How to Grow Your Business: Pro Tips for Managers

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your Busines Article |Grow your business|How to Grow Your Business: Pro Tips for ManagersAre you trying to grow your business but feel like you keep running into a brick wall? Don’t worry; this is a common experience that all managers go through at some point in time. It’s the nature of the business world: nothing is supposed to be easy!

Fortunately, you can put the following pro tips into action if you need a boost. These tips will help to protect your business, get it on the right track, and ultimately make growth a realistic possibility.

Hire security guards

For your business to grow, it first needs to be protected. Otherwise, you’ll be at risk of break-ins and theft, which could lead to devasting cost damages.

If your current business premises isn’t protected – whether it’s a small commercial office or a large, multi-floor building – you should consider hiring security guards who will be able to provide controlled gate access, entry point monitoring, and more. Get started by visiting https://usprotective.net/commercial/.

On top of this, you should also have security cameras and alarms installed throughout and around your building for extra protection. Security cameras, in particular, are a great deterrent for would-be criminals, so make sure to bear this in mind.

Create an interesting, emotion-driven marketing campaign

It only takes one really good marketing campaign to get your business off the ground and into space in the modern age. If you strike gold with a marketing campaign, it will get shared across all the major social media platforms; gaining your business some major traction.

Here’s an example of an excellent marketing campaign. Back in 2013, Dove launched their ‘Dove Real Beauty Sketches’ campaign, and it gained a lot of positive attention online.

Essentially, the aim of the campaign was to draw attention to women’s beauty standards and how they have led to many women having low (and untrue) perceptions of themselves.

In the promotional video (which you can watch on YouTube), participants in the campaign had to describe themselves to sketch artists. After this, their partners and friends were asked to describe them to sketch artists, too.

The sketches derived from their friend’s descriptions were much more beautiful and realistic than the ones derived from the actual participants, creating a powerful message.

Regarding this campaign, Dove state:

‘More than 50 million people viewed the Dove video within 12 days of its release. To date, Real Beauty Sketches has been viewed almost 180 million times. We want the film to continue to inspire every single one of the 80% of women who feel anxious about how they look to reconsider their view of their own beauty’.

The point is clear: when a marketing campaign is good, it will gain lots of clicks and have a lasting impact for years after.

StrategyDriven's 45 Minute Business Accelerators eBook

Improve your business homepage

Your business homepage should include enticing imagery, good branding, effective call-to-action, and your contact details. On top of this, it’s also a good idea to include a customer service chatbot in the corner to help guide any visitors to your website who need assistance.

Implement a hybrid work model

Modern business managers have embraced hybrid work models. Hybrid work models allow employees to work from home and enjoy greater flexibility. It also allows business managers to hire new and talented employees from different cities and countries.

Lastly, embrace the hard times

Remember, your business growth journey isn’t supposed to be easy. However, by following the tips above and placing your focus on the right key areas, you’ll be able to grow and expand your business over the coming years.

Tips To Protect Your Business Reputation

/in /by

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Business Reputation|Tips To Protect Your Business ReputationIn the age of social media, 24-hour news and online reviews, it has never been more important to protect your business reputation. Customers and clients make decisions based on who they can trust and the perceptions they have of different brands. In this guide, we’ll explore some steps you can take to shield your reputation.

Positive reviews

Nine out of ten consumers read online reviews before purchasing products or contacting businesses. Positive reviews can persuade customers to buy from your business rather than a rival and they can also enhance your reputation. If a brand has a large number of excellent reviews, this makes them appear more dependable and trustworthy. Customer service, product quality and value for money are driving factors. If you provide high-quality products or services that offer good value for money and your customers enjoy a positive experience, they will be more likely to leave you glowing reviews. Use feedback to identify shortfalls or problems and make improvements, address concerns promptly, and go the extra mile to optimize service and support. It’s wise to invest in staff training and provide responsive support options, such as live chat.

Working with businesses you trust

Many businesses rely on other companies to provide customers with products and services. If you are doing deals with other businesses, you want to outsource business tasks, or you’re thinking of merging with a firm or agency, it’s crucial to do your research. You can use an LEI finder to gather information about a company before engaging in financial transactions and you can also read reviews and access data about the history of the firm online. It’s beneficial to learn more about businesses you want to work with as they will represent your brand in some capacity if you choose to hire an agency, do a deal or form a partnership.

Looking after your employees

Taking good care of your employees is critical for morale, but it can also help you to enhance your business reputation. If you are known for looking after your staff, this will make your brand more appealing to customers, investors or potential business clients. Try to aim for high retention rates by prioritizing health and wellbeing, offering attractive employee benefits packages, providing opportunities to develop and progress and rewarding hard work.

Sharing values

Customers today are conscious of the impact of the decisions they make. Research suggests that over 70% of consumers want to buy from brands that align with their values. If you give back to the community, or you support projects or donate to charities, this can enhance your brand image and help you connect with customers. Think carefully about what matters to you as the owner of the company and encourage clients and employees to share ideas.

It has never been more important to be proactive in protecting your business reputation. If you want to keep hold of loyal customers, attract new clients, receive positive reviews and feedback and encourage talented employees to stay with you, take these tips on board.

6 Workable Strategies for Businesses to Differentiate Their Brand

/in /by

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Differentiate your brand|6 Workable Strategies for Businesses to Differentiate Their BrandIf you’re not the only player in your market, how do you plan to differentiate yourself from other brands? Well, the truth is, there’s a lot of antagonism in the business world, and simply being one step ahead of others does not help survive the tide. However, creating and providing exceptional products and unique customer experiences sets you apart – and it makes it more challenging to compare you with other options. So, if your goal is to build a remarkable brand, focus on being different.

Now, knowing HOW TO differentiate yourself from the rest is a daunting process. But once done, it gives your brand the upper hand and keeps everyone, including your customers, happy. For that matter, it’s crucial to know how to differentiate your brand from your competitors so that your brand strikes out positively.

So, exactly how can you put your brand on a high-reaching pedestal through differentiation? Offer a vast selection? Possibly. Look better? Perhaps. Compete on pricing? Not really! There are several ways brands can differentiate themselves – and none of them involve lowering your standards. Most of the strategies we’ll touch on in this article are actually about improving yourself. So, let’s discuss six effective ways to differentiate your brand from the competition:

1. Nurture and generate brand advocates

Brand advocates are people who are so enthusiastic about your products/services that they’ll tell their family, friends, and coworkers about it. They are also known as “brand evangelists” or “brand ambassadors.” But they begin promoting once they are convinced of the value you provide. They do this on their initiative, with no plea from your company. Consider it a positive word of mouth promotion with more persuasion from the advocates. So, if you wish to appeal to these brand advocates, offer them freebies and promotional items to nurture long-term relationships. You can also join hands and run referral programs and contests to help reach out to potential clients and customers. Indeed, this is an excellent and low-cost method of marketing your brand. Besides that, every brand advocate brings in three new customers on average.

2. Give your pricing a whirl

When done correctly, this can also be an effective technique of differentiation. On one end of the spectrum, a business can strive to be known as the “low price leader,” providing customers with exceptional value. On the other hand, they could be placed as a high-priced premium brand.

In some cases, an effective brand differentiation strategy can allow a brand to command a higher price premium than it would otherwise be able to. Walmart stores, for instance, are characterized by low prices and good virtues, which have allowed the company to change retail fundamentally.

On the other hand, Starbucks has persuaded customers that there is value in paying significantly more for premium coffee. So, learn from this and be active.

StrategyDriven E-Learning Marketing System | Online Training | Online Training Program | Entrepreneurship | Revenue Growth

3. Solve a real problem for customers

Create detailed buyer personas to determine which issues you should focus on solving. Buyer personas offer insight into your customer base’s main goals, challenges, interests, and pain points. You can then utilize these insights to identify critical issues your competitors aren’t addressing. Once you’ve identified the unsolved problems, you have a few options for resolving them. However, affirm it with your customers before instituting it once you’ve devised a strategy. Undoubtedly, this is an excellent strategy to attain brand differentiation.

4. Have variations and be socially responsible

This strategy is a great way to set yourself apart from the competition. But you must know where to offer variations in your product line. Once you’ve determined that your product is infinitely superior, expand its offerings. Take, for example, color. If your competitor offers a competing product in six colors, figure out how to provide your version of the product in ten colors. It’s a particularly effective strategy if you sell your products on a marketplace such as eBay or Amazon.

Other than that, according to a CGS study, nearly half of consumers were willing to pay more for socially conscious products. Donations to charity, community programs, sustainable manufacturing, and fair wages and benefits for your employees are all examples of social responsibility. It demonstrates that you care about people, whether workers or customers. Besides, customers prefer to do business with companies they trust.

5. Lean into your market

There’s no way you’ll be able to appeal to everyone out there. Everyone has different needs, interests, and motivations for purchasing. It isn’t viable to be so broad in your strategy that people become perplexed by your message. You should “niche down” instead. In a sea of generics, be the expert. Your niche segment also allows you to market how your brand differs – and outperforms – your competitors. Provide more exceptional value to your customers than they anticipate from you. Go above and beyond to meet their requirements. Determine what your customers require from you and what is most important to them. It could be how rapidly an issue is resolved, such as an exchange or return– knowing these things will boost your reputation and get you positive feedback.

6. Never compare your brand

H&M does not compare itself to Rolls Royce, nor does Rolls Royce compare itself to Mercedes-Benz Why? Because they are two completely different brands selling products at opposite ends of the spectrum.

88% of buyers now conduct online product research before making a purchase. Amazon reviews, YouTube, and other comparison websites have made it easy for people to learn everything there is to know about you before committing to you. Nothing, however, will reduce your perceived value more than being placed directly next to a competitor. You don’t need to draw attention to your competitors because people are interested in your brand. So, maintain a laser-sharp focus on yourself rather than your competitors in your marketing initiatives.

Conclusion

Lastly, you must understand that not everyone who sees your brand will love it.
Ultimately, most of the strategies above boil down to delivering a world-class customer experience. That leads to superior customer satisfaction, providing retention and long-term sustainable growth. Safe to say, differentiating your business is all about being outstanding and unique while presenting yourself to potential customers who adore you. Finding ways to distance your brand from its competitors will, of course, require a lot of consistent hard work and research. But the results are well worth it.

Essential Skills You Need as a Business Leader

/in /by

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Business Leader|Essential Skills You Need as a Business LeaderWhen you are a business leader, it is important to be aware of the different techniques you need to home in order to be a success. Business leaders are looked up to by many different people in a company to do what is necessary to provide the required guidance to get your company to the place that it needs to be. The hard part can be knowing which skills you should have to get your company off the ground. Thankfully for you, this guide has been created to outline a few skills that you should be aware of. Read on now to get the full overview.

Public Speaking Skills

To make sure that your company is being promoted to the best of its ability, it is important to hone your public speaking skills well. This is because, whether you are doing a leadership seminar or you are talking at a conference, it is very important to get the philosophy of your business across in the best possible way. In order to hone those skills properly, it is definitely recommended to invest in a public speaking coach.

Honesty

As a business leader, you want to be someone that everyone in your company knows and trusts very well. As a result, one of the traits that you should be focusing on as a leader is honesty. Not honest to the point of revealing unnecessary information about yourself to your colleagues, but more in the sense of being acutely aware of the direction the business is going in at any given moment. People respond well to honesty and might even work harder for you as a result.

Problem-Solving Abilities

No matter what your business might be or how interested people might appear in what you have to offer, you will always be faced with a whole plethora of problems along the way. As a result, problem-solving abilities rank as one of the most important around. You should be able to understand what issues can arise at every step of your business operation before figuring out the ways in which you can tackle them. This way, you can ensure far smoother business processes overall.

Enthusiasm

There is nothing more infectious in the business world than enthusiasm. As a business leader, you have to lead from the front, meaning that the more enthusiastic you are about the work that you do, the better your employees will respond, inspiring them to do their best work. Additionally, to prove your commitment to the team, it makes sense as the leader in making sure that you are the first one in the office and the last to leave, invigorating them to put in the most work that they can.

Fairness

When you are running a business, it is always a good idea to make sure that you are doing so with the principles of fairness in mind. By treating all of your employees equally, you will then be able to posit your business as one that cares about its employees, making them do their best work.

Common Mistakes That People Make When Starting a Business

/in /by

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Starting a business|Common Mistakes That People Make When Starting a BusinessIf you are like a lot of entrepreneurs, then you are most likely fired up about your company idea. You may even find that you are eager to launch your idea onto the world. That being said, it is a good idea for you to step back so that you can avoid making some of the common mistakes that plague most business owners. Want to find out more? Simply look below.

Neglecting a Business Plan

Many rookie entrepreneurs do not create a business plan. A document like this doesn’t have to be long and it doesn’t have to be detailed either. That being said, you do need to create one. If you don’t, then you may find that you struggle to make your business efforts consistent and that you are not able to give your team the milestones they need to measure progress. If you want to do something about this, then it is very easy for you to create a business plan online.

Poor Financial Preparation

It is very common for a lot of business owners to underestimate how much money they need to take their business to that next level. If you do not have good enough financing then you may find that you struggle to achieve your goals and that you feel the cash squeeze, right as your business ends up hitting its stride. If you want to avoid issues like this, then you need to try and make financial projections, This is especially the case when you look at the first 12 months. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you are able to secure even more financing and investments.

Not Monitoring Progress

Creating a business plan is great, but if you do not use it when you are pushing your business forward, then you will ultimately stagnate. It is vital that you plan out and update your projections and you also need to make sure that you anticipate any potential changes later down the line. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you can get the best result out of your venture.

Buying Assets with Cash

Another mistake that often causes cash flow issues is using your operating cash to try and pay for long-term assets. When determining how much you need for your equipment, your machinery and even your IT outlays, you have to consider using a business loan. Ideally, this would match the lifespan of the asset so that you can make sure that you don’t end up throwing money down the drain at a later date. Take into account any other services you will need to support your business too, such as professional eds analysis.

Avoiding Help

Many entrepreneurs are somewhat reluctant to admit that they need any kind of help. At the end of the day, you should not be shy about seeking a mentor and you should also think about hiring an outside consultant as well. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you can get the support you need from the get-go.