Marketing - Page 3

From digital marketing strategies to ideas for increasing brand awareness. Here we share powerful marketing tips for entrepreneurs, startups, & small businesses.

6 Useful Digital Marketing Strategies to Grow a Small Business

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digital marketing strategy to grow small business | Digital Marketing Strategies

Digital Marketing Strategies is a huge topic. It’s not just about using paid ads, social media, and email marketing. There are so many more digital marketing strategies that can be used to help your business grow online. The good news is that there are plenty of digital marketing strategies available to small businesses that don’t require a lot of money or time—but go a long way toward improving their website’s search engine rankings, conversion rates, and sales volumes. Let’s take a closer look at six of them:

1. Improve Your Website’s Design and User Experience

Digital Marketing Strategies:

A website is an essential tool for any business, but many small businesses don’t realize how important it is to have a well-designed and optimized site.

  • If your website isn’t performing well, it’s time to make some changes. A few options for improving your digital marketing strategies include:
  • Improving the design of your website by making sure the navigation is clear and easy to use, updating outdated graphics or images on the page, fixing broken links, and other technical issues that may deter potential customers from visiting again in the future.
  • Improving user experience by ensuring that all pages load quickly on all devices (desktop computers, phones), using responsive web design (no matter what device is being used).

2. Use Video Marketing

Video marketing is a powerful way to connect with your audience. It’s a great way to show off your products and services, show off your brand personality, and demonstrate expertise. It’s also an opportunity for you to be more creative than other types of content creation like photos or blog posts.

After all, there are more than half a million videos uploaded by businesses every day on YouTube alone!

3. Take Advantage of the Power of Social Media Marketing

Social media is a great way to reach your target audience. It’s also a great way to get feedback from them and learn more about their behavior—and that of the market at large. It’s also a fantastic tool for engaging with them, which can lead to increased loyalty and brand loyalty. Finally, it can be used as an effective means of promoting products and services.

If you’re not using social media marketing for your small business yet, now is the perfect time to start implementing this strategy into your existing digital marketing strategies plan.

4. Write and Publish More Content That is Strategically Optimized

On the topic of content marketing, there are two main types: informational and promotional. The former is more of what you’d typically expect to find on a blog or website; it provides valuable information on a particular topic. The latter involves creating content that promotes your brand and its products/services. These can be written blog posts, ebooks, infographics, or slide decks—anything that helps promote your business while also providing value in some way (through entertainment, education, etc.).

The only question now is how to write appealing content that attracts readers. Here are some tips:

  • Use keywords in your title so search engines can easily find it when people search for them online. For example, if you’re writing about SEO techniques then use “SEO” as one of the keywords rather than just using something generic like “how-tos.”
  • Optimize body text by making sure it’s concise yet detailed enough so readers will understand what you’re saying without having to reread sentences multiple times (or worse yet – jumping over sections altogether). You want people who read your content to feel like they’ve learned something new after reading it—not frustrated by their inability to understand what was just said.

5. Utilize Loyalty Programs/Retention Marketing

Loyalty programs are a great way to reward your most loyal customers. This can be as simple as a discount coupon or as complex as a points-based program with rewards for reaching certain milestones. In the case of the latter, it’s important that you first have a firm grasp on who your best customers are and what they’re purchasing from you; this will help determine which rewards best incentivize them to make future purchases. For example, if one of your top sellers is toilet paper, perhaps offering discounts on other bathroom products would be more effective than giving away free pizza coupons (which might not even apply).

A note about loyalty programs: be careful not to make them too difficult for customers to redeem! When creating these programs, think about how often people would want them and what kind of return on investment they’ll get by participating in them compared with other promotional methods (like paid ads).

6. Budget for Content Promotion

As a small business owner, you probably already have a marketing budget in place for your other digital marketing strategies. But what about content promotion? Content promotion is one of the most powerful ways to get more traffic to your website and brand recognition—but it can also be an expensive investment if not planned out correctly.

Budgeting for content promotion will help ensure that you’re getting the most out of your marketing dollars by investing in only what works best for your business. You want to make sure that every dollar spent on promoting content goes towards something that will bring in new visitors and lead conversions.

Wrap-Up Digital Marketing Strategies

Keeping a pulse on your business’s digital marketing strategies is an important part of growing your business. This can be done by staying up to date with the latest trends and digital marketing strategies as well as maintaining a steady flow of content that informs current and potential customers about what you do and how you can help them. Digital Marketing Strategies are constantly changing and evolving, so it’s important to stay on top of these changes for your business to excel.

 

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Promoting Happy Hours with Video Marketing

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Video Marketing

Happy hours have been a staple of nightclubs and bars worldwide, allowing drinking establishments to boost their revenue streams during slow hours. 

However, they also attract new customers and ignite interest in a particular business. With our lives gradually returning to the pre-lockdown normal, nightlife establishments are looking to rekindle their business using happy hour promotions.

You can do the same for your establishment by using video marketing to advertise your happy hour offer.

Video Marketing Steps For Happy Hours

Now that you know how advantageous happy hours can be, you might wonder how you can successfully advertise them. You have to execute this flawlessly to ensure you attract customers non-stop. 

Video marketing is the best medium to put your promotion out there. It allows you to stand out from your competitors and directly reach consumers. Follow these steps to effectively market your business’s happy hour specials using video ads.

Step 1: Create Promotional Videos

First, create advertisements informing viewers about your business and details about your happy hour services (location, time, discount, etc.). You can supplement this video with additional ones that include customer testimonials and footage from your business.

Make sure this video marketing is attractive, aesthetically pleasing, and in sync with your brand and design trends. You can use professional video ad templates available online to take the guesswork out of design. 

You might also want to consider making multiple versions of the same video marketing, edited to play to the strengths of different social media platforms. For instance, edit your video to make it shorter and to the point for Twitter, coupling it with trendy hashtags. In contrast, you should adjust your video marketing for silent auto-play for Instagram or Facebook since consumers are likely to view it mid-scrolling.

Step 2: Upload Online

Once you have created a promotional video, it is time to upload it to a video marketing hosting platform. Make sure you have an eye-catching thumbnail ready, too, as videos lacking any seem unprofessional.

Naturally, the most popular choice is YouTube. The video marketing platform has millions of visitors, and with video SEO, you can attract a large chunk of them to your channel. 

Other options include Vimeo, known for its high-quality videos and ad-free services. Similarly, Vidyard allows you to upload and update your video advertisements on all your social media and video marketing platforms from its central location – making it perfect for businesses. Therefore, select a hosting platform wisely.

Step 3: Post On Social Media

Once your promotional video is on a platform, it is time to enhance its digital reach. Use your business’s social media handles to share it alongside an attractive caption to catch audiences’ interest. 

Once you’ve uploaded them as posts, stay engaged with your audiences, by replying to comments. This way, you can engage, retain, and encourage audiences to share your video.

What Types Of Videos Should You Create?

Make sure your videos are: 

  • Short but informative
  • Not too promotional
  • Exciting and full of narrative that leaves an impression 
  • Includes branding cues that are personal to your business and your business alone

We suggest you start with:

Social Videos 

Consider creating social media posts and videos showing off your bar, the different drinks you make, and perhaps even some bartending tricks—everyone loves those! 

The best part about social videos is that they can generate massive engagement. Thus, by uploading promotional videos on your social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, you’ll get your audience to share, like, and comment on these videos.

According to some statistics, Facebook experiences an average of 4 billion video views every day. Since social media platforms are excellent tools for boosting brand awareness, more people get to know about your happy hour and your bar in general. 

Explainer Videos

One thing that most marketers can agree on is this: connecting with an audience is tough! Thus, when you set out promoting your bar’s happy hour, it’s best to put out a video explaining the days and times your happy hour deals are available. 

Not only can you use these short video marketing to promote your happy hour, but also your business in general. Be sure to highlight the unique selling points (USPs) of the happy hour and why it’s the best. 

Wrapping Up

The restaurant, bar, and nightclub industry is highly competitive. Bars go stale or other, and trendier joints prop up all the time, making it a constant challenge for marketers to keep the footfall up and the booze flowing. 

To ensure that your bar or pub remains the hottest place to socialize after business hours or on the weekend,  amp up your video marketing efforts. This should help keep your place abuzz with locals and tourists alike.

If creating bar and restaurant marketing videos still feels daunting to you, start small. Take a look around you to find props and ideas to use in these promotional videos. Interview staff, explore menu items, and do all you can to capture the ambiance of your happy hour, enticing viewers to come in and experience it for themselves. 

You got this!

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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5 Powerful Podcasts for Business and Entrepreneurship

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powerful business podcasts

Nowadays there’s a podcast for everything. From true crime stories to comedians roasting each other, there’s no shortage of content to keep your ears busy on your morning commute or during a long run. But what about entrepreneurship? Are there any good podcasts out there that can help small business owners and entrepreneurs learn new skills and get motivated? The answer is yes!

Starting and running a small business is no easy task.

There are a million and one things to think about, from finances and marketing to product development and customer service. It can be tough to know where to start or even where to turn for help. Luckily, there are some great entrepreneurship podcasts out there that can offer advice, insights, and inspiration.

Here are five of the best entrepreneurship podcasts to help build your business.

1. The Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Series: This podcast from Stanford University features interviews with some of the biggest names in the entrepreneurial world. If you’re looking for some big-picture thinking on starting and running a business, these podcasts are perfect for entrepreneurs ready to launch their new venture.

2. How I Built This: This popular podcast from NPR tells the stories of how some of the world’s most successful businesses got their start. If you are interested in first-hand accounts of entrepreneurship in action, this could be the perfect podcast for you.

3. SOB: Style of Business: This podcast covers a wide range of topics related to small business ownership and startups. If you’re looking for practical advice on everything from creative inspiration to marketing and finance, Style of Business will get you moving in the right direction to achieve your goals.

4. The Fizzle Show: This podcasts is all about helping creative entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses they love. If you’re struggling to find your passion in your business or if you’re just looking for some motivation – don’t sleep on The Fizzle! There is a lot of great information and advice in each episode.

5. Startups for the Rest of Us: This podcast is geared towards helping so-called “regular” people start and grow their businesses. If you feel like you’re not cut out for entrepreneurship, or if you’re just looking for some relatable stories, this podcast will fuel you with the courage and inspiration you need to move towards your goals.

Podcasting is a great way to learn and be inspired as an entrepreneur.

By listening to podcasts, you can gain new insights and perspectives on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

What type of podcast are you listening to help build your business? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear about it! And if you need help getting started with your podcast, don’t hesitate to reach out. We can chat about the different ways we could help you bring your vision for your business to life.

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Minority Entrepreneurship: How to Find Resources to Support Growth

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minority entrepreneurship

Many minority entrepreneurs have a great idea for a business but don’t know where to find the resources and support they need to make their dream a reality. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the best places to find help and advice when starting your own business. We will also talk about how to generate leads for your products or services, and give you some tips on how to grow your business. So if you’re ready to start your own company, read on!

Ways to find resources & support

One of the best places to find resources and support for minority entrepreneurs is online. There are several informative blogs and online resources that offer advice and information on starting your own business, as well as providing a directory of minority-owned businesses. You can also find helpful articles, tips, and advice from other minority entrepreneurs on sites like Medium or Reddit and even on Instagram.

Another great way to find resources and support for your minority business is to connect with other entrepreneurs in your community. There are often meetups or networking events specifically for minority entrepreneurs, where you can share ideas, get feedback, and find potential customers or partners. You can also join online communities such as Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups dedicated to minority entrepreneurship.

Ways to generate leads for your business

If you’re looking for ways to generate leads for your minority business, one of the best places to start is by networking with other businesses in your community. You can attend local business events or meetups, or even connect with businesses online that could potentially complement your target audience. Another great way to generate leads is by offering free consultations or samples of your product or service. Providing samples or trial periods of your product will give potential customers a chance to try out what you have to offer, and if they like it, they may be more likely to buy from you in the future.

Finally, if you want to grow your minority business, one of the best things you can do is invest in marketing and advertising. There are many ways to market your business online and offline, and minority-owned businesses often qualify for special discounts on advertising rates. You can also get involved with minority business organizations or your local chambers of commerce, which can help you connect with other minority-owned businesses and get your name out there. In some communities, resources like Score are available for business owners and entrepreneurs.

Support Resources are Available for Minority Entrepreneurs

Minority entrepreneurship is a growing field with plenty of opportunities for those who are willing to put in the work. While it can be difficult to get started, there are plenty of resources available to minority entrepreneurs if they know where to look. 

With a little bit of effort, anyone can find the advice and support they need to start their own business and begin generating leads for their business. All it takes is some research and networking. By following these tips, you can find the resources and support you need to grow your business today.

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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How to Use Infographics to Drive Traffic to your Journal Articles

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how to use infographics

Consider the articles you like to read. Are boxed text pieces, tables, and pictures “more easy reads” for you? Do color graphics catch your attention and pull you into the content? Consider how much more likely you are to engage with something that has a visual component while surfing through social media updates or reading online diaries.

The author’s objectives are to connect with the public and share material, with the objective of educating, informing, and motivating. Isn’t it time they made maximum use of all possibilities and formats to achieve these goals? An infographic is a way to display your article information, appeal to your current readers, and attract new audiences. Infographics are used by 65 percent of organizations to complement their content marketing strategy.

Why should I devote time to creating an infographic?

The best answer is that an infographic can be used as a marketing tool. By taking the time to design an attractive and well-crafted graphic, you are increasing the visibility of your work and attracting new readers.

You don’t have to be a professional designer or artist to create an infographic. There are many infographic tools available online that allow users to create simple designs with basic shapes and colors. In addition, most journal publishers will have staff who can help you with the design process.

What are some best practices for creating infographics?

Here are a few tips:

– Keep it simple: Use short phrases and sentences, avoid jargon, and use easy-to-understand language

– Use strong visuals: Choose high-quality images, use bright colors, and consider using icons or illustrations

– Be creative: Think outside the traditional journal article format and get creative with your design

– Tell a story: Use your infographic to tell a story that will engage readers and make them want to share your work

By following these tips, you can create an infographic that will help you achieve your goals of increasing the visibility of your journal articles and attracting new readers. Give it a try! 

How to use infographics to drive traffic to your journal articles

The first step may be the most difficult: coming up with a topic. After you’ve collected your data and organized it, it’s time to present it in a way that is visually appealing. 

After that, provide a solution to a problem!

People are more likely to engage with your content if they feel like you’re providing them with a solution to their problem. Make sure your design is clean and easy to understand. Use strong visuals and avoid using too much text. 

Also, tell a story with your infographic. Infographics must also have a fantastic design in order to capture attention and draw people in. People learn better through pictures, therefore this is the greatest method to interact with them. When creating an infographic, consider using one of the best infographic tools available online. This will allow users to create simple designs with basic shapes and colors. 

To be more professional and fantastic, infographics should also contain educational and entertaining facts to look more attractive and professional. According to some best practices for creating infographics, keep it simple by using short phrases and sentences, avoiding jargon, and using easy-to-understand language. Also, use strong visuals such as choosing high-quality images and using bright colors. You can also use icons or illustrations. Be creative in order to think outside the traditional journal article format. 

Most importantly, tell a story that will engage readers and make them want to share your work! By following these tips, you can create an infographic that will help you achieve your goals of increasing the visibility of your journal articles and attracting new readers.

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Best Small Business Growth Strategies for 2022

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small business growth strategy

For a variety of reasons, 2021 was a difficult year for small company owners. 2022 gives a fresh opportunity to build your business, whether it was a successful or unsuccessful year for you, or if you’re just getting started. Eight small company growth methods and recommendations are included below to assist you in achieving your objectives.

Create a Successful Business Plan

You should prepare a business strategy if you do not already have one. Writing a business plan pushes you to consider different areas of your company, including your products and services, target clients (more on that later), competitors, and marketing strategy.

A business plan also aids in the formulation of revenue predictions and the setting of firm objectives. Take the time to consider all of these factors and set objectives for the year. It’s time to dust off your old company plan and refresh it with new objectives and predictions.

Boost your Online Visibility

Having an online presence is critical for future success, regardless of whether your firm is thriving offline. The eCommerce business is increasing at a rate of roughly 23% per year, and some experts predict that by 2040, online sales will account for 95% of all purchases.

2022 is the year to have a website for your company if you don’t already have one. A website may assist your firm gain reputation, expand sales capacity (particularly in the future), develop brand recognition, allow you to engage in email marketing, and much more.

Another channel you can’t overlook is social media. 45 percent of social media users said they used the platform to study companies and items, and 67 percent said they bought something they saw advertised on social media. Even concentrating on one or two social media channels where your clients are engaged might help your company grow significantly.

Quality Employees to Attract and Hire

A solid team is one of the most important components of a successful business. Quality and devoted staff may make a huge difference in the success of your small business.

According to the most recent labor data, the United States still has 10.6 million job opportunities and insufficient applicants to fill them. In reality, for every job opportunity, there are just 0.7 jobless people.

Write precise and informative job descriptions to attract great employees by letting applicants know exactly what will be required of them. Then, to make your firm as appealing as – or more appealing than – your rivals, match incentives from other businesses in your field.

This might include a welcome bonus, a hybrid work model, or other perks.

Develop a Positive Company Culture

Businesses have faced large waves of resignations in what has been dubbed “the Great Resignation,” in addition to facing financial difficulties and implementing Covid-19 safety standards.

Developing a strong business culture is one of the greatest methods to retain outstanding personnel. In 2022, make an effort to bring the whole business together for events – as securely as possible – to establish trusting connections via transparency, to have an open-door policy so workers can voice their concerns, and to be as flexible with scheduling as feasible.

Reduce Your Business’s Risks

While running a company does come with risks, having proper business insurance will protect you from serious liability risks. 75 percent of firms, according to one research, are underinsured.

There are many various forms of company insurance to consider, but general liability, workers’ compensation, and commercial property insurance are the three most important.

– Liability in general. General liability insurance protects you and your company in the event that a client, customer, vendor, or other third party is injured on your premises or while using your products and services.

– Workers’ Compensation Insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance is almost mandatory for all employers. It pays for medical expenses and missed earnings when employees are injured on the job or get ill as a result of their work.

– Commercial real estate. Accidental damage, vandalism, or loss of the physical structure and assets are all covered by commercial property insurance.

Make sure you have the correct sort of business insurance and enough coverage so that you and your company are protected in the event of a disaster.

Make a Marketing Investment

Invest in marketing and spread the word about your company to get ahead in these unpredictable times. In 2022, marketing must be a component of your business growth plan, but it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Utilizing social media ads, google ads, regular print advertisements, and other marketing strategies can all be effective ways to make your business known and attract potential customers.

Directing visitors to your website and establishing an email list may also be quite successful if you have one. Make marketing a priority in your budget, regardless of the path(s) you take.

Concentrate on the Correct Customers

Do you know who you’re trying to reach? Do you understand their wants, needs, and passions? If not, you should make this a high priority because you won’t be as successful if you can’t satisfy your clients’ demands.

Making customer/buyer personas is a fantastic method to get started thinking about your consumers’ problems and how to address them.

Are your products and services satisfying the requirements, wants, and interests of your target customers? Make contact with your current consumers and solicit feedback. They’re the ideal individuals to inform you how you’re doing and even provide you advice on how to better.

Make Customer Service a Top Priority

This may come as no surprise, but customer service must be prioritized in order to expand your business in 2022. If you don’t provide better service than your competition, your clients will move elsewhere.

When customers’ concerns are promptly addressed and their problems are rapidly resolved, they feel appreciated. Always go above and above to assist your clients, and make sure your employees are well-trained to deliver the finest possible service. Also, it is a good idea to get a business phone number.

Don’t forget to request reviews and testimonials, as 88 percent of purchasers trust internet reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Things to Consider Before Hiring Developers

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hiring developers

When you employ developers for your company, you may save the burden of recruitment. There are several things you may do to prepare for the procedure. Here are some ideas to help you get started with your planning. In and of itself, recruiting in the software sector is difficult. According to a Forbes report, there may be a developer scarcity in the industry. So, finding great talent to recruit might be difficult.

So, if qualified developers are already rare, where do you look for them? Or, to put it another way, how can you compete in terms of remuneration with significant IT firms?

You may always prepare for the recruiting process to relieve some of the stress. Before you hire developers, there are a few things you can do to prepare.

Before you hire developers, keep these things in mind.

Hiring requires more than just placing a job ad. When a result, think about these items ahead of time as you recruit software engineers, both before and during the process. These pointers may even make hiring easier for you and your company.

1. Get your company’s name out there.

Do you want to compete for top talent with other significant corporations? To improve employer branding, brainstorm with your marketing and human resources teams. Potential applicants will approach you for opportunities if everything is done correctly.

Present your organization as a wonderful place to work in order to achieve this. Make a point of emphasizing your company’s culture and ideals.

Also, avoid placing anything in front of your new job that can jeopardize your integrity. Otherwise, if word comes out that you were dishonest in promoting your organization, your reputation may be jeopardized.

2. Familiarize yourself with the software development cycle.

This will allow you to assess how well the person will fit into your workplace. In addition, applicants can assess their ability to perform successfully on the job. This reduces the chances of new recruits quitting after onboarding because their expectations were not met.


3. Clearly define qualifications.

What technical skills are required for this position? What kind of experience do you think qualifies as relevant? Is there anything specific you’re looking for in terms of soft skills? Before you submit the recruiting notice, you must address these critical questions.

Many failed hiring occurs as a result of businesses failing to properly define what they require. This may lead you to recruit developers who do not fit the culture of your company or who do not perform effectively on the job.

As a result, make a list of the qualities that are required for the position. You may also make a list of desirable talents to assist you in reaching a compromise in various scenarios.

4. Make a detailed job description.

While hiring developers, be cautious when establishing the job description. Make sure precise duties and responsibilities are listed for the potential applicant to evaluate.

Any company-specific needs, such as technology to be employed on a certain assignment, should also be included. You may also customize the position’s details.

For instance, if you require the role to work on a shift that corresponds to a different time zone. This may appear to be extraneous information, yet it might play a significant role in an applicant’s choice. It can also play a role in the retention of new hires.

5. Make a plan to assist in the verification of credentials and portfolios.

This is a piece of cake if you have a well-established HR department. However, if you’re still a small business, it could be tempting to skip over the applicant’s qualifications. However, even if you opt to engage freelance developers, this must not be the case.

Now, to make things easy for you, seek assistance from the staff. You may start with react interview questions when interviewing people and even ask the help of experienced developers to check credentials and portfolios. Because they have the technical expertise, they know who’s who.

Also, be sure you arrange the applicant’s credentials to be verified. It’s important to keep in mind that candidates may misrepresent themselves. As a result, it is preferable to be comprehensive during the recruiting process.

6. Prepare an evaluation of technical skills based on real-life events.

Create a test utilizing real-life challenges to assess how well a candidate fits within your business. You may look back at prior projects to see what troubles you had and try to replicate them.

Request that the candidate address the problem for you during the technical skills evaluation. Inquire about their solutions throughout the interview. This way, you can get a sense of how they operate and see if they fit your expectations.

7. Have a recruitment consultation lineup

Do you believe you aren’t qualified to acquire coding assistance? Then seek for persons with whom you may consult during the hiring process. These folks might be industry contacts or senior developers on your team.

There is no shame in seeking assistance. So, anytime you hit a stumbling block in one of your activities, ask them to assist you.

8. Look into the developer rate standard in the business.

Because good developers are in high demand, you’ll need to make a compelling employment offer. To make this happen, conduct some studies on industry salary and benefit requirements. After you’ve received an estimate, you’ll need to determine your budget and devise a strategy for presenting the offer.

Before hiring coders, do your homework.

The expense of hiring new personnel might be significant. It extends beyond the remuneration and perks you provide. However, you must also consider the costs invested prior to finding the suitable developer.

As a result, it’s important to be as informed as possible while hiring software engineers. And with these pointers, you’ll be more equipped to deal with the obstacles of recruitment. Take note of what relates to your scenario and tailor the rest of the advice to your needs.

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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How to Manage Your Own Marketing Department

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how to manage a marketing team | Marketing Department

Marketing departments can be expensive for startups and small businesses. Because it is vital to ensure your business is visible and accessible to the right people at all times, many small businesses tend to go beyond their budgets on marketing departments.

For those who aren’t familiar with the industry, it may seem overwhelming to get started. But with these helpful tips from Keetria, you can be on your way to managing your own marketing department.

What Are “Channels” in Marketing Terms?

Companies use marketing channels to send out their messages to consumers. Marketing channels are essential in order to reach as many customers as possible with a particular message.

Marketing channels can be both offline and online. They can include anything, from phone pole advertising to email marketing. For email marketing, for example, consider using eye-catching subject lines and include content that addresses consumer needs.

It is important to select the channels that best suit your brand and business model. To get the best feedback, you should test several different channels at once. These channels can be used to direct your marketing department efforts.

What Is “Messaging” in Marketing Terms?

Many industries use messaging in marketing. It describes the communication your company has with customers. This type of communication is meant to keep customers trusting you and to encourage them to take the next step in their conversion or sales journey.

It’s much more than simply communicating with customers. It’s about creating meaningful messaging to influence customers’ behavior over time. It’s also about getting the customers excited enough so that they take action via the channels you provide.

How Can You Tell if Marketing Worked?

Did your marketing campaign work? Marketing department can be complicated, especially when you are trying to reach new people. You can use five methods to assess whether your marketing campaign is successful.

  • Traffic to websites has increased
  • Increase in social media interaction
  • Always positive feedback from clients or customers
  • Sales or conversions increase
  • Value your own feedback

Effective Marketing Strategies

Marketing campaigns are crucial to any company’s success. Marketing strategies are essential to growing your customer base. You can get help from a professional marketer if you need it. Here are some tips for those who want to do it on their own.

Find Your Target Market

Before you can create a marketing campaign, it is important to identify your target audience segment. You can identify your target market’s needs and provide the products or services they need by conducting market research.

Protect Yourself

The Marketing Department doesn’t count for much if you fail to safeguard your customers’ financial information (as well as your own). So make sure you’re implementing tough measures to protect your business – and your customers – against cyberattacks. With new strains of malware and viruses popping up constantly, routinely updated patches are a must if you want to safeguard financial information from hackers, as well as facilitate data recovery.

Create a Marketing Budget – Marketing Department

Before investing in any marketing strategy, you should create a Marketing Budget. The campaign should be considered for how many people it will reach, how often it will appear, and how long. If you’re launching a new product, a marketing budget will help you stay within your means.

Use Different Types of Media

Social media is one of the best ways to market your product. You can reach millions of people through social media, and they will share your content easily on their profiles. This will generate a positive buzz around your business.

Different media types, including pictures, videos, and text posts, can be used to increase engagement on social networking sites.

Keetria is an entrepreneur, business consultant, and lifestyle wellness coach with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, media personalities, and entertainers. If you have a question or would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Innovative Approaches to Recruiting and Selection

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for hire

Do you want to enhance your recruiting and selection processes? Make sure you discover candidates that will not only fit in well with the corporate culture but will also become as enthusiastic about working for your firm as you are.

It’s critical to write job descriptions and outline what the position requires so that you can ensure that you’re attracting qualified candidates throughout the selection process and, of course, the selection interview.
You’ll be on the road to seeing your business grow if you make sure you’ve covered the following recruiting and selection processes, especially if you nail the onboarding process as well.

Say goodbye to employing the incorrect people, and rest assured that you won’t make the same mistakes again! The only tough decision you’ll have to make during the hiring process is to choose between so many qualified candidates! Our recruiting and selection methods will appeal to hiring managers, therefore bookmark this page so you can return to it if necessary. With these recruitment efforts, say welcome to discovering the greatest applicants!

You’ll learn about the following topics in this recruiting process guide:

• How to write the perfect job description
• Where to look for the best talent
• How to make your background check technique more efficient
• Begin hiring for attitude and skill development
• Bias-reduction and efficiency-increasing tools
• How to gather and analyze candidate feedback
• Recognizing the significance of the onboarding process


Improvements to the Recruitment and Selection Processes

1. How to Write a Fantastic Job Description

If you don’t have enough competent individuals applying for employment at your organization, the problem might be hiding in plain sight. Poor job ads, according to researchers from the United States and Canada, are the leading reason of low application rates.

But how can you know whether a job ad is good?

Researchers believe that job ads should be more than just a list of requirements. They must also be motivating. An excellent job description should, above all, address the question, “why is this firm a suitable career and life option for me?”

You might want to include the following ideas in your job description template:

Describe the firm in a few words. – this might be the tagline or pitch for the firm.

Mention the location of the employment. – so, you don’t waste anyone’s time, let the prospect know right away if you’re open to a remote position or where the office is located.

Mention the company’s top three achievements. – remember, you must sell this position in order to attract the best candidates

Discuss the character’s role. – who will the candidate report to, and a brief description of who they’ll be working with and what the job entails?

The things that aren’t negotiable and the things that are great to have. –  it would obviously assist if you had some flexibility in the recruitment process. List any abilities that will be a plus but aren’t technically required for the function to be scored.

Discuss the role’s responsibilities in greater depth, as well as what a typical day may include.

To attract candidates, emphasize the benefits of the position. – before they ever talk to you in person, you want to make sure they know they will be respected.

Include a statement from the potential candidate’s boss introducing himself and what he or she enjoys doing in their leisure time. It’s crucial to know that the new employee and the management will get along.

Discuss the company’s culture. – is the firm committed to promoting diversity? What are the personalities of the existing employees?

Finally, mention who the company’s directors are. What is their professional history, and where have they previously worked? If you’re a startup, this will assist you to figure out who should be in charge.

2. Unique Job Boards Can Help You Find Talent

Think beyond the box and come up with creative ways to advertise job openings. You might choose to avoid the main job boards and employment sites in the United States and instead look for applicants on smaller sites.

If prominent job sites haven’t been able to assist you uncover acceptable applicants, go deeper into the talent pool. LinkedIn, along with Facebook job ads, is one of the finest places to find job searchers that match your requirements. Most sectors will have job boards set up; it’s just a question of spending a few minutes online looking for them, which all hiring managers should do.

Great chances may be found at networking events, and employee referral schemes are an even better offline approach to talent recruiting.

Your employees are well-versed in your company’s objectives, culture, team dynamics, and day-to-day operations. Existing workers are more qualified to recruit talent than anyone else, so make sure they understand the recruiting process and can locate the best internal applicants for the job.

And, because they are supposed to vouch for their prospects, they will be hesitant to recommend someone for the position.

3. Make Your Background Checking Process More Efficient

Why undertake a background check on all candidates when screening is costly and time-consuming? Many businesses streamline this procedure by making a preliminary selection and then just reviewing the final applicants.

This stresses what’s genuinely essential, as well as the hard and soft talents of candidates. In addition, reversing the order allows you to make a speedier final selection.

On a similar issue, certain positions may not need the completion of specified screening examinations. For example, a candidate’s driving record will not assist you to determine whether or not they are a good software engineer.

Consider adapting your background checks to the demands of each role to make them more efficient.

4. Begin by hiring for attitude and then providing training for skills.

This increasingly trendy method to hiring helps establish dynamic teams by valuing work ethics, flexibility, and cooperation over experience and technical abilities.

In the long run, candidates who pass the attitude test become better workers. They have the mentality to learn, gain new talents, and contribute to the growth of your firm.

Furthermore, in today’s world, critical skills change quickly—the tools your employees will use in three years will be different from those they use now.

5. To eliminate bias and increase efficiency, use tools.

Developers and HR professionals are expected to release a new generation of AI-based hiring solutions aimed at automating screening, improving selection, and removing bias from the recruitment process.

These tools will establish a recruitment marketing practice, allowing you to leverage marketing tactics such as a multi-channel approach, targeted adverts, and deep analytics to find, attract, and engage better-qualified prospects, making the hiring process much smoother.

6. Candidate feedback should be collected and analyzed.

Another technique that helps recruiters save time and money is candidate rediscovery. It’s also one of at least two reasons why candidates you didn’t fire should never be forgotten.

The second reason is that I want to get better.

An applicant who has just been offered a position at your organization is unlikely to rate your hiring process on the record. On the other side, the prospects you’ve turned down are likely to have a lot to say about your employer brand.

Conclusion

It’s possible that you’ll discover that the recruiting procedure is more crucial than you thought. You must devote time to finding appropriate individuals while the organization is operating at 100 miles per hour. You’ll notice results if you make recruitment a top focus.

If you nail the job description, publish it on appropriate employment pages, and make sure the interview process is simple with the right questions, you’ll be ready to find the ideal new employee. If you’re recruiting a developer, for example, be sure you ask react interview questions.

Don’t forget to ask applicants about their experiences throughout the process so you can learn from them and, most importantly, get the onboarding process right. How many people do you know who quit their work because they weren’t adequately taught or didn’t understand their role? Here’s to building your company with a group of people that are just as enthusiastic as you are!

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Keeping the Cash Flowing: Top Tips for Business Money Management

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Cash flow is always top of mind for small business owners, but sometimes, financial problems seem to materialize overnight. This often happens when owners don’t monitor cash flow property, and therefore, don’t always recognize there’s an issue until it’s too late. Advanced planning and appropriate tracking tools can help position you for a healthy financial outlook, and Keetria offers the following guidance on making it work for you.

Watch Your Numbers

Cash flow can vary from one season to another, and there are myriad factors that can influence the amount of revenue that comes through your business. Tracking your income and your accounts payable will help you identify trends, in addition to helping you monitor overall finances — both practices that will keep you aware of and in control of your company’s finances. According to the Prince’s Trust, this starts with smart business planning, utilizing the right software tools to track cash flow, and making the commitment to regularly review your books to ensure you know where you stand.

Use the Right Software

There are numerous moving parts in a small business budget, so find a software program that will help you monitor trends, as well as segment categories and set benchmarks with which to measure your finances. Being able to recognize at a glance the various income categories in your business will help you spot red flags as soon as they arise and allow you to take proactive steps to mitigate the damage. This process will also help you with short and long-term planning, as well as identifying products or services that sell well versus those that underperform. This type of strategic planning can pay big dividends down the line.

Mind Your Money …

Of course, part of tracking your money also involves having a degree of fiduciary responsibility. Make calculated purchasing choices based on market research, consumer demand, and by assessing your own finances. Regularly review pricing structures and inventory and revisit vendor and supplier contracts on a regular basis to ensure you’re getting the best deals. While it’s wise to invest in staff members who will help build your business, it’s smart to look for redundancy in roles so you can ensure you aren’t filling positions you don’t really need. Sometimes contractors and freelancers can take the place of full-time employees.

… But Mind it Carefully

While a common inclination is to slash your budget to ribbons, this can backfire. Items that usually end up on the chopping block include deeply reducing your marketing budget or hitting pause on employee development. In dire circumstances, these might make sense, but avoid measures that could ultimately hurt your bottom line. Instead, look for ways to mindfully reduce costs.

For example, instead of seeking an outsider to find solutions to business issues, turn to your staff instead to find a path forward. This creates more buy-in and can even increase morale if a collaborative effort improves processes. When it comes to marketing, ask your team to explore more cost-effective processes like tapping into the free aspects of social media or even the less expensive paid social media. Your team can even take advantage of free tools like an Instagram post generator. Rather than forking over cash for a graphic designer, your staff can create captivating posts that are polished and professional in a matter of minutes.

Follow-Up on Accounts

Small business owners often have personal relationships with their customers, which can make it uncomfortable if there are outstanding invoices you need to collect. Make sure your bills all spell out your terms and conditions and make it easy for customers to pay you by giving them multiple options — electronic, debit, check, cash, or bank transfer. If payments are slow, let customers know you understand their dilemma, but reiterate your company policy and, if necessary, utilize a collection agency to intervene on your behalf. You may be able to salvage the relationship and still get paid, all by removing yourself from the transaction.

Make Regular Audits

Once you have your cash flow monitoring well in hand and your budget shored up, you can devote time to segmenting your various revenue streams and looking for ways to grow your business. Regular audits can help you make educated decisions about how well your business is performing, where you’re losing money, or spending too much. Operational decisions can be made from this knowledge — like expanding the business, or alternatively, downsizing, or going strictly online. Staying ahead of the cash curve will help ensure that all of the business decisions you make are informed ones.

Small businesses often operate on a shoestring budget, making financial monitoring all the more important. Maintaining good standing with creditors and suppliers and not allowing yourself to become over-leveraged will keep you on the right path to long-term business success.


Need help kickstarting your startup idea or getting media exposure for your brand?
Feel free to reach out for a free 20-minute consultation where we can chat about your business and how I can help! To schedule your time: CLICK HERE

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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