Ensure That You’re Covered Before Things Go Wrong

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We’re sure that you have heard of the phrase ‘expect the unexpected’, and that’s the kind of idea that we’re going for in this article. It’s important when you own a business that you ensure you are covered before things start going wrong so that if they do, you don’t have to panic. Obviously, it’s never good to see things go wrong for your company, but at least you’re in a position where you are covered and not left to hang out to dry. So, in this article, we’re going to give you some ideas on how you can ensure you’re covered. If you want to know more, keep reading down below.

IT Services

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | Ensure That You're Covered Before Things Go Wrong

The first thing that we are going to look at is IT services. Now, if you don’t currently have strong IT services for your business, this is something that you need to change fast. Unfortunately, even though tech has made the business world easier and more efficient in many ways, it is also one of the ways that people can get to your business. Hacking and cybercrime is a real problem, and don’t make the mistake of thinking that it can’t or won’t happen to you. Take the necessary precautions and keep yourself one step ahead by hiring experts to set up and monitor your systems. This way, you know that a professional has handled everything, and will be keeping an eye out for any kind of suspicious activity. This is the best thing you can do to keep your business safe in terms of the online world, so don’t forget to do it.

Insurance

Something else that’s going to be helpful to keep your business covered is having all the necessary insurance. If you go to a broker, they are going to be able to help you figure out what insurance your business needs, and which policies aren’t going to be relevant to you. This way, if something does happen to your business, such as a halt in operations due to the Coronavirus, which is a big issue right now, or if there are any problems with an employee, then you should be covered. Take precautions, and listen to the expert when they advise you about what policies you need, you never know when you’re going to need to be protected. It could be the case that you think you’ll never need the policy, but it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Have A Lawyer On Retainer

Finally, we highly recommend that you have a lawyer on retainer in case of any legal issues that you might get involved in. Like we mentioned above, some businesses have issues with employees, such as if they think they have been terminated unfairly and so on, which means you need legal advice. Having a lawyer on retainer means that you can get this advice quickly, without having to try and find a reputable law firm to take you on at the last minute.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see that you need to be covered before things go wrong to protect your business.

4 Useful Marketing Tools for Start-Ups

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StrategyDrivenOnline Marketing and Website Development Article |Marketing Tools| 4 Useful Marketing Tools for Start-UpsEvery business needs strong marketing to improve their visibility and see success. It might seem that marketing is an easy task to complete, but it is an ongoing effort and can prove more challenging than you may first think. A good marketing strategy must be memorable and eye-catching, drawing in the target audience and perhaps even reaching a secondary demographic. It represents the company’s ethos and promotes these values as well as the products and services the business provides.

A further challenge for start-up businesses is creating these brilliant campaigns but on a small budget. Marketing can be expensive, but most small businesses can’t afford the rates of hiring a billboard for a month or creating a TV advertisement. If you’re concerned about how you will afford your marketing for your start-up venture, here are some useful and affordable tools for you to use.

Understand SEO tactics

Search Engine Optimization, in essence, is boosting your company’s website up to higher rankings in search engine results pages. This is important as there are many, many businesses all around the world that provide the same services and products yours does and as such, it is easy to get lost in the listings and lose visibility. To ensure that your business website appears on the first page of results you will need to apply SEO tactics, such as carefully written blogs and mentions in articles on other websites.

Social Media

The use of social media has become a dominant method in marketing over the last two decades. Many ‘influencers’ have made careers out of being spokespeople for brands via their social media platforms. Although you might not be able to afford the cost of hiring a popular individual to promote your company just yet, you can still utilize social media to build your following and start to share information with your customers, and best of all, most of these platforms are free to use!

Printed Materials and Signs

A more traditional method of marketing is printing leaflets, booklets, and posters as promotional materials. This is still a useful practice, especially if you’re attending an event such as an industry convention. If your company has a booth it’s worth having a bespoke sign made to attract passers-by. For example, this company that specializes in custom signs Orlando, could help you increase your visibility and make sure your sign is unique to your business.

Podcasts

Podcasts have steadily grown in popularity and could be a very useful tool for your start-up. A podcast will take more time to prepare and could end up being more expensive to produce, but it would be worth it if you have the budget and the resources to do so. Similar to a blog, your business podcast could include interviews with special guests from the industry, discuss new ideas and developments, and allow listeners to write in and have their say.

Promoting your business and your products is essential to keep it going. It can be difficult to manage marketing when you’re a start-up, especially if you’re an individual or a small team with many other things to focus on. However, you mustn’t neglect your marketing, use these suggestions to help you get started.

How To Easily Get More Eyes On Your Brand

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Get More Eyes on Your Brand|How To Easily Get More Eyes On Your BrandBusiness is all about creating a product and/or service, and keeping customers engaged with it/them. In short, that’s pretty much all there is to it. Of course, there are heaps and heaps of aspects that go with that sentiment, but it’s a pretty straightforward concept at the end of the day. One of those aspects that requires lots of work and attention, though, is the marketing side. As a business, you need to attract people and maintain those relationships for as long as you can.

When it comes to keeping the relationship flowing, you need to provide consistent content, show you care and be as reliable as you can – among other things. Attracting them in the first place can prove t be a tricky task, too, though. Making people notice you in such an impulsive and fast-paced world like today isn’t a walk in the park for most budding entrepreneurs. Our computers and apps have made things a little more convenient, but there are still some tricks that we need to pull off. Here are a few fundamental ideas if you’re looking for some inspiration:

Lookup All The Methods!

Before you make any moves in terms of forming strategies, you’ll want to figure out what’s best for you and your business. Some companies will suit certain methods, so it’s only right that you figure out what looks best on you. It’s also right to learn about how to market efficiently. You don’t want to spend hours of life (and quite a bit of money) on a campaign that doesn’t work. For instance, you might feel you want to learn how to advertise in china or something equally significant when all you really needed was a quick social media campaign. There are loads of ways to do it – you’re only bound by your creativity.

Get Your Social Accounts Built!

As we mentioned before, social media works very well. You should absolutely make sure you have the big social media platforms covered. This is because billions of people are operating on them each day, and you don’t want to miss out on any kind of lead. Social media is free and easy to work with, so it’s a real no-brainer.

Work With A Marketing Agency

Marketing agencies are fantastic little firms if you’re looking to boost your exposure and build relationships. Their sole purpose is to make companies a lot bigger and better, so you might want to hop into bed with them if you’re struggling to do so yourself. They’ll be able to help out with SEO, apps, competitions, and all kinds of different facets.

Do The Job Perfectly!

Finally, and very simply: get the job done. Word of mouth is an excellent means of marketing, so you’ll need to impress your customers/clients. If you can build a reputation, and make people want you more and more, then you’ll have the general public executing a marketing strategy for you while you kick your feet up. Free publicity!

The Benefits Of Video Marketing Every Entrepreneurs Needs To Know

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Video Marketing|The Benefits Of Video Marketing Every Entrepreneurs Needs To KnowWe live in a world where audiences increasingly prefer to consume video over and above all other forms of media online. Businesses and entrepreneurs, therefore, need to adapt their marketing techniques. With more than 82 percent of IP traffic now in video form, a radical shift is required.

You need video to succeed online.

Users have made their preferences clear, and now it is time for marketers to listen. However, you may worry that creating video content is expensive compared to, say, blogs, or press releases. That’s true – it does usually cost extra and take more time, but the impact is often far greater. What’s more, video comes with a host of benefits you just don’t get with other options.

Benefit #1: Google Loves Videos

Google knows what its users want better than anyone. For that reason, the company is keen to promote any material that it believes may add positively to their experience of the web. And because it knows that users love video content, it tends to elevate it above regular website content.

If you’ve used Google search recently, you’ll know what this looks like. You type in your search term, and then the SERP will spit back a bunch of related video results before linking to regular web pages. Firms that do this get the jump of the competition, beating them at the SEO game in one fell swoop. Just make sure that the video is relevant to customer needs.

Benefit #2: Videos Build Trust

Banner ads are the preferred PPC method, but they don’t provide users with much context. At best, they communicate a few words and raise awareness of the brand.

Videos, on the other hand, offer far greater scope for building trust. You’re able to introduce yourself, your values, and ideas far more comprehensively than you can in a regular ad.

Benefit #3: Videos Allow You To Keep With The Times

Customers like modern businesses that stay up to date with the times and provide them with desirable services that they want. It makes them appear less stodgy and more in-keeping with the needs of their audience.

Video, therefore, is the ideal marketing form because it is bang on-trend right now. Everyone wants to consume it on mobile devices whenever they can. The medium is perfect for live broadcasts, Facebook stories, Instagram video filters, and other app-based techniques.

Ideally, your videos needn’t be conventional. Instead, you have scope to do something radically different, not possible through regular cable advertising.

Benefit #4: People Who Watch Videos Are More Likely To Convert

In the world of marketing, converting customers is vital if you’re going to build a successful business. PPC, links and banner ads have notoriously poor conversion capability, but the same is not true of video. People want to watch videos on YouTube, telling them about all the details of the product before buying it. They don’t want to go into a purchase blind.

According to data, around half of all internet consumers use product-related videos before they buy anything. Videos, therefore, are a vital tool for explaining the benefits of whatever you sell. It is a great way to get ahead of the competition – most of whom still aren’t using video in their marketing strategies.

Benefit #5: Live Video Is Trending

Live video was a bit of a novelty when it first emerged a few years ago. Today, though, it’s positively mainstream and increasingly popular.

Creating live videos for marketing is actually much more straightforward than you might imagine. You don’t have to do a product showcase every time. Instead, you can use it to explain what your company is trying to achieve or educate your audience. In doing so, people will convert as a byproduct, either because you overcame their pain points or they see you as an authority.

Benefit #6: You Have Plenty Of Video Options

Video isn’t standing still. Instead, the technology is evolving all the time, giving companies more options than they’ve ever had before.

Take 360-degree video, for instance. Here you set up a camera that captures images in all directions and stitches them together using smart software. You can then use this video feed to create believable virtual reality environments. It lets you create an immersive and somewhat unique experience for your audience.

Another option is one-on-one video. Companies are now creating personalized videos for high-value customers. They just need a little extra encouragement to part with their cash. These snippets can prove to be extremely valuable.

5 Top Tips to Prepare for Your Retail Store Renovation

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Retail Store Renovation|5 Top Tips to Prepare for Your Retail Store RenovationRenovating your retail space can be key to attracting new customers to your brand, preparing for the future of commerce, and ensuring that your brand is able to remain as competitive as possible. However, before you take the major step towards remodeling your beloved retail space, here are some top tips to help you prepare and ensure that your renovations will run smoothly.

1.Strip the Store of its Original Fixtures

In order to create an innovative and completely reworked retail space, the best action that you can take is to start with a completely blank slate. You will then be able to recreate your ideal store. To enable you to do this, you will have to strip the store of its original fixtures. This may include removing displays, storage facilities, and even walls that are obstructing your floor plan. This will help you see the space that you have to work with and will allow your contractors to more easily work within your building.

2. Hire a Junk Disposal Team

However, completely stripping your store of its original fixtures is a messy business, and you may find that, before long, you have a large amount of waste furniture and fittings that you are not planning to carry over to your new shop. To prevent your waste from obstructing your decorating plans, and to ensure that your customers can return to a clear and attractive retail store once your project is complete, you should hire a junk removal team. They will enable you to have an empty space in no time at all and save you the hassle of finding ways to dispose of the waste yourself.

3. Create a Schedule and Timeline

It is not possible to keep retail stores closed for extended periods of time without it having an impact on your finances, possibly even on your ability to keep afloat. With this in mind, you should create a schedule and timeline for these renovations to ensure that your project is constantly moving forward and to check that your relaunch can happen when it is expected. This will also give you a clear idea for when you come to plan your relaunch. You should also plan ways to keep your business financially viable during the refit, such as doing business online or using your excess cash or a business loan to support your business while it is shut.

4. Develop Your Vision as a Team

One of the most exciting parts of a retail remodel is the fact that you will have the chance to create your dream retail space. However, rather than developing this vision on your own, you should work with your team to create a suitable retail store. This vision can include your displays, fixtures, and your floor plan. Your team will know the shop as well as you do, and you should combine your ideas to create the best vision possible.

5. Plan Your Relaunch

Lastly, once your renovations have been put in motion, it is time to plan your relaunch. To enable you to make a profit on your refit before long, and to once more grab the attention of your customers, you should plan an exciting brand relaunch that can get people interested in your brand. This may include a press release or a large opening party or event.