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Reactive marketing: what is it and why should you do it

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News travels fast, and is easily shared thanks to the increasing role of social media in the lives of consumers and the businesses they engage with. Indeed, there are many advantages to this connectivity beyond the social aspect; people can instantly mark themselves ‘safe’ after natural disasters or violent attacks, and ‘good news’ stories from around the world inspire on a daily basis.

With this greater, and faster, connectivity between news sources, businesses and end consumers, it’s now more crucial that brands use dynamic and agile marketing strategies; adopting a timely, reactive approach. So what is ‘reactive advertising’ and why is it important?

What is reactive advertising?

You’ve seen it before, even if you are less aware of the marketing term: when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie announced their divorce, Norwegian Air launched a print ad in UK newspapers offering low-cost flights to Los Angeles under the headline ‘Brad is single.’ This – and many stunts like it — fall under the category of ‘reactive advertising.’

Reactive marketing capitalizes on newsworthy events as the inspiration for quick turnaround, and short-lived, ad campaigns. They are not always tongue-in-cheek, as with Norwegian Air; reactive ads are also a solid means for brands and businesses to make clear their stance on politics, culture and ethics. For example, see Patagonia’s response to The Administration’s recent protected lands policy change.

Why businesses should be reactive

The presence of brands and businesses in social media means consumers expect these companies to act more like people, and less like corporations. Investing in reactive marketing is a quick and easy way to do this, along with hiring an expert team of social media managers to control your company’s tone of voice and digital content. If you reach your audience with relevant, topical dialogue, your engagement levels will increase on the whole.

Shifting media spend into smaller-scale, nimble reactive advertising can save you money too; gone are the days of huge annual payouts for marketing campaigns, instead momentary media requires short bursts of activity with lower overheads and less planning time.

If you want to learn about Affiliate Marketing, then check out the The Ultimate Beginner Guide For Affiliates.

How to be reactive

Firstly, you must be crystal clear on your company’s values and ethos. Only then will you be able to react to a news story, in a way that’s advantageous to you commercially — if not, you risk doing damage to your brand perceptions in the public eye. Keep abreast of the latest news stories on a platform such as Worldnewshub.org, and when a conversation comes into public debate that you could chime in on, don’t hesitate to act.

Being reactive is your chance to influence, too. So if you feel strongly about a news event, and wish to inform, enlighten or reeducate your audience on the matter, then you can via a reactive marketing campaign.

Of course, you must sense-check any reactive messages with your board of directors or group of stakeholders; lest you take a misstep. However, in the game of reactive marketing, time truly is of the essence.

8 Tips for Organizing Your Busy Office

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With a large in-house team, it’s inevitable that your office will get into a bit of a mess every once in a while. We know as much as anyone that in the midst of a busy project, paper will get strewn around, files will end up stacked on every available desk space and tables will become buried under office stationery junk.

There are plenty of solutions to this problem which will ensure your office stays a calm haven during busy periods rather than a chaotic heap. Check out these fun and functional office organization ideas that will keep everything in its place and stress levels low.

1. Organized Storage

Storage is key – and effective storage at that. Label all drawers and cabinets for easy location when you need to find things. Explain the new system to all employees so that they know where everything should go.

The more storage you can get that fixes to the wall, like shelving units, rather than standing on the floor, means you have more floor space and gives the illusion of a larger area (plus makes it easier for people to get around).

Draft in more filing cabinets and in-and-out trays for mail if you need to have physical files – the most efficient way is always to look into digital filing solutions and give up all paper where possible, to keep your office completely free of unnecessary clutter. There’s nothing that can’t be computerized these days.

2. Combine Your Appliances

Check out companies like CDS for their Complete Document Solutions, offering office appliances at the best prices. Xerox machines that combine printing, copying, scanning, paper storage, print-from and scan-to USB capabilities and more, mean that you don’t have to take up valuable free space in your office with multiple clunky machines.

3. Cable Organizers

This is not only a space-saver but a health and safety savior! Tangled cables lying around are not just a trip hazard but really annoying to navigate. Ensure all your staff can walk around the office freely and quickly by clipping all cables under desks or covering them with floor covers, both of which can be bought online or from office stores inexpensively.

4. Message & Pin Boards

Pin important documents and messages that the whole team need to see on a big office pin board. This way, need-to-know messages won’t get lost and will be positioned at eye level for all to see.

5. Desk Tidies

Give everyone in the office their own personal desk tidy, like a small cabinet or a computer screen platform with built-in drawers. Give each person their own coat and bag hook to avoid personal belongings being dumped on the floor. This means everyone is responsible for their own tidy desks and there can be no excuses!

6. DIY Organizing

If you’ve blown your business budget for the month but can’t stand the mess any longer, there are plenty of temporary DIY solutions you can turn to. Use old shoe boxes for filing papers and jam jars as pen pots. Clip cables and wires together and out of the way with crocodile clips and use a long line of parcel string fixed to the wall to clip papers onto and keep desk space clear.

7. Have a Spring Clean

To tackle the clutter of old paper, junk, cardboard boxes, and more, consider hiring rubbish removal services to efficiently clear out the items you no longer need and have been meaning to throw away for a long time.

Set aside one morning for the whole team to clear out their desks and throw out anything that is no longer needed – you might need to hire a skip! Afterwards, you should all have much more space to breathe and the whole office will be fresh, clean and clear of clutter.

8. Cubby Holes

Give each employee a cubby hole for their mail so that parcels and personal mail doesn’t end up littering the office, or worse, getting lost. Try to ensure that everyone keeps their cubby clean and neat – maybe install a bin beside the area so people can throw away any rubbish instantly.

Common Problems That New Business Owners Face

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Starting a new business venture may sound as simple as having an idea or a product prototype, and setting up a base from which to sell it to the masses. However, there are many other factors which you will need to consider to make your company a success; from marketing your product well to managing your overheads. Failing to take into account the negatives of being your own boss and the difficulties which can come with being a business owner could cause you major problems down the line. Many small businesses fail within the first year of opening, so to successfully avoid becoming another statistic, you need to plan ahead to combat the common problems that all new business owners face.

Cash flow

Of course, when you set up a new business, you’re not going to be in the green from the start. There are many different start-up costs which are unavoidable in starting up a business, such as buying insurance to cover you for building contents, as well as any other insurance policies you may need to take out. Not forgetting the general costs of running a premises, for example, water and electricity expenses; paying to employ staff members, and purchasing stock. Money issues are always going to be a cause of stress and apprehension, especially if you’ve had to take out a loan to set the company up, or if you are experiencing pressure from investors that are expecting fast returns. In order to avoid getting into deeper money problems, it’s important to keep track of your incomings and outgoings. There are apps and online tools available which can help you with tasks such as calculating budgets. However, it might also be advisable to find an accountant who can help you to keep track of your finances, and advise you on the best course of action to keep your overheads to a minimum.

Becoming overworked

As a new business owner, it is completely understandable that you would want to be fully involved in the running of the company, and keep the control firmly in your own hands. Unfortunately, the running of a business is not simply a nine to five job. As you may have realized, there are many aspects of running a business which you have to do from behind the scenes, such as managing paychecks and paying expenses. If you are acting as the business accountant, manager, and the main point of call for customer liaison, on top of everything else, it won’t be long until you become burnt out. That will be detrimental to both your health and the wellbeing of your business because if you are overworking yourself, you could become disorganized, overlook important details and start making mistakes. It is incredibly challenging to run a business alone, so you may benefit from enlisting some co-owners to share the responsibility of the business, or choosing a few trusted employees to delegate tasks to. Work out which aspects of the business require your expertise, and which assignments you can afford to have less input in. There is also the option of employing independent contractors to take control of jobs which do not fall under your areas of expertise.

Managing legal requirements

There are several legalities that you must meet the requirements of when you start up your own business. You’ll first need to decide what legal structure you will follow; for example, will you be the sole trader, or operating as an LLP? Registering your business name, and acquiring a tax identification number should be high on your list of priorities. There are multiple different types of tax payments businesses can be liable to pay, such as federal and state income tax, BPOL tax, payroll taxes and sales tax. Dealing with these legal and financial processes can be difficult and confusing, especially if you are new to the process. It may be a good idea to consult with USAttorneys who will be able to offer professional advice and assistance in navigating and understanding tax regulations.

Finding loyal customers

For a new business, finding clients is incredibly important, because without the sales you will never be successful. It is imperative that you create an in-depth marketing plan, which will allow you to target as many people within your ideal client group as you can. You need to identify a unique selling point that will grab buyer’s attention, so it’s vital that you conduct comprehensive market research. Gaining a vast number of customers is not the only aim; you also want to find customers who spend more and repeatedly shop with your business. Identify the characteristics of your most loyal customers, and specifically aim future marketing ventures at gaining more clients of this nature. Don’t be afraid of gaining feedback from your customers, as long as you do so in a way which isn’t intrusive, and that won’t take up too much of their time.

Employee satisfaction

When you are stressed and juggling a lot of responsibility, it can be hard to prioritize the well-being of your employees. Nonetheless, your workforce is the heart and soul of your business. They are the ones who interact with client’s the most, and if you want a successful business, you need to keep your employees content. Show your workforce that their welfare is important to you by communicating with them on as regular a basis as you can manage. Ask for their opinions on how the business can be better run; they see first hand how your clientele respond to business procedures and are likely to know best what the company’s strengths and weaknesses are. Offer incentives: they don’t have to be expensive, but it doesn’t hurt to recognize an ‘employee of the month,’ or to hold an annual Christmas party to keep spirits up. If you have a high staff turn over, it doesn’t create a good impression to your clients, and it may be a sign that your employees feel undervalued.

By addressing these points from the beginning, you will minimize the likelihood of encountering complicated issues further down the line.

How To Mitigate The Risks Of Outsourcing

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Visit any business-related website, and you will find articles telling you why you need to outsource. They will tell you your business will grow. You will discover how it can be a worthy investment. And on this very website, you will find out how outsourcing can save your business. But what about the risks? Despite the benefits, it is wise to take a step back before designating important areas of your business to another company. In this article, we will take a look at two of the major risks involved, and we will give you some handy tips to mitigate them.

Risk #1: Does the company have the ability to work for you?

This is the biggest risk of all. You don’t want to hand over a project to a company that is going to make a mess of it. Not only will you lose credibility as a business, but you might also waste money by hiring somebody not up to the job. So, what can you do about it?

Tip: Quite simply, do your research. Start by looking at their website and look at what they have to offer. Do they have evidence to back up their service claims? Consider Bespoke Excel. This professional consultancy firm has clients as respected as Adidas and Aston Martin, with case studies to support the work they do. That’s the kind of testimony you need to look out for. Then find out how long the company has been in existence. We aren’t saying a fledgeling company will offer you a less quality service, but if the firm has been open for a number of years, they are probably doing something right. So, find out as much as you can, from reviews to testimonials, as positive responses will give you some peace of mind.

Risk #2: Will you lose control of your project?

You will lose some control. After all, you are handing your project over to somebody else. While this is normal, it’s understandable that you, as the business leader, will have some fears around this. Will they leak valuable data? Will they produce something you hadn’t envisioned? How long will it take to get the project done? All good questions and you need to find the answer.

Tip: While you will lose some control, you can still mitigate some of the risk by collaboration. When you initially speak to the company involved, lay down a few ground rules and even draw up a contract between yourselves. This can include the request for daily communication, opportunities to see the work-in-progress, and a reasonable deadline to limit the time frame. You also need to be as directive as possible. When hiring a web designer, for example, you may not have the skills needed for the job yourself, but you can still outline what you are looking for, ensuring the web design firm has a clear idea about what you want. If you are in any way unclear, you can’t blame the outsourced firm for not giving you what you wanted. So, talk to the people involved before the project begins, and make sure there is a clear understanding before you hand your work over to them.

Final word

Outsourcing is risky, but for the business leader, there are many advantages. With the right research and effective collaboration, you will mitigate the risks involved, and hopefully benefit from what other companies can offer your business.

Three Tips To Improve Your Product Or Service

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As a small business owner, one of your top priorities should be improving, or, at the very least, maintaining the quality of the service or product that you sell to your customers. After all, if what you provide isn’t of satisfactory quality then you aren’t going to make any money, and your business isn’t going to survive for very long. It’s relatively easy to do what your competitors are doing, but this will only ever get you so far, and if you want your business to grow, then you need to be doing something even better. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily as easy if you don’t know where to start. If you’re in a slump and don’t know where to start when it comes to improving your products, then here are some great tips for you.

1. Know Why They Buy

Even if your sales have slumped a little recently, people will have needed to have bought from you at some point, or you wouldn’t be here now. What you need to figure out is why. Luckily, there are plenty of ways that you can do this. For example, you can ask those customers and clients who buy from you frequently to fill out a survey. This survey should be professionally designed and should ask customers what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, and what needs to be improved. This information can help you out a great deal, as it will identify areas you need to work on.

2. Identify The Negatives

Of course, you need to make sure you keep doing the things that you’re doing right, but you also need to figure out what you’re doing wrong. Once again you can do this with a survey, and use the information that you collect to improve. For example, if you own a bait store and customers have stated that the packing isn’t very enticing, then you need to adjust the design of your bait pouch. You also need to pay attention to any complaints or negative comments that you receive. It won’t be fun to hear the negative things that people have to say about you and your business, but it is necessary if you want to improve.

3. Create A Plan

Once you’ve gathered all of this information, you need to create some sort of plan. You can start by making a list of things that should stay the same, good things that you can improve on, and bad things that you need to improve on. The negatives should always take priority, so start with those first. Assemble a team of people that can deal with each problem, such as a design team for packaging, and work towards your goals by taking small steps. It will likely take a lot of work, so it’s important to stay focused, set targets and goals, and remember what you are working for.

The quality of your product or service is incredibly important for the success of your business, so you need to get it as high as possible. More often than not, simply listening to your customers will give you all the information you need to know to get this done, so always be open to feedback.