How Digital Marketing Can Help You Get Sales

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, How Digital Marketing Can Help You Get SalesIf you boil marketing down to its crux, it is simply the art of finding potential customers and explaining to them why they might find your product or service valuable. There are two components to this: the location of leads and then the skill of convincing explanation. If you consider the first point for any length of time, you will realize that in the modern climate you will find more leads online than at any other location. This means that in order to market effectively in 2019, you need to have an online digital marketing strategy. There are a myriad of things to consider when you plan your strategy, like getting the right automated marketing reporting software and planning campaigns that will grab your target audience’s attention.

Is it Right for You?

The answer is probably yes. If you’re a small business that sells a service or a product, even if you don’t sell this through an online shop, you will likely benefit from digital marketing. More than 81% of all shoppers research a product or service online before they commit to a purchase, and who can blame them? If you have a trustworthy online presence you will find your leads will be more open to hearing your pitch. Digital marketing is also so versatile it can suit many technical ability levels. It ranges from SEO techniques such as PPC to creating content to simply being active on social media. What’s more, according to www.diydigitalstrategy.com it can be done without needing to rely on expensive marketing companies for their pricey help. They can show you how anybody with a computer and a business can market online.

How does it drive sales?

Digital marketing drives sales through many different means.

  • It allows you to reach more people. This should be obvious, as the internet can connect you to almost anybody that can access a computer, but digital marketing has evolved to enable you to reach many more people in your area than traditional marketing.
  • People of all ages and demographics use the internet, but some will be more biased to certain apps or sites. You can take advantage of the heavily localized offerings of Google Adsense or Facebook or even Snapchat (consider working with Snapchat marketing agencies as you can create a filter in the area you’re targeting if you want to get kids talking about your business).
  • Social media marketing also allows you to build relationships with customers that you may never have been able to build before. You can quite literally now send a message directly into the Facebook inbox of a customer (something that’s normally reserved for friends) to check how they enjoyed your product. This is incredibly valuable as it cements your brand as caring and also associates it with the idea of being a friend.
  • Even if you don’t have time to message every customer on Facebook, simply having a social media presence can increase your sales by 5% on average.
  • You can also collect data based on how users of your website act and check how often they make purchases as well as which areas of the website they prefer. Rich data allow you to create a highly personal digital journey for your clients, and simply improving their personal online experience can be greatly beneficial to them.

Digital marketing should be on your mind a lot if you’re the operator of any business, especially as with a little research, you can do a lot yourself. Don’t be put off if you try it and don’t see immediate results – it takes time and consistency for your digital work to pay off, but when it does, you will hopefully see a substantial return on your effort and investment.

Employee Benefits: What You Should Know As An Employer

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Employee Benefits|Employee Benefits: What You Should Know As An EmployerAs an employer, one of the smartest things you can do is offer employee benefits in the workplace. Some employee benefits are pretty self explanatory and should come as a standard – such as water, tea, and coffee. Your team shouldn’t have to bring in their own basic refreshments.

However, you should offer more than the bare minimum. You want your workplace to be set apart from others, and your benefits to be a little competitive at least. Benefits vary from company to company, but they can easily make your workplace a more pleasant place to work for your team. Below, we’ll go into more detail on employee benefits and what you should know as an employer:

The Types Of Benefits You Can Offer

There are all kinds of benefits you could offer as an employer. This may include:

  • Health insurance (required to be offered by larger companies)
  • Dental insurance
  • Vision care
  • Life insurance
  • Paid vacation leave
  • Personal leave
  • Sick leave
  • Fitness

There are many optional benefits, and many companies offer the above simply to stay competitive. Extra bonuses, such as stock options, can also be a nice addition.

Employee Retention

Many employers are deciding to increase the use of bonuses, perks, and incentives to recruit and retain employees. Making the workplace more comfortable with benefits can ensure employees stay loyal and stick around in the long term. While you need to stick to a budget and you can’t be frivolous with spending, having benefits, bonuses, and perks that keep your employees happy will ensure more productivity, higher quality work, a more pleasant work environment, and more.

Creating A Nice Work Environment

While the benefits can help to contribute to a nicer work environment, they’re not going to do all of the work for you. Having Payroll HR in place will ensure your employees are paid on time and that everything is kept above board, which should be another concern of yours.

Setting Up Flexible Spending Accounts

Many employers set up flexible spending accounts, and these accounts are regulated by the government. The accounts allow you to set aside pretax dollars, and these dollars pay for things like daycare and medical expenses. They will decrease your taxable income as well as give more freedom to your team, so you should take advantage of one if possible.

Caring About Your Employees

Of course, providing benefits gives you the opportunity to actually make things better for your employees. The benefits should come from a genuine place of wanting to help them and caring for their wellbeing. An employer that shows they care will always stand out from the rest, and your team will be far more likely to stay loyal to you. Even offering things like verbal praise and support can go a long way to making the work environment nicer for them and encouraging them to keep going.

Many employee benefits are not compulsory, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t offer them. Wanting the best for your employees will go a long way. And that includes oral care for your employees with reputable dentists like the Dentist In Grand Blanc.

Keeping Your Customers Happy Throughout The Festive Period

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StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article |Customer Service|Keeping Your Customers Happy Throughout The Festive PeriodRunning an online business is a fantastic way to earn a living. Online shopping remains popular and the coming weeks are likely to be your busiest of the year. The festive period can be make or break for your business, as how you cope with the extra demand can have a significant impact on customers’ perceptions.

Word of mouth travels quickly, so the service you provide at this time should make a great impression. Customers will remember the service you gave and will be more likely to make a return visit in the New Year.

So how can you keep your customers happy throughout the festive period? Take a look at some of the following suggestions that will have you laughing all the way until the end of the year.

Make sure your website is fit for purpose

With more and more people doing their Christmas shopping online each year, you won’t want to miss out on sales. Making sure your website is up to scratch will ensure it doesn’t crash during busy periods and can cope with the demand.

Not only do you need your website to be fast and reliable, but it also needs to be secure. Get professional help securing your eCommerce website so that you can make sure all of your customers’ details stay safe.

Promotions can boost your sales, but proceed with caution

Over the festive period, online stores can go crazy with discounts. Not only is there Black Friday, but various cyber deals are rife at this time of year. It’s good to stay competitive, but while offering deals and discounts could boost your sales, it could cost your company money. Only run promotions you know that you can afford. While you’ll want to keep up with your competition, a reliable and efficient service can mean much more to some shoppers.

Put measures in place to limit mistakes

Mistakes can happen easily with online orders, but when it happens at Christmas, people can end up very disappointed and angry. Receiving the wrong size, color, or even the wrong item can cause misery that you’ll want to avoid for your customers. There should already be measures in place to limit mistakes with online orders, but at this time of year, you should think about introducing tougher checks.

If a mistake has happened, do everything you can to put it right. When it comes to dealing with angry customers, try to find a resolution that will keep them happy. You might need to provide a discount, refund shipping or even refund the order to help keep the customer happy. This is something to consider adding into your budget that you might not have thought about before.

Think about reducing your shipping

One thing that can determine whether a customer orders with you or with your competitor is shipping. Free shipping is a good incentive to order something, especially around the festive period, and could be worth investing in for your business – even if it is just during this period.

To help give you the best shipping costs, you need to ensure your weights are accurate. You can get scales at 1800scales.com in different sizes that are suitable for your products. Being able to provide the correct weight for your products could save you money on your shipping, allowing you to pass the savings onto your customers.

Increase your customer care efforts

Christmas is the time when many people decide to increase their customer care teams. Providing good customer service is important all year round, but with increasing sales and more pressure to get things right, it’s even more important to provide a great service at Christmas.

It’s important that customer queries are dealt with as soon as possible. When people have to wait for a response, that’s when they start taking to social media and review websites to air their concerns widely. While some customers can be difficult to deal with, it’s important to remain calm, friendly and polite if you want any hope of retaining them as a customer in the future.

Use social media to your advantage

The holidays are the perfect opportunity to do some great things with social media. From a stand-out Christmas campaign to being able to have some fun with your customers, you can use the excitement around the festive period to increase your followers and increase your profile.

Get yourself in the festive spirit by taking a look at some of the best Christmas campaigns. While you might not have a huge budget for your own campaign, it’s a great way to get some ideas and think about ways you can make a big splash at this time of year.

Reward your loyal customers

While attracting new customers and increasing your profits is important to drive sales at this time, you mustn’t forget about your existing customers. Show them that you value their loyalty by offering incentives such as discounts on an order, or a free gift. You can find some excellent ways to reward existing customers that can be affordable and impactful for your business. Even sharing their content on your social media channels can make them feel valued and appreciated.

Why not add a special touch such as sending a Christmas card or a small gift with your orders? Your customers will appreciate the surprise and it’s a lovely gesture to provide at this time of year.

Think ahead to sale time

While it can feel as though you’re just trying to survive the Christmas rush, it is important to think ahead to your plans after Christmas. Most stores launch sales on either Christmas eve or in the days after Christmas, which can take a lot of work to pull off. Your employees will be working hard over this period, so you might want to give everyone a few extra days to recover before you launch your sale.

A post-Christmas sale is a fantastic opportunity to clear out your old stock and get ready for the new year. Be smart with your pricing strategy and you could do well during the post-Christmas period and give your customers another great reason to shop with you.

Do something great for others

The holidays are a time for giving, and as a business, you’re in a position to give back to others to spread a little festive cheer. From providing monetary donations to charities to helping out in your local community, there are different ways your business can do something to help others at this time of year. You can highlight your efforts through your news page, your blog and across social media. It’s important to demonstrate that you’re a socially-responsible company, and encourage your customers to give up some of their time this Christmas too.

Have fun with it

The best thing about Christmas is to have fun with it! Christmas is a happy time of year, and it’s great to get into the festive spirit and enjoy it. Get your office/warehouse decorated, put on some Christmas music and get ready to get festive! Your office can be a fun place to be at this time of year, which will reflect in the way you handle your customers.

Christmas can be the busiest time of year for your business, but it’s important to keep your customers at the heart of what you do. It’s a great time to build trust with your customers and show them that you value their business and support. Make sure your Christmas plans are in place to deliver the best Christmas to your customers, and have the best Christmas for your business too.

5 Core Principles to Have in Mind When Organizing Your Retail Store Products

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Retail Store|5 Core Principles to Have in Mind When Organizing Your Retail Store ProductsA successful retail strategy often involves doing a few simple things really well and attention to detail.

If you get the basic principles right it should follow that everything else falls into place much easier and that should ensure that your retail store is ready to attract as many customers as possible.

There are plenty of options to consider when kitting out your retail store, such as buying used Madix shelves as an affordable solution, and if you follow these following core principles it should set you on the right path to potential sales success.

Always focus on the customer

It might be a well-worn phrase, but it always rings true, as the customer is always king and if you don’t arrange your store and select your products with your target customer in mind it is going to be a challenge to enjoy retail success.

It should always be a priority to get to know and understand your customer so that you can give them what you want.

Attention to detail

Another key phrase to keep at the front of your mind when organizing your store is retail is detail.

It is of paramount importance that your business remains consistently focused on every detail of the store so that you respond proactively to customer trends and give them what they are looking for in a convenient format and layout.

Your store needs to be built on solid foundations

Although the face of retail has evolved almost beyond recognition in recent times and shoppers are much savvier and more promiscuous with their purchasing habits there are still some core principles that you need to get right to win their custom as often as possible.

When it comes to retailing, product, price, place, promotion (the four Ps) still hold a great degree of relevancy.

You need to stock products that your customers want and offer a decent product range.

It is imperative that you achieve price consistency across your store.

It is essential that you offer the right place for your customers to make their purchase, which might involve a combination of in-store and online.

Promotional incentives and actively promoting your business are also key ingredients.

Try to benefit from plenty of footfall

Location is always a primary consideration and it is no coincidence that some stores enjoy more success than others simply because their store is in a better spot.

If you are combining an online store with a physical presence you might be able to get away with a secondary location but, if you can, your aim should be to try and locate your store where plenty of potential customers walk past on a daily basis.

Great customer service

Retail can be a crowded space but the companies that go the extra mile for their customers and give great service do tend to enjoy consistent success.

If you treat every customer as the most important person you have seen that day it should translate into a successful interaction that can quickly lead to a sale.

If you focus on these core principles and get your store design right it will put you in the best position to generate as many sales as possible.

Departmental Culture Tribes Can Be Great Motivators

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StrategyDriven Corporate Cultures Article |Departmental Culture|Departmental Culture Tribes Can Be Great MotivatorsDepartmental cultures are a big thing and always have been. The strange thing is, they don’t often get talked about openly among leaders in public. However, they are talked about and encouraged behind closed doors. It’s kind of like the armed forces. The best generals all throughout history, have fanned the flames of internal rivalries in their units. If you don’t have departments vying to be better than each other, how will their fare when it comes to trying to beat the competition? Hence why good business leaders will always encourage their workforce to have cultures that symbolize their skills, abilities, and way of doing things. Department cultures can be extremely motivating, becomes a brotherhood can develop among peers who are in the same company, the same department, have the same background and are trying to achieve the same goals.

Why they exist

Departmental cultures exist because we all come from different backgrounds. The marketing professionals in your business, don’t think the same as the risk department. Although they’re on the same team, they talk differently, use specific language and if you really get down to the human psyche, they even dress in a similar fashion. The reason why departmental cultures exist is that we all come from different houses or schools. The school of economic thought is very different from the school of design. It’s kind of like a task force mentality. You’re all going to work better when you feel like you belong. And not just having but being a part of their specific culture helps many employees feel like they are in the right place.

Marking their patch

You don’t want your departments to set up boundaries because you’re all on the same team at the end of the day. But you do want to create ‘checkpoints’. These are not physical barriers or borders, but they’re subtle hints that you’ve entered a different part of town. For example, the spaces that you have allocated to your departments in the office, should have their own distinct vibe and look. You can stick custom made morale patches around the room where the different departments begin and end. For example, a custom patch might be of an artist that the design employees look up to. For the risk department, you might have an owl because they watch over everything. You might also want to have a flag of a nation that represents the department such as the sales department for your Asian partners, etc. These small things add up to the culture in a big way.

Showcase cross-departmental skills

Departments can work together to solve problems. In fact, in modern-day business, they have to. But you can encourage this further by playing a solving game. For example, the marketing team has a project for which they don’t know the risk. The risk department can work with them to analyze their specific goals and give them solutions as to what is possible. It can be completely made up scenarios, but when your employees are together in the room, they can see how each other work.

Departmental culture is vital to the life and soul of your business. Every employee should feel as if they belong. Not just in the wider business, but in a department that they can call home.