Tag Archives: Self employed tips

Innovative Ways To Drum Up Interest In Your Business

August 3, 2021 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , 6 Comments

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To attract customers and generate sales, you have to be able to connect with clients and spread the word about your brand and the products and services you offer. If you’re looking to boost sales and expand your client base, this guide contains tips and tricks to help you drum up interest in your business.

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Social media giveaways and competitions

Social media started life as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family but it has evolved into a much more diverse platform. Businesses have an incredible opportunity to engage with customers and strengthen ties and reach huge numbers of new clients. Giveaways and competitions are a brilliant way to turn heads, encourage people to follow your account and create interest in your products and services. To capitalise on the potential to build your following, make sure you issue clear instructions to your followers and ensure that they share the post to enter the competition. Ideally, you want to trigger a domino effect, with followers sharing your post with their friends and followers and so on. 

Before you stage a competition, make sure you have products and prizes available and set out terms and conditions. Set a deadline for entries, communicate clearly with your followers and respond to questions and queries promptly. When you make the draw, share news on your account and consider featuring the winner in a follow-up post. 

Running competitions and giveaways can boost follower numbers significantly. If you have a raft of new followers online, take advantage of the chance to engage with a captive audience and take steps to maximise the chances of securing sales. You could send out offer codes or promote new items straight after the competition closes, for example. 

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Themed offers

Seasonal businesses thrive during peak periods but almost all companies can benefit from themed offers and discounts. From Christmas promotions and Easter giveaways to Valentine’s Day discounts and products designed to celebrate quirky, unique events for Chocolate Day or friends or sibling day celebrations, there are opportunities to encourage customers to make purchases. Use your social media profiles and accounts to share news of offers or new products and make sure your website links and content are visible online. If people search for Christmas gifts or ideas to celebrate a national holiday, for example, you want to ensure that your company attracts attention. 

It is beneficial to invest in SEO (search engine optimisation) even if you don’t sell online. Your website can act as a shop window or a base for finding information and contact details. If you have a local store, for example, local SEO can help you attract new customers and reach a wider audience. It’s also an excellent idea to use email communications and flyers to alert customers to upcoming product launches and seasonal offers. It’s worth noting that many people like to start shopping for special occasions in advance. For Christmas, for example, it’s an excellent idea to start building anticipation and encouraging people to follow you online and check your website during the autumn months. 

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Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing has become increasingly commonplace in recent years. This method of marketing involves using influencers, people who have a large following on social media, to promote products and services. Statistics suggest that 70% of teens trust social media influencers more than celebrities and almost 50% of social media users depend on recommendations from influencers to make purchasing decisions. 

If you are thinking about utilising influencer marketing to boost sales for your brand, it’s essential to choose the right influencer. Look for influencers who have a large following that matches your target customer and individuals who cover areas and promote products that are relevant to your brand. If you sell clothing aimed at young adults, for example, you want to work with an influencer who has a large following within this demographic and regularly posts about fashion. 

It is worth noting that it can also be beneficial to utilise real-life customers in your social media and online advertising campaigns. Many consumers value authenticity, and you may find that a post that features somebody who has actually bought the product is more impactful than an influencer or a celebrity holding or wearing a product for a photoshoot. 

Hosting events

Business events, such as product launches, can help to attract customers and create a buzz around your brand among buyers and retailers. If you plan to stage an event, think carefully about the guest list and try to make the event memorable. Choose a venue that will stand out, make your presentation engaging and interactive, offer samples or the opportunity to try products and showcase your passion. Take the opportunity to speak to people, ask for their contact details and follow up leads after the event. If you have a limited capacity, live stream the event on social media and send guests and those watching at home photographs, details of the presentation and information about getting in touch and placing an order. 

It is also beneficial to think about attending events, including trade shows and networking events, to build your contact list, introduce your brand to prospective buyers and customers and boost sales. If you choose the right show, you will have a captive audience ready and waiting to see what you’re selling. If you run a business that produces toys or accessories for pets, for example, setting up a stall at a dog show or an event for animal lovers will enable you to generate high-quality leads. 

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Search engine optimisation

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a digital marketing technique, which uses the power and reach of search engines to create leads. Over 75% of people don’t get to page 2 of the search results so it’s critical to try and achieve the best possible position on page 1. Google processes more than 60,000 searches per second. If your website is not appearing in the results when users perform a search relevant to your products and services, you could be missing out on sales. If you’re not experienced in marketing, or you don’t have marketing professionals on your team, it’s worth exploring outsourcing. Outsourcing digital marketing will enable you to access expertise and work with an experienced agency to come up with targeted, tailored strategies to improve your search ranking and attract more attention. 

Driving traffic is one part of the challenge when it comes to increasing sales. If your SEO campaigns are working, and you’re getting more visitors, it’s essential to make sure that your website doesn’t let you down. Analyse data, test landing pages, vary the content you produce and share and make sure each page is interesting, useful and visually appealing. Including photographs, images and video clips is a brilliant way to capture attention. It’s also essential to provide simple, quick options for web users to access information, snap up deals or place an order. One of the most common reasons people abandon their baskets is a lack of information. Including an FAQ section and providing live chat support can make a positive difference to customer experience and lead conversion rates. 

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Sending out samples and offering trials

Many customers like to try before they buy. More and more businesses are offering free samples and trials to encourage prospective clients and shoppers to try their products and sign up for subscriptions or memberships. From online courses and subscriptions for foodies to new beauty products or soft drinks, you can get people interested in your brand by handing out freebies or joining forces with other businesses to promote new products. Some retailers, for example, will send you a free sample in the post when you place an order. Trials and testers can help you demonstrate the quality of your products and services, give you a competitive advantage and enhance customer confidence. If a buyer loves the product, they may buy it again and they’ll also recommend it to their friends, families and social media followers. 

Encouraging customers to leave reviews

More than 90% of consumers read reviews before buying or contacting a business. Online reviews have never been more influential. If you’re looking to expand your client base and increase sales, it’s incredibly beneficial to encourage clients and shoppers to leave reviews and feedback and to pass on recommendations to people they know. If you don’t have many reviews online, contact customers and ask them to provide feedback and offer incentives. It’s also an excellent idea to feature testimonials and verified reviews on your website and to share comments on your social media profiles and feeds. 

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If you’re on a mission to boost sales, you’re eager to promote a new product, or you’re looking for new customers, it’s vital to spread the word. Connect with customers online, use digital marketing methods to create a buzz around your brand, drive traffic to your website and grow your following and consider planning a launch event. Display your products at trade shows and events and exhibitions, send out free samples and offer introductory trials and encourage customers to leave reviews. If social media is your primary focus, use giveaways and competitions to increase follower numbers and think about working with influencers to shine a spotlight on your products and services and encourage more people to follow you and make a purchase. 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Hire The Best Team For Your Company

July 21, 2021 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

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But what is the most efficient and cost-effective way to attract a good team? If you take a close look at the reasons why your business is not growing the way you would like, you will probably find that you are missing the sales component. Since you can not duplicate yourself to increase sales, you must hire a sales team if you want to spread your business. Basically, hiring the right people is vital to your business’ success. 

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Provide training

In order to be successful, you must provide thorough training to salespeople based on commission sales strategies. A commission-based sale will only work if “the sales process in your company is established and you can train the sales people to find quality leads and sell your services.” The training should include a thorough review of your product or services as well as an explanation of your customers and what affects them. Also, add an overview of your customers’ previous ways of purchasing.  Sometimes you will find that your workers have come from abroad. In this case, you should encourage training for communication and english and look at what you need to hire them. Such as a ukba sponsor licence application. 

When you advertise the job, make the resume submission process a test in which you can see if the candidates can follow instructions. Do not make the resume submission process too easy as sending a message directly from the ad. Candidates who do this will disqualify themselves immediately. This will save you a lot of time dealing with higher quality candidates. 

Get to know them well 

If you seriously consider the candidate in front of you, you would expect them to have researched your company. The candidate is prepared, has the answers to your questions and knows what to expect about the company as well as its culture, vision and mission. If you want to hire the best workers possible, study their resumes carefully, visit their online social profiles, assess their technical tests, and more. Get to know their hopes, their wishes and what they want in their career. Get to know how they could help the company and fit into the team. This will help you get the best out of your workers!

Involve employees and check their skills 

The person you are going to hire will have to integrate into a team. You can facilitate the integration of this new employee by involving the teams from the moment of recruitment. Do they like the person you’re thinking of recruiting? It is a way of making our teams more accountable and guaranteeing successful recruitment. In addition, this additional responsibility will strongly motivate the teams.  Another important task is to thoroughly check their skills. You want to be sure that you have hired the right person. Before recruiting a candidate, it is therefore important to check their statements from the start to ensure that we have given our trust to the right person. Look at their LinkedIn profile and also their references. 

 

Perfecting The Art Of Delegation

January 12, 2021 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , 4 Comments

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If there is one thing that a lot of project managers are yet to master it is the art of delegation. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us will admit that we are guilty of spreading ourselves too thin because we attempt to take on tasks ourselves when we could – and should – be delegating them to our team members. With that in mind, read on to discover some top tips on how to delegate more effectively as a project manager. 

Be specific – One of the worst things you can do when giving out tasks is to be vague. You need to be specific with what is required. You should also explain why the task needs to be done, what results are expected, and the deadline. 

Pick the right person for the task – When delegating, do not dish tasks out on a first come first serve basis. Rather than simply assigning tasks to the first person available, you need to ensure tasks are matched to the right person for the job. Do not give someone a task if they are not qualified to do it. You wouldn’t give someone with an HGV licence accounting tasks, would you? You need to play to the strengths and skills of your team. 

Don’t over-delegate – While a lot of us are guilty of not delegating enough, you also need to make sure you do not over-delegate. You should not simply start delegating projects because you have fallen behind or you want to shift something off your desk that you should be doing. Delegating is about dishing out those tasks that you should not be doing yourself. It is vital to recognise the difference. 
Give apprentices some responsibility – If you have any apprentices on your team, make the most of them. A lot of businesses make the mistake of having their interns and apprentices merely staying in the background. There are bound to be plenty of tasks that your apprentice could be working on, so make sure you give them something worthwhile to do, i.e. something that actually contributes to the project. 
Don’t micromanage – There is no point in delegating a task if you are only going to micromanage it afterwards. Once you have handed out a task and provided training if necessary, you should set up a schedule for touching base, and then once you have done this you should step away from the project. You have assigned the task based on skillset, so you should trust the person in question to get the done job properly. 

If you follow the advice that has been provided above, you should be able to delegate tasks more effectively and efficiently so that your project team can achieve more and you focus on the tasks that really matter rather than spreading yourself too thin.

 

 

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