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How hard do you make your customers work to buy something from you?
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementYou’ve invested time, energy, and significant money to establish your business and promote it to the public in an effort to sell your goods and services. All you need now are customers. But at this point, how hard do you make these potential customers work to buy your products and services? By your actions and oversights, are you effectively telling your prospective customers that you don’t really want their business? I've encountered business owners who virtually tell customers to "go away; I don’t want your business," and then are surprised when customers do exactly that.
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Why phased-in marketing is the right way to resume a top-selling product…
Lisa Mulcahy MarketingAs a marketer, you have no doubt needed to proceed with caution when it comes to product messaging during the pandemic. As the pandemic continues, however, consumers will want to refocus their attention on your top-selling items again out of need, the ability to spend a bit more, or for a much-needed impulse buy. How do you reposition these products in the marketplace delicately, fairly and appealingly? A phased-in marketing approach, in which you gradually reintroduce these products into your content across your platforms and on your website, is the smart way to go.
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The leadership style that turned Ford Motor Company around
Dr. Marilyn Gist Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIt’s no secret that many businesses are hurting in 2020. Transportation, hospitality, and brick-and-mortar retail outlets selling nonessential goods and services have been hit the hardest. The last time we were in a similar situation was during the Great Recession of 2008. Although the causes were different, both situations flattened revenues so much that business as usual led many companies to failure. How are leaders supposed to navigate such tough challenges? One way is with humility.
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Grab this opportunity to finance business growth
Lloyd Princeton Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementYou may have seen mentions in the business news of late to "free money." Perhaps you thought to yourself, "how do I get some of that?" In reality, of course, the money isn’t free. But interest rates are so low right now that, relatively speaking, by traditional lending standards it is practically "free," which is to say that the cost of borrowing is not much more than the cost of the principal. That makes this a great time to raise money to fund business expansion and new ventures.
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7 marketing mistakes you may be making at your spa
Elizabeth Donat RetailI recently had the opportunity to do a live Instagram interview with Meghan O'Brien, who owns Marketing with Meg. Her company specializes in marketing consulting, courses and tools focused on the esthetics arena. Lucky us! During our chat, she shared some amazing tips but also highlighted some of the common mistakes that she sees out there with some easy tips to fix them. Please read through these and see if you are making these mistakes at your spa or medspa. This is some guidance you won't want to miss!
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How to advertise your small business inexpensively
Amanda Kowalski MarketingGetting the word out about your business can be the most frustrating thing a small business owner faces. If you build the world’s greatest mouse trap, but nobody knows about it, you aren’t going to sell any. With a small business’ limited budget, how can you spread the word? In the 21st century, there are myriad free or inexpensive ways to advertise.
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Go low (tech) to make your building more COVID-safe
Andrew Witkin Facilities & GroundsFor the last five years, it seems that every conversation that I’ve had has included the word "disruptive." At one point, the term may have actually had some meaning, but today it’s so overused that it has pretty much faded into background noise. The thinking behind it is sound: old ways of dealing with problems need to evolve into new approaches. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, operators of commercial properties are faced with unprecedented challenges — and in many cases, the bright, shiny, new solution is not the best way to solve problems.
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How micro actions produce big changes
Victoria Fann Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementA few years ago, I came across the life-changing book, "The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success" by Darren Hardy, an author and the former publisher of Success magazine. He writes, "The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices." He also says, "It's not the big things that add up in the end; it's the hundreds, thousands, or millions of little things that separate the ordinary from the extraordinary." Accomplishing big goals can be daunting, so we’re told to break things done into chunks. Even though that’s great advice, it can still feel overwhelming, which is why it’s best to break goals down into micro actions.
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5 data protection trends of 2020 that will define security next year
Richard Conn Science & TechnologyAs more businesses move online, the field of cybersecurity has grown in importance. Workplace digitalization has led to many changes, including a move to new platforms and strategies. Many companies are adopting a cloud-first strategy, requiring new methods of protecting data. Consumers are more empowered than ever — and they demand transparency and security in how their data is stored and used. Data protection will become vital to an organization’s success.
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Newsjacking is a powerful tool to boost your brand — if you do it right
Lisa Mulcahy MarketingAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues, you as a marketer are of course looking for appropriate ways to augment your brand's visibility and profits. One strategy to try is newsjacking. The term was invented by author David Meerman Scott, who defines newsjacking as implementing your brand's marketing or opinion into news stories that are breaking online through blog posts, tweets, or social media posts. So, how do you make the newsjacking process happen for your brand quickly and easily? Use the following five steps to ensure you're maximizing your ad potential and creating copy that is appropriate, sensitive and positive.
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