be shouted or talked about. And yet, here we are as small business owners trying to get people to notice us and make a big fuss about our brand.

But that is the ultimate goal, to become a part of the normal sway of life, by being in the background and in the back of everybody’s mind. The more and more you start to become part of the scenery, the more people will subliminally think of you.

Up front and open acknowledgement of your business is great. You earn new customers that way and get people’s heads to turn. But, marketing strategies that place your business in the background, mean that you live in consumers minds rent free no matter what they are viewing or experiencing at any given moment.

Be a sport sponsor

At the height of Ferrari in Formula One, Marlboro was a graphic stuck on the car. Whenever the Ferrari machine came roaring down the track, everyone saw the red car and consequently, saw the Marlboro logo.

Nowadays there is a lot more competition for sponsorship space in sports and for good reason. Even though you’re not talked about, no commentator may ever speak your name. But, you are always in the background and therefore always somehow in the shot. Whatever the viewers are watching, they see your brand logo in the background in their peripheral vision.

Seek out a sports company, star or event where you can be a sponsor and have your logo advertised. So many people watch sports, you are bound to get an increase in sales and curiosity from the consumer public.

Standing to attention

As consumers go about their business and go shopping, go to events, attend all kinds of publicly held meetings, they will pass a plethora of advertisements.

When you enter into a conference or even a business establishment, whatever is at eye-level will be seen first and foremost. Too many businesses want to be seen by everyone from far and wide and thus choose to place their advertisement high such as on a billboard.

Not enough, focus on standing to attention with teardrop banners. Your brand can be attached to a pole that is curved at the top, giving more room for fabric to be placed on the inside of the curve. You can buy these kinds of banners and stick them outside your business or take them with you to an event. It’s kind of like planting your flag, and showing the world that you are present in this location or that you are part of the scenery in a particular location such as a shopping mall.

The art of subliminal messaging is perhaps the most powerful advertising technique. Background marketing has changed but the premise is still the same as the more you appear in everyday normal life, the more and more people will think about your brand and business.