Common Business Mistakes

Avoiding these common business mistakes will help you cultivate lasting relationships with your customers, increase sales and revenue, improve productivity, and save time throughout your workday.

Here are some of the most common business mistakes made by small business owners, and what to do about them!

Lack of Engagement

Whether it’s social media, email marketing, or a good old fashioned phone call, many entrepreneurs fail to engage with their customers in a meaningful way.

For example, a lot of small businesses spend time and money posting on Facebook, tweeting, and crafting interesting email blasts. However, authentic relationships can only be cultivated by authentic engagement.

Engagement with your users is created when there is a regular back and forth conversation happening between you and your customers. This means that when you post a link on Facebook and a user responds, you then respond to their comment. Your response to their comment is a crucial third step that many businesses fail to make.

Engaging with your customers encourages them to continue the conversation with you. When they are rewarded for actively participating with you and your product, they are not only more likely to buy; they’re much more likely to recommend you to a friend.

Engagement creates a strong bond between the customer and your brand. They feel heard and seen, and they feel like their opinion matters to you. Be sure to return voicemails, respond to survey results, and respond to each and every comment online!

Failure to Follow Through

Another common business mistake is the failure to follow through. You want to increase sales and make your customers happy, so you bend over backward to promise them the world.

Unless you can make good on that promise, don’t make it! It’s much better to under-promise and over-deliver. Doing what you say you’re going to do cultivates trust and loyalty, and is even more important than offering a mind-blowing product or service.

Wasting Time

One of the most widespread common business mistakes is the tendency to waste time and money because of disorganization. From your schedule to your office space, disorganization is the clutter-clad monster keeping you from truly thriving and taking your business to the next level.

The first step toward eliminating wasted time throughout the workday is organizing your office space. Shoeboxed is a receipt scanning service that will eliminate stacks of paper clutter and help you prevent new clutter from accumulating.

When you sign up for Shoeboxed, you’ll receive several Magic Envelopes. Toss receipts, bank statements, and anything else that needs to be saved into the envelope, then place the envelope in the mail. Your workspace will suddenly be clutter free, and your receipts and documents will be digitized in your Shoeboxed account.

A clear workspace and an organized Shoeboxed account will eliminate countless hours spent searching for lost receipts and documents, and free you up to get back to business.

Most common business mistakes are easy to fix and lead to increased profits.

By strengthening engagement, following through, and getting organized, you’ll see a measurable boost in conversions, repeat customers, and lucrative long-term referrals. 

How To Create A Unique Website

Without much knowledge, but a little ingenuity and creativity you can make a unique website. There are all sorts of ways to create a unique websites depending on who your target audience profile. The number one thing that you have to keep in mind when designing your own website is to keep yourself in the mind of the consumer and those who will and who you want to be looking at your website. Key elements to include that will make it stand out from all the rest are pictures, headlines, and those things that make you or your product(s) interesting and intriguing to prospect and clients.

The one thing you have to keep in mind is the point of view of the person you are or want to communication with through your site. If you are going to create a website that is more informational than entertaining, then you'll want loads of facts about the issue that are important to your ideal client/prospect. However, if your goal is to have a website dedicated to entertainment and keeping people interested, then you may want to consider having a more colorful website and making the text and pictures you include stand out a great example of this is one of my favorite www.comicbookfonts.com, I love their look.

Another rule to follow would be to remember that headlines stand out among the rest of the jumble on the website and make it more interesting anyway! Think about it! If you create a website that has a lot of information on it, that website may be helpful but how are people to sort through all the information that is displayed? Creating headlines on your website will make it easily navigable! There is a great book on this called “Don’t Make Me Think!” by Steve Krug.

Having a clear organization or flow to your website is also thing to keep in mind. Your website won't do any good if you have information about dogs under the cat topic. Of course, that is only a suggestion but you'd be surprised at the many people who disorganize their website, only to find that they receive little to no traffic because of their disorganization!

Pictures and icons also serve a purpose in your website! Whether you realize it or not, the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words," is absolutely true! People and consumers will be drawn to your website even more if there is a picture about something that they are interested in. Consider having a picture or an illustration about your main topic which will give your prospect a summary of what your website is about!

All of these things will go a long way in helping you to receive more traffic constantly for your website. If you have no organization to your website then the information will be extremely hard to follow. Creating headlines will create an awesome, stand-out website, along with the pictures and illustrations that you add! Of course, you don't have to strictly follow only these rules when creating your website. There is literally an unlimited number of ways to make your website more unique, and all you have to do is tap into that creative power to give your website a zing for your customers!

One last and very important thing to remember, Be sure to use AddressTwo to have someplace on your site for people to join your mailing list.

Jack Klemeyer

Business Development Coach

A Digital Mirror – Your Website

When potential customers visit your website, do they see a true reflection of you and your business?

Have you ever met a new acquaintance and have the feeling that the person already knows something about you? There is a good chance that they have already “met” you online via Google, Facebook or your business website. That means that you have already made that first impression and they bring it to the moment when they actually meet you face-to-face.

What does your website say about you – and your business?

So, if potential clients stopped by your website for a sneak peek, what impression would they have about you and your business? The organization of information and the quality of the composition can sway opinions one way or another. For instance:

•   Is the tone of the writing friendly, yet professional? Does it reflect who you are and what you want your business to be?
• Is the message on each page clear, logically ordered and concise? Does it tell potential clients that you and your team are organized and communicate well?
• Is the composition following standard spelling, grammar and punctuation conventions? Will your clients feel that you will handle their account without cutting corners and with attention to the details?
• Is the language engaging, creative and interesting? Many a situation can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction with some creative thinking, a positive perspective and a sense of humor. Is it evident from the copy that problems and challenges are addressed with an open mind and possibilities?

How your website looks, functions and the words used convey much more than just nice colors, photos, navigation and message. It represents how you and the business present yourself, how you approach your work and the importance you put on communication and client satisfaction.

Business evolves and so should your website

In the beginning, you might have had a completely different vision or path for your business and your website should evolve right along with the changes that occur in operations or direction. If it doesn't, that sends another message – one you wouldn't want potential clients to get. There is nothing worse than getting a call for an out-of-date service listed on the website and having to explain that it is no longer offered. Those calls are usually very short.

Think of it this way: You wouldn't wear dirty, worn and tattered clothing to call on your customers. You would take them off, clean them and repair the torn seams or replace missing buttons. Some might even need to be discarded. Handle your website the same way. Every once in a while take a look and see if pieces need to be thrown out or repaired. Perhaps the entire site and organization needs to be updated. Remember, it could be the first impression potential clients have of you. Let the quality of composition help you make it a good one.

Elaine Whitesides

Owner/Writer Whitesides Words

www.whitesideswords.com

The Zero Second Impression

Remember the "good ol' days" when business owners weren't sure if they needed to have a cell phone. Maybe not, but today even farmers have cell phones, satellite imagery and GPS navigation systems for their tractors to know what fields to harvest when. The same is true with business owners and websites. A few years ago I can remember that some businesses thought they didn't need one and although, I do still hear that from time to time, it is getting pretty rare to find a business owner that thinks that way today.

It use to be said that you have 10 seconds to make a good first impression. The assumption is that as a business owner when someone came into your establishment or you spoke with them on the phone that you had 10 seconds based on your body language, tone of voice, appearance of the location and many other factors to make a good first impression. Of course, all that is true in personal interactions for the first time, but in many cases a personal interaction is not the first interaction your potential customer or client has had with you. It's very likely that they "googled" you and looked at your profiles online and visited your website. So in reality by the time they've met you an opinion has already been formed. That is what I like to call the "zero second impression".

In my opinion the single most important factor to help establish a good first impression online is still your businesses website. It does not have to be a massive site or have complex functionality to help establish a good brand identity. Websites can cost from hundreds of thousands of dollars to a few thousand dollars and if you have some basic technical skills just a few hundred dollars with tools like WordPress. So now there are no excuses not to have a nice looking well maintained site.

Websites are today's storefronts. They should be clean and well maintained. No good store owner would sweep their window displays on establishing their business and dust them or change displays once every 5 years. Keeping your website fresh with imagery and content is also good for search engine ranking.

It's important to remember that your website is your calling card to the search engines and thus your potential customers. There is no reason not to have one and to keep it fresh and maintained so that you can make the best zero second impression possible.

Mat Maynor

Mat is co-founder and chief strategy guy of Big Vision Media Group.  /]  He has nearly 20 of experience developing branding and marketing strategies for companies ranging from Fortune 50 to start-ups.  Connect with Mat on twitter @thinkstrategy and Facebook. 

Do’s and Don’ts: Videos as a Digital Marketing Tool

This post is courtesy of Cameron Madill, CEO of PixelSpoke.com, a Portland, Oregon based digital marketing & website redesign agency.

 In a day when great online content is king, many companies are turning to digital marketing in the form of videos. Videos are an accepted form of marketing that consumers enjoy and are cost effective. Plus, a video can be a great way to bring organic traffic to your site. There are times, however, when a video can do more harm than good. Before your next video goes live, make sure it has a mix of all the right elements.

Do

Make a Great First Impression

Any digital marketing and content that you post online is the face of your business and reflects your definition of quality.

Go Natural

Everyone can tell when someone on camera is trying to remember lines or feels uncomfortable. Whether you use professional actors or people from your office, the dialogue should sound natural, as if the person on camera is having a conversation. 

Focus on the Customer

Viewers don’t care about how great you think your business is or any of its achievements. They want to know about what you can do for them. In your video, show your target audience how your business addresses their needs and solves their problem. Prove that you are a practical solution that they can trust.  

Don’t

Settle for ‘Good Enough’

If your video is anything less than high quality, it will compromise your business’ image and reputation. Never publish a video that is shaky, low quality, over or underexposed or filmed with a handheld camera.

Remember that first impressions are everything. If prospective customers see that you are okay with publishing a less-than-quality video, they may think that you are okay with selling sub-par items or services.

Give the Competition a Chance

Let’s say that there are two identically great products with similar prices. One comes in a beautiful package and the other comes in a box that has dents and bad graphics. Which would you choose? Chances are that you would pick the one with the nice packaging because it gives the appearance of quality, a perceived added value.

When you have a poor video, you business offers customers a good product or service with an ugly package. This gives the competition the upper hand, even if it doesn’t have any videos on its site.

Forego Professional Services

Producing and publishing a low-budget video won’t save you any money if it doesn't lead to an increase in sales or traffic. If you or someone in your office knows how to professionally produce and edit a video, great! Purchase or rent quality equipment and go for it. Otherwise, hire a video production company so you can blow the competition away.

Video is a great digital marketing solution that offers countless benefits when done correctly. Use it to introduce and share your company with others and encourage consumer engagement. 

The Domain Names Business – Basic Tips

Emma-Julie Fox writes for Pitstop Media Inc, a Vancouver company that provides SEO services to businesses across North America. If you would like to invite the author to write on your blog too please contact www.pitstopmedia.com

 Amateurs at creating websites and people who have no knowledge about website creation usually turn to free blogging platforms like Blogspot and Wordpress. They are excellent practice ground for setting up pages, laying out content, familiarizing oneself with basic dashboard tools, trying out Google Analytics and Adwords, et cetera.

For those who intend to monetize their websites though, they soon realize that having their own domains is much better than having the name of the web host stamped into their URLs. What's more, web savvy individuals and Internet entrepreneurs generally regard web hosted domains as inferior to personalized and owned domains. 

cottoncandysellers.com

sounds more professional and more credible as an online store than

cottoncandysellers.blogspot.com

Flickr photo by Mauran Veras

When they reach that point in time, entrepreneurs who are interested in monetizing websites typically start buying domain names.

Why Would People Buy Domain Names?

Selecting a domain name is not an easy matter. Yes, businesses can simply choose to make their business names their domains, but it's strategic to select a domain name containing vital keywords commonly searched for in Google and other major search engine. Even though it is considered old-fashioned to include keywords in domain names, evidence shows that it still helps in making a website rank—and most of the cleverly composed domain names are already purchased by domain sellers. People also buy domain names when the one they want already exists.

Some of the most successful domain sellers today are GoDaddy.com (founded by Rob Parsons), Name.com (founded by Bill Mushkin), Oversee.net (founded by Lawrence Ng), and Domainate.com (founded by Sharon Hayes and Steve Jones). If you're still starting out though, hurry up and research in-demand keywords that have the potential of becoming domain names.

Steps for Making a Sale

This leads us to the first thing you should do in order to secure sales of domain names:

1.       Acquire domain names that are valuable and can be easily monetized, advertised, and optimized. You're basically opening a store of sorts, and the merchandise you sell are the domain names you've registered with ICANN. Know that there is a constant race among domain sellers and resellers to purchase very valuable and keyword-perfect domain names.

               

                Generic vs. Brand

As mentioned above, domain buyers have the option to register their business/brand name to the ICANN themselves and use it as their domain name, or purchase a generic, keyword-rich domain from domain sellers. The benefits of the former are obvious: branding and easy recognition and recall. You want to make a sale though, so you have to convince people that it will be a wise investment to purchase your domain names.

2.       Park your acquired domains soon after you buy them.  Parking is basically assigning a dummy page for the domain so that it will go live, and won't be stolen or squatted on by other domain buyers.

Domain parking is offered by web hosts. You can find a web host that allows you to register unlimited domain names under your account. You can take it a step further and develop the domain by putting blog posts, images, and other content. This may increase the appeal of the domain to potential buyers.

3.       Find end-users who are likely to have an interest in your domain names. There's a good chance that you will have buyers who turn out to be resellers, and if that happens, wouldn't you be dismayed that somebody else will gain a higher profit from the domain you made?

Take some time to research for end-users. Search for related domains (variations of general keywords, plural/singular form, long/short domains, etc...) and identify the ones that are most likely to benefit from the domain you're trying to sell. You can even include advertisers that are frequently appearing in the websites you've shortlisted.

4.       Let prospective buyers see the value and potential of your domain names. If they want to promote their brand and proceed with it as their domain name, you can still make a sale by convincing them to purchase the domains and use them as redirect pages.

Most of the time businesses and companies prefer the brand-oriented domain name though, but in the event that they choose keyword-oriented domains, you should be ready for the chance to make a sale.

Cite the good points of the domain and what buyers may be able to accomplish with it.  Build up their excitement and make them see why they shouldn't pass on this opportunity. If you acquired the domain from a previous owner, run it through WHOIS and Archive.org to get a feel of its previous performance, appearance, statistics, etc... You may find out something worth mentioning in your pitch.

5.       It is important that you sell a domain as quickly as possible. It's not just about making a buck. If a domain is parked too long, visitors and search engines might view whatever's in there (advertisements, graphics, Lorem Ipsum, et cetera) to be the actual content of the website. This can have an adverse effect to your buyers, and to your reputation as well as the seller.

The best selling point of a domain seller or domain service company is its reputation in the business. Domain services that withstood tough challenges over the years prove to be trustworthy, while those that can diversify their portfolios tend to be the most resilient and successful. It will take time to secure this level of confidence from the public, but just remember that everyone starts out small. If you do things right early on, you'll have a firm foundation to build your credibility on.