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Showing posts from 2016

How to get the most out of your mobile marketing campaign

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Marketers have traditionally placed emphasis on areas where consumers will see or hear the information they want to promote. Over the years advertising channels have included print, radio and television. However, today the dynamics have changed and businesses have had to evolve to keep up with the times and remain competitive. Investing in channels, such as social media and mobile, have become essential.

How to use storytelling to develop stronger brand awareness

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Brand awareness is an important piece when working to establish a strong business presence. Through brand awareness companies not only boost visibility, they use it to differentiate themselves from competitors selling similar products or services. Storytelling is an important part of this process.

Developing relationships is at the heart of networking and sales growth

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Networking is a terrific opportunity to increase sales. Developing relationships is at the heart of networking and, as you grow your connections and get to know others well, the trust factor increases. As trust builds, others are more inclined to want to do business with you.

How to build a strong brand awareness

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A company's brand is one of its most valuable assets. A strong brand awareness makes a product or service recognizable and helps bring a competitive advantage. Through the development of a memorable brand, a company positions itself to differentiate itself from other similar products or services.

4 reasons why honesty is critical for business success

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A business is only as successful if it can attract customers to buy its products or services. If a company cannot attract people to turn to them to fulfill their needs, they won't be able to profit and flourish.

Ways social media has changed advertising

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Social media has had a significant impact on society. Initially, the platform was a way for people to connect and/or reconnect with one another, but over the course of time the concept has expanded to so much more.

How to show customer appreciation during the holidays

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Customer appreciation ideally should be an all-year occurrence for any business, however the holidays are a time where an extra boost in acknowledgment and gratitude is a nice idea to spread good will. Without loyal customers a business will struggle to survive, never mind thrive. Making a focused effort to show customers much they are valued can go a long way.

How strategic alliance partnerships benefit business

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Strategic partnerships can be very beneficial to companies that are looking to expand or meet specific objectives. In a business environment where companies have to really hone in on their strengths and minimize their weaknesses, strategic alliances make good business sense. Businesses that partner with others can use the alliance to complement their own capabilities and resources, expand leverage and get the potential to tap into both domestic and international markets they didn't have access to before.

Why businesses need a social media strategy

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Social media strategies have rapidly become an important part of the integrated marketing planning process. Companies that do not bother spending much time investing in the social media aspect of a marketing plan are likely going to lose out on a big segment that could have been used as a great marketing avenue.

Why disaster planning can save your business

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Over the years many businesses have neglected to create a disaster plan in the event of an emergency or catastrophic event. Yet, this is such a pivotal part of business planning. Despite this fact many businesses still fail to engage in and develop a disaster plan to protect their company.

Necessary ingredients for successful team dynamics in the workplace

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Teams are part of the heart of any organization. With a combination of teamwork and cooperation, most anything is possible. Businesses have recognized the value of teamwork and, as a result, work teams have emerged as an industrious way to get projects complete. When a leader assigns a task to a group of people, this opens the door for brainstorming, creativity and innovation to occur. When teams members get together to collaborate, it results in the development of ideas and solutions.

Ways businesses can demonstrate good corporate social responsibility

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Businesses are typically started with the goal of earning money. While it's true there are some companies started with an altruistic goal in mind, the bottom line is no matter what the objective is for a company, it's got to pursue profit in order to succeed.

Ways organizations work to prevent financial fraud

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Financial fraud is an issue highlighted in the 21st century, particularly after scandals which arose from companies such as Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom and others that subsequently rocked society when news of these incidents hit the media.

Best practices for responding to a data breach

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Over the past couple of decades, computer automation has drastically changed the way business is conducted. Technology has lowered costs and increased efficiency and productivity, but this does not mean it hasn't come without some drawbacks.

Characteristics associated with monochronic time philosophies

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Time is an interesting concept. Some people strictly live by the clock, while others take a much more lax attitude towards time. Often this is a cultural difference and, for the most part, people can harmoniously live under their own time perceptions.

Ways to secure strong customer satisfaction

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In today's sales environment the customer is in the driver's seat. Companies can no longer get away with shoddy service, poor quality or making customers wait extraordinary amounts of time. People expect, and can demand, instant results and be able to get it because there are so many other options on the market.

Is your organizational culture contributing to team failure?

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Whether or not work teams fail can largely depend upon the organizational culture in a workplace. If there are many problems rooted in the foundation of the organization, when issues arise in the team environment, things can go downhill – sometimes quickly – especially if no intervention is done.

Risks of collecting consumer information

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Consumer information is a valuable asset to possess. Businesses collect customer data so it can be sorted, analyzed and then turned into useful information. This ability, often facilitated by technology, can give a business an incredible competitive advantage and it also provides many benefits to the organization.

5 reasons it may be time to liquidate your business

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Liquidating a business is not always an easy decision to make. Most people enter a business with hopes and dreams of success and longevity. The reality of it is some businesses will thrive and succeed for decades or longer, other entrepreneur efforts will be shorter lived and go bankrupt quickly. Knowing when to liquidate a business is important because waiting too long could cause deeper financial troubles than the ones already emerging.

Reasons why high staff turnover can occur

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High staff turnover might occur in an organization for any number of reasons. However, if a business is experiencing a higher degree of turnover than it anticipates, or can afford, it is well worth the time to explore the possible contributors that might be leading to that revolving door.

Pros and cons of cross training employees

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Cross training employees have become a popular managerial approach. There are many advantages to this kind of initiative but as with anything else, it's of value to recognize the drawbacks too.

Impact of internal fraud on small businesses

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Internal fraud is a big business problem. According to research published by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), about 5 percent of revenue is lost each year to fraud (on average, an organization loses $140,000 a year). Looking at it from a global perspective, it is projected organizations could collectively lose $3.5 trillion due to fraudulent activity.

Why startup companies are targeted by cybercrime

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Security experts say startup companies are most targeted by cybercriminals. A 2013 report by CNN said exploiters "can sniff out" new startup companies as quickly as two months after they are launched. Sometimes even immediately. The information came from a study, "2013 Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 18", put out by Symantec , a software security company.   

Establish a loyal brand following through specialization

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Specialization in business is when a company focuses on a precise area of the commercial market. Companies that specialize in a niche market area put their energy and resources into producing and/or promoting that particular product or service.

The economics of spam: How it affects everyone

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Spam is defined as email that is unsolicited by the recipient. Aside from the annoyance factor, spam is a significant problem and can be a pricey one. Spam clogs up bandwidth space and this is costly to ISP's, businesses and consumers. Additionally, it also causes issues with computer and/or network performance. Not to mention how it severely impacts the legitimate organizations or individuals sending out large email distributions.

Thinking of expanding to a new location? What to consider

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Adding a new location to expand your business is a great opportunity that could prove beneficial on many levels. You can grow your brand, publicize your name to a broader area and, since the ultimate goal is profitability, increase your current revenue.

Best ways to set yourself apart from competitors

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Today's consumers have a lot of choice in the number of businesses they can give their dollars to. As a result, it is in a business' best interest to set themselves apart from their competition. E-commerce and m-commerce have rapidly increased the level of competition in any given market. As a result, companies must strive to differentiate themselves from competitors. This often does not come without a lot of invested effort and strategic planning.

Should companies honor pricing errors on products or services?

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In our society most everything is digitized and scanned through computer automation. The retail industry has, at this point, pretty much long been migrated to automated processes. The days of hand-priced merchandise is mostly extinct. 

Attributes to think about when designing a logo

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A business' logo is its identifying trademark. Consumers are drawn to the recognizable, and a successful logo essentially helps boost the company's visibility. Creating the right image ideally will provide instantaneous recognition.

Ways to restore consumer confidence in a business

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Losing consumer confidence is a serious issue for businesses. One of a company's primary goals should be to gain consumer trust, so when this valued trust is lost, this is not an issue to take lightly.

Understanding the relationship between business and ethics

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The relationship between business and ethics is intrinsically entwined. A successful company is one which can effectively recognize and cultivate the relationship which exists between the two.

Ways good leaders listen to employees

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There are many different styles of leadership and several approaches leaders can take when it comes to listening to employees. Some leaders or managers tend to be more reserved while others are more interactive and open with their staff members.

Is your business engaging in community outreach?

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Community outreach is not only a great way to connect with your local population, it can also increase business visibility. Through the connection with local communities, businesses have a great opportunity to get to know locals and build long-term relationships.

5 ways to attract and retain customers

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Many business owners would give their eye teeth to fully know the secrets to keeping customers. Customers are heart of any business, as it is their patronage that enables a company to remain operational.

Reasons to include an exit strategy in your business plan

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An exit strategy is a valuable component of a business plan. While it perhaps sounds strange to plan for the end at the time of beginning a company launch, there are many solid reasons for outlining a specified business timeline right from the beginning.

What to consider when choosing a small business location

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Opening a brand new business is an exciting time for hopeful entrepreneurs. There are many rewarding benefits that come with owning one's own business. While the benefits can be tremendous over time, new business owners should keep in mind that reaching these rewards does take a lot of work prior to opening up shop.

6 tips for dealing with angry customers

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Dealing with an angry customer on the phone is typically one of the least desirable aspects of working in customer service. It is less probable a customer will call with a compliment so it's probably best to be always be prepared for a complaint and/or an angry customer anytime that phone rings.

Industry changes: Jobs now obsolete

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As technology progresses the demands for certain kinds of jobs change. Over the past century society has seen a dramatic shift in innovative progress and as a result entire professions have gone extinct as computers and automated machinery now perform many of the jobs that once required humans to do.

Accepting failure in business is a key component to success

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Most people have experienced some level of failure in their lives at one time or another. In any aspect of life, failure can be disappointing, hurtful, and could result in depression or a feeling of helplessness.