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Enhancing Your Small Business’ Curb Appeal

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business ArticleA lot of business owners underestimate the importance of their curb appeal. This is what people see when they first approach your company. You know what they say – first impressions count! You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, which is why the curb appeal of your business is of paramount importance. You want to give off a professional and strong impression, and there are a number of different ways you can do this. So, let’s take a look…

Consider the front door – There is only one place to begin, and this is with your front door. After all, this is arguably one of the most visible parts of your company. If your business’ front door is starting to look a bit dirty and dull because of pollution from the street, it is certainly time to make some changes. Getting the door professionally cleaned is the minimum you should do. A replacement is usually the best solution.

Paint new lines on the parking lot – This is something that is very simple to do, yet very effective. This straightforward DIY job can give your business a new and fresh look while also making sure the parking lot is a lot easier to navigate. It is a good idea to seal your coating of paint to ensure that potholes and cracks do not occur.

Invest in landscaping services – There is no substitute for enlisting the assistance of professionals like the local tree experts in Eau Claire. If you have a considerable outside space surrounding your business, commercial landscape design is a must. Landscapers do much more than creating an attractive outside space. They create a space that is easy for you to maintain and represents your brand identity. They will take the time to get to know your company so they can create a design that fits in with your brand and will impress your target consumer based.

Visible signage – What is your business signage like at present? Is it bold and striking? Is it easy to read and see? If not, then you have a big problem! Make sure the signage is easy to spot, easy to read, and big in size.

Add a few plants – Last but not least, do not underestimate the power of a bit of greenery. A lot of business fronts look dull or plain. This is where plants come in. They can bring your outdoor space to life, making a massive difference. Go with potted plants because they are a lot easier to maintain. You may even want to consider fake plants if you do not want to deal with the maintenance side of things.

As you can see, there are many different ways that you can enhance the curb appeal of your business. If you follow the suggestions that have been presented above, you will notice a considerable difference in terms of how your business appears and, consequently, what potential customers think of it. Do not undervalue just how critical this is.

Money, Money, Money: Why getting into trading could be the best thing you’ve ever done

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
 
Everyone wants to work hard and try their absolute best to acquire the most wonderful life they can possibly have, getting to have the brilliant experiences life has to offer, such as seeing the world, living in a beautiful home, and dining out at swanky restaurants every weekend. This is a goal most people can agree they would love to have for themselves and you, surely, are no different. When you are determined to make something of yourself, you will know that being financially secure is the first step towards the life of your dreams, but the security of your money is not enough; you want to flourish. One way of doing this is to investigate getting into trading. Trading is a lucrative way of making money quickly and easily if you know what you are doing. In this guide, you will learn some vital information and steps to getting into the business of trading and making the money you need to achieve the lifestyle you have always wanted through financial freedom.
What is trading?

Before you start to think about getting into trading seriously, you will need to be one hundred percent clear on what it entails. Being a trader means you buy and sell instruments of finance, such as stocks, bonds, and shares for a monetary gain. It is something that is largely done by big corporations but, with some seed money, you can begin to trade as an individual and start making money for yourself. Read more

Smoothing Out Some Processes

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Think about how your business is run as a whole. We know that there are going to be some areas that just don’t flow. Some areas that might be holding you back somewhat. We’re sure that you want your business to be a perfectly well oiled machine, but the truth is, it just isn’t going to happen. Sometimes, your business is just going to stay a little rough around the edges. But, as long as you have the main internal processes smoothed out, then your business should be able to go from strength to strength. Plus, we think we know a few different areas that your business might be struggling with a little. And, what’s even better, we think we know a few ways that we can iron out the processes so they’re crease free. If your business needs a little bit of help, have a read of the pointers we’ve got below, and see if we can smooth out those processes for you!

StrategyDriven Business Performance Assessment Program Article
 
Smoother Sales

You should always be looking for some smoother sales when it comes to your business. There’s nothing worse than delay after delay happening to your company, but, it’s something that a lot of business owners actually have to deal with. So, if you want smoother sales, one thing you could try is a new point of sale for your small business. This is going to be perfect for those of you who have a shop floor where you make your sales. It works by giving you a system on a tablet that you can use in your store. It connects to card machines, and is easy to use. But, it doesn’t stop there. It will then allow you to analyse your finances for the day, and then allow you to see your profits and losses. It will also allow you to manage your inventory. So, as an all rounder, this really will smooth out your sales processes in store, as everything will be on one app.

Smoother Management

Management of your company is one of the biggest areas that you’ll have to manage, and you’re already going to be fully aware that it’s not as easy as you would think it would be! If you want to do this right, you’re going to have to find out where your flaws are at the minute. For a lot of companies, we believe that a lack of communication is to blame here. If you’re not communicating down the chain of command, you’re going to have a shambles at your feet. The more you talk about problems that people are having, the better you’re going to understand the company, and the better you’re going to be able to manage.

Smoother Marketing

Smoother marketing is essential if you want your company to grow. If you aren’t really putting much effort into a campaign at the minute, then this is what needs to change. You need to have a clear marketing plan, and the best way to do this is to get in touch with a marketing company who is going to run a good campaign for you. If you want your marketing campaign to work, you’re going to have to have a good company to carry you!

The Importance of Having a Cohesive Marketing Strategy for Promoting Your Business

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales ArticleAs a business owner, your marketing strategy needs to be cohesive if you want to market your business successfully. Here’s why you need to have cohesion as an Internet marketer and some ways you can go about it.

What is Cohesive Marketing?

When we talk about cohesive marketing we are referencing the need to bring all your platforms that promote your business together under one main strategy. This gives you a better return on your investment or ROI and helps to keeps things consistent. In the marketing world, you can’t just fling out ideas and hope they stick, you need a strategy. You may hop on a new trend but find that it doesn’t do much for your business. You need to find a strategy that works for the needs of your business and then bring everything together in a cohesive way so you’re not all over the place.

How Your Business Can Stay Cohesive

When your marketing strategy is cohesive and consistent this helps to showcase your brand a positive light to your clients and customers. There are many ways to approach your strategies such as having a robust email marketing campaign or a consistent social media presence. Whenever you make your next marketing decisions, you should take time to figure out how this is going to fit into your overall marketing strategy. You want to make sure that your customers will receive it well and that it’s showcasing your brand or service in the best possible light.

Social Media

One way to bring cohesion to your brand and your marketing is to maintain the same social media presence across all platforms. You want people to recognize your brand no matter what platform that you’re using. Try to use the same logos, fonts and include the same information about what you’re all about on every platform. You want customers and clients to instantly recognize your brand. When you’re cohesive with your social media presence, you won’t create confusion or send mixed messages.

Email Marketing

You need to learn how to do email marketing if you want to stay in touch with your customers as email can be critical to your marketing strategy. You also want to have a cohesive email marketing campaign and your email marketing messages need to be consistent. You should send them around the same time each month or week to engage with your customers. Make sure you plan out the email before you send it and always give the end user something of value when you send the email so they have the incentive to click the email and read it.

Content Marketing

When designing your content marketing strategy, you should have a good idea of what you want to create and to ensure that that content is always consistent. You want the content to provide some sort of value for the reader and not just random articles. If you stay consistent then the reader is going to know that you’ll have something that they can use each time they visit the site or read an email from you. Have a clear idea of how you plan to share that content, the call to action you want, and what the content is going to be about before you create it. You should have some clear goal in mind with the content you create.

Summary

Your marketing strategy should sync everything up and stay consistent as this is going to give you more value for your dollar and help your business grow. This helps to establish your brand and bring you more customers or clients as your giving them a clear message about your business and what you have to offer.

Is It Time To Start Purchasing Your Own Business Assets In Abundance?

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
 
Most businesses rely on the use of outsourcing, hiring other businesses, and using connections for niche supplies. This is quite obviously worthwhile. Not every business can be Google, a corporation with seemingly endless reach and a finger in every pie. However, as your business begins to really gain in profitability, and you decide to invest that back into your operation each year, it’s not hard to see how purchasing your own business assets might become a great long-term cost-saving scenario.

Is it time that you did this? There are many reasons for doing so, and if you have the funding to play with, you could potentially benefit in the following ways:

Transport & Delivery

Could it be that it’s time to branch out into your own logistics solutions? Purchasing your own vans and hiring your own drivers could help you not only ship your goods in a more competent timeframe but save you money in the long term, as the cost of upkeep often beats the cost of renting a service. This is only worthwhile if you ship many, many products nationally. However, if you do, your vans may serve as free marketing as they drive on public highways to get to the destination, and can often pass tens of thousands of cars in the process, effectively serving as a mobile billboard.

Construction

It might be that you own large plots of land, and purchasing your own equipment to help you retrofit this area for your own purposes can help you save plenty of money in the long terms. Simply looking online in the direction of cranes for sale, generators and hired construction services to come to a B2B relationship with could slash the cost of your construction, allowing you to extend offices, generate new lots or custom fit current property to your requirements.

Merchandising

Merchandising is, of course, one of the best methods of natural marketing. Having many pens made, or perhaps a set of mugs for distribution throughout your office can help your name and contact information travel. Merchandising can also become a larger investment opportunity. It might be that you print clothing designs, or decide to have more significant, long-term items made featuring your company names, such as mousemats or even skins for phones. These assets not only help you outfit your office with a personal touch, but often travel wide and far, and can be used as free and mass produced marketing. You’d be surprised how far these merchandising efforts can travel, sometimes around the world.

Property

Purchasing property can serve as a long form use of tying up cash in tangible assets. You may decide to profit from these properties, or generally utilize them to help your business expansion. Property is perhaps one of the most reliable assets you can purchase owner. It’s certainly good to keep in your business inventory.

With these simple investments, purchasing your own business assets in abundance is sure to reward you in the long term.