10 Things to Consider When Hiring a Website Developer

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, 10 Things to Consider When Hiring a Website Developer

Forming a strong team of professionals who are on the same page with you is vital and at times very challenging. But let’s face it, the success of your business in much depends on the people who are helping you sail your projects towards the rewarding revenues.

When it comes to finding your perfect developer, there are dozens of things to take into account. For starters, the number of possible existing languages of programming can be compared to that of spoken ones! Not to mention the plethora of platforms on which websites and apps can be built on.

To help you get a better understanding of which things to pay attention to most during your hunt for the ideal developer, here’s a comprehensive list of top tips that should help you in finding the perfect match.

1. Project-based or ongoing?

One of the first questions you should ask yourself prior to making any search attempts is whether you’ll need a developer to join your team “for the long run” or do you need someone who’s more or less a “one-time deal”?

Depending on your answer, you’ll either be narrowing it down to a talented person for a full-time position or start looking for a skilled contractor who’d assist you in your project and with whom you’d part ways after the work is complete.

In case you’re leaning towards the first option, undoubtedly, you should attempt to meet the candidate in person simply to get to know them better. After all, you’ll most probably be communicating with him/her frequently, so make sure that you and your interviewee “click”.

If your needs comply with the second option more, most likely you’ll be hiring a freelancer for the job. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’ll be working together for a mere couple of weeks. In this scenario, it all goes down to the scopes and volumes which will need to be tackled. And even your project-based contract with a freelancer can last for years, so choose your candidate wisely!

2. Existing project vs Starting from scratch

Based on your necessities, it is important to understand that there’s a huge difference between advancing what you currently have and coping with website construction right from step one. Building from the ground up implies a different (usually larger) scope as new projects require thorough planning alongside quality implementation. On the other hand, dealing with already existing material stipulates additional time for audits or conducting optimization research, just to name a few.

Again, having a clear vision of what your needs are and outlining it in your job description will help you while seeking the right person for the job. The candidate’s previous work experience matters as it’ll safeguard you and maybe at times help you benefit from earlier practices, for example, you may obtain some ready-made solutions.

In any case, giving your prospective hire a test assignment to see “the magic” in action is considered a wise approach!

3. Area of expertise

In some cases, you’ll need to pay extra attention to the field that this or that developer specializes in. Are you sure that the candidate you’re considering is a developer and not a web designer? Is the candidate a front-end or back-end specialist? Or maybe full-stack? The list of alternatives can be lengthy.

Know what platform your website has been built on or what you plan to build it on. This way you’ll quickly weed out more than half of the potential candidates. Asking to view your potential employee’s portfolio can surely do you good as well.

Just to make the picture more transparent, here’s a common example. For instance, you’re an owner of a midsize online retail business and have your eCommerce website built on one of the most popular platforms, Magento. The super flexible platform offers as much customization for your site as you can possibly imagine, meaning that you have the opportunity to transform your most futuristic ideas into reality. To run this store without any glitches from the technical side and to boost your online customer experience whilst staying in step with the trends, you’ll find no better solution than to hire dedicated Magento developers for the job. Magento is without the slightest doubt a tricky thing to work with from the point of view of a developer, thus, rich earlier work experience with the platform and in-depth knowledge of the language, libraries, and systems should be key when choosing the right Magento expert to help grow your online business.

4. Is your candidate a fast learner?

Product knowledge, by all means, signifies value you can gain, so ideally your future employee should understand your needs. It’s among the “musts” to have the person working for you to be willing to find out more about your business, other players on the market, and the overall future direction of the field. Why? This can safeguard you from investing in some longstanding decision regarding your online presence which can soon become outdated.

Whether we like it or not, change is a constant process that always progresses. Thus it’s important to be able to adapt. Your developer will truly be great provided that he/she is constantly improving his/her knowledge and expanding the skill set. Each time something new appears in the world of coding, your IT specialist should keep pace. If that’s not true, bad news for you. Therefore, the ability to learn new things quickly is a major point to take notice of.

5. Communication, communication, communication

It may come to a surprise but not all developers can boast strong communicative skills. Moreover, their language is often filled with dozens of programming terms which can be hard to understand. Do your best to determine if your communication with the candidate is (or will be) effective since from the long-term perspective you and your team will most likely need to touch base with the developer often in regard to the project. And understanding each other with ease should be one of your priorities.

To be on the safe side, the golden rule is to avoid vagueness and be specific about your expectations, requirements, etc. Your first chat with the candidate may already give you the impression of whether you’ll hit off or not.

6. Detail-oriented and attentive

Seeing eye to eye with your developer is certainly a perk. And perceiving how your ideas become “live” within the deadlines is great. But are all even the smallest details taken into consideration after a task is claimed to be “done”?

The quality of the completed work can be measured in different ways, for instance, how well it passes the testing stage. It’s not a crime to make some minor mistakes, we’re all human beings; if something needs to be corrected it should be. Yet how many times the task spins in the testing circle can be an indicator worth noting, as constant do-overs won’t get you far, agree? Perhaps try to test the water on the subject when meeting your candidate and don’t hesitate to ask whether the person can define himself as attentive.

7. Time management

Talent and knowledge is one thing, managing and using your time wisely and effectively is another. The last thing you’d want to do is to take on someone who easily falls for distraction. Even if a real IT guru is sitting in front of you, have your guards up regarding time management matters as, bottom line, this person will be responsible for handling your requests.

To be consistent, inquire about the methods and ways your possible co-worker handles work time or which hours in the day has he/she found to be the most productive ones. This should make the matter’s curtain come down a bit.

8. Self-motivation and initiative

Being able to work in a team is a quality to cherish, staying motivated is another no less vital one. Don’t make the wrong conclusion that the candidate that’s right before you isn’t self-motivated if you don’t see some hyper enthusiasm straight away. It’s fine to be humble during interviews or as you’re making first communication steps with someone new.

Ask your potential employee what motivates them and how he/she overcomes obstacles when dealing with something unknown. This should surely help you get a better idea.

The same goes for being the kind of person who can take initiative. Having a general understanding is one thing, but showing interest and having the ability to give an opinion that’s backed up by facts and from which the whole team can benefit from is a trait you’d also want to try to detect before deciding to hire a developer or not. “No questions asked” guys aren’t always the right choice.

9. Geographics

To be fair, the digital world of the 21st century that we live in today has given us the unmatched privilege and ease of communicating with each other from practically any point on the planet. And when you come to think of it, does your developer’s location really matter?

This question is a point of common debate since many people prefer to back up the opinion that as long as the work gets done, who cares from which point on the map your developer is working from.

Yet for the sake of the convenience of your communication, it has recently become habitual to give preference to working with a developer who is in (or at least close to) your timezone rather than to the one who’s doing so remotely. The thing is that time difference can play a bad trick with you, and it appears that tasks get completed faster and better when thousands of kilometers don’t separate you from your developer. But again, things are not always the same.

10. Where to look for a developer

As mentioned earlier, if you’re in search of a freelancer, you may easily make use of one of the many platforms, created especially to connect you with developers. As such, Upwork, Gun.io, Freelancer.com, and Hubstaff Talent are a couple of examples of places to get you started.

Need someone to join you in-house? Consider opting for the popular and efficient professional network of LinkedIn which has won over the hearts of recruiters worldwide.

All in all, looking for the best possible fit usually takes time. It’s more than safe to say that you shouldn’t expect the candidate to check off every single point on your list of expectations straight away. But if you’ve found the perfect match for you, do your best to have this collaboration going for many years to come since, without a doubt, your developer can help you grow your business!

Quirky Ideas For Small Business Marketing

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Small Business Marketing|Quirky Ideas For Small Business MarketingBusiness marketing can’t be avoided, and often entrepreneurs will stick to the same tried and trusted methods to get the results they require. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, but on occasion it’s a good idea to think a little out of the box and try some different strategies to open your business to (hopefully) a whole new customer base.

Quirky ideas for small business marketing are entirely possible with a little know-how.

Take your marketing out and about

Getting out and about and thinking very laterally about your marketing opportunities can offer some amazingly creative ideas.

It’s old school, but there’s something very charming about making flyers, posters or art and taking them to local shops, cafes and restaurants to help your cause. Get out onto the streets and pound the pavements with an old fashioned sandwich board advertising your business services. It’s a talking point and provides potential customers with an opportunity to connect with you.

Create quirky freebies to give away

It’s always good to have a range of promotional or advertorial materials in your arsenal to give away, but think outside the box and beyond the usual coffee mug, mouse mats or t-shirts.

Why not invest in a personalised custom magic 8 ball set and have them made up to send out as an original way to advertise and market your business? An idea like this, or something similar can provide a neat talking point and get potential customers interested in what else you might have to offer.

Consider contests and competitions

Use your website and social media to run contests and competitions that will promote your business. Make sure they’re shareable on social media with ‘share’ buttons from your website to help get better outreach for them.

Create highly unique and relevant hashtags too, so that you can find out who is sharing and discussing what you have to offer and ways in which you can improve your outreach.

Go back to the future

Look into your crystal ball and try to predict what the future holds for your particular industry and use this as a way of promoting your company as always being one step ahead. Remember, that if you’re going to do this, you’ve got to be able to back up any statements you make with the right data and you can’t just pluck figures and statistics out of thin air.

Look at unusual trends or statistics on a subject matter that relates to your business or industry and turn these into a quirky infographic, animation or video to share on your site and via social media. People (generally) love short, easy to digest lists of stats and interesting figures.

Finally, and most definitely not for the faint hearted is to stir up a little controversy. Now, this doesn’t mean being upsetting, argumentative or offensive in any way. Rather it means looking to the industry you’re in, seeing what news stories or negative press surround it and addressing it in a meaningful way that provides genuine, thoughtful answers people can consider for themselves. It can show your customers you’re not afraid to tackle big issues and that you’re honest and upfront, too.

Seven marketing and business strategies for real estate agents

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Seven marketing and business strategies for real estate agents

Being a real estate agent is no different to working within any other industry: you’ll need to market yourself and your brand so you can be successful. There are a number of different ways that you can do this – however, what will work for a person in one industry won’t necessarily be the best for someone else in another role.

So what should you add to your marketing and business strategies to be a good real estate agent? Your aim is to make sure you can sell properties for the best price you can on behalf of the seller, and to attract buyers to gain interest in your portfolio. There are different methods and materials you could use to your advantage, so think about what could be the best strategy to use for your real estate brand.

These are only some of the items you could include in your plans.Try implementing some of them, and see what could be excellent additions to your business.

Use video

Using technology as a device for your real estate business will show your clients that you have a fresh perspective on selling homes. You could use video streaming for live auctions, for example, or use social media tools for quick home walk-throughs. Buyers want to have their agent to liven up what’s added to social media.

Try out VR

Tech-savvy real estate agents are looking to include virtual reality, or VR, for walkthroughs. Many people will want to view a property in the comfort of their current home and, by using VR, you can offer a comprehensive preview of that place. If you want to be competitive in real estate, then technology is one area that can give you an edge.

Put some effort into your online profile

You need to have an effective online profile so you can attract future business and get previous client referrals – so is an important part of your marketing by using websites for real estate brokers. Your profile should be compatible for all mobile devices as well as different computer screens; people are more mobile-centric, so you need to meet the demands of the smartphone market to make sure they will check you out.

Learn about your local property market

The valuation of a potential property is most likely to be based on other properties within the local area. So if the prices of property within one town are in the $220,000 range, for example, there might be an area where there are places that won’t sell for more than $178,000.

So do a bit of research into what properties sell for, so you can have information that you can present to a potential client. There are portals available that can give you details of recent sale agreed prices.

The area that you look at should be based on the number of properties that are in it. So if there aren’t that many homes in that place, then you will need to widen your search.

Develop your skills

Once you’ve learnt the basics, you should put them into practice. What would you do if a seller asks you to reduce your commission, or how would you explain what happens with inspection contingency?

The more people you engage with, the more practice you will have when it comes to tackling important topics. So have as many real estate conversations that you can, and practice any scripts.

It’s also crucial that you run your real estate career as a business, and develop your entrepreneurial skills. Make sure you carry out some research using a range of sources that will give you inspiration and ideas that you could put into action, as well as give you valuable insights. There’s a lot of real estate information online, including on YouTube, and there are numerous books you can also read.

Engage with your audience on social media

One of the most efficient ways of engaging with your audience on social media is to optimize your content, so it is easy to find and is something other than just promotional. You can also post direct questions to your followers – such as on polls and on Instagram stories, for example.

Use testimonials and quotes

Real estate isn’t the best material for you to create interesting and engaging content. So if you’re struggling with this, you can try using customer testimonials and interesting quotes. You will then have a steady amount of quality content if you turn these blocks of text into beautiful pictures.

Handling Negative Business Reviews

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Handling Negative Business Reviews

It happens to all of us at some point. No matter how hard you work and no matter how much you try to do your best, a customer eventually has a negative experience. Unfortunately, when a customer has a negative experience no matter the fault, you can get hit with a negative review. While it surely stings, it’s not the end of the world. Luckily, you can actually take steps towards turning the negative review into a positive experience for both your business and the customer if you handle the situation the right way. Below, we will be going over some tips for handling negative reviews with the help of Cormac Reynolds from VelSEOity.

1. Don’t React

One of the main things that you want to do is avoid having a knee jerk reaction to the customer who is upset. By responding with negativity, you can guarantee that you will encounter even more negativity which can spiral out of control. Avoid reacting negatively and slapping back to the negative review for the entire world to see. While you want to respond swiftly, you need to do so in a calm and collected manner. If necessary, vent your frustration offline by doing some exercise or by conducting deep breathing exercises. It’s important to understand that a negative review can be a good opportunity to showcase your customer service.

2. Respond Quickly

As mentioned, you don’t want to delay when you are dealing with a negative review. Take quick action and don’t let the negative review fester. Ignoring a negative review is one of the worst things you can do. You want to deal with the negative review as soon as you calm down and can approach the situation with a calm mind. You should take steps towards acknowledging the customer’s pain points and let them know that you are there to remedy any situation they feel they’ve been wronged in.

3. Don’t Make Any Excuses

Even if you feel as though you did nothing wrong in the situation, it is important to avoid making excuses. You want to accept responsibility no matter what because “the customer is always right.” By showing the customer you understand they had a bad experience and you want to make it right, you will be able to showcase that you care about your customers for the world to see.

4. Make It Better

Once you have established communication, you will want to take steps towards actively resolving the problem. When you showcase that you are able and willing to take responsibility for the situation and that you are willing and able to make it right, you have a good chance of convincing the customer that it was a one-time mistake that didn’t warrant such a harsh review.] A lot of times, you will even be able to convince them to change their review and showcase the steps you took to remedy the situation which can turn it into a positive for your business.

One way to do so is to hire an online reputation management agency that can help you suppress and repair comments, all while monitoring your online presence. Make it better by taking control of what information is out there about you and your business and what consumers see. You can not only suppress negative Google results but can work to impress everyone who comes across your business online and create a long-lasting and positive impression. The experts can ensure your reputation is a good one and that you’re able to rebuild and regain trust with your customers and potential clients. Let today be the day you work to improve your business reputation and get off on a better foot.

5. Ask For Positive Reviews

When you are dealing with customers that just want to be angry or even trolls that haven’t frequented your business, you simply have to showcase your motivation for resolving the problem. Another good way to minimize the negative impact a bad review can have on your business is by asking for positive reviews from satisfied customers – this helps you pre-empt such issues and helps protect your reputation. This will help you drown out of the negative feedback with positive feedback. A lot of customers are ready and willing to help out their favorite businesses by writing positive reviews. All you have to do is ask! It is very important to encourage feedback across all review channels for various reasons:

72 percent of customers look towards online reviews when they are attempting to make purchasing decisions. There are search engines like Google who even include online reviews when they are ranking query results. Therefore, the more positive feedback you are able to accumulate, the higher you will likely get your rankings. The more positive feedback you are able to get, the better your chances of converting a prospective customer into an actual customer since they will be much more inclined to frequent your business due to having a high customer satisfaction rating.

4 Ways to Grab Consumer Attention

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Capture Audience Attention|4 Ways to Grab Consumer AttentionBusinesses have a tough job on their hands when it comes to marketing and connecting with their desired audience. Research has discovered that a consumer’s brain can only process a certain amount of information before they lose concentration. Information is readily available and can be sourced by their fingertips whenever they choose. As a result, businesses are finding it tougher to engage their audiences with the vast amount of competition they’re up against.

If you’re a business owner, it’s essential you know how to capture your audience’s attention to enhance the success of your business. Here are 4 tips to keep in mind:

Avoid Prominent Branding

While the whole point of marketing is to get your brand message across, consumers don’t like to be bombarded or forced into taking action. Usually, their natural reaction is to hold back if they believe they’re being pushed to make a purchase. Within your content, take an understated approach and refrain from relying on the hard sell, which is a clever marketing technique known as ‘brand pulsing’. With this in mind, create an entertaining story around your brand and if you feel the need to incorporate your logo, ensure you keep it small and subtle to prevent distraction.

Find Out Who Your Audience Is

It’s extremely difficult to create a marketing pitch without understanding who your target market is. In order to find the right customers for your brand, you’ll need to carry out research as to who you should be targeting, based on their specific interests and needs. Some useful techniques include using Google Analytics, creating user surveys and connecting with followers on social media.

Use Video Advertising

Video advertising is becoming one of the hottest trends in marketing and boosts your chance of securing consumers by 35%. According to a study, 4 billion videos are being watched on YouTube every single day, so if you aren’t using video as part of your marketing strategy, you’re missing a trick.

Amazon and eBay are two of the world’s largest brands that have jumped on the bandwagon and have started using video advertisements to catch their audience’s attention. If you haven’t got the relevant experience to make a world-class video advertisement for your brand, it may be worth hiring a professional video production company such as Motion Giraffx to create either a 2D or 3D piece of video content to grab your audience’s attention.

Create Customer Connections

Whether you’re conducting marketing online or face-to-face, people favor businesses that take a humanized approach when connecting with their customer and clients.

Encourage your employees to have friendly conversations with your consumers, with the intention of forming a close professional connection. In doing so, you’ll help promote brand loyalty for the long term and hopefully encourage potential consumers to spread the word via word-of-mouth to their own contacts.

Your products and services have been created to satisfy a need, so play on this factor when chatting with your consumers. Express your understanding of their annoyances and how your product or service is the solution they’ve been looking for.