Category: Business/Entrepreneurship

Your Business During Lockdown: How The Online World Could Change The Way You Do Business

Three of the focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. During the Coronavirus/Covid-19 lockdown, many businesses have done okay because they’re doing business online which doesn’t require coming into personal contact with people. The following contributed post is entitled, Your Business During Lockdown: How The Online World Could Change The Way You Do.

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We are in a very uncertain and unique time of our lives right now. With a lot of the world grinding to a halt, it can mean that you start to worry about your business. Running a business even in normal times can be quite difficult. Starting out, finding investment and launching your new business venture always seems uncertain at the beginning, and with so many businesses failing in that crucial first year you may think you are out of deep water, only to find that you are now in a period of time that seems more uncertain than ever. Especially if you rely on people dealing with your business face to face, such as providing a service or even having a shop that you would normally sell from.

So what can you do? Many businesses have had to diversify and change their processes, and this can mean utilising the online and digital world more than you have ever done before. It can seem daunting at first, but there are so many ways that you can enhance your business this way and this could present a whole new line of opportunity for your business to grow and develop in the future. With that in mind, here are some of the ways that the online world might start to change the way you do business moving forward.

Image source – Pixabay – CC0 License

A social media strategy

One of the first things to think about would be to develop a new social media strategy. More people are having to stay indoors and that can mean that more time is spent browsing their social media channels and platforms. So now more than ever your business needs to be relevant and visual online. Coming up with a new social media strategy is a great way to make your content relevant and consistent. You can also ensure that you use this time to engage with your audience and also reply to direct messages and comments. Humanising your business in some way will help you to appear relatable, especially in these uncertain times. You could also use social media to offer up content or even a freebie to entice people to look into your business and what you can offer in more detail. Many have offered free online resources or shared video content to highlight their business in a different way.

Updating your website

You may have had a basic website to get you this far., but now you can use the time to enhance your website and add different pages to it. This might be looking at your ecommerce shop and making it easier for people to buy products or order services from you. It might be that you create more content for the website, or improve things such as explanations for the products and services that you provide. This could be the ideal time to look at making these changes so that you can make your website more appealing when people click through to it.

Having an up to date CRM system

Another thing that you might want to sort now that you have some time is your customer relationship management system. Now more than ever you will want to look after the customers and clients that you have, as well as attracting new ones into your business. This is when you want to update your system and also correct any information that might be incorrect. You could use the time to contact these customers directly, be that on email address or calling them to ensure that you have the right details. This might also be the perfect time for some data capture, so if you don’t have email addresses, for example, which can be an excellent way to directly market your customer base, then you could try and find out this information and update your records accordingly.

Taking advantage of alternative marketing methods

Now that you have lost one of the main sources of marketing, which could be face to ace business, you may want to think about alternative methods. It could be that you look at prospecting and suing things like the Drop Cowboy Ringless Voicemail to advertise and make contact with customers. You could look at creating an email newsletter where you could keep existing as well as new customers up to date with your offers and what your business is doing during these unprecedented times.

Image source – Pixabay – CC0 License

Making the most of remote working options

Now that you are unable to work in your office or retail premises, you may have to start getting a little more investive with your remote working options. Things like video calling have proven really popular during the lockdown period. Skype and Zoom are excellent ways to create video conferencing and meetings and allows you to communicate as well as you could be doing physically. You could also look at things such as email communication as well as phone calls. You may still be able to operate your business, even from home.

Finding other ways to expand your business

During these times you may not be fully operational or able to provide a full service from your business, so you may want to seize the opportunity to try and find other ways to expand and diversify your business. This might be things such as a blog as an extension to your business, where you can collaborate with other businesses and create sponsored content. It might be that you create a product that can be supplied during this time, or provide a service in a different way. It is now time to think outside of the box and look for different ways where you can enhance your business and continue to make a profit and be successful.

Using the time to take on the jobs you wouldn’t normally get to

Finally, you could use this time to do things that you might not normally have done. It could be that you improve the content on your website and take more notice of things like search engine optimization. Sometimes these administrative tasks can take up a lot of your time, but now that you have the lockdown period you can really see it as an opportunity and not a hindrance.

Let’s hope these tips help you when it comes to your business in lockdown.

Localization Strategies That Work – Period

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key to being successful in business and winning the loyalty of your customer base is relating to them on a local level when necessary. In such instances, localization is key. The following contributed post is entitled, Localization Strategies That Work – Period.

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Localization matters. According to recent surveys, a massive 90% of customers prefer marketing content that is in the mother tongue. Just less than half of shoppers only interact with a brand if localized content is available. Localization is essential, and it’s not hard to see why.

Boosting sales through lead generation is one thing, but it also focuses on rapidly growing your business. Entering new, international markets and improving conversion rates suggests the company will expand and boost its share of the industry. And, all of this is available without mentioning how the practice reduces risks. You need to adopt a comprehensive strategy if you plan on taking your organization to the next level.

However, crafting a plan that works isn’t as straightforward as it appears. For localization to succeed, you must be smart, humble, and always online. Here are the strategies to consider.

Choose Relevant Languages

There are hundreds of languages and dialects around the world, so picking a handful isn’t easy. Plus, you have to deal with the temptation of choosing popular ones, such as French, Spanish, and German. Yes, they are the most commonly spoken in the world, along with English, but are they going to help the company?

The odds are high, for instance, that you’ll want to break into the Chinese and Indian markets. Retailers should be particularly conscious of China and India considering the scope of their manufacturing processes, as well as the demand of their citizens. Therefore, French isn’t going to come to your rescue because the billions of people in said countries speak Mandarin and Hindi, respectively.

What you must do is link the language with the area, as well as the sector. Then, you’ll likely strike the perfect balance.

Don’t Translate With Google

Here’s a scenario. You’ve created a powerful advertising campaign that you want to roll out around the globe, and all that’s left is to translate it into the relevant languages. However, money is tight and translation apps are free, so you decide to use Google Translate instead. What’s the worst that can happen?

Regarding your standing in the industry, the answer is ‘a lot.’ Translation software uses algorithms to change sentences into a language of your choice, yet it lacks the human element. It won’t automatically input the slang if you’re trying to be hip, for example, or may translate the ad into something that’s outdated and makes no sense. With that in mind, you can never underestimate the role of a professional translator. Paying them to cast an expert eye over the wording and grammar will pay off in a big way.

After all, they’ll ensure your ads are on-topic and on-brand and help you to maintain a high standing in the market. There is nothing worse than trying to localize only to get it horribly wrong and waste valuable resources.

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Switch To A Non-Fixed VoIP

VoIPs have changed the way businesses operate. Nowadays, calls are directed to a center where dedicated and knowledgeable assistants deal with questions and queries. As far as putting out fires is concerned, as well as enhancing the customer experience, a VoIP is vital to the cause. Still, that doesn’t mean that the one you have is the right software for the job.

For localization, a non-fixed version is a savvier choice. As Call Cowboy points out, non-fixed numbers get a choice of area code and work from anywhere in the world with any device. So, rather than providing a number that is not from the region, you can create a generic one that applies to every customer in every country. Sure, you can have a number for each market, yet that’s costly and time-consuming. With a non-fixed VoIP, calls are directed straight to your call center to save valuable resources.

A fixed VoIP is an excellent start, but you may want to consider switching when you expand into foreign sectors.

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Invest In Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design is the tool that you will rely on more than any other software or hardware. The way it works is simple – the website has features that kick-in when certain elements are triggered. A prime example is a mobile-friendly design. You can create two sites, one for portable devices and one for desktops, or you can use one that optimizes content automatically.

The good news is that web designers can implement web features that localize your website within seconds. Phrase lists several reasons why responsive web design is crucial, yet the one you should focus on is the use of an API. This is the software that will translate marketing into the correct language without skipping a beat. Yes, most people speak English in some form; however, there’s no need to take a risk. You may isolate them by being monolingual when it’s easily negated.

Shivar Web will guide you through the muddy waters that are picking a web designer.

Value Equality

Consumers have a peeve when brands release products or services elsewhere without doing the same in their country. Let’s face it – this tactic doesn’t keep with the spirit of localization. After you do all the hard work, you can blow it by giving a group preferential treatment, disillusioning a big chunk of your new base.

Therefore, you should attempt to release all of your items and services at the same time. It’s tricky because international markets need double the amount of work concerning translations and proofing, yet it’s worth the effort. The shoppers in the region, while they may not recognize your hard work, will enjoy the fact that they aren’t excluded.

Of course, you’re going to have to manage your workflows more efficiently if you plan on hitting multiple tight deadlines. Time management is going to be the key to this localization strategy as a tiny error may set you back a couple of weeks.

Localization is challenging, but the rewards are high. If you follow these guidelines, the odds of succeeding will be much greater.

4 Things Your Business Should Be Doing While On Lockdown

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Many businesses are facing challenging times during this lockdown. During this time though, there are in fact things that you can do to assure the survival of your operations. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Things Your Business Should Be Doing While On Lockdown.

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Has your business been affected by the coronavirus? The answer is almost certainly yes. Whether the virus has disrupted your supply chain or the lockdown measures have forced you to close your doors, life is very different for your organization right now.

It’s easy to sit back and do nothing during this period as you feel helpless. Don’t do that. It’ll serve no purpose and leave you in a much worse state when everything clears. Instead, here are a few things your business should be doing while on lockdown:

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Plan ahead

Start by planning for the future and thinking about what you’ll do when you can get back to work. Naturally, things will be very slow-moving when the lockdown measures are lifted. But, with careful and strategic planning now, you can make a much better transition. Think about what you will do when you’re able to work full-time and create an action plan for your business to follow. That’ll help you get back up and running a lot quicker than most.

Clean your premises

All businesses should really do this to be extra certain that your premises are safe when you return. It’s known that the virus can live in a human for around two weeks. What’s not known is how long it lives on surfaces. Many scientists believe it can live for far longer than two weeks. As such, you need a coronavirus cleaning service to give your workplace a deep and thorough clean. This eliminates the virus from your premises, meaning you can return to work without worrying about catching it from surfaces and spreading it again.

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Manage your finances

You’ll be in a very challenging financial position while this virus takes hold of the world. Therefore, you have to try and save as much money as you physically can. Look through your budget and aim to identify areas where you can make a few savings. This might mean you have to take a pay-cut or limit your employee’s wages for a short while. It’s far from ideal, but you have to do everything within your power to keep your business afloat. If you’re not making as much money as usual, then action has to be taken.

Stay connected

Lastly, ensure that all of your employees stay connected. This is vital for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it keeps everyone in-tune with the business and makes sure all of your employees know what’s going on and what will happen. This deals with some of the uncertainty they might feel during this time. Secondly, it helps to maintain a strong bond between your team and provides some much-needed relief from isolation. You’re used to seeing each other for many hours a day, so taking that social element out of your life can be challenging. Host video chats and put on digital get-togethers, so you and your team stay connected and social.

I can’t promise that your business will be fine if you do all four of these things. However, it’s safe to say you will be in a much better position than if you sit back and do nothing at all.

A Guide To Starting Your Own Successful Crossfit Gym

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Health/Wellness. A lucrative business to start is a Crossfit gym. There individuals who are hypervigilant about their health and want to challenge their bodies like never before. The following contributed post is entitled, A Guide To Starting Your Own Successful Crossfit Gym.

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Have you always wanted to start your own business? Are you interested in fitness? If so, you might have considered combining the two. If you’ve ever been to a crossfit gym and loved the atmosphere, maybe you’ve even thought about what it would be like to open your own crossfit gym (or box, as they call it). This guide will tell you what you need to know about starting your own successful crossfit gym so you can decide whether it’s for you. Opening one of these gyms requires specific licensing and training, but that’s not all. You’ll also need to take into account the following things:

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Choosing Your Name And Business Entity
You’re going to need to make it clear that you’re opening a crossfit gym, so consider this when coming up with a name. This might be descriptive of the location as well as the fact that you are focusing on Crossfit, for example. Just ensure that the name is available in your state and that you will be able to get the correct social handles and domain names to go with it.

A business entity will also be required. Usually, you’ll want something that provides you with protection from liability.

Create A Business Plan
A business plan is the most important part of any business, so this is something you really want to take your time with. Using a ready made business plan template will ensure you have covered all of your bases and that you’ve not missed anything out.

This will usually take a lot of work, but you’ll be glad you did it when it comes time to find investors or apply for loans. They will want to look at your business plan to ensure you have everything planned out and be assured that they will get their money back. This also means doing plenty of research beforehand – who are your competitors in the area? Are there any crossfit gyms nearby? You need to be sure that there’s a market for your services!

Get Certified
Before you begin, you’ll need to get some certifications. Being a level one trainer is key to opening your own box. You’ll need to learn how to safely perform and teach workout techniques. Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to be prepared to pay yearly licensing fees to Crossfit. If you want your gym to be an official affiliate, then you will need to budget for these fees annually.

Register Your Business
Now it’s time to register your business and get your employer identification number. This is going to make paying your taxes possible and obtaining business loans far easier.

Get Funding
You may not have enough money to start this venture all on your own. You not only have the cost of opening the gym to think about, but the certification fee, licensing fee, rent, equipment costs, taxes, employees, and more. You’ll want to have more money than you think you need for the startup costs.

Find Your Gym Space, Purchase Equipment, And Everything Else
Once you have funding in place, you can find your gym space and get permits. Make sure you are happy to pay the specified rent before you sign on the dotted line. Don’t forget about business insurance, as this will protect you from many risks that come with opening a business like this.

You can then purchase all of your equipment, install gym turf, and hire employees (if you need to).

The community aspect of Crossfit makes it attractive to most people. Make sure you build this sense of community in your own gym so that people want to join. This is how crossfit becomes a lifestyle for many people!

Key Considerations For A New Business Base

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key aspect of your business is where it’s located. You can’t just set it up anywhere and need a prime location. The following contributed post is entitled, Key Considerations For A New Business Base.

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If you run a business, it’s essential to find a base that caters to your needs. Whether your firm is established, or you’re preparing to launch a startup, it’s wise to take your time finding the right premises. Here are some key considerations if you’re on the hunt for a new business base.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/conference-room-table-office-768441/

Your finances
The first step in any property search, whether you’re looking to rent or buy, is setting a budget. You need to ensure that you can afford to cover your rent or mortgage before you make any offers or submit any applications. Figure out a maximum budget, and think carefully about how much you want or need to spend. Your decision should be based on the requirements of the business. Location is key for many companies, for example, but there’s no point in paying over the odds for office space in the city center if you don’t need to occupy a prime slice of real estate. It’s best to avoid overstretching yourself, especially if you’re in the early stages of the entrepreneurial journey.

Location
For some businesses, location is the most crucial aspect of a property search, but this is not the case for every company. If you are reliant on footfall, you need easy access to a local workforce or infrastructure, or you could enhance your brand image and reputation with a sought-after address, it’s worth narrowing down your search area. If you don’t depend on passing trade, you have a small team of employees and you don’t need to be close to road and rail links, it’s worth considering premises in the outskirts or suburbs and exploring up and coming areas. Evaluate the needs of your business, carry out research to gather information about the areas on your shortlist, and compare prices. It’s critical to take time to understand what is available within your price range.

Space, scalability and development
Many businesses need a certain amount of space to operate, but if you’re a new venture, or you have plans to expand in the future, you might not need vast premises at the moment. If this is the case, you could consider renting with a view to buying further down the line or investing in a site that could be developed when you’re ready to grow the business. It is important to remember that there are restrictions when it comes to building and development, and you may need to work with a team of experts that includes builders, architects and specialists like a heritage consultant depending on the location you choose. If there is a good chance that you will want to add to the existing blueprint, it’s beneficial to seek advice before you proceed to make sure that your plans are viable.

Commuting and accessibility
One of the most significant points to consider for business owners who employ teams of staff and serve clients on-site is accessibility. If you welcome customers to a store or an office, for example, and you have several employees that travel to your base every day, it’s wise to opt for a location that is easily reachable. Being close to major roads and highways, train and metro stations and bus routes can be beneficial for staff and clients. It’s particularly important to think about transport if you employ a lot of people and your business premises are not located in the heart of the town or city.

Parking
As a business owner, you need to think about the requirements of your staff and customers before deciding where to locate your new base. Parking is widely available in most out of town developments and industrial estates, but it comes with a premium price tag in city centers. If you are looking at urban real estate hot spots and you expect some staff and customers to drive to your office, it’s worth looking at parking capacity and comparing premises. If you choose to rent additional spaces, make sure you factor in the cost. You might find that it makes financial sense to look at more expensive premises that have the spaces you need already. If you find a site that suits, but there’s a shortage of parking, it may be possible to come to an arrangement with another business or a parking site owner.

Picture from https://pixabay.com/photos/office-sitting-room-executive-730681/

If you’re looking to move your business, or you’re searching for a base for a new venture, it’s important to think about your needs and preferences carefully before making a decision. Research different locations, set a realistic budget, think about scalability and development potential and make sure your business is accessible for employees and customers.

5 Ways To Facilitate & Improve Lean Manufacturing Processes

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re in the manufacturing sector, you want to optimize your operations as much as possible. Doing so will maximize your production and efficiency. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Ways To Facilitate & Improve Lean Manufacturing Processes.

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Lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing refers to the improvement of production processes to enhance efficiency and reduce waste. During the production cycle, waste has many different definitions. Waste might occur due to inappropriate equipment; downtime between process steps; transport problems; mistakes or errors; inefficient use of staff; or overproduction. A lean manufacturing process includes ongoing improvement, automation, and pull processing, as well as general waste elimination.

Lean processes should bear in mind the lean manufacturing cycle. The early stages of the cycle involve defining the consumer’s end values and creating a flow to ensure the steps are compact. The mid stages include encouraging a ‘pull for the product’, meaning that people desire it. Lastly, the end stage involves perfecting the product as much as possible. There are many ways that businesses can seek to facilitate and improve lean manufacturing processes.

Adopt 5S

The 5S process involves five key steps:

1 . Sort: the first stage of the process refers to eliminating everything that you don’t need. For example, remove outdated materials, including both equipment and computer files. Give your equipment classifications that determine how frequently these items are used. You can use such classifications to store everything appropriately.

2. Set in order: next, you should put your resources in order to keep your business organized. Never underestimate the importance of adequately organized storage to save time and improve your processes. Assign set quantities and spaces for everything.

3. Shine: the ‘shine’ phase means ensuring that everything is clean and tidy. Determine the main cause of the mess and dirt, and change the associated processes to make things better. Cleaning charts are useful to assign tasks and keep a record.

4. Standardize: seek to standardize the best practices for an orderly workspace. Make these standardizations visual and clear to all. All critical areas should remain consistent across the whole business.

5. Sustain: lastly, it’s important to sustain the above processes, and seek to create lasting habits and behaviors which make it easy to do so.

Manufacturing Software

Implementing the right kind of manufacturing software can be beneficial to improve lean processes. For example, Aegis FactoryLogix MES is a great piece of manufacturing software, suitable for use across industries such as industrial, automotive, electronics, and aerospace. The software is designed to complement modern manufacturing and the associated business-critical systems.

Kaizen

In lean manufacturing terms, Kaizen refers to continuous improvement. It’s necessary to review the performance of your processes to encourage development consistently. Facilitating growth is possible at every stage of your operations, starting with the raw materials you use. When was the last time you updated your machinery parts or equipment? Perhaps you’re not using the best solutions for the job, yet remain unaware. It could be switching from nickel alloy to a monel alloy for your heat exchangers, or merely eliminating any single-use objects. No matter how you approach improvement, seek to do so consistently.

JIT Production

JIT stands for ‘just-in-time,’ a management strategy that’s often adopted to adhere to lean processes. The JIT management process aligns production schedules with material orders from suppliers. Businesses use this inventory process to decrease waste, by receiving the goods when they require them only. Consequently, inventory costs are also reduced. With JIT you work to meet an order, and no more than this so that excess is eliminated. This particular system is also referred to as the ‘Toyota Production System.’ The car company was widely associated with JIT origins in the late seventies. The JIT system can be immensely improved through the use of the Kanban scheduling system, as these two systems go hand in hand when it comes to implementing effective lean manufacturing processes. Kanban is such an innovative and creative option to explore, as you can appeal to your team in a different way by representing your workload in a visual form on a board. The 20 best Kanban boards each have their own advantages and disadvantages that may suit your individual needs, so take the time to investigate how you can begin implementing the Kanban method today for the sake of your expert lean manufacturing efforts.

Build Quality In

Another popular lean manufacturing principle relies on the idea of ‘Building Quality in.’ The concept involves automating processes which are prone to human error, tedious or repetitive. With BQI you can ensure error-free value streams and reduce the wait time. Lean manufacturing achieves quality using various methods, for example, using ‘test-driven development.’ This involves designing a set criteria for a product before actually creating it. Adhering to a predetermined criteria ensures that the product will meet business needs precisely. Some companies also use ‘pair programming,’ which involves utilizing two developers’ skills as opposed to one.

The Takeaway

These are just a few of the strategies that your business can adopt to facilitate and improve lean manufacturing procedures. Further methodologies include one-piece flow and heijunka. When you are looking to enhance your lean processes, prioritize your staff as you use the above approaches. Ensure that your team receives adequate training to support these lean processes. Review staff progress regularly, and ask for personal feedback. With the hard work of your team and these five procedures, you’ll fast improve the efficiency of your projects.

Areas of Your Business to Focus On

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. No matter what kind of business you’re running, there are some key areas that you want to focus on. Focusing on these areas will all but assure your success. The following contributed post is entitled, Areas of Your Business to Focus On.

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Running a small business is by no means an easy feat. There are so many different areas that you need to focus on to keep things up and running and to have items that you can sell to generate a profit. That’s before you even consider making sure the public are aware of your brand and actually want to buy into it! So, if you’re just starting out, or if you’re already established and want to pay sufficient attention to each area of your business’ operations, here are a few different areas you might want to consider and pay attention to within your business.

Manufacturing

If you’re selling products, chances are you’re going to have to make use of some sort of manufacturing process at some point or another. Now, there are multiple options when it comes to manufacturing. Generally, people start by outsourcing their manufacturing. This removes the need to invest in expensive equipment, hiring staff and train staff to use the equipment properly. However, when your business begins to experience success and increased demand, you may begin to find that manufacturing in-house may well be more cost effective in the long run. Which option will best suit your company will entirely depend on its size, the amount you can afford to invest in manufacturing in the short term and whether you see yourself producing the same products for the foreseeable future or not – you don’t want to invest in specialist equipment for a product that doesn’t have much proven demand or may be discontinued soon.

Your Website

Nowadays, your website is essentially your store. Sure, there are still a number of businesses with traditional brick and mortar stores, but many are struggling and there’s a general consensus that online operations are the way to go. So, your website needs to be top quality. It’s where you’ll showcase your goods. It’s where you’ll make sales. It’s where you’ll build brand image. It’s where you’ll secure customer loyalty. Generally speaking, it’s best to bring in a competent web developer and web designer who can collaborate to make sure that your website works properly at the same time as looking good. You can pick up bits and pieces yourself too. Take a look at Science in Asylum for information on how to video edit content for your website.

Your Staff

Most people take their employees for granted. They turn up. They get the work done. They go home. But remember that these individuals are the backbone of your company. They keep the wheels turning. They push you forward. They secure your sales and generate your profit. You want to make sure they’re satisfied in the roles and happy in their workplace in return. Put out anonymous surveys so they can give honest feedback. This will help you to make changes to continually improve on their experience working for you.

These are just a few different areas you might want to focus on. Paying them attention can improve your company and boost sales, so it’s more than worth your time and effort!

Top Things To Do with a Small Advertising Budget

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Arguably the most important part of business is its marketing. Even if your advertising budget is small, it’s still a critical arm of your business. The following contributed post is entitled, Top Things To Do with a Small Advertising Budget.

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Many small businesses don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing. In fact, some business owners try to get by using free methods for promoting their business. However, you don’t have to have a large marketing budget to make an impact. You only need a little bit of money to make a difference, especially when combined with the free techniques that you can use. The first thing that you should do is give your business a marketing budget, even if it’s only a small amount each month. Spending some money on your marketing is better than nothing, especially when you can make the most of your budget.

Image from Pixabay – Pixabay License

Set Up Some PPC Ads

You don’t need to have a huge marketing budget to make PPC (pay per click) adverts work for you. With only a small daily budget and some effective ads, you can get the exposure and clicks you’re looking for. There are different types of PPC ads for you to consider, including Google Ads and other search engine offerings, as well as social media PPC ad networks. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, so you won’t be wasting money on impressions that don’t get you anywhere.

Increase Your Social Media Following

Social media can be a great tool to use for organic marketing, and it offers paid advertising tools too. If you want to make the most of your marketing budget, you could focus on growing your social media following. You can do this organically, which can take a while, or you can find tools that will help you to grow your follower numbers more quickly. If you see a detailed review of Kicksta, you can read about how one of these tools might be able to help you. You can start growing your social media followers and receiving more engagement from your fanbase.

Use Email Marketing

While more traditional marketing methods are still useful, they can often be more expensive. Digital marketing is often a better use of a small marketing budget, including email marketing. It gives you a way to reach out to hundreds and thousands of people quickly, and you can easily customize and personalize emails too. Direct mail costs a whole lot more than email marketing does, and it can deliver a better ROI too. So if you’re using the older marketing methods, it might be time to switch to something more modern.

Make the Most Out of Marketing Materials

When you have marketing materials that you’ve paid for, make the most out of them by using them in different ways. You can repurpose different materials to ensure you get plenty of use out of them. For example, a white paper can be turned into a blog post or even a series of emails. Whether you have paid for something to be created or you have spent time creating something, it’s worth making the most of it.

Even if you only have a small advertising budget, you can still find ways to spend it in the most effective way possible.

Tips For Introducing Remote Working

Three of the focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. During this Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis/Pandemic, many businesses and organizations have been able to survive due to the ability their workers to perform their duties remotely. It’s not as easy as it sounds and takes some adjusting. The following contributed post is entitled, Tips For Introducing Remote Working.

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Remote working is something that many businesses are now starting to pick up on, and if anything, this Covid-19 virus is a wake up call for those companies who weren’t using it before. So if you want to introduce remote working in business, here are some tips that might help.

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Consider If It’s Possible For Your Business

Firstly, you want to check whether remote working is possible for your business or not. Usually, in order to do remote working, it has to be a job or have tasks where you’re working from a computer. The more practical-based jobs might not be as effective when it comes to remote working, or even possible. For those roles that require you to be on the phone, there are options such as diverting calls to a landline or mobile of the worker. There are lots of options worth exploring before you quickly dismiss the idea of remote working. It’s worth considering, especially as there are many benefits for you as a business to take advantage of it.

Trial It Out With One Or Two First

What tends to be an issue for those who have tried remote working is that they often roll it out to the whole company and suddenly everyone wants to work from home. Instead, trialing it out with one or two staff members is going to improve the rate of success that you have. There are going to be some staff members that take advantage of this company perk, and so you want to cherry pick those guinea pigs that will take it seriously and not take advantage of what’s been given to them. Remote working doesn’t have to be a company benefit for everyone, and for some, it’s not possible anyway.

Invest In The Right Equipment

To make remote working be as successful as it can be, it’s good to invest in the right equipment. That means making sure you have the right computers so that staff can access files and work on these devices to the same level of productivity that they would do if they were actually in the office. You might want to look at a company like www.solutionpartner.com who can help with the transition of helping staff work remotely, as well as providing ongoing support.

Monitor Staff’s Work On Remote Days

And finally, be sure to monitor your staff’s work on remote days. The reason why you should do this is that otherwise, some staff members might still take advantage of working from home or whilst traveling. Work still needs to get done, and so having the ability for line managers and supervisors to check in on staff to get updates on the work they’re doing is essential. There are plenty of systems out there that can help monitor this efficiently.

Introducing remote working is the future and should be an option for most businesses and the staff who work for them. Pandemics like this one, show that a backup such as remote working should be in place.

Believe It Or Not, The Current Public Health Crisis Is An Opportunity For Health Care Providers

Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Throughout history, vast opportunities have been created out of crisis situations and the Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic is no different. One area that is in the eye of this storm is the healthcare sector. The following contributed post is entitled, Believe It Or Not, The Current Public Health Crisis Is An Opportunity For Health Care Providers.

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With COVID-19 spreading like wildfire across the planet, the eyes of the world are on the medical sector. People are watching the industry like never before and, frankly, forcing it to do new things.

Take clinical trials, for instance. Usually, these take years to set up, conduct, and publish. But in the current context, they’re taking a matter of weeks. The nature of the emergency requires it.

Pixabay – CC0 License

The same applies to vaccines and drugs. It used to take the FDA the length of a career to approve specific medicines. Now the CDC is recommending that some Americans take virtually untested drugs in the desperate fight against COVID-19.

What is interesting about the current episode is the giant leaps that the medical establishment can make when it absolutely has to. Most of the time, it is sclerotic, dormant, and apathetic to the needs of patients. But when you suddenly add the scrutiny of public attention, things change fast. All of a sudden, you CAN deliver life-saving drugs in just a matter of weeks. Odd, isn’t it?

Of course, all this chicanery has a lot of people asking why this rate of progress wasn’t possible before.

Expect all the usual weasel words at this point. “There are processes that we must follow.” “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.” “We have the best healthcare system in the world.”

But, of course, everyone is going to remember this episode and demand that the sector change in the future. When the bureaucracy gets out of the way, it appears to improve patient satisfaction. Why can’t that continue?

Public attitudes will undoubtedly change going forward, creating opportunities for specific providers in the industry who stay on top of the current situation. People are looking for outfits that they can trust to get the job done – and without bankrupting them.

Shift Your Business Model

The opportunities for healthcare providers who get their message right, therefore, is tremendous. Already, we see big shifts in how the industry operates. Some clinics are offering patients flat fees for consultations, instead of milking the insurance system.

Others are looking for ways to make medical services subscription-based. You continue paying your doctor to keep you healthy. When you get ill, you stop paying and only resume payments once you’re back to normal.

Healthcare providers are also going to have to think much more about their hygiene messaging. While keeping things clean is important at any time, it is even more so in the aftermath of a pandemic.

Offer Patient Direction

Healthcare providers that can provide patients with clear guidance in the current crisis will be those that most successfully build their brands. Those who really understand how to react to the needs of their patients will emerge as a shining example to the rest of the industry. At times like these, patients need a considerable amount of help. Many people will still be getting sick from regular illnesses and need medical attention. Clinics who can orchestrate an effective response will be those that gain the most trust in the community.