Simple Commercial Communications For SME?s

Simple Commercial Communications For SME?s

by | Jul 11, 2017 | Marketing

Commercial communication, or marketing as its more widely know plays a huge rise in the success of SMEs. This is because it raises the awareness of your brand and product. Without which it would be impossible to sell in quantity necessary to stay in profit. While it can seem like a complicated area to master, it's possible to get some fantastic results by doing some very simple actions. Read on to find out more. Newsletters and mail shots On the more traditional side of things, we have the marketing tool that is the newsletter. This is a valuable way of keeping your SME?s customers and potential future customers up to date with your brand and products. It is something that can be circulated via paper post but is now or likely to be done via email as this is a lot more time and cost efficient, and you can reach a larger audience a lot quicker. However the downside of emailing newsletters is they have to be hugely engaging and tempting to read, else they run the risk of quickly being deleted and ignored. To help you with this you can check out posts like the top 6 tools for targeted email marketing. As there you can find info on how to make your copy much more reader-friendly and engaging in format. Special offers Once you have the format side of things sorted you need to ensure that your content is eye-catching as well. One way of doing this is to use special offers. These may take the form of money off codes, buy one get one free deals, free gifts, or the like. These are a great way of getting a potential customer to actually read and engage with your email and online marketing. They also encourage a quick purchase helping you to boost your sales figures in a short space of time. Viral marketing However, there is an even more tempting way of getting your customers to engage with the marketing tool that you are distributing, and that is viral marketing. But what is viral marketing? Well, it's a way of getting your brand out there that is a bit more avant-garde. Video filmIt usually includes an image, or more typically a video, that has very watchable content. Such as something funny or something with an element of danger. The company name or product usually isn't the star of the show as is revealed at the end. It's more about the feeling that the video creates in its viewers which then becomes psychologically linked to your brand by the completion of the production. By entertaining folks first and promoting second, you give your potential customers something before you have asked for anything from them. Creating a positive association with your brand. You also give them something that they can share, spreading your message even further. Check out some of the best examples here on the web for some inspiration. But be careful, as some companies have had trouble with negative viral marketing as well.
Use these tips to protect your WordPress site

Use these tips to protect your WordPress site

by | Jul 10, 2017 | WordPress

If you are new to WordPress and you have just finished designing your site, you will no doubt be very proud of your hard work. However, before you can get your site published, there are a few things you will need to consider such as security. Although WordPress regularly update their site to include the latest security fixes, there are additional things you can do to improve your pages security. Here are a few ideas that will help make your site secure. Admin ProfileIt is so easy to forget to change your admin profile. However, it is important that you do change it as soon as possible. Hackers use brute force attacks to get past the admin accounts; then they can access all your data. By creating a new user and deleting the Admin profile, you will make such an attack less likely. PasswordsPasswords are another area that can be easily taken for granted. Your password has to be unique so that attacks can be nullified. Avoid using your name or your child's name as there is a chance they can be easily guessed. To be secure, you can try a password generator such as 1Password or LastPass. They will use numbers, characters and symbols to generate a password of any length. You will then have a more secure site with a difficult password for hackers to guess. Two-Factor AuthenticationTwo-factor authentication might sound a little extreme, but, if you want to have a secure site, it is the best option. It is especially true if you will have customers personal information stored on the site. The type of authentication we are talking about is already used by many companies including PayPal and Google so that it will be familiar to you. There are plugins that can help you set it up such as Rublon.PrivilegesIf you are the only one that updates or posts on your WordPress site, then you will have admin privileges. However, if there are others that regularly go to the site, they do not need to have the same privileges as you. If they are writing posts, then you can restrict the access they have to the site. The same applies to anyone updating or maintaining your site for you. Grant them the access needed, but remove it once they have finished the work. It doesn?t take long, and it will save any potential problems in the future. The last thing you need is your data to be lost or corrupted, if this were to happen, you would need to rely on back-ups or other security to help you resolve it. You can use a data retrieval company such as Secure Data Recovery to retrieve your data for you. It can be an invaluable service, especially if there was sensitive information involved. With these suggestions in place, you can be more confident that your data will remain safe, even if you have others using the site as well.
Checklist to set up your online store

Checklist to set up your online store

by | Jul 6, 2017 | Web Design

What Does It Take to Set up an Online Store? - A ChecklistE-Commerce is the retail wave of the future as more people are opting to spend their money online. You will have more and more competition in the e-commerce world, so it is important that you make sure to have not only a vision for success but an actual e-commerce business plan. Here is a checklist for you to consider when setting up your own e-commerce company:
  1. E-Business Plan Structure
Business PlanIf you were to take a course in e-commerce structure and it?s the basic foundation of an e-business plan, it would include the following elements: Software platform: Many elements of e-commerce are unique to this type of retail selling like how to market inventory and display product features, so you would be wise to choose a platform that specifically is designed for an e-commerce business. Merchant account Understand that there are several types of merchant accounts, so focus on an e-business type of transaction instead of a point of sale one. This means you want to set up something that will process a cardholder not present transaction (CNP) or a mail order/telephone order account (MOTO). Also, ask about all the fees that could possibly be included with each transaction. This may include:
  • Monthly user fee
  • Discount rate fee
  • Per transaction fee
  • Termination fee
  • Extra fees including refund fees
When you choose a merchant account, consider what the needs will be for your e-commerce business in terms of volume of merchandise that you intend to sell as opposed to higher-end products that may sell for more but not in large quantities. This relates to the fees as well. Accounting package: Once again, you need to consider an accounting system that specializes in e-commerce activity. There is an entirely different type of inventory tracking to consider when you have an e-commerce business that needs to be a part of an accounting package. The idea of even trying to do it with a simple accounting software or even manually is an impossible task. As your business grows, the software must be easy to upgrade. Because e-commerce is becoming so popular, there are many software companies that offer these three basic components as an ?all-in-one? package. Many will offer you an online model store that you can use to test out their software.
  1. How Can Your E-Commerce Site Be Unique from all the Rest?
MarblesYou will have a multitude of e-commerce sites competing with you to entice a consumer to click on their link. Here are some ways you can set your e-commerce business apart from the rest:
  • Unique Site Design: According to e-commerce web designer John Atkins, your site needs to be convenient and easy to maneuver around as well as pleasing to the consumer?s eye or they will be gone in a matter of minutes. This includes detailed descriptions of each product and a focus on the products themselves and not the quantity of the products that you offer. So, it is vitally important to explore specific online models for e-commerce design. Each item needs to be presented as originally as the next so that the products do not blend one into another and lose their value to the consumer.
  • Niche Items: If you offer the same type of products that ten other e-commerce sites offer that are listed right along with you, then you will not stand out at all. But, if you offer several unusual products or services that are hard to find or even only found on your site, it is worth a consumer?s time to click on your site and take a look at them even if they are not intending to buy this item, it will pique their interest to enter your e-commerce site.
  • Deals, deals, deals: The name of the game in competition is usually who can offer the best deal for the same product, and many consumers only choose an e-commerce site based on this. So, making sure that you are undercutting the competition without hurting your bottom line probably one of the most important business decisions you can make. Then, you will be known for the site the gives the best deals, which will make you unique in the eyes of the consumer.
  1. What are My Competition?s Weak Points?
You cannot set yourself apart from your competition if you are not familiar with what your competition has to offer. You can consider some of the following strategies:
  • What are they missing on their site that you offer? This gives you an opportunity to market to one specific product or service that you know is not offered by the competition and you can say so in your advertising.
  • Read customer reviews on their website: Customers will tell you everything you need to know about the shortcomings of your competition through reviews of products and services that they offer to them. Have a dedicated team on staff to review these and note where they are falling short and offer the customer what they are missing.
  • Hire a company to track the number of visitors that a competitor is getting. Someone you perceive as being your greatest competition may, in fact, be getting far fewer customers to their site than you.
  1. SEO Strategy
Richard Lazzazera, a well-known e-commerce blogger on Shopify and expert on e-business strategies, says in his weekly blog, The Lemonade Stand, that there are six things to consider when putting together an e-commerce marketing strategy before you jump into spending marketing money
  • Up-Selling
  • Abandon Cart Follow-up emails
  • Customer Referrals with bonus offer
  • Retargeting
You can accomplish this by beginning with a simple marketing plan:
  • Unique visitors: First, you don?t want to grow so large in the beginning that you can?t handle the traffic, so an initial goal of 50,000 unique visitors per month is manageable.
  • Keywords and phrases: Google is king when it comes to searching for online shops, so become familiar with the words your customers will use to find your products or services to optimize the amount of traffic you will receive. There are a multitude of keyword tools like wordstream.com to use to become familiar with consumer keywords.
  • URL overload: Make sure to embed your URL anywhere that you advertise whether it is something in print like a business card or in every email you send out to a customer.
  • Free advertising: Make sure your site is listed on Google?s shopping search engine Froogle. It is free and many consumers go there to comparison shop.
  • Advice: This is also free. Talk to other e-commerce business owners and see what is working for them.
Just working your way through this checklist of important things to consider when you begin to plan an e-commerce business will put you on the right track to initial success and long-term e-commerce growth.
The Path To Success? It’s Built On Relationships

The Path To Success? It’s Built On Relationships

by | Jul 3, 2017 | Business

If a business is anything, anything at all - it's a relationship. Every single thing that a business is built on will feature or highlight some kind of relationship. Your business and its foundations are your relationships with your original vision. The products you buy forge a relationship with a supplier. The cashier that sells these products works harder based on their relationship with the business. The customers who buy those products that your business is selling do so because of some sort of relationship. Relationships in each and every form are critical to businesses worldwide. ?If a business wants to succeed, it needs to focus on building long-lasting and fruitful relationships across the board. To simply survive? It needs to do exactly the same. The road to success is built on positive and meaningful relationships in business. The relationships forged in meetings, at the checkout, in pitches, and within a company are the relationships that build great companies and successful businesses.At every stage of business - from the monolithic and huge monopolies, to the graduate going to his or her first job interview after University; relationships are crucial to combined, or individual, success. If an interviewee wants to succeed at an interview, they not only need to prove that they are capable of performing the tasks described, but they also need to forge some sort of relationship very quickly with the company and its proxies, the interviewers. If a company wants to get the word out about products, it will need to build a relationship with the local, or national media to ensure that the latest releases and news are documented in the media that the public consumes. Good things can only come from relationships in business.shaking handsA business would make a huge mistake if it ignored building a winning relationship with its workforce: its employees. Relationships with employees need to be built so that the employees feel valued within the company, which could lead to an increase in productivity. If employees are unhappy, or treated unfairly - a business will suffer in the long run. Working with a HR consultancy can ensure a business is protected, but also works hard to ensure it's working by the word of the law when it comes to employees. Happy employees are worth their weight in gold, but unhappy employees might ensure the collapse of a business. You always need to do the best by your employees if you want to get anywhere in business.A solid relationship with customers and clients leads to one great thing: repeat business. The greatest businesses across the world have one thing in common - the same customers keep going back and back. This might be the cult-like sensibilities of Apple, who succeed regardless of the product specification or it might be loyalty to a brand like Sony - these big brands are built on the same customers coming back to them and spending money. This brand loyalty is forged on successful relationships between a business and its customers.If there's one thing that matters in business - it's how well a business can connect with others. Build relationships to build a winning business.
The Skills That Make A Great Marketing Professional

The Skills That Make A Great Marketing Professional

by | Jun 30, 2017 | Marketing

When you first went into business, chances are you did it because you already had certain relevant skills at your disposal. Much in the same way that some of us are naturally creative, or other naturally good with numbers, there are individual skills that nearly all business people seem to harbor. These range from resilience to good public speaking abilities, and all of them work together to produce a confident and well-rounded business professional. But, like in any job, there is always room to build on any skills you already have, even if you think you are already pretty good in most areas. One such area is the sphere of marketing ? something that is integral to business success, even more so in the modern age. The rise of the internet has changed the way companies market themselves forever, and even the most low-level marketing professional now needs to have a diverse and reliable skill set to rely on. Read on to find out what makes a good marketing executive, and how you can improve your skills to come out at the top of your game. Education Marketing IS one of those things you can learn on the job ? but only to a certain extent. Realistically, very few companies have the time to train marketing staff from scratch, especially if they are dealing with a complete novice. Instead, you would benefit from undertaking an education in marketing or public relations, such as a university degree. If that doesn?t take your fancy, however, or if you have already attended university, you may want to consider doing an mba in online marketing instead. Many of these qualifications don?t require you to attend classes in person ? you can do it all online ? making it easy to run alongside your job, or any other responsibilities you may have. Women WorkingImage source People skills In your role as a marketing manager or executive, you will spend much of your time dealing with other people ? be it through email, over the phone or in person. Often, you will have to negotiate deals with advertising agencies, hire creative staff to help you put together your campaign and work closely with a sales team to tie it all together. Remember, in business, everyone is looking out for themselves, so you need to be calm and tactful to get the best results for your company. Plus, being a friendly and active person makes your working life a lot easier! Analytical skills Regrettably, the hard work doesn?t stop when the marketing campaign is over. In fact, it?s often only just begun. Marketing trends move at an astonishing rate, so you need to make sure that you know exactly how well your last campaign worked. Analytical skills are, therefore, integral to making sure you can thoroughly examine what went well, and what didn?t go so well, in the last project you were involved in. Only by doing this will you be able to progress in the work you do in the future.