The impact social media has on online retails sales grows greater each year. While social shopping and sharing may only lead to a small percentage of sales, the number of sales is growing. Additionally, social media clicks, referrals, and shares accounts for more retail traffic than any other online route. Let’s take a look at the numbers to better understand how social media marketing and networking impacts your business. Facebook is the leading social commerce platform It is responsible for 50% of all social referrals and 64% of total social revenue. It is the #1 social platform for sharing articles,…
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Despite the growing popularity of virtual assistants and employees, many business owners have never even considered hiring a virtual assistant because of budgetary fears, a desire to be the only steering their company, or one of many other reasons. The truth is that partnering with a virtual assistant can not only increase profits but can also offer you even more control over your company’s future. While US-based virtual assistants charge higher hourly rates than you’d pay an in-house employee, they also work less and work faster, so in the end you’re paying less money for better work. A virtual assistant…
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Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are no longer the only social media platforms businesses should have profiles on if they want to engage their market online. The past few years have seen a shift towards visual social media content—the kind that sites like Pinterest and Instagram provide. Savvy businesses have taken advantage of this shift by promoting their brand through visual content on all of the above platforms, as well as through impactful, relevant images, videos, and graphics on their website. There are two big reasons why this shift towards visual content is taking place and why your business will benefit…
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As entrepreneurs, we put enormous amounts of time, energy, and money into creating and building our businesses and creating a positive brand reputation. So why does our business sometimes struggle or experience unexpected dry spells? If you’ve stopped receiving inquiries from prospects and repeat business from existing clients, your brand reputation may be to blame. Despite our hard work and daily toil, even one bad review or negative comment on a blog can prove very detrimental to our reputation. Brand Reputation is Important As amazing as it seems that one or two pieces of negative information online or via word…
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Posting at least one article a week to your business blog is a great way to build your expert reputation and engage your target market through professional insights and useful information about your business. Most small business owners have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share with their clients about their industry and what they sell, but not everyone knows how to craft an engaging, relevant blog piece using this information. I love to write, and have partnered with many entrepreneurs and large businesses alike to create original content on a variety of topics (you can learn more about…
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If your small business isn’t active on social networking sites, it should be! Active participation in social networking sites draws more traffic to your website, increases sales, deepens trust in your brand, and provides almost endless networking opportunities. Social networking is more than just Facebook; successful businesses also need professional, active profiles (that they post to at least once daily with a combination of visual content, text posts, conversational links, and referrals) on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest. Depending on your brand and client base, you may also consider accounts with Instagram and YouTube, as well. If you are not…
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Being organized, especially as a small business owner with a long to-do list, keeps your business productive, focused, and profitable—and keeps you sane. Spring is the perfect time of year to re-focus your energies and get your space and task list in order. Here are 6 great organization tips for your small business. 1. Use the CloudStoring documents in the cloud is a great way to protect them from computer crashes or viruses. Additionally, it’s a much cleaner, faster way to share files and information if you work with a virtual team. Applications to consider include Google Drive and Dropbox.…
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Technology has given us so many incredible things, like modern medicine, instant toast, and spaceships, for example. For me and many other entrepreneurs, one of the greatest gifts technology has given society is the virtual office. We now enjoy the ability to instantly access just about any person, piece of information, and resource imaginable—all from the comfort of a home office. In addition to the virtual container of the Internet, cloud-based small business software has made it possible to hold online calls and meetings, erect storefronts in cyberspace, and share schedules, data, and media of all kinds. Here are my…
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Like most women, you have probably heard that you can’t do it all—and you probably try to anyway. It is easy to run ragged trying to juggle your business, social life, family, and household. Remember, though, that you are your company’s most valuable asset! Successfully managing all aspects of your life requires balance and prioritizing self-care. Healthy habits help us to be more effective in both business and life. When we are healthy and balanced, we can “do more”—and in less time (which is always the goal). Here are 5 healthy habits for women in business. 1. Healthy Diet and…
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More and more small businesses these days are home-based or physically scaled down, operating out of a small office with minimal equipment. Additionally, more businesses start with modest budgets and aim to cut overhead costs in order to develop into successful startups more quickly. Because small businesses still need a team to operate, the cost-effective, simple solution is to partner with a virtual team of workers instead of staffing an office with salaried employees, which requires a bigger office rental, bulkier payroll, and an HR department—to name a few things. Even though virtual support teams are non-traditional (though they are…
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