Email marketing has always been seen as one of the cheapest and most effective ways to reach out to customers. It doesn’t cost as much as many other forms of marketing and you can see why. Firstly, the messages are simple, they only go out to those that warrant being sent an email, such as those who sign up to a newsletter or have an account with your website. They also can be managed to only go to certain specific customers, so you are doing targeted marketing, to a small group only. Thirdly, the customizing options you have are plentiful, so you can use email marketing all year round. It's still a brilliant marketing strategy.
One of the best things about email marketing is, you get instant feedback. Using a direct data service like the type https://www.action-mailing.com/data-services, you can receive great customer feedback straight to your servers. Rather than going through a third party, these direct data services can deliver customer reports about your campaign and how effective it has been. This is excellent for changing tactics very quickly and responding to things that specific customers are doing. Maybe a customer has never responded to an email marketing campaign, but they do respond to marketing cards. They are happy to choose one out of three options in a poll or perhaps they would happily watch a video in the message. Send them more of this instead of the usual text-based email.
It's very interactive
Using interactive features is the only technique worth investing in. Have review buttons in the email, such as 5-star ratings, or 1 out of 10 bars. You can also give customers comment boxes to leave a comment about a product, or the effectiveness of your message to them. Polls and questionnaires are a long shot for new customers and or browsing consumers, but those that have been with you for a long time, would more than happily give you a few answers to questions for improving your business. It's important to also have interactive features such as selecting colors for items. Clothing brands especially benefit from this as they can showcase something like a winter scarf, in different colors in the message and if the customer selects a color they like, they can click on it and be transported to the product page.
Reaching out in bulk
No one can deny the sheer outreach potential for email marketing. You can email, literally thousands of people around the world, with the same message. You can get your messages translated and still give customers the same exact message. You can, however, reach out to just your new customers. Maybe you got 200 new customers this week. You can send welcome messages over the weekend to each one. Reaching out in bulk is perhaps the single most attractive thing about email marketing.
Email marketing is a great tool that every business owner must become adept at using. It's affordable, interactive, customizable, far-reaching and just plain awesome!
Starting a business is something that you do if you want the balance with home and work life and to do something that you are passionate about. As you expand, you start to see that there are some great ways that you can enhance your business. One of those things can be adding a fleet of vehicles. It might be that you have cars on your fleet for sales staff or maybe you get vans or trucks so that you can handle the logistics side of things. However it is, there may be some questions that you have on how you can ensure you take this step in the right way. With that in mind, here are some of the things that you can do.
One of the first things that you might have to consider doing would be to look at the insurance side of things. This would be important if you have one or ten vehicles on your fleet as you will want to ensure that there is cover for things such as theft or damage. You will also need to consider things such as excess costs as well as making sure the insurance policy is aware of what drivers will be using the vehicles and their history. The more cover you put in place, the better things will be in terms of cover and protection for your business and the vehicles you choose to have on your fleet.
Tracking your fleet
Another thing you will have to consider is tracking your fleet. This is especially important for the logistical side of things if youa have trucks and vans and a schedule to stick to. You might also need to think about ticketing and dispatch uses for trucking software to help you keep on top of things such as how long a driver has been driving for etc. these are all things that you have to be mindful of, especially when running a fleet of trucks. Tracking your fleet can also mean knowing where they are and having trackers fitted to record location and driver behaviour can help you to understand how the investment of a vehicle is working for you.
Making sure people are accountable for their driving behaviour
If you are trusting staff members and employees with vehicles then you will want to ensure that you can account for their driving behaviour. This might mean not only using tracking devices to help understand it, but also having documents submitted and checks done ahead of time. This could also be an essential piece of admin for your insurance policy and documents. You may want to understand if there are points on the license and also things such as bans or claims they may have made in the past.
Having a fleet of vehicles can be really worthwhile to your business, but as long as you protect your business in the process then you can be assured that it can be a worthwhile investment.
Building a solid customer base is something that every new business must concentrate on to begin with. Getting people to want to work with you, and then getting them to stick with you in spite of your competitors, can be a challenge. It’s not just about getting as many new customers to work with you as possible; it’s about ensuring your customers are always engaged so that they stay loyal to you. Here are a few pointers you can use to build your own solid customer base:
Go Above And Beyond
Do the unexpected and make sure you go above and beyond for every customer. Could you include a handwritten note? A small sample or freebie? A discount for their next order? Make this a special experience for them and they are unlikely to forget how you made them feel.
Provide The Best Customer Service
Having unbeatable customer service is one of the most effective things you can do in 2021. Ensure your team are all on the same page and well trained - inexperienced customer service reps could make things worse, especially if the service is inconsistent. Consistency is a must when providing customer service and solutions to problems. You can’t stop issues from arising, but you can make sure that each customer who has a problem feels more than happy with the result you provide.
Providing value in the form of videos, blogs, tips, and even just Instagram posts can help people to see that you are an expert in the industry and make them come back to you when they have a question. It’s no good being precious about your knowledge and keeping it to yourself.
Create A Community
Could you create a community, such as a helpful Facebook group where you can answer questions and provide advice? This can help people to feel a part of something bigger and ensure they stay loyal.
Provide Consistent Training To Your Team
Make sure you invest in team training - your team is just as important as your customers. If they are unhappy and disengaged, this will rub off on your customers and they may decide to leave.
Track Your Marketing Efforts
Tracking your marketing efforts will help you to see what is really working for you and what you need to tweak. You can look at things like social media marketing, direct mail marketing, and email marketing to get an idea of what works best for you and what you should continue to spend money on.
Partner Up With Other Businesses
Could you partner up with another business? Perhaps a business with a similar customer base, but not one that is a direct competitor? For example, a sweet shop could effectively partner up with a party planning company or venue and both businesses will benefit.
Ask For And Act On Feedback
Value the feedback your audience gives you. Ask for it, and act on it. Show them that you care about what they think and that you’re always improving!
We’re all going through a very similar situation at the moment. The pandemic is making normal life difficult for everybody, and we can’t always be expected to work at maximum productivity. That being said, there may be a few ways we can maximize productivity and get the most out of this tough time.
Let’s take a look at ways to increase business productivity during the pandemic:
Focus On Creating And Sustaining A Routine
When you have a team working from home, routine can be something they struggle with. Encouraging them to keep a routine can be a huge help. Arranging a video chat can also encourage your team to get ready for the day and stick to the routine because they feel more accountable.
It can be extra challenging for those who have kids and other family members at home, so being understanding and allowing flexibility is also key. Family disruptions are to be expected. Asking for a check in at the start of the day can help you to see who is able to stick to your preferred schedule and who may need to make changes. Here are some tips to make this work:
Ask for a regular start time as much as possible.
Be flexible.
Encourage communication and honesty.
Encourage your team to set up a separate area for work and emphasize how this can help with mindset.
Send occasional reminders about routine. Encourage a healthy breakfast, physical activity, and other things that can enhance a routine and make the day better and more productive.
Not everybody will have the equipment or the right setup to work from home. If they are using low quality equipment, you’ll see productivity drop. Ask employees if they have everything they need, and let them know there’s a budget if there is anything they do need. Purchasing a new mouse, keyboard, or microphone for them could make a big difference.
Consider Using This Time As A Reset
The ripple effects of COVID-19 will likely be seen for some time. It has likely thrown you off trajectory significantly, but you can make this better by aiming to use this time as a reset. A crisis time like this can point you towards flaws that you may not have noticed before, or may have been able to ignore. You can make the changes to your infrastructure that you have been ignoring and reevaluate your business. Would you be prepared for this if something similar were to happen again? Aim to:
Streamline your meetings.
Figure out ways to manage projects remotely and stay in touch with one another.
Look at an upgraded network cabling solution to avoid downtime and ensure everything runs smoothly when you’re back at work.
Ultimately, you should use this time to prepare your business for future setbacks and success. The whole world is struggling right now, but you could experience benefits from this if you handle it correctly. How are you going to increase your business productivity during the pandemic?
The objective of telling a story is to make known how something came about. A story can be memorable or dull, depending on how it is narrated. Companies often desire to reach out to their target audience by telling a compelling story about how the company began. While some succeed at it, others fail abysmally. A US Business Analyst, Allen Hillary, believes messages delivered as stories are 22 times more impactful and memorable than mere facts. Read on to find out how to tell your compelling business story.
Establish who or what the character of the story is
Every good story has the main character around whom the narrative spins. Therefore, you need to establish who or what must be your main character in telling your compelling business story. If the company began as your idea and by dint of hard work and commitment, you managed to get it off the ground, portray yourself as the protagonist. However, if you prefer to remain in the background and project the business as the main character, let your story do that.
Nonetheless, no matter who gets to be the protagonist, you must establish what kind of character they will be. For example, is your goal to project the main character as a team builder, savvy analyst, or a dream builder? No matter what you choose to go with, the rule of thumb is to remain consistent and authentic throughout the story.
Employ audio-visual means to show your audience why you care
The moving image is the new language of today and the future. Fortunately, the 2020 smartphone penetration rate in the US stood at 72.2%. This provides fertile ground for more than two-thirds of the US population to have easy access to audio-visual content every thirty seconds. Convincing your target market or audience about how much you care has to be handled tactfully without coming across as patronizing. Many business storytellers make the mistake of pulling their audience down the rabbit hole. That shouldn’t be your style.
Today, with the help of digital technology, you can tell your story via corporate video production services. Videos capture attention even more than a PowerPoint presentation would. Also known as the moving picture, videos can capture the entire essence of a compelling narrative in a matter of minutes.
With the help of social media platforms, your corporate videos will reach a wider audience than traditional media channels can. As a tip, avoid using long, winding story-telling techniques that will most likely bore your target audience. You will achieve better results with a more concise and succinct method. More companies are putting up 2 - 3 minutes’ videos on their website’s homepage to draw more people in recent times.
Get Personal
Getting personal in your business storytelling requires a great deal of creativity. It is necessary to make your target audience identify with the subject matter and the theme of the entire business story. This is the one crucial part of storytelling, which makes people agree that the protagonist (as mentioned in point 1) must be a person and not the company per se.
Naturally, people identify with animate things and see themselves reflected in like characters. Therefore, highlighting challenges or struggles and how you overcame them are necessary topics to tackle. Always remember that your target market will identify with a personality and not a faceless company.
Finally, make it a point to weave truth into your story. Your audience is discerning and can quickly point out grey areas in your account. Many businesses have fallen into this trap and paid heavily to redeem their image. Others who couldn’t work through the damage went down under. Therefore, always be mindful of the points raised here.
