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Tips For Setting Small Business PR Goals and Measuring Your Success

Posted on by Jessica Lunk

Although it’s often confused with marketing, public relations isn’t the same thing. PR aims to create, maintain and enhance your company’s reputation, position it in the public eye and communicate messages about it through traditional and social media.   When you share the story of your business in a way that makes reporters sit up and take note, that’s public relations, and it does things like build awareness of your brand and raise your profile publicly. Those goals are all very important for a business but they are also hard to measure.  

PR does affect sales, but indirectly. It generates and builds audiences, and then sales and marketing turns those audiences into sales leads. And that means you need metrics outside of sales to measure the return on investment you’re getting from your public relations efforts and a focus on outcomes, as opposed to outputs.

Gauging the overall effectiveness of your PR requires examining how well you’re reaching your target audience and how that’s affecting your customers and prospects. Here are some suggestions for setting PR goals for your business and measuring their success:

Answer the question “Why?”

Before you start a PR campaign or initiative, ask yourself: “Why are we investing the time and money to do this? What do we want to get from it?” Once you know those objectives your PR efforts can support them. Don’t put together a plan without knowing the desired results and don’t confuse results with strategies. Getting articles about your business in the media, for example, isn’t the goal of your PR campaign–it’s the strategy. The goal might be to increase the number of prospect email addresses you collect through your website or to create more positive public sentiment toward the brand.

Define what is valuable.

Because public relations isn’t marketing, you can’t necessarily measure ROI in terms of sales. In fact a study from the Institute for Public Relations said PR often represents just five to seven percent of sales. Try defining what is valuable to your company–the ROI may not necessarily be a bottom line outcome. It may be you’re looking for repeat visits to your website or a change in the perception of your business or behavior of consumers.  And if you do experience a bump in sales that occurs whenever you have a PR campaign running, that becomes another way to quantify the success of your efforts.

Measure your media coverage.

This is a big part of PR—coverage in the media–so take a look at where your company is getting coverage. Are these publications, podcasts, radio shows and other media outlets reaching the specific targets that are important to your business?

Customer retention and satisfaction.

If you’ve got a PR campaign that aims to improve the perception of the brand—whether that’s quality, trust, fashionableness, etc.—you can measure it by surveying customers before the campaign begins and after it ends about their level of satisfaction.

Look at how you and your company are being positioned.

Are you—and the business—being positioned as an expert and a leader in your industry? Are journalists seeking you out for expert advice? What is the public perception of the company?

Use analytics.

Analytics are a key part of discovering how your PR campaigns are impacting the awareness, attitudes and behavior of your audience. Although you want to look at impressions and mentions, you also want to watch where your clicks are coming from, and take note of things like increases in newsletter subscriptions or the number of calls to the business. You can also have customer service reps ask callers how they learned about the company.

Measure SEO performance.

Look at increases or decreases in branded search terms in Google Webmaster Tools and see how many visits to your company’s website result from those searches. Determine if social media followings increase during a PR campaign or after media coverage. You can compare conversion and bounce rates for traffic that comes from publications that have covered your business, to determine which ones will be the best to target in future PR campaigns.

By carefully assessing the outcomes of each public relations campaign, you’ll be able to make more informed decisions about how you spend your future PR dollars, so that you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

How to Find the Right Employee for Your Small Business

Posted on by Jonathan Herrick

You went into business because you believe in the product or service it supports, right? But now you realizes that you can’t do it all on your own. You want to bring in the right people to help grow your business but have no idea how to do that? 

There are several things you need to pay attention to when looking for the right candidate to join your company, so much so that the process can seem overwhelming. But don’t worry. This article will help you put it all in perspective so that you can successfully apply it to your hiring processes.

Here are some qualities that you want to look for and how to find them in candidates:

  1. Are they any good? This seems like a simple point, but you would be surprised how many people don’t do the due diligence required to figure this out. Their resume may list several degrees, but does your position call for a bunch of acronyms after (or before) their names? Does having a Ph.D. in English really matter for a Project Management position? It is easy to become blinded by all the years of schooling but it is important to keep your feet grounded and see what is unimportant: can they do the job they are applying for?
  2. Do they have soft skills? You may have a person who is technically sound and knows how to configure hardware better than anyone else in the industry but can they relay that information to a colleague? How do they handle change? It is important to know whether the person you are hiring is able to communicate effectively and partner on projects. This is important in every business but more so in small businesses where people sit in close proximity and are responsible for a lot of functions at one time.
  3. Will they fit in? Before you dismiss this item on the list think about your company. Is there a certain feel that either you have fostered or that morphed on its own? Most companies have it – this unmentioned collection of thoughts and mindsets that permeates the business and your approach to work. It’s called company culture and it can be a good thing or a bad thing to specific candidates. Making sure that a person fits in with the culture is something you can glean in an interview but it is still difficult to do. After all, people are on their best behavior when sitting in front of a potential employer. It might be difficult to ascertain whether or not this candidate will “fit in” but it is important that you keep a keen eye toward them and their personality traits and include that in your overall assessment.

But that’s not all. Finding the right candidate for the position in your company is not a one-way street. There are some things that you have to do to make sure that you are presenting yourself not only as an appealing option, but also in an accurate light.

  • Know what you want. If you prepare the employment ad with an understanding of what the position entails and what skill sets are needed, you will get more applicants that match your requirements. Be clear and concise. Be sure to list required qualifications. This should weed out those who do not possess the proper skills to work for you.
  • Set expectations properly. Candidates should understand the product they are working on and future goals before applying to the position. Without giving your candidates a roadmap of at least 3 months, they cannot accurately determine if the company is moving toward something they would like to be a part of. Hours and responsibilities are also things you should be upfront about. It will make for a better interview.
  • Be nice. Another simple point but well worth posting. Create an ad that is respectful. A threatening or uncompromising tone will do more to damage your prospects than help to deter unwanted inquiries.

Looking for candidates can be a difficult undertaking but there are several sites online that are highly traveled by potential employees such as Indeed.com and Monster.com. Social media has also stepped up as a tool for finding potential employees. Utilize LinkedIn to find people with the skills you are looking for. As always, reach out to your current employees and let them refer candidates.

The 140 Character Email Approach to Sparking Conversations

Posted on by Lindsey Stroud

There are 3 things we can assume about the people we send emails to: 1) they receive a lot of email, 2) they don’t have a lot of time to devote to sorting/reading/responding, and 3) they receive a lot of the same requests.

The minute Outlook opens, most people are swarmed with a pile of 25-50 emails, with the goal of QUICKLY eliminating the majority. The first consideration is going to be – “Which subject lines looks like mass produced junk?” Ok delete those.

Once the bad subject lines are sent to trash, the next thought is going to be “Which emails have the highest priority?” If at first glance an email appears to be flirting with the lines of a best-selling novel – most won’t think twice about tossing it to the trash alongside the bad subject line victims.

So with the assumptions that people don’t have time or energy to devote to long emails and elaborate requests – Which emails do get read? What makes up good email? How do you get a greater response?

I think we can take a lesson from our friends over at Twitter with the 140-Character Approach (roughly 20-30 words). This method allows you to quickly get information to your contacts in a digestible amount. It can be a challenge in itself to downsize your emails, but is a practice that will help spark more conversations as the world changes the way it prefers to receive content.

Let’s look how to apply the 140 Character Approach to your email marketing best practices:

Segment Your Audience – There is no one-size-fits-all approach to email. The minute something does not relate to your audience, you will lose them. Breaking your contacts down into segments will help you to drill down and tailor the messaging directly to their needs, wants, and likes. Consider segmenting by the following to help stay relevant: Status (Former Customer, Prospect, and Customer), Potential Product/Service Interests, Title, Company Size, and Location.

Make Every Word Count – When you are squeezing your message into a short blurb, each word is important. The easiest way to grab your reader’s attention and create impact is by using power words, which often create a feeling or awakens an emotion within the reader. Check out this list of 317 Power Words.

Have a Conversation – If you are taking time to segment and learn about your contacts through a system like Hatchbuck, you should have all of the tools you need to drill down into a great conversation. Great conversations consist of back and forth communication, so an open-ended question is a good idea to begin the line of communication. Here are 21 Open-Ended Sales Questions to Ask.

Redirect – If you have a lot of information you need to get out, don’t throw it all into an email to be disregarded. Consider it a great opportunity for you to use a call-to-action to drive your contacts to your website or landing page. Landing pages are great because you have the ability to place additional descriptions and images that may cloud your email conversation. If you are looking for a cheap landing page builder, try out Wix.

Marketing automation helps to put a human touch back to your sales process by giving you key information to spark meaningful conversations. Keep your process simple, clean, and targeted and turn more handshakes into raving customers!

Social Gone Small Part 3: Creating a Cult Social Media Following

Posted on by Jessica Lunk

You’ve done your due diligence.

You’ve invested in all the platforms you need to use to create buzz, you’ve hired staff to create that buzz or boned up on practical methods to do it yourself. You’ve called a printer for promotional slicks then thought better of that route. You cyber stalked the companies you think have it down pat and tried to figure out their special sauce.

You’ve researched marketing methods until you’re blue in the face. You created a respectable web presence with people who like what you have to offer and have even subscribed to your YouTube channel and are following you on Instagram and Facebook.

So… now what?

How do you get people to go to your website? How do you engage them enough to keep coming back to see what’s new on Facebook? In essence, how do you create that cult following on social media that you keep hearing about? The answer is simple: be interesting.

Easier said than done, right?

For most companies this is the hardest thing to do consistently. And it is the most important thing to affect the success of modern businesses. While there is no real magic, there are some things you can do to make sure you are visible to who will potentially butter your bread. These ideas won’t come across as disingenuous or irrelevant if done properly. Indeed, if you execute these well, the people you are reaching toward will tell their friends who will start following you, and then those friends will tell other friends, and the cycle goes on. (This is word of mouth marketing and you want it to work in your favor rather than against you).

Here are some ways to make your products or services appealing to the people who matter most to your business:

Don’t sell.

That’s right. Don’t sell. Seems like that’s counter-productive to your end goal, doesn’t it? But the fact is when you sell to people you run the risk of alienating them. They feel like they have to decide what to do right away. It’s like you’ve put them on the spot.

Think about when people walk up to you and ask for money. You have to decide right then and there whether you are going to give to this person or not. There are so many emotions that go into that decisions – how much money you have available at the time, how long it will take, do they really need it, is anyone else watching and if so, what do they think, etc. Sometimes that collection of thoughts pushes you to give money, sometimes its doesn’t, but rarely do you decide to do either because you wanted to – you were forced into action. Pitching to the folks that joined your newsletter or social media page has the same affect.

Provide usable, interesting content.

Instead of trying to sell your item, teach your audience about something. If you sell acrylic paint, create a 6 minute tutorial on how to create a textured background. Use your paints in the video, but don’t talk about them. Trust me, they’ll see. If you sell cooking utensils, write an article about kitchen hacks that will save time during a weeknight dinner. Throw in a recipe another week. Reference using tools with the names you have your products, but don’t suggest they use them. They will because they are on your site and it’s easy to just click the link you have placed in your feed.

Interact.

Get into conversations with the people following you. Ask a question that is related to your industry and let the conversation flow. When people feel like they have connected with a company and the people that mingle on their page, they are more inclined to come back. There are several examples of this of Facebook in the fitness arena. They create a community that discusses successes and struggles with the workouts, the teachers interact with the posters, and everyone signs up for the next workout so they can talk about it all over again the next week. Take a page from their playbooks.

Give a little to get a little.

After you have built a solid network of people who come to the site regularly, give something away. Maybe you ask a trivia question related to the industry, maybe you host a contest for the best sunny side up egg – whatever you choose, keep it light. Don’t require a purchase to enter the contest. Just let people enjoy the interaction and you’ll find that people will buy more even if hey don’t win the item.

The key to creating a cult following is leading people without letting them know it. Let them have fun in the process and enjoy the community that results and they will never know that you lead them to the water. You should be having fun too. If you’re not it is possible that your audience isn’t either and the whole plan should be revisited.

12 Awesome Examples of Small Business Content Marketing Done Right

Posted on by Jessica Lunk

Content marketing can get a lot of attention from the right target audience with consistency and engaging material.

Here are 12 impressive companies that might be small, but know how to work their crowds:

1.  PetaPixel: Introducing a new app for tracking pricey photography gear, PetaPixel created this infographic on filched gear.

lenstaginfographic4

2.  Donald Bittar:  The motivational speaker, author, teacher and CFO is best known for his books on financial freedom, but he often uses great quotes paired with visual aids to get his audience to engage with likes and Retweets. Some of his most recent posts include quotes from Socretes and “Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” from Kiyosaki.

  3.  Bravas Food:  Keeping their sense of spunk and personality, the local food joint uses fun ads (and pictures of their amazing burgers) to remind followers to come visit them for their next meal.

Tomorrow we start our first ever regular deal buster. Come get you some, yo. A photo posted by Bravas Food (@bravasfood) on

4.  Birch Box:  From blog post instructographs on how to remove makeup stains to YouTube video featured box reveals, to an extremely active Pinterest account (13k pins and counting), Birtchbox uses catchy images and intensive efforts to create a smart content marketing scheme that keeps up with all 6 social media profiles and its blog. No lack of effort or content here!

birchbox-content

5.  Natural Force:  With a blog focused on natural foods and Paleo diets, plus shiny ads that are featured everywhere from Google to the physical WOD magazine, Natural Force has their target audience on lock.

natural force

 

6.  iNK:  A smart little instructograph is featured on the home page of this screen printing company to help the customer know how their print and design process works.

ink infographic

7.  Shake-Away:  Using smart language and simple images, the social media campaign for Shake-Away often crosses from one platform to another — a great way to get followers engaged and following along while reducing the effort.

8.  Discount Juicers:  If you are interested in getting a juicer, you will notice that the extensive library John has put out that covers juciers versus other juicers in juice-offs, as well as tips for better juicing and juice recipes. These videos are funny and salesy, but it is the mere range of video coverage that makes his content marketing work for his business in selling the very juicers he examines for nearly 60k subscribers.

breville

9.  Point6 Socks:  Retweeting customer images and experiences is a great way to prove value. 

Happy Feet! Thanks for the photo Point6 New Zealand #controlyourclimate #PGGWboys pic.twitter.com/pymT5HSIW9

— Point6 Socks (@point6) July 15, 2015

10.  The Minimalists:  Joshua and Ryan have made a business out of helping others buy less and get to the heart of the matter in everything. They also have an extensive content marketing plan that covers seven top social media platforms and a blog with fresh content.

minimalists

11.  Bayou Hot Wings:  Small food businesses, like Bayou Hot Wings, do really well when they continue to post delicious pictures of food and Retweet pictures their consumers are posting. Yum.

12.  mindbodygreen:  Posting tips and ideas to Twitter, mindbodygreen is dedicated to teaching hundreds of thousands of followers to take better care of their bodies and live more balanced lifestyles.

mindbodygreen

 

Six Essential Time Management Strategies for Small Business Owners

Posted on by Jonathan Herrick

Running a small business can seem like a job without end–work weeks that include late nights, early mornings, weekends and the feeling that without you, the place will fall apart. No wonder small business owners often feel overwhelmed by everyday tasks like answering emails, customer phone calls or trying to solve a technology problem. What small business owners should be doing, however, is ditching all those hats and focusing on things that really matter—like strategies for increasing sales, critical hiring decisions and developing people, products and services.

You can’t add more hours to the day but you can manage your time more effectively, which is  essential for increasing productivity and efficiency. Here are six ways to keep your days focused on the tasks that move your business forward (and keep you from burning out):

Set a schedule everyday.

You know the feeling—you’ve spent nine hours at the office, feel stressed and tired, but can’t point to one thing you’ve actually accomplished. This is where prioritization comes in. There are a variety of ways to set and prioritize your schedule each day. The most straightforward is a task list with the tasks that must get done that day up top. A great resource  small business owners find helpful is David Allen’s book: Getting Things Done.  It’s an approach to your crazy work week that organizes and divides everything you need to do into the right buckets so you can focus on the most important initiatives everyday.

Set goals for the month and the year.

Sit down with your management team and map out goals you want to accomplish each month and for the year, and keep those top-of-mind in everything you do.  When you set your daily schedule, segment the day into objectives you want to accomplish and allot time to work on each. Make sure you understand how each task you complete moves the company toward its bigger goals–whether that’s developing a marketing plan for a new product or getting the next iteration of your app ready for release.  This is also a good time to find a mentor or hire a coach, to help you stay on track and avoid distractions.

Cut through the clutter.

Look at your average day as a business owner and list all the regular tasks you must get done, from throwing out the garbage to calling suppliers to keeping track of expenses. Pick those that are most important because they move the business toward its goals and earn the most money or profit. Other tasks should be delegated to those on your team. Once you can focus on fewer tasks you’ll be able to spend more time on them and be more successful at completing them.

Use online tools.

There are a host of time management and productivity tools that can be used to help you stay on task, remember appointments, organize emails and deal with customer queries.  Use an online calendar and set up reminders—even reminders to stop one task and move onto the next—to stay focused. Other tools help you keep information organized, like Evernote, Google Docs others.Integrated CRM and Marketing Automation solutions like Hatchbuck’s all in-one sales platform helps you to keep all of your contacts organized and automates your follow up so you can spend your time where it matters most.

Don’t keep reinventing the wheel.

If there are processes that work really well, duplicate them as much as possible throughout your business. Start with a list of all the conversations, emails and teaching sessions you keep repeating and instead create formalized processes for getting work done.  Train others in the organization to use those systems. You can always adjust a process after it’s in place, to ensure it is making things better, not worse.

Make time for breaks.

Many studies on productivity show that working continuously for hours on end does not yield great results. The brain works much better if we give it a 20-minute break after 90 minutes of focused work. Without those rests, you’re going to feel burned out and unable to make smart decisions. A break, of course, means actually getting away from your desk, so do something that has nothing to do with work: take a walk, go to the gym, meet a friend for coffee or take a nap. You’ll reduce stress and activate the parts of your brain tied to creative thinking and innovation—both necessities for any successful business.

How to Survive—And Thrive—During Slow Times

Posted on by Don Breckenridge

No matter what industry you’re in, or product or service you offer, your business will have financial ups and downs. There will be times when sales are booming, and droughts, when business is slow.  Whether you’re navigating tough economic times, a difficult moment for your industry or just a cyclical slump, as a business owner you’ll need strategies for not only surviving the slow periods but thriving afterward.

So when business is slow, don’t panic. Instead, look at slow times as an opportunity to fine-tune the business, retrench and find ways of cutting costs.  These things will help you weather downturns but also position your business for greater profitability and efficiency in the long run. Here’s how to not only survive the slow times but make the most of them:

Closely monitor your cash flow.  Look at what you’re spending each month and make sure that your current expenses and planned expenditures for the next several months are in line with accounts receivable. You should be projecting your cash requirements three to six months ahead.

Take stock of your inventory. During downtimes businesses usually have an imbalance between sales and inventory—too few sales and too much inventory. Cull your inventory – if you usually stock 150 units of your slowest-moving products, cut the number to 100. Then, most importantly, watch what happens.  If it looks like you can do a little more pruning, go head. You have to find the balance between having too much of a product and cutting back so much that you lose much-needed sales.

Convert your inventory. If you have excess and obsolete items, convert those to cash by returning them to the supplier if you can and running close-out sales.

Negotiate. Most things are negotiable so talk to suppliers, contractors, lenders and your landlord to try and get better prices, short-term reductions, a longer payment cycle or the lifting of finance charges. You can also discuss bartering as a form of payment—exchanging some of your product or service for theirs.

Cut spending.  Question your expenditures. For example, are you renting more space than you need? Could you sub-lease some of it? Do you really need that expensive piece of manufacturing equipment this quarter—can you delay the expenditure?

Put your marketing and advertising budget under the microscope.  Look at the ROI for your various marketing initiatives and make sure every dollar you’re spending is helping your bottom line, not hurting it. You don’t want to stop advertising (you might appear weak to competitors or the general public) but you might be able to leverage less costly advertising, such as social media marketing, and pull back on more expensive marketing strategies.

Get customers to pay their invoices. Make sure the amount of time you allow customers to pay an invoice is in line with the standard collection time for your industry. Be diligent about collecting from customers whose accounts are overdue and offer discounts if you can, to encourage prompt payments. Invoice as soon as possible after a product is shipped or services delivered. Your goal is efficiency—a fast moving collections system and timely payments from customers.

Differentiate, innovate and customize. A recent study of small companies found they could grow during a financial downturn as long as they use a combination of strategies that includes differentiating themselves from the competition and innovating. More than half of small businesses studied regularly introduced new products and services and most of the high-growth business owners in the study employed customization too, working closely with customers to develop products and services tailored to their needs.  That strategy let them keep in close contact with customers and learn about and address new market trends as they arose.

By making sure you have smart cash management and business practices in place, you’ll be able to survive the slow times and maximize growth and income during the boom times too.

The Dreaded Finance Hat: 21 Small Business Budget Tricks

Posted on by Jonathan Herrick

Even a simple personal budget can be complicated, so putting one together for a small business is a feat unto itself. As if sticking to it weren’t bad enough, creating a budget is often so daunting that we simply avoid it (or do it poorly to get it out of the way).

There are so many moving parts. It can be difficult to get a handle on what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and–most importantly–how you’re going to pay for it.

Small business owners find themselves wearing many different hats, but the Financial Planning Hat is one we often worry will look terrible on us. But you can’t let your vanity cause your head to freeze.

If you need to determine unique ways to plan for things like purchases for your business and investing in marketing, this is a very timely article for you.

So get your pencils (and hats) ready for the 21 small business budget tricks!

1. Plan your needs.

The first step is the most important one: You have to plan out what you need. Look at it in segments; you can separate them into quarters, projects, or events, but be sure to make a distinction between the “buckets” so you can asses how money should be allocated and budgeted.

2. Rank the buckets.

Determine which buckets are most important, and rank them. Be methodical about your approach to this: Weigh the impact of the thing you are planning to spend money on and determine which does better for your business overall if implemented first.

3. Be aware of your cash flow.

The first two steps are fun; they allow you to daydream about what you want to have and get you pumped for the way the business will look once you get your hands on those things. Now it’s time to look at how much money is actually coming in. Be honest with yourself here, because every dollar makes an impact.

4. List your expenses.

All of them. It is important to know how your company spends money so that you can have a clear picture of what is left-over. Include overhead bills, salaries, and current subscriptions. Engaging FinOps consulting can provide actionable insights into cost allocation and help identify areas for financial optimization.

5. Account for ebbs and flows.

Seasonal ups and downs, costs of overhead, or a variety of other factors will cause changes in your income patterns. By anticipating when the money is thin, you can be ready with the budgeting changes that will keep you out of potential trouble.

6. Save a Little.

Just like your personal budget, it’s always good to have an incidentals fund. You never know what might happen. And, if nothing does, then you have more annual revenue than you were expecting. Win-win!

7. Pare down.

This is often the hardest part. Where can you reduce? Cutting your spending in one area will allow you to accumulate more money for your budgeting buckets. Really pay attention to discretionary expenses and ask yourself if you truly need it right now.

8. Compare your budget.

Take a look at how other small businesses are spending their money. Learn from their mistakes, and improve on their good ideas.

9. Price shop.

You know what you want to buy and you know how much you have budgeted toward it. Now do a little legwork to find the best price.  If you’re lucky, you budgeted more than you needed.

10. Network for discounts.

It’s all about who you know, so don’t be afraid to make use of the relationships you’ve fostered. Go through your networking list and search for ways to reduce the cost of items or services you are looking for.

11. Barter.

If exchanging your goods or services for an item that you were budgeting for is an option, do it. Bartering is an age-old way to get things done, and for good reason; it’s a win for both parties.

12. Clip coupons… really.

Buckle  down and clip coupons. Coupon-esque websites (like Groupon) offer occasional discounts for a wide variety of products and services. When possible, use them. Reinvest the change in your business.

13. Wear more hats.

You don’t have to be a handy person to step in and do more yourself so that you save on labor, and you don’t have to be an expert to troubleshoot. Youtube houses tutorials on nearly everything. If you can do it safely, give it a go.

14. Eat casseroles.

Your personal lifestyle habits will make a difference in the money you have available to reinvest in your business, so do what you can to slim down on everything from your meal plans to your Saturday night adventures.

15. Rent the space you need.

Less overhead = More revenue. Enough said.

16. Use energy saving options.

Light , heating, or water conservation tricks are available if you think outside the box. Your utility companies often have great ideas for conserving and cutting back on how much energy you are using.

17. Keep a swear jar.

Use the money you collect for a budgeting bucket. Don’t swear?  Just stop using change. If your morning coffee and muffin comes to $5.01, give them $6.00 and drop the .99 into a jar. It adds up surprisingly quickly.

18. Do brown bag lunch-and-learn trainings.

Catering costs too much, and does little to improve the quality of the training (or the attendees’ attention spans.)

19. Work the plan.

Stick to your budget. You spent all of this time evaluating, creating, and hoping. It’s up to you to run with it and make sure it works.

20. Test and Tweak.

Your budget is a living document. Pay attention. Analyze. Brainstorm potential changes. Adjust it often. A/B tests work for budgeting, too!

21. Be patient.

Putting on the hat doesn’t mean you should expect to be an accountant overnight. Your strategy and delivery will get better with time. You’ll get there!

In the end, budgeting for business is much like budgeting for your household; you have to know how much money is coming in, where it goes, and what you want to do with the excess.

Bonus: Budgeting is good for the soul, too. Improving awareness and saving for the things you want in the future builds character and forces you to value what you choose to spend money on. Increasing your revenue and improving your life? Another win-win!  

 

SEO Tips to Start Using Right Now

Posted on by Jessica Lunk

Search engine optimization (SEO) has changed a lot in the last several years. Like the Internet itself, SEO has become more sophisticated and complex. With search-engine software becoming more adept at understanding keywords from context, marketers no longer have to win the race by splashing keywords everywhere. Instead, that type of SEO is frowned upon. Google is focusing primarily on what searchers want. The new buzzword is “user intent.” If you are thinking about your prospects and customers when you market your content, then you are already sailing in the right direction. What other SEO tips will help right now?

Focus on Your Audience

Focusing on your audience in every way possible will help you beat your competition, and even better, build your audience. Fine-tune your content strategy to please your customers, answer questions that prospects have and connect your customer service directly with queries. People are doing a lot of searching on the Internet before they call or come into your shop. If you start your interactions online, then you are sailing in smooth waters.

Don’t Forget about Mobile

Customers are searching on mobile, smartphones and tablets, more than you might think. In 2014, 60% of total digital-media time spent was on mobile devices. This statistic means that your company can no longer ignore mobile SEO. Your site needs to be mobile friendly, preferably mobile responsive. You need to improve your on-page SEO to match how your mobile users see the pages on their mobile devices. This segment of the market is critical to future conversions. Google has been adding mobile into their algorithms for the last couple of years. You should too.

Links are Still Important

Although you may have heard rumors that links are passé, that rumor is patently false. Useful, relevant links from your site to additional information will build your reputation. Links coming into your site from relevant, reputable sources show Google that your content is high quality. If you have broken links on your site, then fix them. If you have links to irrelevant pages, get rid of them. However, continue to build a link network within your site and to relevant material that supports or adds value to your content. If the link will help your customer, then add it.

Track and Analyze

Good reporting software can help you understand what is working and what is not. Starting with Google Analytics, study the queries that you receive, keywords that people search when they land on your site and which areas of your site need added content. Hone your SEO strategy to find the best possible terms to rank for on Google and other search engines. If you focus on ROI instead of just ranking and keywords, you will be able to analyze your successful SEO tactics. Use your metrics to determine which keywords are driving conversions.

Coordinate SEO Efforts

Partner your SEO efforts with PPC to maximize your reach. These two channels can impact one another and complement each other. Use what you learn from both channels to improve your ROI. Have your teams compare metrics to learn which tactics can be successful across the board, and reduce the chance of duplicating efforts.

Social and SEO

While social is not always part of SEO, SEO should be considered when using social media channels. If you are marketing through Pinterest, for example, don’t forget that Pinterest pins and boards are searchable on Google. Include your keywords in pin descriptions and titles. Use SEO as a tool to engage your prospects and customers, and you will increase traffic to your site.

You don’t need to be an SEO expert to improve your strategy. Moz is an excellent resource to learn more about SEO. The Hatchbuck Resource Digest will also send SEO and marketing tips for small business straight to your inbox.