 Image credit: Dominika Roseclay from Pexels Successful marketing can transform your business and lead to unprecedented success, but the wrong campaign can have the opposite effect. When marketing mistakes can damage your brand and alienate your target audience, it’s critical to avoid them. With this in mind, take a look at these five marketing mistakes you’re probably making – and what you can do about them: 1. Focusing on Website Traffic Generating more website traffic can be a viable marketing goal, but it shouldn’t be your main objective. Increased traffic doesn’t necessarily equal increased sales or profits, which is why conversion rate optimization can be far more important. With a higher conversion rate, you can achieve more profitability, even with a relatively low volume of traffic. By making increased conversions a top priority, you can ensure you’re focusing on the goals that will bring you the greatest financial success. 2. Sending Mixed Messages Every piece of content you publish tells your target audience something about your brand. If your social media posts are at odds with your company articles, for example, it’s going to confuse your audience unnecessarily. Your tone of voice, style and design are all important components of your brand, so use them wisely. When you deliver consistent marketing messages across multiple channels, you can ensure that your target audience receives clear and reliable content at all times.  Image credit: Pixabay from Pexels 3. Using Generic Content
As technology evolves, marketers have the opportunity to deliver personalized content to each and every member of their target audience. Not only does this show that you care about your potential and existing customers, but it also gives you the opportunity to personalize their customer journey and influence their subsequent actions. Fortunately, executing personalized marketing campaigns is easier than you think. By using a digital marketing content platform, for example, you can personalize and automate marketing campaigns to maximize results. 4. Not Monitoring Results If you want to get the most out of your marketing campaigns and increase your ROI, it’s essential to monitor your performance. By tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), such as specific metrics, you can determine the efficacy of your campaigns. Furthermore, accessing data analytics allows you to tweak campaigns while they’re still running, which gives you the opportunity to optimize results straight away. 5. Failing to Segment Your Audience Unless you’re running a very niche business, it’s likely that your target audience consists of multiple segments. If so, using the same marketing content and techniques is unlikely to engage every element of your audience. To overcome this, conduct in-depth research and create buyer personas to reflect every segment of your target audience. From there, you can create effective campaigns that are tailormade for each segment. Maximizing Your Marketing Success Effective marketing can drastically improve your commercial performance, which is why it should always be a top priority. By working with experienced marketers, embracing the latest technological solutions and avoid common mistakes, you can take your marketing strategy to the next level and use it to drive your business forward.
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 Image credit: Diego PH from Unsplash It is not uncommon to encounter a lot of people who are looking for a business that they can start with little money. There are many small businesses that are booming today and tomorrow.
One of the best businesses you can start with little money is the one that is selling goods and services. The goods and services you can be selling are the ones that make life worth living and give you satisfaction. It does not matter though if your business is making money or not - all that matters is that there is a need for your goods and services. When you think of your business, what comes to mind? Perhaps it is something that you can sell with little money - like handmade bracelets with sentimental value. What about a service like babysitting? You can be a babysitter for children and adults. How about being a personal shopper and selling fashionable clothes? As you think of your business, you might even come up with ideas for it that go well beyond what I mentioned - like being a wedding planner or a wedding planner consultant. You could sell services like designing logos or logo development or logo writing and print development, or even help people create websites or store websites. So let me ask you a question. Is there a business that you could start with little money that would give you satisfaction and a reason for living? I sure hope that you can answer yes! "There are no limitations on how much money you can make as a business owner" "You can earn money doing anything that doesn't jeopardize your health, safety or the lives of others" - but of course if there were boundaries that would prevent you from earning money doing things that you like, there would be no need for entrepreneurs! The bottom line is that you have to develop your own business idea. I have already explained why this is a good idea but you have to do more. You have to do research on it. I have given you some hints as to where to start but I have gone further into details on this, including some of the steps that you have to take. You need to do all of this, and more, to learn the lessons that you have to learn in order to become a success in your own business. It will help you become a successful entrepreneur in your own way, but please don't stop there because your own business idea is only half of it. Now I would love you to answer the question. What business idea do you have? The most important thing that you can do to ensure that you have a business idea that will give you the greatest chance of making a profit is to do your research. This means that you have to do two things: First, learn as much as possible from other successful entrepreneurs who have already done what you want to do. Second, learn as much as possible from those who have failed before you, so that you can learn from their mistakes and avoid making the same mistakes. There are some great sites to find out more about these lessons and the mistakes of others. I would recommend that you join the CEO community, as this is where I started and have been learning from others who have already been successful in their own business. I hope that this helps.  Image credit: Rodnae Productions from Pexels It is now been just over one year since the UK government announced a total lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s been a funny year. The world has felt like it has both sped up and slowed down at the same time. Everything looks different now.
You can’t go shopping unless it’s for essentials, lots of people haven’t been able to spend time with their friends and family, and when you do go to places you have to sanitise everything and wear a mask as protection. The saddest thing of all is that people have lost loved ones and their jobs as a result. Lots of people are feeling incredibly hopeless right now, and when there may not seem as though there’s a light at the end of this long, dark, tunnel--it is still worth thinking of planning towards your future- especially if you have lost work. Look at Your CV/ Resume There’s going to be a lot of competition for people applying for work right now. Recruiters will be busier than ever making their way through all of the CVs and resume's that come to their inbox supporting an application for a job that they have advertised. You don’t want yours to be at the bottom of that big pile. Find someone to look at your CV or resume, and ask them to tell you honestly what it says about you as a potential employee. This could be a work colleague, your boss, or a professional writing service like ARC Resumes (https://www.arcresumes.com/). Would they employ you based on your CV? Chances are that this interview ticket is selling you short. Consider Changing Career Path If you’ve lost a job then the first thing you’re going to do is to start looking for jobs with the same title. However, why should that always be the case? If you’ve had several years of experience in one industry, the chances are that you’ve developed some pretty impressive transferable skills that can be used all over the place. Changing career path is not an easy thing to consider, especially in the current market--but now is as good a time as any to do just that. Discuss your previous experience with recruiters and let them do some of the hard work employment matching for you. Use This as an Opportunity to Upskill During the first lockdown, lots of course providers started to provide their content online. This is great news as it means that there’s plenty of opportunities for you to learn more skills to make you more employable. One of the benefits of this is that you can complete the work in your own time and at your own pace. So whether you’re interested in doing either coding, business administration or health and social care courses, there are plenty of options for you. The best news is that being out of work is the perfect opportunity for you to reassess and take the time to figure out exactly where you want to be in life.  Image credit: Photo by David Rangel from Unsplash Finding a job is not an easy task in today’s saturated markets. Unemployment has been on the rise for years and it seems to be slowly sinking into the red zone because of Covid-19. However, there is still a way to achieve your career goals. When finding a job, you have probably already looked at all the websites that promise to offer the best jobs in your city. Perhaps you have joined groups and social media sites that help you find suitable positions. What else can you do to assist yourself?
Don’t limit yourself When applying to a job searching company, do not necessarily give a limited job definition that you can perform. If you have a wealth of skills, apply even for jobs that may be quite different from each other. Also, do not hesitate to challenge yourself and ask for job offers as well that seem to be less likely to be accepted. Be sure to emphasize your benefits and abilities and what you are willing to give and invest. Tell employers how you can benefit, and what your contribution will be to their business. And always, do preliminary (not necessarily long) research on the intended employer. Find out what the corporate culture is, what characterizes the company. When you come to an interview with prior knowledge and with clear answers to questions, the chances of finding a job even faster rises miraculously. In addition, learn to use the smart tools that can be found within job search sites. With these tools, you can better focus on the jobs that interest you. By job definitions, by geographical areas, by the type of flexibility you want. Using these tools will allow you to spend less time searching because you will find a job much easier - even in these turbulent times. Look at your current skills and see what may need to be improved on. If you want to work in technology then perhaps you should consider a course in computer technology or a niche area. If you want to move into garden landscaping, you should consider looking at ways to learn how to become a tree surgeon. Once you have these skills in black and white, you will have the confidence to talk openly to the employer about what you can offer them in return. Stay on top of opportunities by receiving email notifications about suitable jobs. This will cut down the time you spend trolling through every page. It is very important to be updated on a daily basis on the site as the supply of jobs varies from day to day and you will not want to miss the opportunity when interesting and new jobs emerge in your region. The use of social media sites helps prospective employers look at your track record which is why you should use LinkedIn and other sites to cultivate a great image. Keep information professional, including your email address. Show you’re serious and willing to find a great position and you will surely stumble upon the ideal job.  Image credit: Brad Neathery from Unsplash It is not the number of hours that we have available to us, but how we use our time that counts. You have only so much time, so think about what you can do in the available time. Most of us are so busy that we cannot spare the time to do some of those things that we like to do and which are important to us. You have to be selective about what you do with your time. You cannot afford to do everything. I know some people who are always on the computer playing games, watching videos or chatting on the internet. They spend their time away from work. What this person fails to understand is that without the internet, their work would not be possible. These same people would not be able to afford a video games, they may not even have a video games as they would not have the money to buy the games, so they would be using the time that they do have doing the minimum amount of work that they have to do. They also fail to realise that by doing those things that they are doing, they are also taking away time from other things that they could be doing.
If we want to use our time wisely we have to realise that there is only so much time in a day. How we utilise the time we have and utilise it well is how we will be able to achieve what we want to achieve. You cannot waste time. We have to use our time well. "You must have a clear, definite, intense, and productive aim in your life. Only thus can you avoid all lapses and all waste of time. If you aim at nothing, you will merely drift on without doing anything, and drift on without noticing the passing hours and hours."  Image credit: Copper and Wild from Unsplash I've been working with online entrepreneurs for well over a decade now and in that time (and especially during this time) I have learned many interesting lessons and tips of the trade. One of those lessons is the power of having a vision for your business growth and success.
Many of us would much rather "wait and see" what happens than take steps toward our dreams... especially when they're small (like building your own website) and grand (like taking your business from the comfort of home to millions of people looking at your site everyday). In this day and age where there is more information than ever before, you would think that we would rather listen to someone who can show us HOW to build our business and what tools and resources we need but the sad truth is that too many entrepreneurs listen to someone who has all the knowledge... and quit when they discover that they don't know how to do what they want. One other very important factor in getting your business started, is having a mentor. This is not just any old mentor though; in my experience you want someone who has done exactly what you want to do, and exactly how you want to do it... so they will be your sounding board as you learn the skills necessary to get your dream of building your business... going from a hobby into a profitable business. You want a mentor who knows exactly how your business should sound, and exactly how you can get to that point. You want a mentor who knows exactly which tools and resources will be the best for your business. You are going to spend many, many hours working with your mentor and we don't want to find out that the skills and techniques we invest in during our time with them is not what is needed... and you're going to be frustrated because you spent too much time with the wrong tool or technique. So make sure there is someone who lives your dream as much as you do and has gone beyond what you thought was possible! So many entrepreneurs waste their precious time in an effort to "perfect" their business instead of concentrating on creating a business that can flourish without them. And you don't need to spend a fortune to get yourself a great mentor... one of my all time fave's are Mike Friesen (author of "Rich Dad" series) and Jim Collins (author of Bestseller... "Lights Out") These guys are great teachers because they get you working in their business day in day out, not just a one time course where you leave feeling like you've got it all under control. 5. Your passion - what really drives you to become a successful entrepreneur. I want to tell you about a friend of mine who wanted to be an entrepreneur so bad that he would do anything to achieve that dream. And you know what, he's become one... as well as many other entrepreneurs we know. So his passion is real, it's not just something he creates to earn some extra cash. There should be something you absolutely love and then there should be something that drives you to become an entrepreneur. Like wanting to do something that is beneficial to everyone and something that gives you a rush just thinking about it, getting you excited and ready to take on the world. That way you'll get through the first 5 steps easily and then you'll be able to focus on achieving your dreams in the third step. Now get going and create your business today!  Image credit: Fauxels from Pexels A reputation can be easily broken if your business fails to do basic things and support obvious causes. Every single business on the planet should make active strides towards supporting workplace equality. A very common issue is that many companies claim to do so, but it's purely used as a branding ploy. You think that claiming you support equality will paint a positive picture for consumers, and it might work temporarily. However, actions speak a lot louder than words, and if your business is caught not doing anything to promote equality, people catch on very fast.
You can't just post a Tweet about equality and think that's all you have to do. No. There are many things a company can do to support equality in the workplace - and here are three very simple ideas to build upon: Provide equal pay An easy place to start: provide equal pay for all your employees. No matter what gender or race they are, your employees should receive the same pay for the same jobs. You'll be stunned at how many businesses still don't do this, often paying women less for the same job that a man does. The problem is that it goes unnoticed as employees are unlikely to talk about their wages. So, you can change this by being more transparent and publishing people's wages, showing that they do indeed get paid the same. Support key causes/movements As a business, you have a lot of firepower to support important causes that aid the fight for equality. Sometimes, it can feel as though causes and movements do more harm than good. However, scholars like Adam Elliott-Cooper have gone on record to say how important things like Black Lives Matter are for wider society. Causes like this raise awareness about serious issues and fundamental equality problems in society. If you actively support causes like this, it shows your business is trying its best to lead the fight against inequality. It also helps your employees feel like they have an ally. If you have black employees and they see you actively taking a stand against racism and supporting charities or movements, it makes them feel like they're not alone. The same goes for any other causes relating to equality. Make diverse hires The previous two points are good, but one of the best ways to clearly support equality is to make diverse hires. If you offer equal pay and support movements, yet your entire team is full of white men, it has an air of 'just doing it for show.' Having a diverse team of men and women from many cultural backgrounds demonstrates that you clearly want the workplace to be an even playing field. More importantly, hiring women or people from ethnic backgrounds in positions of power is so crucial. You see many companies claim to have lots of diversity on their books, only to see that the middle-aged white men are still holding the management positions. Bringing in people from different backgrounds is also a smart business decision as it often means you have different ideas and thoughts circulating at all times. This helps you conjure new ideas, pushing your business in the right direction. The key takeaway from this post is that you shouldn't just make statements about equality and leave it at that. It's time to actively take a stand and let your actions do the talking!  Image credit: Geralt from Pixabay Accepting risk is a part of being an effective entrepreneur, and it is one that is hard to square with the idea that business success is all about making the right decisions. Let’s acknowledge here and now that even beginning to run your own business is an endeavour that is wrapped up with risk. You are putting money on the line with no guarantee of success - because that can’t be guaranteed - and hoping that you won’t be one of the 60% of businesses that fail in their first three years.
It’s tempting to think that you won’t be one of those businesses, because you won’t make the mistakes they did. When you face a problem, or a fork in the road, you will simply apply intelligence and make the right decision. This is a comforting thought, and intelligence is certainly a vital part of doing business the right way, but is it foolproof? Let’s look at some home truths about business that tell us what we need to know about how - and even whether - you can think your way to business success. Intelligence isn’t just about what you know If business success was simply a matter of knowing things, then - naming no names here - some of the richest people in the world would never have passed the first hurdle. An important part of achieving business success is not assuming that the world will behave in the way you expect it to. We’ve just spent more than a year in a pandemic having a crash course in the concept of “unforeseen circumstances”, but some people don’t yet realise that not only does the world not act according to rules, it also doesn’t always react in the way you would expect. What you know is less important than how quickly you adjust to new realities. It’s not about what should work, it’s about what does work To make the analogy of business as sport, we can all think of teams or professionals who play the game in a beautiful way. Exciting to watch, constantly innovating, and usually losing in the long run to teams and players who are less beguiling to watch but more efficient. If your goal is business success, you will need to be more like the latter. This means that evaluating your strategy isn’t about reading and digesting the works of Sun Tzu (or even Vince Lombardi); it’s about knowing how to set OKRs and achieve those targets. If you’re producing a healthy balance sheet, by all means you can quote all the great philosophers you want to - but don’t assume that the latter will necessarily beget the former. You can never completely eliminate risk Some people hold the impression that business is a series of binary decisions, and if you just pick the right choice at each interval, you’ll eliminate the threat of things going wrong. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid risk in business by leaning away from it. Nor can you face it head-on and make it submit - you simply need to accept that it is there and work on ways to minimise it; repeat the things that are working until they stop working, and avoid the things that never worked to begin with. Perhaps most importantly, you should be looking to get far enough ahead of the curve that you can afford a few mistakes - because mistakes will happen, no matter how much planning you do. Success in business isn’t just about having the master strategy; a lot of it comes down to adaptability, humility and - in some cases - sheer good luck. It’s useful to know a lot, and to think a lot, but sometimes just recognising you can’t know everything is even more important. |
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