How To Be A Flamingo Among The Pigeons: Standing Out From The Crowd

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Beat the competition|How To Be A Flamingo Among The Pigeons: Standing Out From The CrowdThere is competition within every industry. Whether you’re trying to hang on to existing clients, or you’re on a mission to entice new customers, you’ll face competitors. The key to outperforming other businesses or individuals lies in offering something different and standing out from the crowd for all the right reasons. If you’re keen to be a metaphorical flamingo in a flock of pigeons, here are some top tips to take on board.

Research your target market

The most important step to take when it comes to trying to beat the competition to attract new customers and keep hold of loyal clients is to research your target market. Gather as much information as possible and gain an insight into who your ideal buyer is, what they’re looking for and what kinds of services, features, promotions, and perks impress them. Use feedback from previous customers and get to know new clients.

Work on your USP

If somebody asked you the question, ‘What’s different about your company?’ what would your answer be? Often, customers are faced with a decision when it comes to choosing where to shop or which business to go for. You need to make sure that you have a response to this question, and that your answer is going to appeal to your target buyer. Work on a USP that is going to impress new customers and encourage existing clients to stick with you. If you’re confident about your USP, take every opportunity to promote it and show it off.

Make meetings memorable

If you’re looking to try and impress buyers or you’re keen to create new contacts within the world of business, try and make meetings memorable. If you’re pitching to a panel, for example, bear in mind that the individuals you’re talking to may have seen several other products that day and listened to multiple pitches. Look for unique meeting rooms for rent to set the right tone and create a buzz around your presentation, rehearse in advance to make sure your pitch is slick and seamless, and inject personality and enthusiasm. Do something different to show your products or services off, and try and get the panel involved. Interactive displays work really well, and it’s beneficial to maintain eye contact and keep the conversation flowing throughout the meeting.

Put your customer first

Customers like to feel like VIPs, and there are multiple ways in which you can use customer service to separate you from the masses. Personalize the customer experience, go the extra mile to impress your clients, and encourage them to stay with you after an initial order or purchase. Keep in touch with your customers via emails and social media, incentivize repeat business, and add personal touches at every opportunity. Personalized email subjects, for example, have a higher click-through rate. Invite people to leave feedback and listen to ideas and comments.

In business, it’s vital to be able to stand out in the crowd. If you’ve got a host of companies trying to lure in a customer you want to make your own, you need to be able to promote your brand and catch that client’s eye. Offer something different, create memorable, enjoyable experiences, and show that customer that you’ll always put them first.

LED Lighting And The Advantages For Making The Switch In Your Business Premises

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |LED Lighting|LED Lighting And The Advantages For Making The Switch In Your Business PremisesWhen it comes to our business locations, there is now more of a focus for us to be eco friendly with our approach to how we run things. Our business, the technology we use daily and also the way we handle our business dealings. However, when it comes to implementing these changes as a business, what can you do?

There are thankfully a lot of things that you can do to ensure that your business is greener. You can focus on recycling elements, where you make some changes to how you recycle things like old technology. Or at least making it easy for employees to recycle certain materials such as plastics and paper. You can make it a focus in terms of incentives for staff to use public transport or even a ride or walk to work scheme. However, there is one simp[le thing that you can do that will have a lasting difference, and that is changing the light bulbs to LED alternatives. But are there other benefits for doing this? Let’s discuss this point in more detail.

They are energy efficient

Did you know that LED lights are up to 85% more efficient than standard bulbs that you may be using or buying in your local DIY store? It is true that LED bulbs are much more efficient in terms of the amount of energy that they use. In comparison, you may need to purchase a higher wattage fluorescent bulb initially, but an LED equivalent will have a lower wattage, but will still give off the same light. Enabling your business to glow but using less power and energy to do it. Making it a more pleasant and well lit working environment.

Non toxic

Many of the flourescent bulbs that you can buy today will have toxic elements to them, that includes noxious elements such as mercury. LED bulbs contain no toxic elements at all. An older bulb that does have toxic parts can cause issues when they are thrown out and no longer needing to be used. Heading to landfill they can contaminate the environment. Disposal should be done through a dedicated company that can dispose of the toxic elements efficiently, but this is less likely to happen day to day, especially when you have other things to focus on in your business. With an LED bulb, you don’t need to think about these things.

Less lighting in your home needed

As an LED bulb is powerful even at a lower wattage than a standard bulb, this can mean that you need less lighting overall. People tend to try and make more informed choices, and so while purchasing a standard bulb may choose a lower wattage, but this can mean sacrificing on the strength and then doubling up on the amount of light you need. An LED bulb will be strong enough to give you the light you need.

Easy to get hold of

It used to be that needing to get hold of LED bulb alternatives was harder, and so people would choose a standard bulb that could be purchased in their local hardware store, but now LED bulbs are far more readily available. A quick look online to find an LED Lighting Store will help you to find a local supplier to even be able to purchase them online for even more ease. Make it easier means that you can now make a more informed choice with the bulbs you use to light up your business premises.

Longer life span

LED bulbs can often be seen as a more expensive purchase than a normal standard bulb, but while you may not be too happy with the initial cost, LED bulbs are seen as more of an investment. But in terms of the life span, an LED bulb will far outlive a standard bulb, which means that overall you emit lower carbon emissions. Some LED lights can last up to six times longer than a standard bulb and light, which means less replacements. In terms of looking at the bigger picture, less bulbs needed means less constraints when it comes to manufacturing and processing, which can also have a positive impact on the environment.

An investment and saving in the long term

Finally, we have already mentioned that there is an initial investment to make, as LED bulbs and lights can be seen as a little more expensive. But with them lasting up to six times longer than standard bulbs, the investment can offer a huge savings in the long term. Spending more now will give you the peace of mind that you are doing your bit for the environment, and making your business more eco-friendly by just a switch of a bulb.

Let’s hope this has made you more aware of the advantages to LED lights in your business and encouraged you to invest.

3 Best Ways to Create an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy in Singapore

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Digital Marketing| 3 Best Ways to Create an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy in SingaporeAnytime you think about making a website, the first thing that comes to your mind is how to get to the top of search engines. Similarly, you would like to engage elements that are capable of promoting your enterprise and reverberate well with potential clients. That is where you need to apply the best strategies for digital marketing in Singapore so that you can improve your online presence.

This is exactly what a well-designed digital marketing approach can achieve for you. However, it is advisable to delve into and learn the various methods you can utilize in your digital marketing so as to be able to manage it efficiently.

Look forward to the needs of the audience

See, in your mind you have the target audience. Their needs should to be on top of your mind. But the most important part is to first comprehend who you want to concentrate on reaching when it comes to promoting your services or products. Simply, anticipate for their needs and you will set to better design your marketing approach.

Nonetheless, make sure to create honest and considerate content usually with an authentic voice. With that you are certain that your message gets to the right individuals. In turn, they will give a positive response in an approach that is promising to your efforts.

Utilize social media

One of the most effective and promising ways to reach and interact with your target your audience is via social media. Here, you are simply required to figure out which social media platforms are mostly used by your audience. Once you determine that, you are free to focus your efforts on those two or three platforms and you will be sure that your online ad spend will have great returns.

However, you should try to manage so many pages. This will continuously eat into your efforts of performing other crucial aspects of your website. It is recommended that you check page interaction statistics at least once in a day so that you do not waste most of your time there.

Low-cost strategies

This is for those who are just starting out or have minimal resources to manage their website. See, if you are in this position, you do not have to worry. Simply make use of digital marketing methods that are affordable yet effective.

Work on a budget that is favorable for you. As time goes by, your profits will skyrocket. At that time, you will be able to adjust your digital marketing budget and include in-depth approaches to your present strategies.

However, it is advisable to keep evaluating your current methods. Make sure you track the search engine metrics so that you are certain that your SEO approaches are effective.

Bottom Line

Digital marketing is one of the aspects you cannot underestimate since it plays the most significant role in the success of your online business. However, to create an effective digital marketing strategy you need to look into the special needs of your target audience, make use of social media to reach your audience, and finally utilize low-cost methods but you can later adjust when things get better.  To get the best results, you should consider taking a digital marketing course.  If you don’t want to tackle development of a digital marketing strategy yourself, you should consider using a USA digital marketing agency as an alternative.

5 Things To Remember When Starting A Chemical Manufacturing Business

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A chemical manufacturing company is a potentially very lucrative business idea, however, it does require a lot of initial investment. You need to cover the cost of finding a prime location, buying and setting up all of the equipment, and hiring a lot of specialist employees. You’ll have to put a lot of money into this business if you want to get it going which means the risk is very high and if you fail, you will find yourself in a very difficult financial position. That’s why you need to think carefully about it and make sure that you know exactly what is involved in setting up a successful chemical manufacturing business. If you think that it’s the right idea for you, make sure that you have considered these things.

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | 5 Things To Remember When Starting A Chemical Manufacturing Business | Entrepreneurship

What Is Your Niche Going To Be?

Unless you want to spend huge amounts of money on different types of equipment, you need to pick a fairly narrow niche for your chemical manufacturing business. Starting out with one or two products is the best thing to do, otherwise, your overheads will get out of control before you even get started. The first decision that you need to make is whether you’re going to make intermediate chemicals or finished products for market. Intermediate chemicals will be sold to other businesses which will use them during the manufacturing process to make products that go straight to market. Alternatively, you could make products like cleaning chemicals, soap or toothpaste etc. for companies that will then sell them direct to retailers.

If you’re making intermediate chemicals, the manufacturing process is usually simpler and cheaper. You’ll also have more choice of customers, especially if you make a product that is used to manufacture a lot of different things. However, the profit margins on these products tend to be smaller so you’ll be selling in larger quantities but not necessarily making as much money on each unit.

Manufacturing finished products for market does tend to give you a higher profit margin, the only problem is that the overheads are also a lot higher. When you’re manufacturing more complex products, you’ll need a lot more lab equipment and at this point, you probably can’t afford that. It’s best to start out with intermediate chemicals and move on to more complex products once you’re well established and you have the money to cover the increased overheads.

Location In Relation To Raw Materials

Choosing the right location for your manufacturing plant is very important. You need to make sure that you have adequate space for all of the equipment that you’ll need but you also need to think about your location in relation to the raw materials that you’re going to need. If your manufacturing plant is located too far away from companies that supply the raw materials then you’re going to be spending a lot of money on shipping and that will eat into your profits. The best thing to do is to decide what you want to manufacture and work out what raw materials you will need and then find a location where they are easily accessible.

Storing Chemicals

When you’re choosing a location, you don’t just need to consider how you’re going to get your raw materials and then manufacture new products with them, you also need to think about where you’re going to store all of those chemicals. You will need to store the raw materials before manufacture and the finished product afterwards. That’s why it’s important that you find a location that has plenty of space for storage as well as manufacturing. Get in touch with a company like Tuffa Tanks that supply storage tanks for chemicals so you can get an idea of what it will cost and what kind of size you can get. This will give you an idea of the cost of storage and how much space you will need so you can make sure you choose a suitable location.

Packaging And Shipping

Storing the chemicals at your own facility is one thing, but you also need to deal with packaging and shipping the chemicals. If they are hazardous in any way, this can be quite a challenge and it might cost you quite a lot of money. Some of this cost can be factored into the price when you sell the chemicals but you don’t want to push the prices up too high and lose customers. There are certain regulations around the packaging and shipping of certain chemicals so it’s essential that you do your research beforehand and find out whether this applies to you or not. If you are found to be breaking these regulations, even without realizing, it’s likely that your business will be shut down temporarily, if not permanently, and you’ll be hit with a big fine.

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Ship Hazardous Materials|We Answer the Top 9 Most Commonly-Asked Questions About Hazardous Materials PackagingEnvironmental Concerns

Manufacturing chemicals can have a big impact on the environment, especially if you’re using hazardous materials, and that’s something that you need to think about when you’re setting up your business. Disposing of waste properly is so important because if you just dump it, you’ll do a lot of damage to the surrounding ecosystems. If you’re found to be disposing of waste in the wrong way, you could get yourself into a lot of legal trouble. There are proper channels for disposing of your waste in a safe manner that doesn’t damage the environment so it’s important that you follow them properly. This is usually going to cost you more than standard waste disposal for a business so make sure to factor that in as well.

Ideally, you should try to use less harmful chemicals where possible because this will improve your public image. Consumers are very concerned with environmental issues and a lot of people cite it as a major factor in their purchasing decisions. If you can find different ways to manufacture your products and reduce your impact on the environment, you’re far more likely to make sales.

If you don’t consider these things before you start your own chemical manufacturing company, you’re likely to fail before you even get off the ground.

How to Use Outsourcing to Boost Your Profits

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article | How to Use Outsourcing to Boost Your Profits | Entrepreneurship | OutsourcingOutsourcing is a word that’s used a lot in business articles and guides for business owners, but is it really worth considering if you only have a small business or are a sole trader? If you think of outsourcing as something that only medium to large companies need to do, you’re missing out on a powerful way to boost your profits, because the benefits of outsourcing have no relation to the size of your business.

Because of its association with more sizeable businesses, outsourcing tends to be viewed as a situation where a whole section of a large corporation or organization is subcontracted to another company. For example, a hospital that pays a specialist cleaning company to undertake all the housekeeping duties.

There could be fifty or a hundred employees taking care of the hospital with not one of them being employed directly; the hospital pays the cleaning company, and the cleaning company deals with staff management. The hospital director gets a clean hospital without having to worry about looking after staff, equipment, recruitment, rotas, and all the other responsibilities of doing the cleaning in-house.

The test of whether outsourcing can work for you is to examine the numbers, which will tell you if outsourcing is viable in your circumstance or not. You may be a small business with a handful of employees or someone who works alone out of their back bedroom, but the same financial calculations are as applicable to you as they are to the hospital director. The bottom line is, can you earn more in the time it takes you to perform a task than it would cost you to pay someone else to do it? That’s the essence of how outsourcing boosts your profits in a nutshell.

In practice, what it means is that if your profit is $35 per hour as a freelance researcher, and it costs $20 an hour to employ an assistant to do all your admin, every hour you spend doing admin is costing you $15. If you spent those hours doing more paid work, you could have all your admin done for you and still be making money. In some cases doing tasks yourself could well be costing even more if you don’t have the skills to complete the task effectively and efficiently.

For instance, if you do all your own SEO, that could be taking you five hours each week, so straight away you’ve got the difference between how much you’re losing by not earning, and the cost of outsourcing the task. However you’ve also got the loss you’re incurring by spending more time than an expert would, and not being as effective as an expert at optimizing your business presence. By outsourcing to a specialist like Orlando SEO, you can devote more time to earning, and have a better return on the investment than you’d get if you carried on trying to do your SEO yourself.

Have a look at what you’re doing that could be done by someone else, and see how much it would cost to outsource those tasks. Even if you just take on a remote assistant to do two hours a week, if you make $35 an hour and pay them $15 an hour, over a year you’ll boost your profits by over $2,000 a year!