The Most Common SEO Mistakes of 2017 Posted on February 5, 2018October 21, 2022 by Allie Wolff As memories of 2017 slip away, we should take some time to consider the unfortunate trends that persisted throughout the last year. In some cases, it’s astonishing that website managers and entrepreneurs keep making these mistakes—there is little that’s happened in 2017 that hasn’t come up before. In many ways, the core tenets of search engine optimization have held true since the beginning of search. The websites that appear at the top are deemed the most relevant, as determined by the quality of your content, the authority of your site and the relevance of your topic. And so, as we make our way through 2018, it’s time for a refresher course in the best SEO practices—and the worst mistakes from 2017. No, black hat SEO still doesn’t work Whether it’s keyword stuffing, copied content, mass redirects or link buying, black hat tactics persist, largely because people keep buying into them. And because SEO doesn’t show its effects immediately, there’s no easy way to tell that they’re ineffective, or even harmful to your website. Any company that offers mass backlink purchases should be met with skepticism. You should only focus on natural backlinks from authoritative websites. Mass backlinks from sketchy places will only signal an alarm from Google and potentially harm your SEO ranking. The same goes for keyword stuffing and bland, inauthentic content. The results of this type of optimization will likely backfire in the long run—nobody will read that content, and anyone who does will be disappointed. Choosing the wrong keywords Keyword research is critical. Otherwise, your SEO efforts will be for nothing. Focus on long-tail keywords that fewer people will search for—like “pizza stone for sale Miami,” instead of just “pizza stone”—and you’ll more likely reach your target audience. You may reach fewer people, but those fewer people will be more likely to stay engaged. Keyword research takes time, but the benefits last. A high search ranking will make your career much easier down the road. Popular options for researching keywords include using free tools available online, paying for research software or just imitating the success of others after many hours of research. Lengthy load times Plugins, widgets, auto-playing videos, animations and advertisements are all wonderful elements of modern web design. Images are great for building more SEO, but too many images—and especially ones that aren’t properly compressed for web—can bog down a site. Increased load times mean more than just a bad user experience. They can affect your Google ranking as well. Long load times mean high bounce rates, which in turn may affect your SEO ranking. The load speed in and of itself can also translate into a lower ranking, as Google analyzes it as a metric of a site’s quality. When creating a complex site, always be sure to use a proper image and video compressor, keep banner ads to a minimum and use a strong caching mechanism. Free online tools such as GT Metrix and Pingdom can help you analyze your site’s speed and pain points. Poor site architecture For Google to find your site, you have to help them out. Google bots crawl the Internet every second, categorizing web pages according to their content and sitemaps. That means having great content and choosing the right keywords isn’t enough—you also have to organize them in a user-friendly fashion. If you don’t have a sitemap, using a free plugin or tool is an easy way to create one. And be sure to submit your website to Google Search Console when it’s done, so Google knows where to find it. In your content pages themselves, use clear headers and page titles to communicate your website’s content—both for Google and for the reader. Not having Google+… no, seriously Google+ is good for precisely one thing: helping you secure a prime real estate info box next to relevant search results. Even though the number of people using Google+ is dwindling, and it’s easily the smallest of the major social platforms around, Google has thrown its weight behind their fledgling social network in a few ways. Aside from a fresh redesign in early 2017, it’s most useful as an easy way to create a bio for your brand, which appears in a prominent position next to top search results. Everyone is quick to criticize Google+, but no one should be dumb enough to overlook it entirely—it’s still Google, after all. Starting, then not continuing with, new content The biggest mistake you probably made in 2017—yeah, I’m talking to you—is assuming that starting a blog is good enough. Like any proper new year’s resolution (quitting smoking, going to the gym, actually finishing Infinite Jest), it’s easy to forget content marketing. But the follow-through is most important of all. Websites get stale quickly. Posting new content at least weekly is critical to telling Google, Yahoo and Bing that you’re an active, knowledgeable resource worth people’s’ time. You just need to keep climbing that mountain, much like that actual resolution you made this year.
4 Best Sales Voicemails for Closing a Deal Posted on February 2, 2018November 1, 2023 by Jamie Miller Smart salespeople use voicemail to their advantage by using them to strategically hook prospects and plant the seeds for a future conversation. Here are templates for a number of scenarios that you can adapt to close more deals. Script for Cold Calls All you have is a contact name, number, and a hint that this person may need your services. Perhaps they’re a business that recently moved to the area. The following script may be useful: Hi Jim. Congrats on the new location. Read about you and [insert company name] on your website. This is Jonathan from Jonathan’s Commercial Cleaning. I know how important a clean, functional office environment is for productivity. I’d love to chat with you about your company’s cleaning needs. I’ll try you again next week, but if you’d like to chat before then, give me a call anytime at 555-5555. That’s 555-5555. Have a good week. Tips: Do your best to find the name and number of a decision-maker. Voicemails on a general line will likely be deleted by a receptionist. Demonstrate that you’ve taken the time to learn a little about their company. Quickly give one reason you pose value for them (i.e., providing a clean, functional office space) without turning this introductory voicemail into a sales pitch. Indicate next steps clearly by letting them know what you’re looking for (i.e., a conversation about the office’s cleaning needs NOT a purchase just yet) and repeat your contact info so they can reach you. Script For Recent E-Book Download One great way to generate leads is to offer useful, gated e-products. People need to provide their name, job title or industry, and contact information to access the free e-book or white paper. Some of these are simply people who work in the industry while others are promising leads. Hi Hasan. Hope you gained some valuable insights from Tech Co’s How to Optimize Your Insurance Sales Pipeline ebook. This is Melissa calling from Tech Co, and I’d love to chat with you about how your firm currently prospects leads and tell you a little more about Tech Co’s CRM. My number is 555-5555. You can also reach me at melissa@techcocrm.com. Hope to talk soon. Tips: Start with the lead’s name and the value you already gave them before diving into who you are. Make the future conversation about the lead, their business, and their business goals, especially if your product is directly tied to helping them meet their goals (like a good insurance CRM would be in this case). Include your email and follow up that way as well. Some people prefer email communication to start. Script for Responding to a Contact Form Inquiry Let’s say someone finds your company online and can’t reach you because you’re closed. They may choose to use your site’s contact form. (You should check this regularly, so you don’t miss any leads.) If they include a number call them back, but send an email as well just in case that’s their preferred method of communication. Hi Jessica. It’s Tim from Moore Marketing Agency replying to your email about SEO services. I’d love to get you set up a time to chat via phone or in-person about your SEO efforts and how we can help. Feel free to give me a call back at 555-5555 so we can connect. I’ll shoot you an email as well. Tips: Know the purpose of the voicemail. In this case, Tim’s trying to get Jessica to book an appointment or stop by. He knows from the contact form that she has a specific need (servicing her brakes). This is why it’s important to include a question on your contact from that asks people to indicate what service they need. Appeal to emotions. Tim appealed to both the value his company could offer (i.e., servicing brakes) and the emotional need his business could fulfill (i.e., a feeling of safety and security from brakes that work). In addition to appealing to emotions, Tim added a sense of urgency without being dramatic. Include necessary information. Jessica doesn’t have to check the site to find out who to reach, how to reach them, or when to reach them. Tim left his name, number, and hours he could be reached all in the voicemail, making it as easy as possible for Jessica to listen and act. Script for Upselling an Existing Customer or Alerting Them To a Promotion Ignore current customers at your own peril. Recurring business is your best friend, so treat your existing customers right. If you cultivate the relationship (aka make them feel important and keep them happy), they’ll respond well to future sales calls. Hi Tanya. It’s Marcus from Crunch Fitness. Your membership is up for renewal a month from today, and I wanted to tell you about an exclusive offer for our most loyal members. It includes free towel service and a free session once a month with a personal trainer in addition to the usual perks of membership. If you give me a call back at 555-5555, I’d be glad to tell you more about it or you can always stop by to chat with me next time you’re in. Have a great week. Tips: Don’t spend too much of the call pitching. Give just enough information to tease the offer, but save the details for a face-t0-face meeting or actual call. Emphasize the exclusivity of the offer and the loyalty of the customer. Marcus subtly hinted that Tanya’s different in a good way from other members without being over the top. Avoid cringe-worthy, sales jargon or cliches. Telling a regular customer that they have to “Act now!” or filling their ear with buzzwords distances them and introduces an element of awkwardness to a genuine relationship they’ve built with your brand. Leaving a voicemail may feel like a fail because you didn’t reach the prospect, but the best salespeople view it as an opportunity to start a conversation. That last bit is key. Chances are slim that you’ll convince someone to buy something in a lengthy, overly detailed voicemail. Keep your message short, clear, and to the point, so that you establish a rapport.
5 Reasons Your Agency Clients Need a CRM Posted on February 1, 2018November 18, 2022 by Jeanna Barrett Acquiring new customers and satisfying your current ones has never been more complex. As industries become more competitive and the marketplace continues to saturate, reaching customers quickly and efficiently with valuable and relevant information is more important now than ever. So how can you stay ahead? A CRM is designed to help your clients manage and conquer challenges such as these. Not sold on it? Below are four reasons why your agency clients need one now. 1. Provide more value to your customer. A CRM system allows you to tailor communication, products and services to the specific needs of your customers. It captures detailed information about your customer and their habits and behaviors to help you target them more specifically. And you can target them through your content strategy. A CRM allows you to see how the customer found out about your product/service, if they’ve purchased one of your products or services recently, and based on their current behavior if they are looking to purchase again…or for the first time. For example, let’s say one of your agency clients is a software company. Perhaps they had a customer purchase their software a few months ago. Are they looking to purchase the same software again? Probably not. Based on their previous history and current behaviors, your client can see that they’re looking for an upgrade to their current subscription. Having this information allows your client to send communications, offers, messaging, etc. relevant to upgrades that would be best for the package they purchased. This will educate the customer, make them feel like your client knows what they want and need, thus giving them more of a reason to purchase from your client. 2. Consistent best practices. CRM systems can also be used to implement the best sales or customer service processes. This will help salespeople provide consistent, high-quality services through every customer interaction. Using a CRM is also a great opportunity to create templates that will help guide your salespeople through more complex processes or sticky situations. Onboarding and training become a lot easier when you have one centralized place to house documents and information. A CRM system also houses all of your customer’s history of purchases and preference. If your customer experiences a challenge, it can be taken care of more quickly by a customer service agent through these best practices because they’re armed with that information. A larger benefit to keeping processes and teams consistent is brand consistency. Your client’s brand is not just the website and logo, it’s about the people and customers’ experiences, too. Having a consistent experience across the board will reinforce the brand you’re marketing and ensure that your customer journey is top notch from start to finish. 3. Executing more in less time. The most efficiently-designed CRM systems take the burden of many tasks off of salespeople — such as filling out forms, reporting, legal issues and other smaller tasks that are vital to completing sales. The software will automate workflow, allowing salespeople to focus on what they do best — selling! 4. Growing your business. Perhaps one of the most important values of a CRM is its ability to help grow a business. Salespeople no longer need to spend the majority of their time prospecting because a CRM system can help automate communication and activities across multiple channels. You can use a CRM to capture leads from website forms, downloads, and traffic from your clients’ websites or email campaigns, webinars, tradeshows, etc. Leads can be immediately assigned to their salespeople, giving them the opportunity to contact prospective customers while everything is still top-of-mind. With the purchase of high-quality CRM software, you can step back and watch your clients’ sales revenues grow. If they’re making money, you’re making money. 5. Discover new insights. Centralizing all of your customer data into one system presents a new way to analyze and gain insights on all of your accounts simultaneously. And having these data available in one single interface will allow for timely, informed decisions for teams to operate at greater efficiency and with increased agility. Data also helps distinguish your company from your competitors. It helps support your messaging that’s out in front of your customers, and lets you know how your product/services are performing. Not only are you provided this valuable information, but it will also help you understand the volume of sales per week, which salesperson sold the most/least, what types of issues are coming in more frequently, etc.? As you can see, this provides you ample opportunity to grow, learn and adapt. A CRM system helps organizations achieve greater scale and grow more efficiently. It will also help you create repeatable processes for continued success and consistency throughout the organization. The sheer amount of data you can receive from this software will give you that edge to set you ahead of the competition. Without a CRM, it would be very challenging to achieve success and continue to grow your business.
10 Indispensable Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs Posted on January 31, 2018June 13, 2018 by Jonathan Herrick As an entrepreneur, I get asked a lot by startup founders what does it take to succeed? The reality is when you look at the most successful entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey they tend to have similar DNA: they’re tenacious leaders, driven visionaries, eager business people. Entrepreneurs are cut from a different cloth than most nine to fivers—willing to take a risk when others won’t. But not all entrepreneurs are born—in fact, many are self-made. So if you’re considering stepping into the startup world, think about what the most successful entrepreneurs do and follow suit. They’re Self-Motivated. First off, if you’re going to go through the startup grind, you have to be all in. Every day the alarm goes off, and there is no one getting out of bed to start your day other than you. The entrepreneur’s journey is packed with long days and late nights burning the midnight oil. You need to remind yourself everyday why you wanted to start your business in the first place. Successful entrepreneurs have a constant drive, a compelling purpose behind the why, even if it’s something as simple as never wanting to work for someone else ever again. They Have a Vision and a Plan. Once you’ve decided to head down this road, you’ll need a vision that you and your future team can rally around. The greatest entrepreneurial leaders are visionaries—constantly looking to where the business is going and steering the ship in the right direction. But vision alone won’t get you there. Along with casting the vision, it is vital to create a multi-year plan that is designed to outline the strategy, tactics and goals to ensure success. They Have Financial Sense. You can’t start and run a business successfully without understanding money. You also can’t manage what you can’t measure, and it’s tough to know what levers to pull for growth when you don’t have good, sound financial sense. If you have ever watched the tv show The Profit on CNBC, then you have heard Marcus Lemonis tell entrepreneurs time and time again, “Know your numbers, because numbers never lie.” When you’re in startup mode and bootstrapping it, every dollar counts. The most successful entrepreneurs have a good grasp of their financials and know the best places to put their capital to drive the best ROI. If you struggle in the financial areas of the business, don’t sweat it. Make sure you bring in a co-founder you trust who can tackle the hard number-crunching so you can focus on other areas of the business that are in your wheelhouse. They Have Business Sense. Just as crucial as finance is having a solid business sense. We’re talking about the day-to-day activities such as closing deals, customer support, price negotiations and partnerships. The best entrepreneurs are always looking at the business and finding intelligent ways to impact the business and the bottom line. Negotiations with other businesses (distributors, suppliers) are also important, and going in naive can cause more harm down the road by establishing a rocky precedent. They’re Multi-taskers. Entrepreneurs need to wear many hats. If you’re running your own business, you’ll likely be in charge of creative elements, negotiations, marketing, website design, customer service and everything else that comes with growing a startup. You’ll need to be a versatile worker, willing to tackle areas of your business you might not expect. In a startup no two days are the same, which means the ability to juggle a number of initiatives at once is a crucial trait to have. They Have an Ego. Nobody likes being annoying, but everybody wants to promote themselves. It’s a fine line. Ultimately, to be an entrepreneur, you need a bit of an ego—you need to recognize that your business will only succeed if you make it. You can’t rely on anyone else but yourself in the early days, and you can’t worry about what others think of you. Ultimately it’s your dream that’s on the line, and if you study the most successful entrepreneurs, they lead with a bit of arrogance. So whether you’re pitching to potential investors or presenting to early prospective customers, don’t forget to bring your confidence. They’re Decisive Great entrepreneurs don’t waiver when it’s time to make critical business decisions. In a startup, you just don’t have the time to contemplate a million “what if” scenarios. Look at the data, make assumptions and make a firm decision. Once you made your decision, don’t look back on it. Focus your efforts on the decisions ahead of you and what you need to do to realize your vision. They Have Product Knowledge and Expertise. If you’re entering a new market as a startup, you’ll need to separate yourself from the crowd. Expertise is a solid way to make your mark as an entrepreneur. Not just knowing about your product, but knowing about the industry—your competitors, market trends and best practices are all important to keep abreast of. After all, the most successful entrepreneurs listen to their audience and set out to build solutions to their greatest daily challenges. Another key trait of successful entrepreneurs is their commitment to thought leadership. They see their role as one where they can take their knowledge and expertise and add value to the industry that they serve. The bottom line is invest in yourself—your knowledge is an asset. They’re Positive Thinkers. Pragmatism is good, but optimism is better. There will be times when you think you’re wasting your time.You’ll wonder why you’re bothering to go down this path, and question every decision that led you to this moment. In times like these, unless you keep an optimistic mind frame, you’re bound to give up. Stay focused on the purpose of your endeavor and look for the daily wins.The truth is every entrepreneur hits a speed bump or two, but the most successful entrepreneurs use those hard times to get stronger and sometimes even pivot the business down a better path. The good news? You’ll know pretty early on whether this lifestyle is for you and probably won’t waste too much time chasing the entrepreneurial dream. If you’re failing for three years and can’t figure out why because you’re so darn optimistic, there’s one other trait to look for… They’re Prepared for Failure. Of course, optimism is good, but pragmatism still counts for something. Most entrepreneurs have failed multiple times in multiple ways before they found success. Just look at Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. Before starting Amazon, he launched an online auction site that failed. However, he took his lessons learned from this startup failure, and they became the fuel to start the Amazon we know and use today. As an entrepreneur you need a certain level of risk tolerance to be able to survive these challenges in life and the ability to accept defeat when you feel a project isn’t working out. But from the ashes often comes another great idea or opportunity. The end is rarely the end, even when it feels like it.
5 Inbound Marketing Buzzwords You Need to Stop Using Posted on January 30, 2018June 13, 2018 by Jessica Lunk Once upon a time, articles were articles, and photos were photos. People called anything on social media a “post,” and moving pictures were referred to as “videos.” That doesn’t happen as much anymore. We are now living in the age of #content. Social content, video content, inbound content—everything is content. And yet, when you tell someone that “this will make great content,” even though we all understand you, and we may all agree, we’re all cringing a little. I’m just going to say it: the phrase sounds dumb. But it’s not just our internationally collective overdose of content that’s the problem. It’s a lot of buzzwords. The marketing universe is filled with them, and the inbound galaxy—solar systems of social media, blogging, SEO, et al—is rife with nonsense. The irony? Bluntness works. Nobody thinks the phrase “We produce high-quality, original inbound written content” is better than “We write great articles.” Specificity trumps generality. One sells, the other obfuscates. The World of “Content” I mentioned this above, but let’s clarify. “Content” is vague. It’s worse when paired with fancy-sounding adjectives: bespoke content (you mean “original”?), grabby content (it’s assumed your marketing should grab audiences), evergreen content (okay, admittedly “evergreen” is a distinct and useful word), sticky content (you mean articles that people actually want to finish?). Instead of broad terms like these, drill down to specifics. If you’re producing an original video series for a client, you’re not creating “bespoke content.” You’re producing an original video series. We are not living in George Orwell’s 1984; more words are not always worse. “Leverage” or “Optimize” These have their place, but they’re still vastly overused. People do not “leverage their reputation to promote a product”; they simply promote a product. I’ve personally never heard anyone say “leverage” in casual conversation and not sound pretentious. That basic rule of thumb works for most of these buzzwords: if it wouldn’t sound natural to say it out loud, don’t optimize your language for inbound marketing. (Like that.) “Multichannel” or “Multimedia” What agency is still working only with text anymore? If your inbound strategy doesn’t have multiple media involved, you’re doing it wrong. You don’t need to run an expert video campaign to promote something on multiple social platforms. via GIPHY So much media! So multi! Calling your campaign “multichannel” is a foregone conclusion. Save the energy it takes to type out those letters and, instead, explain what channels you’re tackling. “We’re running a multichannel campaign on Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest” means the same thing as “We’re running a campaign on Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest.” “Social Reach” or “Impressions” or “Audience” or Whatever It is embarrassing to see how many marketers and salespeople will throw out a massive number like 5 million, only to undermine it by preceding the number with “a global social reach of.” The very definitions of “reach” versus “impressions” have changed enough that some people will genuinely believe “a global social reach of 5 million” means 5 million people saw your campaign. It doesn’t. It means 5 million people could have seen your campaign, based on the social connections of each person who engaged with your campaign on social media. If 10 people with 100 followers used your hashtag in an Instagram contest, your hashtag did not automatically get 1,000 impressions. You maybe got 300. That social reach of 1,000 is a profoundly meaningless number. Everything is a “Brand” I don’t know at what point we started referring to companies as brands, or people as brands, or products as brands, but suddenly everything is now a freakin’ brand. We’re over-branding. If I told you I ran a lifestyle-management brand, you’d have absolutely no idea what I do for a living. via GIPHY “Do not take my name in vain” – Russell Brand, probably Branding is meant to evoke an emotion instead of a literal concept of a thing—so Gucci would be a luxury fashion brand, which theoretically makes it more alluring than calling it a company that produces luxury goods. I get it; it’s sexier. But it’s also frequently confusing. Inbound marketers could do with a little less branding and a little more selling—what makes the product great? What makes it unique? What makes it worth my time? Use specific language, not fluff. You’ll find you’re no longer speaking in marketer’s tongue; you’re speaking the same language as your clients, your audiences, and the rest of the world.
7 Simple Ways To Boost Your Confidence Before A Presentation Posted on January 26, 2018November 24, 2021 by Katie Culp For some individuals, giving a presentation is a nightmare. They panic at the idea of speaking in public, and it is the most frightening thing in the world for them to have to consider. The thought of talking in front of an audience can almost bring some people to their knees. And let’s not forget the sweat and the heart palpitations. Does this sound like you? Nerves happen to the best of us, even award-winning British actor Hugh Grant suffers from stage fright and put his acting career on hold because of it. Statistics claim that 74% of Americans suffer from some form of speech anxiety: 75% of women and 73% of men. Public speaking nerves can range from a few butterflies to an all-out panic attack, but there are ways you can boost your confidence before a presentation. Practice makes perfect. If you’re the nervous type, don’t think it’s enough to write your presentation, read through it once and be done with it. The only way you will overcome those nerves is to practice, practice, and practice some more. It may be tough due to your busy schedule, but you must find time to do it. It may also be useful to record a number of your rehearsal sessions to catch any bad habits, as well as any timing and vocal issues that you may not be aware of. Be positive. There is no denying that the scariest moment is right before you start. But it is important to put things in perspective and look at it from a positive outlook. You have obviously put a lot of time and effort into your presentation. So, revel in that fact. Focus on the value you are giving your listeners and let your speech do the rest. Offer yourself some kind words before stepping up to present – a mini pep-talk so to speak. Words such as, “you are confident” and “you are inspiring” will be beneficial. Listen to other presenters. If your presentation is part of a series of talks, you may find value in attending some of the earlier sessions. It will enable you to gauge the crowd and see how receptive they are to one-liners or jokes. Do they seem open to learning, or are they more formal and stiff in their listening approach? This information will aid you immensely and assist you in understanding how they will respond to what you have to say. Embrace your nerves. Don’t pretend your nerves don’t exist. Stevie Nicks said, “If you have stage fright, it never goes away. But then I wonder: is the key to that magical performance because of fear?” Acknowledging your nerves and tuning into it may make your speech even better. It shows you care about the audience you are speaking to. Give your nerves their moment, push them to the side and use the excitement to your advantage. Take deep breaths. Take deep breaths to counteract the stress, so that the nerves won’t affect your speaking voice and take hold of the muscles in your chest and throat. Long, slow breaths will interrupt your urge to flee and bring on a more relaxed state of mind. Simple exercises in the days leading up to your presentation will guide you through in one piece. Maintain a smile. A friendly smile can wipe away the anxiety in an instant. It helps relax the body by releasing endorphins and creates confidence and self-assurance. Don’t overdo it, however, as it can come across as looking forced or just downright odd. While you may not necessarily want to smile, think of it as a way to inspire your confidence. Smile and demonstrate your readiness to talk, even if you don’t feel like it deep down inside. Arrive early. If you turn up early, you will be able to check out the design of the room. Simply viewing the seating plans along with the layout of the electronics, microphone and lighting, can put you at ease. Feeling comfortable in the space will reduce the buildup of stress. Run through the first 60 seconds of your speech in your head, addressing the imaginary crowd in front of you. If you can present with a strong opening, your presentation will flow smoothly. If presenting is a standard part of your career, then consider enrolling in a public speaking course. Warren Buffet, philanthropist and investor, used to be terrified of giving presentations. But he understood that if he didn’t eventually get over his fears, he would never get ahead in his career. So he took it upon himself to enroll in a public speaking course, and the rest, as they say, is history.
9 Ways to Demonstrate Employee Appreciation Without Spending a Dime Posted on January 24, 2018June 13, 2018 by Jonathan Herrick You know what they say: You can’t buy loyalty. You can buy an employee’s time, physical presence, and limited obedience, but you have to earn loyalty as well as motivation. How do you earn loyalty and motivation? By treating employees well and giving them the tools they need to succeed. Above all, it’s about showing appreciation. So if you want your employees to feel valuable, pick your favorites from this list of budget-friendly employee appreciation ideas. Start an Employee of the Month Program Recognize a stellar employee each month and highlight their achievements by sending out a company-wide email or making a quick presentation at the start of the workday. In my last company, we created the Milton employee of the month red stapler award. Every month a lucky recipient would get the award based on how well they lived out our company values. It was up to them to award it to the employee that deserved it for the following month. It was a simple and cost-effective way to let our team members know they mattered and were making a difference. Give Employees the Day Off After a Particularly Demanding Project Have you had an especially stressful month? Maybe your staff has been putting in extra hours and energy for a really difficult client and now that the project’s ended successfully, the entire team’s exhausted. Consider giving the team the day off as appreciation for their hard work. Let go of the fact that they won’t be at the office doing work that day and focus more on the long-term benefits of having a happy and engaged employee. Give Spontaneous Shout Outs to Great Employees At the end of the week (or even the day) point out an employee who surpassed their targets, read a great client testimonial out loud, or recognize an employee who went above and beyond while completing a certain task. It’s crazy, but here in Hatchbuckland, we have customers reaching out to us daily to let us know that someone on our team made a difference: “Erin was over the top helpful and went out of her way to be accommodating and to ensure that I fully understood and got everything set up the way that we needed to. Her patience with me and her knowledge was amazing!” We have a standing company meeting every week, and we always start off the meeting highlighting a team member and sharing customer quotes with the team. It’s a great reminder to our employees that they are appreciated and that what they do everyday matters. Recognize Birthdays and Work Anniversaries Keep a calendar of employee birthdays or when they started working for the company and give them a shout out on their special day. At Hatchbuck, we started the tradition of having monthly team lunches where we celebrate employee birthdays for the month and acknowledge those team members who have an anniversary. It is a great team bonding event and a simple way to recognize employee milestones. Offer Work Hour Flexibility for Employees Workplace flexibility plays a huge part in employee retention and satisfaction. In fact, studies show that 75% of employees ranked workplace flexibility as their top benefit. Look for simple ways to accommodate your team. Perhaps a large percentage of your team is made up of working parents, and they’d rather come in early and leave early. Moving from “9 to 5” to “7 to 3” may not even impact your business, but it can mean the world to your employees who appreciate the flexibility and are motivated to demonstrate how much value they provide regardless of strict schedules. Or maybe employees are allowed to scoot out early to a kid’s soccer game or a doctor’s appointment. By giving your team flexibility in their day, they will feel less pressure outside of the office, be more loyal and truly believe you don’t just see them as another cog in the wheel. Include Employees in Important Decisions A great way to show employees you appreciate them without spending a dime is to ask for their advice, solicit their feedback, and include them in important decision-making processes. At Hatchbuck, we launched an all-new version of our sales and marketing platform last year. Throughout the process we met with employees to get their opinions and feedback. After all, they are in the trenches with our customers every day. The result? Our employees see elements of their hard work and experience reflected throughout the software and truly buy into how we are helping business succeed. By simply including employees in the decision-making process, it boosts morale, keeps employees on top of their game, and shows them you value what they bring to the table. Use Handwritten Thank You Notes Researchers studying motivation found that when it came to motivating employees, compliments beat out cash bonuses. (Pizza beat out everything, but we’re talking about not spending a dime here.) When someone does a great job, leave a handwritten note thanking them for their valuable contribution to the team. The personal touch shows employees that you care, and they will appreciate that you took time out of your busy day to make them feel special. Ask Employees Which Perks are Most Useful For Them Eventually, you’ll get to the point where you can afford to invest in employee appreciation. Instead of choosing things that look good but don’t make a big impact (your employees may not want an Employee Appreciation Day, as nice as that sounds), ask your employees what they’d like. They may ask for extended vacation days, funding for professional development, a cabinet full of snacks (a Hatchbuck favorite), or something as simple as a free gym membership. Be Nice, Respectful, and Transparent Treating your employees with respect and compassion (as opposed to treating them like numbers on a spreadsheet) goes a long way towards creating an environment of loyalty. It’s as simple as saying good morning, offering a channel for feedback, or even ensuring their work environment is comfortable whether it’s about the office layout or temperature. In the end, you don’t buy loyalty. You earn it. That means that it’s not necessarily about your budget, but about your effort, so choose your favorites from this list and get started cultivating a mutually beneficial professional relationship with your team.
5 Time-Saving CRM Hacks Every Sales Manager Should Know About Posted on January 23, 2018August 13, 2024 by Tricia O'Donnell If there’s one thing most sales managers have in common, it’s the challenge of time management. With dozens of tasks and only so many hours in the day, there’s often little time left over to focus on what’s most important – nurturing leads and building client relationships. The beauty of a CRM system is that it’s designed to help make the job of managing a sales team easy and efficient. Rather than having to dig through files and manually update spreadsheets, all of the sales data you need can be found in one centralized place and accessed at the click of a button. But the right CRM system can do so much more than just automate manual tasks. The five tips below will help you unlock additional time-saving benefits and enable you to focus more on producing results than on managing the daily grind. Track Productivity Wouldn’t it be great if you could see a snapshot of your team’s productivity and gauge areas for opportunity in an instant instead of having to waste time tracking down data manually? That’s what’s great about a CRM. You can easily track the activities of your sales force at any given moment in time. Find out the exact number of emails, calls and meetings your team is scheduling and use these metrics for coaching and process improvement. Measure Revenue Keeping your finger on the pulse of your team’s performance is a critical component of your duties as sales manager. How much progress is each rep making? You can use your CRM system to run reports on everything from number of deals closed to open opportunities to revenue leaders and more. You can then use this information to engage with your reps and help them improve their performance. Create Custom Reports You’re not the only one who needs to see the progress your sales reps are making. Your team can also draw significant motivation from seeing the monetary value of their hard work. A CRM can save you time by gathering the necessary data and compiling it into user-friendly, easy-to-understand reports that can drive continued success. Manage Leads Routing leads to your sales reps ensures that all prospects receive the nurturing they need to improve the chances of conversion. It also ensures that work is distributed appropriately amongst all team members. Having a CRM can provide insight on each rep’s workload and make it super easy to automatically allocate leads accordingly. You can also use filters to divvy up prospects by certain criteria so that they get assigned to the rep that is most skilled at handling that type of lead. For instance, you can filter by industry, niche, company size and more. Assign Tasks Successful sales managers are excellent at delegating work to the right individuals. Trying to handle too much on your own leaves you with less time to manage your reps and work with clients. A CRM allows you to create a list of tasks and assign them to yourself and your teammates all in one place. By optimizing how work is assigned and performed, more time can be spent on things like nurturing leads and closing deals. A CRM system can do so much more than just help you organize your contacts. With the tips above in place, you can spend less time on manual tasks and more time developing your team and growing your business.
How to Get More Followers on Instagram Posted on January 22, 2018May 1, 2024 by Allie Wolff With a user base of 700 million and counting, Instagram has become a powerful marketing tool for brands of every size and industry. The problem is, unless you’re famous, gaining a decent following can be challenging. It takes time and consistent effort to build that following. Thankfully, there are some proven strategies you can employ that should help you get a jump start on growing your Instagram audience. Here are a few things you can start putting into action today. Optimize your profile. Before you can begin to amass a following on Instagram, you have to make sure your profile is optimized so it can be easily found. Make sure your account is set to public and your username is recognizable and searchable. Include a branded profile picture and complete your bio with helpful information about your company. Let people know why they should follow you! And don’t forget to include a link back to your website. This is important, since the bio area is the only place a clickable link is allowed on Instagram. Determine a direction for your content. What is the purpose of your activity on Instagram? What do you want to accomplish? What impression do you want your followers to get of your brand? For instance, do you want to come across as playful, humorous, inspirational, etc.? Answering these questions can help you determine what direction you want to go in terms of the type of content you share. The key here, as with all social media activities, is consistency. You want your audience to know what to expect when they choose to follow you. Start posting and get on a schedule. Begin by establishing your profile with at least 10-15 posts. This way when people come to your page, they’ll see that you’re active and they’ll get a good idea of the kind of quality content you will be sharing. You’ll also want to develop a schedule for when and how frequently you’ll be posting. This will depend on who you are targeting. You may need to do a little analysis to see which days/times get the most engagement. Additionally, if you are targeting people in different time zones, you may need to schedule posts for various times throughout the day in order to maximize results. Be creative with your captions. The captions you use along with your images and videos are what will help people find your content and ultimately connect with your brand, so be sure to use targeted hashtags that are relevant and search-worthy. Additionally, be consistent with your brand persona and don’t be afraid to have a little fun. The more engaging you are with your audience, the more likely they’ll be to interact with your brand and share your content with others. Be active and engaging. As with all social activities, the more active and engaging you are, the more attention you’ll generate for your brand. Ask questions and invite your audience to interact with you. When people comment on your posts, respond to them. And don’t forget to share the love. Follow other users and interact with their content as well. Collaborate with others. Another great way to increase your following is to collaborate with other users who have audiences that are similar to yours. Once you’ve established relationships with a few other users, consider cross-promoting one another’s content. This is mutually beneficial to both parties and can help you gain access to a decent number of users who might also be interested in your brand. Last, but not least, once you’ve got your profile set up, optimized and consistently filled with quality content, be sure to promote it as much as possible. You can utilize your other social platforms, include links within your email newsletters and embed follow buttons right onto your website to make it as easy as possible for people to connect with you on Instagram. The more effort you put into these activities, the more it will pay off in the way of a growing audience of loyal followers for your brand.