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Using Digital Marketing To Line Your Own Pockets

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Digital Marketing|Using Digital Marketing To Line Your Own PocketsThere is a lot that needs to be considered when it comes to digital marketing today! If you want to make sure that your business stands out from the crowd, there are a number of things you must do.

Gathering consumer feedback is a must

When it comes to making sure that your business is a success, one thing you need to do is get a good handle regarding the thoughts and feelings of your target consumer base. At the end of the day, these are the individuals that will line your pockets if you do your job effectively, which is why it is imperative to consider their thoughts, feelings, and pain points with a lot of care.

There are a number of different ways that you can go about this. One of the most effective methods is to carry out a survey. You can use a ranking survey to find out what your customers think. This is a great way of finding out what matters most to the people you are targeting with your products and services.

Getting people to fill out surveys can be one of the most difficult and challenging things for a lot of people. Because of this, you need to try and find a way to entice people to take your surveys. You could decide to give everyone entry into a competition whereby the winner will win a voucher or one of your products, for example.

Make sure your website is responsive

Responsive web design has been around for at least a couple of years now. And in the online world whereby changes occur by the minute, this is definitely considered a long time. Nevertheless, a lot of designers are still experiencing problems with creating and/or updating their clients’ responsive websites. This ranges from troubles related to the implementation of images to changing the coding of old fixed-width websites. If you have experienced trouble with responsive web design, read on to discover three of the most common problems encountered and discover some recommended tips on how to solve them as well…

Poor quality images

When it comes to using images in responsive web design there is a high sense of ambiguity. Designers have to partake in their own guesswork and interpretations of how to use images effectively. This is because there has been no backed specification as of yet. If this wasn’t troublesome enough, new devices with high pixel density displays are being released onto the market every day. This means that if images aren’t dealt with properly then they can easily end up appearing blurry and of a low quality. One recommended solution is to use adaptive images. These actually detect the size of your visitor’s screen and will those create re-scaled version of your embedded HTML images.

Trouble converting fixed-width websites

Many designers seem to experience this problem. Not only do people struggle with how to change an old fixed-width website’s code basis, but a lot of designers are debating whether they even should. Is it worth the hassle? After all, responsive design coding is a lot more stringent. With regards to whether to convert the coding at all, it is probably best that you do. At the end of the day, these old websites had no consideration for new digital platforms, such as mobile internet. Therefore, they are not structured in a way that would be appropriate for a smartphone display.

Navigation issues

We are usually guilty of overcomplicating things in business, yet when it comes to navigation there is a general underestimation of the monumental number of considerations that need to be put into place. A lot of responsive website designs have a problem with navigation because of the fact that there has been a move away from your standard box along the top of the page or alternatively down the left-hand side. Instead, navigation placement needs to give a lot more thought.

There is no right or wrong answer. Nonetheless, finding the right solution for you revolves around considering your content, design factors, the architecture of your information, and the effectiveness when used on different platforms.

If you experience any of the common problems that have been mentioned regarding responsive website design, then hopefully you will now have the adequate solutions to combat them. No matter what issue you are trying to put right, remember that constant testing on various digital platforms is a must.

Your Small Business Should Be Focusing On Branding (and this is why)

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Small Business Branding|Your Small Business Should Be Focusing On Branding (and this is why)So, you have a small business and it is doing ok, but you cannot seem to take it to the “next step”, what do you do?

If you are serious about moving your small business from tabletop tinkering to garage empire, there is one thing you should be focusing on: Branding!

Branding For The Future

So many small businesses miss out on great opportunities because they do not think that branding is important, and even fail to see how putting a clear focus on their brand and brand experience can be important to their business.

British marketing agency, Eleven Marketing, know all about branding and help all kinds of clients to solve their marketing challenges, and one of the first ways they do this is by helping them to create a strong and recognizable brand that will catapult them forward.

Here are four reasons your small business should be focusing on branding right now to build a better future for you tomorrow.

Branding Helps You Get Noticed

When you think of McDonald’s you immediately see the golden arches on a red background, Coca-Cola has that specific red and white look, and if it is Apple you can bet that it is white, sleek, and has a premium feel.

Branding helps your small business to be recognizable, even if you are only advertising to your town right now, plenty of big businesses started as small-time enterprises.

Branding Builds Authority

Having a strong and consistent brand is key if you want to build authority and trust in your business.

If people can recognize who you are from a mile off, they are more likely to be trusting of you and want to buy from you.

Branding Boosts SEO

It is not just people who need to recognize you, sooner or later your brand will need to be online, on social media, and on Google My Business.

Having a strong and consistent brand across all of your digital properties – that matches your in-print properties – will help you to stay on top of your search engine optimization (SEO) and improve your search result rankings.

The bottom line with SEO is that the more Google and other search engines can see you are the same company across all of your properties online, the more its algorithms are likely to boost your rankings and get you closer to the top of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

Branding Helps Your Business Expand

The final reason for exploring branding in your small business is so that you can expand your offering and get more customers who want to be shopping with you.

No matter what it is you do, getting more customers (or more clients) who are higher paying is like the holy grail, and there are not many businesses who want to have less custom!

Improving your brand means brand loyalty, but it also means brand advocacy, letting your current customers do the hard work of your marketing for you by word-of-mouth, reviews, and brand advocacy through their own channels.

Three Qualities Your Medical Practice Can’t Be Without

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Medical Practice|Three Qualities Your Medical Practice Can't Be WithoutRunning a medical practice is quite unlike almost any other kind of business you could be involved in. In an ideal world, you wouldn’t be needed, and repeat customers would be something you actively discourage. Similarly, for the people who use your service – even if you give absolutely premium-level assistance to them – it’s going to be hard to be enthusiastic about their visit to the doctor, because they’d rather just not be ill.

But this is not an ideal world, and people do need to see a doctor every so often, so it is of vital importance to make sure that their experience under your care is as positive as can be, and that they leave there with hope. This is something you can affect, so it is vital to ensure your medical practice hits the mark on all the following fronts…

Efficiency

Sitting in a waiting room is never the most enjoyable way to pass the time, even at the best of times, and when you’re not feeling your best it’s less enjoyable still. You can do as much as you like to make the experience more soothing – providing drinking water, reading material and potentially a TV on low volume – but primarily, patients want to show up, be seen, and be out of there as soon as possible. A combination of attentive reception staff and effective practice management software can ensure that you get people checked in and through to their appointment in a short time without them feeling rushed.

Communication

It could be said that there is only one thing worse than receiving a call from your doctor, and that’s not getting one when you were led to expect it. Medical issues can cause a patient to expect or imagine the worst, and when they are left with room in their head to wonder, those gaps naturally fill with negative speculation. So when a customer or patient is promised a call by a certain time, they must receive it. Even if you have no new information, a courtesy call informing them of the situation and answering any questions they may have is the least they should expect. Any medical practice should ensure there are enough staff to ensure these calls are not missed.

Respect

When you practise medicine at a sufficiently high level to make a difference to a patient’s outcomes, it is in many ways indistinguishable from magic. With that said, it is never a good idea for a doctor to assume that a patient is not also well-informed. It’s equally a bad idea if reception staff are dismissive of a patient’s concerns. All medical facilities should seek to collaborate with engaged patients in a respectful way, hearing them out if they have their own opinions on treatment options. Even if it is mainly to explain why an option is unworkable, presenting them with facts and differentials is better than cold dismissal. A patient who feels they are not being listened to is less likely to follow a decided protocol.

Medical practices are not like other businesses, but the fact that patients are there because they have to be and not because they want to be doesn’t make it less important to prioritize their comfort and sense of ease. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Important Steps For A Successful Sole Proprietorship

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Sole Proprietorship|Important Steps For A Successful Sole ProprietorshipIf you have an entrepreneurial spirit and are the sole proprietor of a business, you know that it is just as important to offer an excellent product or service as it is to understand the business side of your chosen pursuit.

A sole proprietorship automatically forms when you begin offering any services or goods. At this point, there is no differentiation between you and your business from a legal standpoint. To take it a step beyond that point, if you choose to incorporate or register your business then you are no longer operating in a sole proprietorship. While there are pros and cons to initiating a sole proprietorship, it is essential to know what you are getting into.

Liability

When you are in a company of one, it is vital to understand that sole proprietorships have unlimited liability and how this will affect the way you conduct your business. Unlimited liability blurs the lines between your company and personal assets. If you are interested in taking the next steps to becoming a sole proprietor, ensure that you engage with professionals to understand what you are embarking upon. Follow this legal guidance when considering whether to become an entrepreneur.

Business Plan

One of the first steps beyond having a marketable product or service is to create a business plan. This plan is not limited in scope. You can add to the plan or modify it as needed. After all, this is your business. You are at the helm of your future, and your decisions are the driving force for your success. To have a productive business plan, begin by asking yourself why you are creating your product or service? What is your end goal or mission? How do you intend to sell and market items? Will you outsource? There are a multitude of templates available online to get you started on creating an effective business plan.

Outsourcing Options

Staying on top of everything by yourself can be difficult. On a good day, all of the business aspects will pull you in a few different directions. On a bad day, you will not be part of your actual product at all. Too much time spent on managing your business will leave you without the energy to focus on the reason you began your business in the first place. Consider alternatives to doing it all yourself. Outsourcing options will afford you more time and creative energy to give your business your full attention. Common outsourcing options for sole proprietors may include marketing and advertising, social media and blog posting, accounting and payroll (if you have other employees), transportation of goods (mail and packages), legal guidance, and customer service.

Ask For Help And Guidance

Whether you are a longtime business owner or just starting, it is beneficial to seek the counsel of others. They may be within your industry or someone that you identify as successful. Consulting with a variety of people will offer you invaluable insight into both your company as well as theirs. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, see what they are doing that works, and even learn from the value of their mistakes. Having another person or group to bounce ideas off and ask for referrals will help you on your path to growth and success.

As they say, knowledge is power. Always do your due diligence and understand what you are getting into when starting your own business. It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase your talents.

Key Costs Of Business Expansion You Need To Be Prepared For

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Business Expansion|Key Costs Of Business Expansion You Need To Be Prepared ForExpanding your business is incredibly exciting, but it’s also a huge risk. If you miss the mark and your plans for expansion don’t play out the way that you hoped they would, you could lose the business. Usually, this happens because companies don’t budget for the cost of expanding or they overestimate how much their revenue is going to increase. You can’t take anything for granted and there is always a chance that your revenue will grow much slower than anticipated, which means you need to budget for the cost of expansion and make sure you have enough money to cover it before you get started. If you are expanding your business, these are the big costs that you need to be prepared for.

Increased Staff Costs

If your business is going to grow and expand into new markets, the workload will also increase. Unless you have the right team behind you, you are unlikely to see sustainable growth, which means that you should hire some new people before you do anything else. As you already know, staff costs are one of the biggest business expenses you have to cover, so it’s important that you are able to survive when they increase. Ask yourself how long you can comfortably pay for the salaries of new team members with your current earnings. If it’s not very long, you need to save more money before you start hiring anybody.

Office Relocation Costs

If you take on one or two people, you might be able to fit them in your existing office, if you’re lucky. But if you start hiring a big new team, you’ll need a larger office space, and that gets expensive. Most business owners have considered the increased monthly cost of a bigger office, but they don’t factor in the cost of the move itself. You need to hire removalists to take all of your stuff, you’ll need new furniture to fill the extra space, and then there are added extras like internet and phone installation. Don’t forget that the business will be in shutdown for a few days while you move to the new office, and that costs money in lost revenue.

Market Research Costs

If you are expanding into a new market, researching it is absolutely vital. You won’t be able to create effective marketing campaigns unless you have an in-depth understanding of the market, especially when expanding internationally because different cultures will respond to your marketing efforts in a different way. You can’t afford to cut any corners here, so make sure that you have the money to conduct in-depth research before doing anything else.

Inventory Costs

Hopefully, your expansion will be a success and you will be selling more products, which means more revenue. But don’t forget that there are costs associated with that too because you will need to buy more inventory and pay for storage. Improving your inventory management systems will help you manage these costs, but there will always be an unavoidable increase that you need to be prepared for.

If your business expansion is going to be a success, you need to be prepared for these key costs.