Essential Security Systems That Protect The Business & Employees

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Security Systems|Essential Security Systems That Protect The Business & EmployeesBuilding a business is a challenging job; it needs a lot of investment and not only in the process but also for infrastructure. Thus, maintaining a security system for your business is a must. This will save you from any theft or loss of business or valuable stuff.

Yes! We know that you have already invested a lot in the business setup and completing other formalities to run it. But what’s the use of investing in every step of a company’s development and growth when you can’t protect it, right? So save yourself from any regret and invest a bit in the security system because it will pay you off the investment you have made on it. Here we are sharing types of security system you need in your business:

Closed-Circuit Television

Video surveillance systems are the device that offers the ability to monitor your business from inside and outside. CCTV is not only beneficial to monitor the office but also allows you to check the operation. You can easily track staff, customers and what all is happening on the premises. Cameras even help in finding out the would-be criminal activity and even helps in prosecuting criminals. They become the best evidence when there is mishappening in your business or any theft or misconduct.

The system that detects the Fire

Yes! We are talking about fire alarms here. For any business, detecting smoke and alerts that can create a problem and mishap is very necessary, thus investing in automated fire alarms and suppression systems can prevent you from losing business. In this, you need to make sure that you get it from a reputable company that can help meet the company’s requirements and satisfy all the needed state and federal fire code standards.

Panic Button

This device is safely featured and is in high demand for many companies. Silent panic buttons for businesses are designed to create a safer place for employees. Therefore, the device for businesses has become mandatory in various organizations. It reduces the time between the start of an incident and when responders are on the scene. The key aim of this device is to notify the responders swiftly.

Access Control Systems

Welcome to the new era where you can have the access control system as the security system. This system controls the entry and exit to the office, as every person that is a member of the office will have access, and any non-invited person will not be able to get inside the office. Now this one offers massive security to the employees and other members of the office.

Wireless Sensors

This device collects sensory information and detects any sort of change in the local environment. It helps in protecting the employees and office from gases like carbon monoxide or related toxic gases. Remember, you are protecting the ones who are helping you in the growth process of your business.

Final Words

Protecting employees and businesses should be the priority of any company. As they plan to invest in the infrastructure, legal matters of the business, and employees’ hiring process, they should even invest in security systems. This will protect the employees and the entire business from any mishap.

How to Build an Online Advertising Campaign

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Online Advertising|How to Build an Online Advertising CampaignYou might think you’re nailing it on advertising already; maybe your business is doing well without appealing to the online community. There’s no denying, though, as someone who perhaps doesn’t make use of online advertising, that there’s an untapped market there that you’re missing out on. Most shopping is done online; most communication is done online, and a large part of our lives, let’s be honest, is conducted through the piece of technology we put in our pockets.

Business might be booming right now, if you’re lucky, what with the pandemic, but why not do better? Maybe you’re someone who’s already using online advertising but you’re not getting the return you’re expecting. Are you doing it justice, like a real ad campaign needs? Read on for some tips on how to get the best response.

Define Your Audience

It’s all good trying to chuck you-know-what at a wall and see if it sticks, but you shouldn’t expect to get the best results from such an approach. You need to know who your customer is; you need to know who your ad campaign will appeal to. If you don’t, you can’t expect to see the best results.

Knowing who your audience is key to the success of your business; you might be lucky, your customers may always find you, for example, but not using the data you have at your disposal means you’re limiting yourself and the potential profits in front of you.

Choose Your Message

It’s one thing to know who you’re speaking to, but if you don’t know what to say, then you’re not doing a good job of getting your point across. Figure out what your message is – is it new products, company heritage, cross-selling the benefits of one product you sell with another, or all of the above? Even then, you’ll need to figure out the best way of putting this across to your core base. One demographic may respond to a campaign differently, for example. Use your team’s knowledge to figure this out and give them the breathing room to produce the best campaign.

See What Your Rivals Are Doing

There’s no shame in looking at what your competitors are doing. It’s not copying. But if they’re taking a certain approach, whether through the copy they use or they’re taking an uncommon approach that can lend ideas to your next campaign, learn from it. Take what you can from their creations but create your own approach – make something entirely unique and use what you can to be inspired. It doesn’t even have to come from your competitors if you’d prefer to stay away from this area. Just don’t be afraid to use others’ material to carve out your own out-of-the-box approach.

Learn From The Past

If this isn’t your first ad campaign, you’ll likely have a lot to say about the successes of your past attempts. But, really, what you need to look at, is where things could’ve gone better. The perfect team offers a multitude of perspectives – both at the point of conception to beyond implementation. Tap into that. A decent ad campaign is made using the strengths of you and your team, so, naturally, a good reflection on how things could’ve gone better works the same way.

Seek out candid responses from your key players – get their thoughts and trust how they feel. Sometimes, letting your team of experts take points on this stuff, rather than relying on your own judgements, can be the difference between a successful online advertising campaign and stagnating.

See It Through

Devising an advertising campaign is a process – it doesn’t start or end with half measures. You have to see it through to the end, and the end is an important part of the strategy you and your team have pulled together. With all the above in mind, once your campaign has run its course and you’ve achieved what you can from it, it’s time to debrief. What could’ve gone differently? Do you need to learn more about online ad formats and the ones that could’ve served you best?

Statistically, some forms of advertising are more effective than others, but which ones resonate best with your audience? It’s time to push those to connect with existing customers and figure out which formats work best to entice new loyalty to your brand. A lot more can be learned from our weaknesses and failures, so don’t neglect them.

Ensuring Your Customers Feel Valued

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StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article |Valued Customers|Ensuring Your Customers Feel ValuedIn business, you have to make sure that your customers get everything they want from you. To do that, you’ve got to create a sense of value; your customers want to feel like you care about them, and have more to offer them specifically, as it’s the best way to promote a sense of brand loyalty amongst your customer base.

However, how can you go about ensuring your customers come back when you’ve got so many competitors to deal with as well? Everyone is trying to build a loyal customer base, and drive up sales with both new and repeat custom – what can you offer that’s different? Pure value, especially when you follow the ideas below.

Don’t End Your Customer Service at the Checkout

The customer service you provide for the people who shop with you needs to extend beyond the point of sale. It’s not a one-and-done kind of deal here; you need to check in with your customers after they’ve left, to see what they think of their experience and their product, and whether or not they have suggestions for what can be done better.

So ask for their email addresses at the checkout – it’s the best way to both boost your mailing list and ensure you can easily contact them again once they’re out of the door or have closed down your website. It’s best to make this an optional agreement, as people who are already willing to shop with you are more likely to sign up when they’re simply given the choice to.

Give Them a Reason to Come Back

Giving your customers a reason to return and shop with you is key to building the type of value you’re looking for here. You need them to want to come back, because you’ve got something great for them to spend their hard earned cash on, and moreover, you’ve got some benefits for them to reap at the same time.

Which is why a Rewards Network always works out best in this scenario. You’re offering your customers a program in which, if they subscribe to the idea, they get to enjoy free items or money off coupons in the future. It’s a great incentive, and it shows you value the people who shop with you.

Use Their Feedback

Finally, and following on from our first point, make sure you take the feedback a customer gives you and actually put it to good use. If you get the same kind of feedback from more than one person, you can be sure it’s a problem you actually need to address – maybe there are not enough staff on the floor, or maybe it takes too long to checkout, etc.

Take this feedback and make a change based on it, and then tell your customers you’ve made that change. Announce new and exciting changes to the way your business works, and invite them back to come and see them.

Your customers need value; are you offering it?

4 Ways To Ensure Your Staff Are Fully Trained And Knowledgeable Regarding Cybersecurity

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Cybersecurity Training|4 Ways To Ensure Your Staff Are Fully Trained And Knowledgeable Regarding CybersecurityWhen you have a business to run, you need to make sure every single hole is plugged. If there’s a way you can be caught or taken advantage of, then people will look to exploit. Your job as the manager and owner is to keep everything ticking over properly. You’ll likely have staff to help you out with this kind of thing, but you’ll be overseeing every little aspect. Businesses can be awkward at times as there are so many facets, but this part of life isn’t meant to be a complete cakewalk.

When it comes to new-age technology and the cybersecurity that comes with it, you have to ensure that you’re keeping everything safe and secure. A lot of important data is stuck online and in a digital form, so you have to keep it all under wraps. If you’re interested in attracting customers, building a solid reputation, and having longevity, then you’re going to need to make sure that everything is grand regarding your computers.

One way to do this is to ensure that your staff is fully trained. If they know what they’re talking about, then things will be a lot smoother and easier. Here are 4 ways to do just that:

Keep The Training Regular

If your staff have regular training, then their minds will be in a good place with regard to how things are going to work. It’s easy to train them once when they join, but then they may forget a few things over time. You don’t have to worry specifically about how to train your staff because there will be lots of training firms around that you can bring in.

Bring In Experts

Many, many people around the world know about IT systems and will be able to help you – and your business – out a lot. If you have a solid IT support company on your side, then your business is likely to be in a good place going forward. Your current staff will also be able to pick up a few things from them subconsciously.

Create Rules And Laws Around The Workplace

If your employees do not abide by particular rules and laws you put in place, then harsh punishments could be handed out. Make it clear that cyber safety isn’t something that should be treated lightly. One small mistake or some underhanded behaviour should be punished accordingly. If they have this idea in their heads, then they’ll think twice when sitting at their desks.

Hire IT-Literate People

You can solve a lot of issues by simply recruiting all of the right staff in the first place. Obviously, training will likely be required, but you can solve those problems by outlining the kind of people you need in the job description. If you hire people that know what they doing with regard to computers, then you won’t have to panic over their skills or conduct. These new employees will set a good example for the rest of the team. The more competent people you have, the better things will be.

How to source funds to expand your business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article |Funds to expand your business|How to source funds to expand your businessAs a small or medium enterprise business owner, you are probably always looking for growth opportunities. To realize such opportunities, you need a lot of money, and often you may not have that much to help you realize your dreams. You will need to source funds from other sources to make the most of the opportunities that come your way. But sometimes, due to the lack of financial literacy or good financial advice, you may end up making the wrong choice. For instance, you need to know the difference between grant & loan to know which one best suits your needs. Here are some options that you may consider when sourcing funds to expand your business.

Bank loans

Bank loans remain the most common option for most businesses looking to expand. Bank loans provide medium to long-term finance for your business. You will need to provide some documentation about your business, a plan, and collateral to acquire one. To be safe, get a financial advisor to help you understand the loan terms before deciding to go in for it.

SBA-backed loans

Only available in the United States, The Small Business Association offers small businesses various loans via participatory banks all over the country. SBA-backed loans are set up to help small businesses secure funding to grow their company specifically. Mind you, though, the SBA itself is not responsible for the loan. You will need to have a good working relationship with the loan officer at your local bank to gain access to such loans. You could also find the nearest Small Business Development Center SBDC and register to access their small business loans.

Venture capitalists

Venture capitalists are people who choose to invest in businesses to help them start-up or expand. Venture capitalists are looking to make a good return on their investment and, as such, may get involved in running the business or offer their expertise. Due to the huge amounts that venture capitalists look to invest in a business, you must have a solid business plan and serious projections for the future for you to be considered. The basic sums venture capitalists invest are from $500,000 to $10 million, so you must have a high growth strategy to entice them to listen to your pitch.

Angel investors

Much like venture capitalists, angel investors are looking to invest in businesses and see them succeed. The significant difference here is that instead of looking out for returns, angel investors rather want to transform their investment into the equity of your business. But they may not invest as much as venture capitalists. To seriously consider angel investors, you must first have an exit strategy for your business and solid projections for the future. If you aim to hold onto your business, then angel investment may not be for you. The goal is to gain equity, help the company grow and then sell it or when it goes very well, do an IPO.

Crowdfunding

This type of source funding has seen quite a hike as there have been many success stories. It is pretty straightforward; you ask people to donate a sum of money for a particular project to exchange diverse rewards. These rewards are generally categorized into equity, debt, and donation. However, to participate in crowdfunding, you need to know the rules and requirements of the sites and carefully review your options before you proceed.