End of the Year Data Refresh: How to Get Ready for the Next School Year With BenchmarkONE’s K12 Edition Posted on June 9, 2022June 24, 2022 by Jess Lunk As a school communicator, your interactions with families are crucial to your school community. Handling a database of contacts and multiple communication channels can become difficult, but thanks to the advent of school CRMs, you can now keep parents updated with required information while easily managing your other day-to-day responsibilities. The BenchmarkONE K12 Edition does this using a simple strategy – empowering you to create attractive, on-brand school newsletters seamlessly and manage your important list of contacts all in one platform. But leveraging the software effectively is also crucial to get the most from the CRM and streamline your workflow. Now that it’s the end of the school year, it’s a great time for some maintenance to ensure your school CRM is up to date and ready for the year to come. Let’s dive into the importance of managing your school’s email list and how you can do it for more effective outreach next year and beyond. Why Is End-of-Year Email List Management Important? It never hurts to do a refresh, be it for your school’s website, your home decor, or, in this case, your K12 email list. A lot of things happen in one year – children graduate, move to another grade, and your donor list and school community grows. A yearly data refresh ensures you’re able to continue to reach out to the right contacts and send them the type of messages they are likely to interact with. But the thought of going through your entire database, contact by contact, to make sure each one is up to date would cost you precious hours you could be spending getting other things done. This is where a K12 CRM can come in handy. BenchmarkONE’s K12 Edition helps you effortlessly organize your contact list so you can: Easily track information on each of your contacts so you can identify when and where updates should be made Email the right people and send them the right content Improve deliverability and increase your email engagement and ROI Reduce manual tasks so you can avoid errors, save time and get more done Facilitate relationships with your existing community and attract the interest of new community members How To Ensure Your School’s Email Contact List is Updated List management is crucial to ensure that your email marketing is effective and that every email you send ends up in the right person’s inbox. Here are some tips for an effective end-of-year data refresh, so your email list stays up to speed. 1. Use Surveys Surveys are a great way to understand your audience better. Use the BenchmarkONE K12 Edition to create and share email surveys with your contact list to gain insight into their experiences. Ask them for updated information, or simply ask them questions that will help you understand their needs better. Be specific, but don’t make your email survey too long. Also, be selective with how often you send these out. One at the end of the year is a great way to get updated information and use the feedback to refine your procedures and protocols. 2. Use Tags and Segmentation Once you gather your survey information, you can use it to refine your email lists, grouping people with similar interests, needs, and preferences. This will allow you to send each email list personalized messages that they’ll be more inclined to find valuable. Dealing with different subscriber segments, including students, teachers, faculty, or other community members, is a big part of your job. Segmenting your email list ensures you are sending accurate messages to the right people. Using the tagging functionality, you can keep your groups organized and separated for more relevant messaging. BenchmarkONE’s K12 Edition allows you to automate this process. All you have to do is set up your emails and prompts on the front end. 3. Regularly Prune Your List Cleaning your email list regularly is a good practice to remove duplicate, uninterested, or invalid contacts from the list. But how do you do it without missing out on future opportunities? The answer to this is to “prune” your list — use deliverability methods to filter your active subscribers from the inactive ones. This tactic, along with a few others, such as A/B testing or using different times to send your emails, can increase engagement and create better deliverability. 4. Sync SIS with Your CRM Sync your newly added recipients with your student information system (SIS) and then integrate it with your CRM. Having all the contacts in a centralized, automated system ensures that no enrollment data is lost. Simplify Your Sign-Up Process to Attract New Subscribers Your CRM has the potential to not just manage existing contacts but also add new subscribers. Landing pages, pop-ups, and signup forms are some great ways to automatically add contacts to your list directly from your school’s website. By utilizing BenchmarkONE’s K12 Edition, you can create on-site forms that automatically add anyone who fills them out to your CRM. You can then add tags to these new subscribers based on their website activity and how they engage with your emails, ensuring their data is as up-to-date as possible. There’s a lot going on at the end of the school year. But the last thing you need is to start off the following year with stale contact data. Make sure you find time to give your data a refresh, and if you need some help, use BenchmarkONE’s K12 Edition to do most of the heavy lifting for you.
Steps for a Collaborative and Seamless Sales and Marketing Process Posted on June 2, 2022June 24, 2022 by Natalie Slyman Think of your sales and marketing teams as midfielders and attackers in a soccer team. For the team to score goals, two things must happen. First, players have to perform to the best of their ability, and second, they have to work as a unit. Disjointed team play ruins team performance. The story is the same with your company. If your sales and marketing teams aren’t aligned, you will not hit sales and revenue targets. However, aligning sales and marketing is easier said than done. It’s the third-biggest challenge; after lead generation and conversion. In this article, we’ll show you how to establish a collaborative sales and marketing process. Why Sales and Marketing Should Work Closely Together Aligning sales and marketing teams should be a no-brainer for any forward-thinking company. Think of it this way: The marketing team generates demand for your product. The sales team converts that demand into business. By working closely together, both teams streamline the whole sales process, eliminating hurdles that lead to deal loss. According to statistics, companies with highly-aligned sales and marketing teams grow 19% faster and are 15% more profitable. How Sales and Marketing Teams Simplify Each Other’s Work The sales team is in direct contact with your customers and prospects. They have first-hand information about your archetypal customer’s needs, pain points, interests, and preferences. Moreover, your sales team knows the solutions that customers expect. Imagine if the marketing team had this information. Marketing could create content and targeted campaigns that better resonated with the customers. The result? Increased lead generation. That’s not all: the sales team has all of the nitty-gritty details on what happens prior to deal closing that marketing teams aren’t privy to. For example, they have insights into which sources deliver higher close rates. Some of this information can help marketers improve lead qualification. Beyond attracting leads, the marketing team ought to educate and nurture the leads before passing them on to sales. Besides that, they publish content that sales can refer to and share when converting leads. Moreover, marketing continuously engages customers to learn more about them. They know when customer preferences, interests, and needs change. This information, together with competitive intel from the marketing team, helps sales suggest the most appropriate solutions to customers. Steps to a Collaborative Sales and Marketing Process One of the biggest mistakes your company can make is neglecting to bring these two crucial departments together in some way. Here are the steps to take that will align your sales and marketing teams: 1. Define Your Target Audience Sales and marketing teams define their target audience on different levels. Your marketing teams likely develop personas — fictional profiles of your ideal customers based on research data. The sales team defines your customers based on real-world experiences. The first thing when building a collaborative process is for the two teams to settle for one definition of your target audience. Get the point of view of each department and harmonize the details to get a holistic view of the customer. 2. Map the Entire Customer Journey Once the teams are on the same page, the next step is to map out the customer journey together. Begin with what each team knows. The marketing team has insights into the buyer’s journey from first contact to the moment they enter the leads funnel. The sales team has details about the journey from nurturing to deal closing. Combine this information and refine the process where necessary to come up with a unique customer lifecycle. Keep in mind that the customer journey doesn’t stop with customer purchases. Rather, it should be a continuous process that keeps customers coming back. 3. Delegate Duties and Set Goals Now, you have an outlined customer lifecycle; but how do you get the ball moving? The answer is to delegate roles and duties. Break the customer journey into stages such as awareness, consideration, purchase, retention, and advocacy. Define which team is in charge of what stage and how to do things at each of the stages. Assign the tasks to respective team members to get the best all-hands-on-deck model. You’ll need to measure performance, and that means setting goals and stipulating the key performance indicators (KPIs). Since you want the teams to work collaboratively, it’s prudent to set shared goals — such as growing deal size, or increasing the number of sales, for instance. Some KPIs to track include: Marketing qualified leads (MQLs) Sales qualified leads (SQLs) Cost per lead Cost per customer acquisition Opportunity-to-win ratio Marketing ROI Sales revenue 4. Develop an Integrated Action Plan Let’s take our previous example and pretend the shared team goal is to increase deal size. The next step is to figure out how both teams will work together to achieve that goal. As you know, to grow deal size, you have to sell value and articulate your competitive advantage. This theme should permeate through the entire customer journey. The marketing team will have this in mind when creating content and demonstrating how your product solves customers’ problems. The sales teams will also need to come up with a value-based negotiation strategy. The strategy should refer back to the value already established by the marketing team at the beginning of the customer journey. True cross-functional collaboration exists where both teams work perfectly in sync. Like a sports team, the teams should run integrated plays and coordinate the process with regular standups. To ensure this process moves as smoothly as possible, document it in an official marketing plan document. This will give your team something to refer to, and you can update it as necessary. 5. Measure Performance and Optimize Along the Way Once the integrated process is up and running, you’ll need to measure progress. If you want to grow the deal size to $25k in one year, take time after three months to measure where you are. Note what’s working and what’s not to determine where to double down your efforts. Moreover, encourage feedback and set up closed-loop reporting. For example, when you hit your deal size goal, it’s time for both teams to share their results. What did each team do that led to the achievement? Where did the teams stumble? Sharing results helps teams learn from each other and is critical when optimizing your collaboration strategy. 6. Utilize Marketing Automation Software Having marketing automation software that both teams use to help you track the progress your leads are making is invaluable for team alignment. Marketing automation software can help you keep track of a lead’s on-site activity, as well as create ways for you to capture their information so your marketing team can enroll them in drip campaigns that make the most sense for them. Get an automation software with a built-in CRM so your sales team can get to know each lead better and identify opportunities to convert them. Check out BenchmarkONE’s software plans (we even have a free plan) and get started today!
Increase Your Conversion Using Personalized Marketing Posted on May 25, 2022November 22, 2023 by Guest Author Photo by João Jesus Customers expect businesses to understand their every need. That’s why marketers take advantage of personalized marketing to communicate better with individual customers and create unique experiences. Properly implementing it into your marketing efforts will grant outstanding results. You can send the most relevant content at the ideal time per customer (prospect, new, and existing). Also, no more unwanted ads reaching uninterested customers. If you want to learn more about achieving the highest website conversion rates using personalized marketing, this article is right for you. What Is Personalized Marketing? 6+ Ways to Increase Your Conversions Using Personalized Marketing 1 Create different types of personalized marketing campaigns by channel I. Email II. Social Media III. eCommerce Sites IV. Website 2 Personalize content based on customers’ preferences A. Based on device type B. Based on the time of visit C. Based on first-time visitors D. Based on the referral source 3. Personalize text content with dynamic keywords 4. Add Personalized Call-To-Actions (CTA) 5. Personalize loyalty programs 6. Communicate in real-time Bonus: Anticipate the customers’ future needs Conclusion What Is Personalized Marketing? Marketing personalization is a strategy to create an engaging interaction between your brand and target customers. Its implementation success relies heavily on the power of data. It’s closely related to eCommerce personalization where a shopper’s experience is tailor-fitted to his needs and preferences. All data you gather is used to create compelling content and user experience. That’s why its process uses a combination of extensive data collection (including heatmaps), analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Together with SEO training, they can uncover the individual customer’s behavior, interests, habits, and more. Of course, not all data you collect is worth using or actionable. To give you a clear picture, here are the key data types you should collect and use: Behavioral data: Information about the prospects and customers’ actions, preferences, and habits Contextual data: Information regarding the customers/prospects’ behavior on the brand’s website, email campaign, or app that provides context Demographic data: Information about a person (name, profession, location, etc.) Firmographic data: Information about the business operations (name, industry, annual revenue, etc.) Taking all the right data into account, you are ready to use them to enhance experiences across all devices. 6+ Ways to Increase Your Conversions Using Personalized Marketing People are exposed to 10,000 brand messages every day. If you are wondering how your campaign can stand out, here are effective ways you can deliver conversion rate optimization (CRO). 1 Create different types of personalized marketing campaigns by channel Customers are all over the internet. So, it’s essential to identify first the marketing channels where your target customers are spending the most time. Once you have identified the channels, you can determine what type of personalized campaigns to run. Here are the popular types of marketing channels you can target, including the campaigns that work: I. Email Source: Snov Email remains the primary communication tool used by everyone on the internet. That’s why it’s not surprising that it can drive more traffic and direct conversions compared to other modes of online platforms. But of course, its success (low bounce rates) will only be delivered once the prospects find the value of your email marketing efforts. Personalizing email campaigns can undoubtedly do wonders because they allow marketers to create and send relevant content based on their customer’s unique needs and interests. You can gather all the information you need through sign-up forms. The sign-up forms are usually embedded into your website, but you can also include them on your blog posts, landing pages, and social media campaigns. Once you have gathered all data, you may select the type of campaign to use. A few of the popular campaigns available are listed as follows: Newsletter Seasonal campaign Cart abandonment campaign Transactional email Sponsorship email Follow-up to a purchase email series Re-engagement campaign (dedicated for inactive subscribers) Promotional copy Infographics You can also personalize your email campaign to announce your new product offer formally. You can present the services offered with their details or showcase their benefits. Voices, an audio creative talent platform is an excellent example of the latter option. Source: Voices Make the most of your personalized email campaigns by adding stylized visuals like images, videos, colors, and fonts. II. Social Media Another platform where people spend the most time is social media sites. As of writing, there are 4.62 billion users and growing. Source: Hootsuite Social media marketing campaigns are ideal if your main objective is to gather customers’ responses or answer their questions fast and effectively. Like email campaigns, personalized social media campaigns require you to create valuable content to drive engagement and increase conversion rates. You can get all the data you need through social analytics and KPIs (key performance indicators). Social analytics provide insights into the platform’s content that creates the most buzz. On the other hand, the social media KPIs allow you to analyze better and understand how well content performs on each platform. Since social media platforms have different purposes, you also need to understand how people interact with each platform. Let’s take media sharing sites, for example. Users engage with these sites through high-quality images and videos. Therefore, it’s recommended to equip your social media campaigns with amazing videos or images relevant to your brand. Creating original images and videos is essential. But if you don’t have ample time to build from scratch, you can use royalty-free image/video. Don’t forget to include custom and relatable messages so your prospects can easily understand your intention. I will take Preset Love, an image enhancement provider as an example. All videos and images they share focus on their mission to speed up editing and make every photo picture perfect. You can also run polls, surveys, or contests to make the campaign interactive. Other types of social media content you can create that guarantee to receive the most social shares are educational and inspirational content. III. eCommerce Sites eCommerce personalization is crucial in keeping your customers loyal and happy to your brand and products. Truth be told, 45% of online shoppers state that they are more likely to engage on eCommerce sites that implement personalization. So, how can you optimize your customers’ personalized shopping experience? There are multiple ways to do it, and as always, it starts with data collection. Compared to the last two personalized marketing campaigns, there are more data points you need to gather and consider. Here are a few of the critical data points you should look out for: On-site interactions (product, checkout, and category page visits) Personal information (name, gender, and location) Paid media Pricing Purchases Site search Traffic (new and returning) Traffic sources (email, referral URL, etc.) Conversion funnel The next stage is organizing the data points and grouping them into smaller segments. You can use Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, and other audience segmentation tools to do the job right. I will take personal data points as an example to give you a clear picture. You can create data segments for names, genders, and locations. Successfully doing so will help you personalize campaigns for the following: Welcome and Thank You messages for every purchase or sign up On-site popups On-site and email product recommendations You can also personalize push notifications, so every user group will receive announcements that suit their interests. Creating customer personas can help you pinpoint who and where your target audience is plus what value propositions to leverage. The persona represents a specific audience segment that shares similar shopping behavior. You can create one based on the data gathered from your site analytics and actual conversation with your customers. If these data aren’t enough, you can conduct surveys and interviews to gather deeper insights. Aside from the campaign’s content, you should also personalize pricing. There are two options available: customize by traffic segments or use an automated pricing tool. IV. Website There are 1.18+ billion websites available on the world wide web today. Therefore, the competition gets tighter as time passes. Personalization helps optimize your website (most especially the homepage) to pique the potential customers’ interest instantly. You can use personalization to localize the content and user interface to match the website visitors’ preferences. Implementing a multilingual eCommerce platform further enhances personalization by breaking down language barriers and catering to a global customer base. Other ways you can use website personalization will depend on the data types you have gathered. There are eight essential data types you should consider: Location Technology (mobile, desktop, tablet, and screen resolution) Traffic sources Third-party data (comes from data management platform) User behavior (clicks, page views, etc.) CRM data Time Web page users often land on These data help you create dynamic content and build a practical layout. Source: Clearbit Unlike the previous, website personalization focuses solely on user experience and relies heavily on custom web developers. The marketing campaigns you can run will vary on the intended digital marketing goal – acquisition, monetization, or engagement. 2 Personalize content based on customers’ preferences High-quality and compelling content is the heart of your marketing campaigns. Personalizing each content can build more trust and develop strong relationships. The good news is content personalization isn’t limited to the type of marketing campaign you run and channels you manage. You can also tailor them using various actionable customer data that your analytics detected like: A. Based on device type Today’s advanced technology allows users to access and engage content on different devices (mobile, desktop, and tablet). Therefore, you need to create content that suits all devices’ unique screen resolution and overall user experience. The slow loading speed can adversely impact users’ engagement with your content. It’s recommended to optimize your images and videos, minimize redirects, and eliminate unnecessary plugins. B. Based on the time of visit Identifying the exact time of audience visits provides many opportunities for your content. One good example is when you’re running limited-time offers. As your audience accesses the content, you can detect if their exact time setting is close to the time of your offer. If so, you can increase the sense of urgency to engage them to participate. You can even add discounts and other forms of incentives to increase the conversion. C. Based on first-time visitors Making a first impression that lasts is achievable but challenging. One effective way to do it is personalizing the content in a way you can educate first-time visitors about the business and brand. You can use the standard text form or video popups to make it more appealing. Source: Poptin Banners are ideal for highlighting your best-selling products. If you want to know more about first-time visitors, you can conduct surveys to understand their interests and intent. Also, you can collect their email addresses through an online form. D. Based on the referral source People discover a brand in different ways. They may encounter it on ads, recommendations of social influencers, case studies, or testimonials and social proof from other websites. If you’re thinking of creating one content for all, I suggest you stop. You must personalize your content and campaign based on the referral source for consistency. Let’s say someone clicks the link for letterpress stamp fonts on an influencer’s social media. The content on the landing page should be designed solely for the said influencer’s audience. 3. Personalize text content with dynamic keywords The dynamic keyword is the element you can add to your text content to address users individually. It’s in the form of a code where you must include a specific user’s attribute. The code will automatically be replaced with the most appropriate value when the condition is met. A few of the attributes you can add are listed as follows: Personal information Geolocation In-site, email, and shopping activities details Both Google and Bing offer dynamic keyword insertion (DKI). But I will focus more on Google DKI to show how it works. The snippet of code you need to insert looks like this: {KeyWord:Chocolate}. When the customers look for a search term relevant to your dynamic keyword (milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, etc.), Google Ads will instantly replace the code into your content. You can use marketing automation tools to save time in implementation. It’s also recommended to create a unique landing page for each rather than giving a generic page. 4. Add Personalized Call-To-Actions (CTA) CTAs are made to do one job – keep visitors engaged in your brand or website. It’s usually in the form of a hyperlink or button and contains an action phrase to lead the visitor to take the next step. You can add it to online channels, marketing campaigns, and content. The action phrase is the key to its success. Ensure to create short, precise, and actionable text with a sense of urgency. The acceptable length is between five to seven words. Placement also holds a vital role in its efficacy. It would be best if you placed it to a section with high visibility, such as: Top portion of the webpage End of the blog post (middle section for a long-formed blog post) Sidebar Above the fold Welcome popup message You can use A/B testing to test CTA buttons before publishing them live. You can also measure its performance using analytics. The data points you should look at are click-through rate, clicks to submission, and views to submission. 5. Personalize loyalty programs A customer loyalty program is another marketing strategy that you can personalize to encourage customers to return. It’s usually offered to customers so they will feel comfortable sharing their purchasing habits. Some of the perks you can provide are coupons, discounts, and other limited-time promotions. You can apply personalization in the registration process. Save your visitors’ time by replacing lengthy processes with a one-page signup form. You should also personalize a centralized page to track their rewards history quickly. 6. Communicate in real-time Human interaction is the most effective way to convince a prospect to convert into a customer. That’s why most consumers stay loyal to brands that offer reliable live chat and phone support. You can apply personalization by popping a welcoming message when the visitor has landed on your website. Provide them with recommendations on topics and product offers that they can access inside the site. You can also push an online form to let them join as a subscriber or ask for feedback to improve your content. Offering multilingual support is well-appreciated to ensure that all visitors (no matter what language they speak) can understand your content. Bonus: Anticipate the customers’ future needs Personalized marketing doesn’t stop when you finally satisfy your customers’ expectations and needs. It’s continuous work to ensure your campaigns quickly adapt to the ever-changing customers’ needs. Now that you know and understand all customers’ vital information, habits, and behavior, you have the advantage of predicting what’s next to come. Let’s take customers who purchased a car, for example. You can create various campaigns to offer them insurances, maintenance services, add-ons (accessories), and other products/services that they find valuable. Conclusion Conversion rate optimization for more sales is only a few of the many benefits of well-implemented marketing personalization. It isn’t to achieve, so creating an effective personalized marketing strategy is necessary to streamline the process. Since personalization’s success relies heavily on good data, you need to use robust analytics tools (web and social) to reveal crucial metrics and trends. It’s ideal to choose tools with advanced algorithms to refine your personalization. You can collect and track as much customer information as you need, but make sure to respect their privacy. The moment you show how much you care about their privacy especially due care of their contact information, the more you will build trust. Continuous optimization and testing of your campaigns are also vital. Here, you can identify all areas that can help you build more interest, engagement, and loyalty. Other tools you can use to maximize your marketing personalization are data management platforms (DPM) and customer relationship management software (CRM). Author Bio Burkhard Berger is the founder of Novum™. Follow Burkhard on his journey from $0 to $100,000 per month. He’s sharing everything he learned in his income reports on Novum™ so you can pick up on his mistakes and wins.
How to Secure Financing for Your Small Business Posted on May 24, 2022October 16, 2024 by Tricia O'Donnell Photo by Yan Krukov The U.S Department of Labor’s JOLT January 2022 report reiterates that “The Great resignation” is not slowing down anytime soon, as almost 4.3 million people have quit their jobs. The after-effects of the pandemic and the rise of remote work have significantly impacted the labor market. Many people who quit their jobs aren’t searching for new jobs. Instead, they have ventured into businesses of their own. The U.S. Census Bureau’s data graph for business applications shows a significant jump in 2020. Importance of Finance to Small Businesses Smooth Business Operations Business Growth Profit maximization: Ways to Secure Finance for Your Small Business Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFI) Crowdfunding Grants Micro-financing (MFI) Peer-to-peer lending: Importance of Finance to Small Businesses Finance keeps everything going for any small business – from purchasing raw materials to processing, production, and distribution. Business finance should be at the top of mind for any small business owners. Here is why: Smooth Business Operations With excellent staff and high-quality products, your business still needs finance to keep business operations running smoothly. Bills have to be paid, employees are entitled to remuneration, and production needs to continue to meet demands. All of this is only made possible if there is finance available to facilitate the smooth day-to-day running of your business. Business Growth Every small business owner dreams of growing at a steady pace until they hit their business expansion goal. Growth can cover increasing production capacity, increasing customer base, or expanding to other business activities, or even into new markets. Without a suitable financing structure, business growth can become nearly impossible for your small business, which could make it difficult to keep up with your competitors. Profit maximization: There’s a general saying that goes like this: “You have to spend money to make money.” This statement is very relevant for many small businesses. The amount of money you invest into your business can directly impact the profit you make. When there is little money to spend on purchasing high-quality raw materials, marketing, sales, and other business activities that affect revenue, it can be hard to hit the profit mark you desire for your business. Let’s face it: financing is the life-blood of many small businesses, especially in their early stages, and can be critical to helping newer small businesses to succeed in a crowded market. Read on to find out more about how to secure the financing that your small business needs. Ways to Secure Finance for Your Small Business Here are some alternative financing methods that you could consider: Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFI) CDFIs refer to private institutions that provide affordable lending options and funds for low-income earners, small businesses, and disadvantaged communities that need capital investment. Although CDFIs also consider businesses with good credit scores before granting access to financing, they are more considerate in their approach, unlike most traditional banks that reject many startup businesses for low credit scores. Crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the process of raising funds for business ventures from people via online platforms. The benefit is that you do not need to seek out capital from a single investment source or individual, but rather, you can cast a wider net. Some common crowdfunding platforms include Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Crowd Supply. In January 2021, Kickstarter raised over $5.6 billion worth of business finance for 197,425 tech and creative business projects. Grants The government and institutions that support the government’s vision through grants provide funding to businesses that meet certain requirements. Grant recipients must agree to the terms and conditions to get the funds. You can find grants from the government at Grants.gov. Grants are technically free but are more competitive, usually take time, and the process can be long and slow. Remember to check the eligibility criteria for available grants to ensure your business qualifies before getting started with time-consuming applications. Micro-financing (MFI) Micro-finance institutions provide loans for individuals and small businesses with no access to traditional banks, or which otherwise do not meet the conventional bank loan requirements. It is also referred to as micro-loan or micro funds. Although MFIs mostly give out loans for productive purposes, they also sometimes provide business guidance on utilizing the loans for maximum business results. An example of a microfinance institution is Kabbage, which offers loan options of up to $50000. Peer-to-peer lending: Peer-to-peer lending, also known as P2P lending, usually happens on finance platforms that link entrepreneurs with individuals or enterprises willing to provide the financing they need. P2P lending offers funding without the need for a third party or intermediary. Lenders and the recipients transact directly. Examples of P2P lending platforms are Lendio, Lending Club, Prosper, and Funding circle. Getting a small business up and running without adequate finance is tough, and we hope that this list gives you some ideas on where you can start with looking for the funding you need. But securing funding is just one step in building a successful company. We know that running a small business can be overwhelming, and that’s why we created BenchmarkONE. Our sales and marketing software is designed for small business owners like you to run campaigns, capture leads, and measure results. Are you ready to hit the ground running? Sign up for a free BenchmarkONE account to get started.
10 Tips To Write Effective Subject Lines For Email Marketing Posted on May 19, 2022May 19, 2022 by Guest Author Photo by Christina Morillo Email marketing is one of the very few marketing trends that has been around for several years but still hasn’t lost its charm. Despite being one of the oldest, email marketing is among the most effective marketing strategies in 2022. Studies have proven that emails can get you an astonishing 42% higher ROI than other prevalent marketing channels. Indeed, this channel is impeccable for gaining maximal ROI with a minimal budget. But, what good is the power of email marketing if your emails never really reach your targeted consumers? This incredible channel can quickly turn into a loss-making marketing landscape if not utilized correctly. Hence, a well-structured layout is paramount for your email marketing to succeed. In this article, we will talk about optimizing one of the most important aspects of email marketing strategies, i.e. subject lines. Do you want to make sure that your email is clicked and read? Compelling email subject lines are the key to making that happen! Read along to understand how important email subject lines are and what are some practical ways to make them more powerful. Let us dive right in! Email Subject Lines- Why are they important? To begin with, the “email subject line” is the only thing that your recipients will see when they receive the email. Therefore, if this line is not catchy or essential enough, they will not bother opening the mail. Powerful email subject lines impact the readers and motivate them to open the mail. They play a colossal role in determining whether or not your email marketing efforts will pay off. Think about your inbox. Which emails do you prefer to open, and which ones are in the trash? By doing so, you’ll get to know that subconsciously the majority of the readers judge the mail by subject line. Research suggests that nearly 47% of the recipients open emails solely based on subject lines. That is almost half of your email list. Therefore, it is crucial to craft your subject lines mindfully to prevent your emails from ending up unread or, worse, in the spam folder. There are a plethora of practices to make your subject lines better and to ensure that your mail is opened. Let’s have a look at some of the most effective ones. 10 Actionable Tips To Craft Better Subject Lines For Email Marketing Stay Away From Spam Words Aggressive promotion and overtly sales-y subject lines can send you straight to the spam folders. One of the most common hazards of email marketing is using spamming subject matter like all caps alphabets, multiple exclamation marks, and over the top sales words like ‘buy now’ or ‘free free free. Try and focus on sharing valuable content with your target audience. You can share valuable information with them, make them aware of your products/services and offers and engage with them to build brand loyalty. Create A Sense Of Urgency The most effective way to draw someone’s immediate attention is to create a sense of urgency. If your email is regarding an offer or sale, try and mention the window of time in your subject line. This will motivate the readers to read the detailed description and take prompt action if they are interested in your products/services. This practice can also be beneficial when promoting an offer/ sale with a series of emails. However, it’s essential not to flood your readers’ inboxes with subject lines creating a false state of emergency. This will increase your chances of ending up in the spam folder. Experiment With Teaser Subject Lines Have you ever noticed that most people love movie trailers but not AD commercials? Audiences often find previews intriguing, and they create a sense of curiosity amongst them. Now apply the same concept to email subject lines. Craft teaser subject lines to spark the interest of your readers rather than giving away the punchline right at the beginning. However, you still need to ensure that your subject is not vague and doesn’t leave your readers confused. For, e.g. ‘destination weddings … read what the hype is all about. This subject line does both; it hooks the readers and informs what the email is about. However, not all individuals respond well to preview. Some prefer specific subjects, and here’s where the next tip comes into play. Be Direct As mentioned above, some individuals respond best to direct and precise subject lines. If you want your audience to take a specific action like purchasing a product or enrolling on an event with your email marketing campaign, don’t hesitate to mention that in your subject line. These straightforward subjects not only motivate readers to open the email but also inspire them to take action, pushing them forward on your sales methodology. Include numbers & Figures The majority of the businesses send an email with vague statements as their subject lines. In this scenario, you can stand apart from the crowd by using data and numbers in your subject lines. Using numbers in your subject line, like in your blog title, is an excellent email marketing best practice. You may use numbers to announce specific discounts, the numerical advantage of a resource you’re giving, or the purchase price of a product Some great examples of subject lines with numbers are as follows – “Join over 750 people at this event!” , “25% on this clothing brand”, “Buy your favorite pair of jeans now at $20”, etc. Leverage The Power Of Personalization Personalization is a powerful tool. It excites your readers and creates a sense of belonging in their minds. Data suggests that using particulars like location and name in the subject lines will increase your click-through rates significantly and helps create a rapport between your business and targeted consumers. However, it can be pretty challenging to personalize emails for a long email list. We recommend considering email marketing CRMs to make the job easier for you. Make Announcements If your company has something new coming up, channel that enthusiasm and let it reflect in your subject line. Let your readers know what your business is up to; it makes them feel like they are among the first people to know about the special offers. When you can’t utilize personalization, special announcement emails are an excellent alternative for you to build a sense of belonging and improve brand loyalty. Begin With Action-Oriented Words By adding an inspiring action verb at the beginning of your subject line, you can make your emails enticing and drastically improve your click-through rate. Practicing this approach will serve two purposes mentioned above, i.e. creating urgency and sparking enthusiasm with a teaser. E.g. using a subject line like ‘ Dine 50 meters above ground level at Sky Dining, Dubai’ rather than using generic words like ‘bringing a sky dining experience to you’. The word ‘dine’ helps users envision a dining experience and inspires them to take the necessary action. Highlight Multimedia In Your Subject Line We all know that videos are a great tool to engage with your audience. Adding a presentation, video or podcast can make your content more engaging and keep your audience hooked up with the brand. However, It is a lesser-known fact that the mere mention of words like ‘video’ or other multimedia in the email subject line can increase your click-through rate by 50%. So, if you have included media in your email, do not forget to mention that in your subject line. Analyze Your Results The tips mentioned above have proven effective for several businesses; however, not all companies are the same, nor are their email marketing plans. Therefore, every business needs to analyze which subject lines are working best for their specific audience by measuring click-through rates, responses, conversion rates etc. Try out different strategies and analyze the specifics to determine what works best for you. Some of the most important factors to consider are – Long or short subject line. Including a number or not including numbers Catchy lines or direct subject lines. Numbers or questions Signing Off With the tips mentioned above, you are all set to optimize your subject lines and bring in more business with email marketing. Crafting email subject lines by following the points in this article will help your emails get the traction they deserve and ensure that you get the most out of your money, time and resources invested in email marketing. Apart from that, we recommend putting yourself in your readers’ shoes and trying to understand which subject lines will inspire them to open the email. If you cannot get desired outcomes from your email marketing practices even after optimizing your subject line, you can invest in a professional email marketing CRM that helps you create qualified subject lines, run campaigns efficiently, measure email marketing stats and a lot more. ____________________________________________________________________________ Shraddha Patel Shraddha Patel is an ardent writer at SaaS Brothers who generates best-in-class posts on a wide range of SaaS tools & techniques. She also produces well-researched and factual posts on strategic solutions for SaaS.
What is Brand Awareness? Everything You Need to Know. Posted on May 10, 2022August 9, 2022 by Natalie Slyman Brand awareness. You’ve heard it, you’ve talked about it, you’ve strived for it. You may have even waxed poetic about it in an all-hands-on-deck meeting discussing new marketing initiatives. But while brand awareness is certainly one of those terms we’ve all heard and talked about, pinning down exactly what it means — and thus, how to achieve it — is often easier said than done. Here’s the thing: in order to succeed, you need people to know your brand. Among consumers, 59 percent prefer to buy new products from brands they already know. Just as important, however, is being a small business brand that people know and trust. Your brand awareness success is inherently tied to brand perception, integrity, and trustworthiness; all of these things play a key role in appealing to new customers and keeping existing ones. Brand awareness is a simple concept but a challenging task that requires more than just effective content distribution. So, we’ve put together this quick refresher on what brand awareness looks like and why it’s so beneficial — plus various ways of making it happen. What is Brand Awareness? Brand awareness refers to your brand’s familiarity among consumers and industry peers. It encompasses everything from your logo and products to your reputation and history. There are a lot of benefits to strong brand awareness. When you get a cut on your finger, for example, do you go to the store looking for adhesive bandages, or do you go to the store looking for Band-Aids? When you and a friend are trying to settle an argument, do you say, “let’s look it up online,” or do you say, “let’s Google it”? Our perception of brands and what they can do for us colors our behaviors as we make purchasing decisions and can instantly make a certain product or service more attractive than its competitors. That’s an excellent place to be in for a brand, and all companies should ultimately be striving to be the Band-Aids or Google of their respective fields when it comes to brand recognition. While we won’t all get there, making brand awareness a front-and-center concern is a good way to ensure you take action on strategies that will help you increase your ubiquity and authority among consumers. Why is Brand Awareness Important? Brand awareness is an integral part of a business that cements trust and credibility with consumers — it’s the deciding factor between why consumers will pick your business over your competitors. You build on brand recognition amongst customers and target audiences, customer loyalty, and brand credibility with brand awareness. Beyond setting yourself apart amongst customers, brand awareness helps you stay consistent in your communication with your target audience, which boosts the confidence of your brand and business. Brand Awareness and the Buyer’s Journey As marketers, we spend a lot of time and effort on our bottom-of-the-funnel strategies, creating content and campaigns driven to snag that all-important sale. But brand awareness lives primarily at the top of the funnel, and it’s just as critical to sustainable success. Every prospect needs to start somewhere. At the “awareness” stage, a prospect has a problem and needs a solution for it. Where that solution comes from depends on which brands are either already on their radar or are able to get on their radar — and both of those things require targeted brand awareness. Of course, very few brands make it into the coveted spot of household names. But getting there isn’t a necessity. Awareness exists on a spectrum, from completely unaware to very aware. Your brand awareness strategies at the top of the funnel should be based on your target audience’s general level of awareness, with various techniques to appeal to consumers on either end of the spectrum. How to Build Brand Awareness Freemium Offers Give potential customers a taste of your premium and enterprise solutions or products. Freemium offers give interested prospects a sneak peek into what your product or service is about – an opportunity for them to try it before they buy it. You can take this further by adding a credit to your brand for the freemium offer. This means that you are getting your brand in front of new audiences who may opt for your premium or enterprise offerings for every share, service, or product use. Referral programs Advancements in digital technology and advertising have changed how word-of-mouth marketing is done. However, it is still an important way of building your brand awareness. When satisfied customers spread the gospel of your good business, excellent products, and services, you have the power of social proof on your side. With referral programs, your customers pitch your products or services to those in their circle in return for a reward that you are willing to give. Referral programs increase your brand awareness credibly and get you more sales and ultimately more business revenue. Social Media Marketing Don’t ignore social media marketing in building your brand awareness. With billions of active social media users and new social media platforms springing up from time to time, it is a great channel to quickly get your brand known and in front of the right audience. It would be almost impossible to set up a presence on every social media platform. Hence, it is best to stick with one or two where a large number of your target audience converge. You can create content that speaks to your audience directly, which will help spread awareness about your brand. Podcasts Build your brand awareness while establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry with podcasts. You get to develop valuable business relationships with other experts in your field as you invite them to share their thoughts on your business podcast. Also, you open your brand to new audiences as you partner with other experts on various content. With podcasts, your audience enjoys the valuable and actionable content you provide them with, while your brand enjoys the increased brand awareness. Methods of Achieving Brand Awareness Your biggest goal with brand awareness: be the solution that your target audience turns to when they have a problem. And everything from your content strategy to your ad strategy should be focused on getting there. Here are some ways to do it. SEO & Content marketing – anticipate the intent of buyer personas and the keywords they are likely to search for when looking for your product or service. Then, create SEO-driven content targeting those keywords that help ensure you’re one of the first few results when someone searches for a relevant solution. Optimize the pages of your website with relevant keywords to ensure that it shows up in search results when potential customers conduct searches with the exact keywords or related ones. Guest-contributed content – Lend your insight to other publications to help establish thought leadership in your field. Guest contributed content introduces your brand to new audiences, which means more eyes for your business. Do not create wishy-washy guest-contributed content to have something to put up on other websites. On the contrary, the content you contribute via guest-posting should be thoughtful, valuable, and engaging to the targeted audience. First impressions are important, and you want to make a lasting one on the new set of eyes that will learn about your brand. Awards/recognition/press – Get involved in your industry and participate in platforms and events that help elevate your brand name. Sponsor events that align with your company values, industry, and business goals. Audiences that attend events are highly qualified and specialized – getting your brand in front of them is a great way to build your brand awareness. Cement this by distributing branded freebies to the attendants. Your brand benefits from brand awareness and some word-of-mouth marketing from attendants who want to associate with sponsors of the events they attend. Digital advertising – Plan an ad strategy that gets your solution in front of your target audience even before they’re ready to search for it. Social media campaigns & Contests – Amp up your social media presence to reach and engage with a larger pool of potential prospects. Organize regular social media contests to keep your brand trending and increase social mentions. Webinars – Host webinars to help boost your brand authority and partner with similar (but non-competing) brands to tap into each other’s consumer base. Review sites – Make sure you have a positive reputation online by encouraging reviews among satisfied customers and appropriately responding to (and, if possible, resolving) negative reviews when they do pop up. Tips for Measuring Success Like other marketing metrics, a great way to ensure you are going in the right direction is to measure your brand awareness. However, unlike other marketing metrics, you may not get accurate figures, but you can gauge your activities and determine if your brand is going in the right direction. Brand awareness can be measured quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative Measuring Quantitative measuring focuses on numbers that give you an idea of how well your brand is faring. The numbers to focus on are: Direct website traffic Site traffic numbers Social engagement Qualitative Measuring Qualitative measuring may not provide accurate figures but gives you an overview of your brand awareness efforts. Some activities to focus on for qualitative measuring include, Social listening Conducting surveys Setting up Google alerts for brand mentions Brand awareness isn’t a one-and-done type of strategy. You need to incorporate all of the tactics above to ensure that you’re covering all of your bases, treating each one like the thing that will make or break your efforts. From there, create surveys for existing customers to see how they came to discover your brand and use that information to bolster your efforts and bring on more brand awareness success.
The Basics of Small Business Branding Posted on May 5, 2022 by Jess Lunk Photo by Marcus Murphy As a small business owner trying to gain more visibility, adopting a strategy for your branding is essential in scaling up your productivity and profitability. If you’re concerned that you need a huge budget to get your branding on point, don’t worry: we have you covered. Head to our previous post discussing branding your small business on a budget. This piece will cover the basic but important aspects that you need to focus on when branding your small business. 5 Tips to Launch Your Small Business Brand Establish a look and feel As you start to build a brand identity, it is crucial to consider how your brand will look to your customers, and the feelings that you want your brand to evoke. Try starting here… Describe your business in three words State your unique value proposition or what you are known for Explain your business’s values and core mission Define your business goals and the difference you hope to make in the industry Providing clear answers to the above will help you establish your brand’s look and feel, and decide on the emotions that you want to evoke. Once you’re clear on these messages, they can be infused into your branding for uniqueness and authenticity. Develop your brand identity – Colors, Logo, Fonts, Brand Guidelines Once you’ve established your brand’s identity and the feelings that you want to be associated with it, it is time to put a visual stamp on that identity. To do this, you’ll need to focus on the following. Brand Colors – The color is the first thing people notice about your brand, making it integral to your brand recognition. The colors you settle for should align with the feelings and emotions you have identified with your business, as colors can trigger emotions. Logo – The logo is a pictorial representation of your brand, and just like your brand colors, it is an important part of your brand identity. Your logo is the design that will act as a base for all other visual assets for your business. Fonts – Choose the fonts to be associated with your brand, and make sure that you use them consistently across all channels and messaging. Brand Guidelines – The brand guidelines brings together all the assets that make up your brand identity in one cohesive piece. The goal is to ensure that your visual assets are utilized effectively and professionally in all contexts. A great brand identity will increase your brand’s value, promote consistency, and help your brand to look professional across all channels. Roll Out Brand Materials with your Creative Assets Get everyone on board with your creative assets and brand identity. Even if you are a small company, everyone on your team needs to understand your brand’s mission and identity. Brand the following materials with your visual assets to further cement your brand identity. Internal Materials – Create/recreate your employee handbook, mission statement, training materials, memo/newsletter template, etc. External Materials – Update external business materials such as eBooks, proposals, pitch decks, company brochures, and company newsletters in accordance with your new brand identity. Choose a Brand Tone and Voice How your brand communicates with your target audience is just as important as the effort you put into coming up with the creatives for your brand identity. Depending on your brand’s values and identity, you can choose to be professional, cheerful, assertive, quirky, fun, or a mixture of any of these. The brand’s tone and voice should be used in all content you put out, as it is one of the ways to build a unique personality for your brand that your audience can identify with and engage with. Develop Content and Verbiage for your Website Your brand’s website is your shop window that introduces your business to your target audience and potential customers. A brand website helps you to establish what your brand does, what it stands for, and why you are different from others in your industry. Your brand identity should shine through on your website, and your brand’s tone of voice should be clear and consistent. Implementing these essential tips will help you to perfect your small business brand’s identity in no time. And once you’re all set with your brand identity, you can start to focus on other aspects of your business. At Benchmark, we can help small business owners like you to craft beautiful email campaigns, build landing pages, capture leads, and track results. Are you ready to share your all-new brand identity with new potential clients? Contact us to find out how we can help.
Marketing Research Methods: What is Content Testing And How to Do It Right? Posted on May 4, 2022 by Guest Author Photo by lilartsy Marketing is a wide field, covering many disciplines as part of a bigger picture. One big area is research, and within that sits content testing as a niche discipline. But what exactly is content testing? It’s a form of research that allows marketers to find out whether their content is on point. Does their IoT software development resonate with their readers? Is the content easy to read and understand, and is it helpful? Content testing, in other words, is a method we can use to ascertain if the content meets the users’ needs. What are the benefits of testing your content? Some benefits of testing your content include: Obtaining an independent, impartial assessment of your content Ensuring content makes sense Accelerating innovation Checking content is easy to digest and understand Identifying any gaps in your content Collating feedback before launching content, saving time and money What content should you test? Image source Everything linked to your product should be tested. This includes product descriptions, all relevant content marketing, product titles, and every word of content on your website. Even product filtering options and error messages should be tested. Which aspects of your content should you test? Now that we’ve covered the what, let’s go through the aspects of your content we should be testing. Readability: Is your content tailored for your target market? Is it aligned correctly? Is it dyslexia-friendly? Is there a text-to-speech function that people can use if necessary? Readability is all about the structure of your content, whether it’s easy to read through or not. A good way to assess the readability of text is by seeing if you can scan through it and pick up the main points. Comprehension: Is your content easy to understand? Is everything explained simply and clearly, or does it feel too archaic or veer away from the important stuff? Is it free of any unnecessary jargon? Your readers should be able to understand your content with ease. Grammar: Is your content free of typos? Is it grammatically accurate? This aids readability but also makes you look professional. It makes sense to have your content checked over by a proofreader and use software like Grammarly for this purpose. Usability: Is your content of use to the reader? Do they get anything from reading it? Is it useful? Your content needs to be worth reading, not just filler. Voice: Is the tone of the text appropriate for the context, or does it include too much personal opinion as an example? Knowing the audience that the content is intended for helps to strike the right tone. 4 Content testing methods There are many different content testing methods out there, but we will cover four solid ones here that you could use before distributing your content to a wider audience. Highlighter test Image source This test is quite beautiful in its simplicity. In it, participants are given two (or more) highlighters, and their task is to work through the text, highlighting parts of the content that makes them feel positive about the product in one color, and parts that make them feel hesitant about the product in another color. It’s a very easy and old-school method to give you a good idea of what is and isn’t working in your text. You can introduce other colors to the mix to represent other emotions about the product; just don’t go overboard to avoid overwhelming the reader (and the researchers). Benefits of this method: Find out how your readers feel about your content Drawbacks of this method: Less of a focus on comprehension Cloze test The Cloze test is also very simple, which like the highlighter test makes it a cost-effective method for testing content. The Cloze test aims to see how comprehensible a piece of content is, like a fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) info sheet, for instance. You remove every fifth or sixth word from a text and ask participants if they can still understand what the text is saying. If they can accurately guess the missing word 60% of the time or more, then the text passes the Cloze test. Here’s an example: “In a sense we have ___ to our Nation’s Capital to ___ a check. When the architects ___ our great republic wrote the ___ words of the Constitution and ___ Declaration of Independence, they were ___ a promissory note to which ____ American was to fall heir. ___ note was a promise that ___ men, yes, black men as ___ as white men, would be ___ the inalienable rights of life ___ and the pursuit of happiness.” -Martin Luther King Jr, 1963 Do you think this passes the Cloze test? Benefits of this method: Great for assessing comprehension of the text. Drawbacks of this method: It doesn’t tell us if the content is useful. 5-second test The five-second test is a little different from the Cloze and Highlighter tests, as it relies on quick, first impressions. The users look at the content for five seconds, after which they’re asked a series of questions about the product. Questions should start off general, such as “what is the product used for?”, “how would you describe the product?” or “who would use this product?”. You can then delve into more detailed questions, like “how much do you think this product costs?”, or “how easy is this product to use?”. The questions would be tailored to the content you want to test, whether it’s five seconds of an advertisement, five seconds to look at a picture, or five seconds to scan through a description text. Benefits of this method: A good way to find out whether the meaning jumps out at the user or not. Drawbacks of this method: Not a deep analysis. A/B Testing Statistic Source A/B testing is our fourth content testing method. In this scenario, users are often not aware that their behavior is being monitored. Online services like Instagram, Amazon, or Netflix can use this method because they have a large sample size of users online, and they can easily make alterations to their content and measure the differences. In A/B testing, two versions of the same content are given to users and how they respond to the content is measured and monitored. For example, Netflix could give some users live, automatic trailers when users hover over a movie title and give other users just the still image. Netflix can then measure which of the two groups is more likely to click through and watch that movie. Through researching human behavior on such a colossal scale, these companies can hone in on what people most enjoy and are willing to pay for. Benefits of this method: Unbiased since users don’t know they’re being monitored. Drawbacks of this method: Not as useful for smaller companies who don’t have a large, statistically significant base of users. The steps for developing your test plan If you’re wondering “but what is a test plan?” we’ll delve into how to create one here. Define your goals Image source The first thing we should do is define our goals and testing metrics. What is it we want to learn about our content? How much of it do we want to test? Perhaps we want to know if the content is easy to read and understand, or whether it’s useful for the intended purpose. Whatever we want to learn will dictate the method(s) we use. Choose method With our goals decided, we now choose our method. This choice will depend on goals, the type of content, our budget, and sample size. Many content testing methods can be adapted for different formats. For example, the Cloze test can be used in videos where every fifth or sixth word is bleeped out rather than erased. Create test Next, you need to prepare your test. Get your content ready, procuring any equipment and office space for the test. Test internally Next, you want to test internally. This will do two things; First, it will give your team the chance to identify any flaws in the test and method before you launch. Second, it will give you a framework as a foundation of expected outcomes against which you can compare your actual results from participants. This is a good way to identify our own biases when it comes to content. Reach out to participants Image source Now, you can either advertise your test to find participants, ask existing users directly or simply prepare to monitor user behavior. Carry out the test and analyze the results Once you’ve carried out your test, make sure to collate and organize the results in a format that makes them easy to read and disseminate. Use graphics for simple comprehension of the results, and write a report with your findings. Your report should include suggestions for improvements, such as the use of an empathy map to enhance the customer experience. Content testing is as easy as A/B… Content testing is essential for marketing, and with the advent of the internet and access to so much human behavioral data and affordable SEO services, conducting such tests and finding respondents has become really simple. Content testing can be conducted by companies of any size, provided there are users to give their opinions. Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into how you can conduct your own content tests. Kate Priestman – Head Of Marketing, Global App Testing Kate Priestman is the Head of Marketing at Global App Testing, a trusted and leading end-to-end functional testing solution for QA challenges. Kate has over eight years of experience in the field of marketing, helping brands achieve exceptional growth. She has extensive knowledge of brand development, lead and demand generation, and marketing strategy — driving business impact at its best. Kate Priestman also published articles for domains such as VMblog and CEO Blog Nation. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
Looking for a Mentor? Here’s How to Spot a Good One Posted on April 27, 2022April 26, 2023 by Jess Lunk Lailah Gifty Akita once said, “every great achiever is inspired by a mentor.” Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos’s careers and businesses all required the touch of a mentor to reach greater heights. In one of his interviews, Richard Branson said, “It’s always great to get a helping hand at the beginning. I wouldn’t have succeeded in the airline industry, were it not for Sir Freddie Laker’s mentorship.” While not everyone finds a mentor in the same mold as Sir Freddie, you can find a trusted advisor to give you the guidance you need to develop leadership and succeed in your career. In this article, we’ll show you how to find a good mentor. Importance of a Mentor in Professional Growth Here are some of the ways mentors influence your professional growth: Mentors help you break the glass ceiling: Imposter syndrome and social politics in the corporate landscape are some of the things that inhibit career growth. A mentor gives you actionable insights on how to navigate situations like this so you move up the ranks. Mentors help you make good career choices: As a junior employee, you may be lacking self-awareness and understanding of your professional abilities. A good mentor uncovers the right career path for you and advises you on the critical skills you need to acquire to fit into future roles. Employees who get mentorship early on are promoted five times than their counterparts without mentors. Mentors help you rise above your limits: Do you limit your potential to what you believe about yourself? A mentor can help you rise above those limiting beliefs and give you the confidence boost you need to find yourself. As Shawn Hitchcok opines, “a mentor empowers you to see a possible future, and firmly believe it can be achieved.” Do I Need A Mentor? One thing to note is that different people need mentors for different reasons. When is the right time to look for a mentor? When you’re stuck and unhappy with where you are: Sometimes you may feel like your career is on the rocks. You feel stuck, confused, and don’t know what to do next. In this case, a mentor can help you figure out your next moves and bring your career back on track. Chances are the mentor has experienced it, too, and knows the best solution to problems you’re having. When you need a new perspective: When you slip into the hustle and bustle of working life, it’s easy to get comfortable with what you have achieved career-wise. To break out of that cocoon and reach maximum potential, you need a fresh perspective from someone wiser and more experienced. When you need valuable guidance to get you going: When you’re emerging in your industry, figuring out how to sidestep hurdles can be tough and disorienting. The bad news: the knowledge you gained in school doesn’t offer a workaround to the corporate ladder problems. In that case, you’ll need advice from someone who has been in your shoes: your boss, colleague or manager can elevate your mind and help you develop new skills without going back to school. What are the Traits of a Good Mentor? A mentor can be anyone — your parent, manager, peer, friend, school alumnus, or boss. However, finding a mentor with the right traits isn’t easy. Some of the characteristics to look at when searching for a mentor include: More Experience and Success than You: When looking for a mentor you want someone who will make you a better version of who you envision becoming. To that end, find a mentor who is more experienced and has a better track record of success than you. Bob Proctor says “a good mentor is that person who sees more ability and talent within you than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” You Share the Same Values: Experience isn’t the be-all, end-all trait of a good mentor. Someone might be more experienced than you, but if they share a different value system in leadership or management, they are not a good fit for you. Authenticity, Honesty, and Empathy: A good mentor is honest, authentic, creative, and empathetic in equal measures. They should offer constructive criticism without mincing words and also give you a pat on the back when you achieve career goals and milestones. How to Foster Mentor-Mentee Relationship The mentor-mentee connection doesn’t have to be intense or formal. However, knowing what’s expected of you — as a mentor or mentee — makes things easier for both parties. For the relationship to run smoothly, three things are critical: Professionalism: Maintain a high level of professionalism. First and foremost, always show appreciation for the advice and motivation. Besides that, respect the mentor and make yourself available, when they need you. Moreover, when you say you’re going to follow a conversation, do so without hesitation. Some of these things may sound simple, but they go a long way in ensuring a thriving and mutual relationship. Frequency of Meeting: Knowing how and when to follow up on conversations is important. Keep in mind, your mentor is likely to be busy, so ask the mentor the best time to hop on a call or meet and set reminders for the same. Where and How to Meet: In the digital era, you don’t always have to organize in-person meetings unless you prefer it. If it’s a light, non-pressure interaction you could do it over email, social media, or virtually. The most important thing is always to arrive or join meetings early to not waste the mentor’s time.