Top tips for when you’re working from home

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Top Tips for When You’re Working From HomeAs a virtual assistant, I can work from virtually anywhere in the world – providing I have a reliable internet connection. The flexibility that this affords is fantastic and one of the definite

perks of my line of work.

In fact, I am actually writing this post from Canada where I am currently enjoying some much needed time out with my family. But, just because I am almost 4,000 miles from London, doesn’t mean I can’t continue to service my clients albeit at a slightly  reduced schedule, but nevertheless I am still contactable.

Our holiday is focussed on the areas of Calgary, British Columbia and Toronto. Trips to the Rockies, Banff National Park and other places of interest are on our itinerary. Basically, a little bit of relaxation with tons of day trips and visits to places of interest.

So, as I am currently working remotely, and there’s a good chance that more people are going to start working from home going forward, I thought a post outlining my top tips for working from home would be suitably apt.

Follow a morning routine

Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow a morning routine. You wouldn’t head to the office without brushing your teeth, showering, getting dressed or eating breakfast etc. so don’t neglect these things when you’re working from home.

After all, you’ll inevitably have to do them all at some point throughout the day and so better to get them out the way at the start. Not only will this put you in the right frame of mind for optimum productivity but it’ll also mean you’re not taking time out later in the day.

Have a set schedule

Much like keeping a morning routine, having a set schedule is also very important. Often, people who work from home find themselves in a situation where they’re online extremely early and sign off very late.

This isn’t a good habit to get into, which is why you need a set schedule e.g. 9-5, even if you are working from home. The line between work and personal time can become blurred and it’s up to you not to let this happen. Of course, you can logon for the odd conference call or to deal with an important email but don’t let it become the norm.

Furthermore, it’s important to have regular breaks when you’re working from home – just like you would in the office. Give yourself a set lunch break and don’t look at your laptop again until it’s over – unless you use the time to conduct your personal internet browsing.

Create a dedicated workspace

It can be extremely tempting to work sat on your sofa with your laptop in front of you. But this is a setup that will ultimately lend itself to reduced productivity. This is because you need to be in the right frame of mind to be productive and if you’re lounging on your sofa with the TV on in the background, you are not going to be as productive as you would be sat at a desk

You don’t need to spend a small fortune creating a bespoke office but a dedicated work surface, like a desk, is a must. Try to create a small space that allows you to be as productive as you would be in an office environment.

Eliminate distractions

When you’re working from home it can be all too easy to be distracted by all manner of things. For example, you may have a pile of washing up that needs doing and it can be very tempting to take time out from your work to do it.

The trouble with this is that you’ll find yourself crossing off lots of small tasks from your household chores list, all of which are distracting you from your work.

Likewise, your favourite social media sites can also be big distractions when you’re working from home. You wouldn’t have your Facebook page or Twitter feed open in the background when you’re in the office (I guess?) so don’t do it when you’re at home. Use your dedicated breaks to catch up on your social media accounts and then close them before starting work again.

 

 

Image courtesy of BrianHolm / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

5 Crucial Elements that all Business Websites Must Have

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5 Crucial elements that all business websites must have

 

How many times have you heard the phrase, “Check out our website for more information?” I’m going to suggest that the answer is on an almost daily basis. That’s because our business websites have become such a crucial part of our success and we want people to utilise them. After all, they champion our brands, promote our products and give useful information to our visitors.

However, no matter how elaborate or how simple your website, there are certain elements that it absolutely must incorporate. This checklist is obviously open to interpretation and there will undoubtedly be other aspects that you want to include, but I would definitely start with these five as a bare minimum.

A Logical Design

Stunning graphics, a plethora of multimedia wizardry and all manner of bells and whistles are great, but if your website is difficult to navigate your visitors will soon get fed up. They might even go to one of your competitor’s websites to find what they want! That’s why a logical design is an absolute must.

Websites are often designed on paper first and the layout finalised before anything else. Logically-designed websites feature easy-to-navigate menus and intuitive signposts. For example, when was the last time you visited a website that didn’t have a familiar-looking navigation bar running across the top?

Clear Contact Information

This is particularly important if your website is in addition to a bricks and mortar business. A lot of the time people visit your website with the sole purpose of finding your contact information. Therefore, it needs to be clearly displayed – even on the homepage – and not be hidden away out of sight.

You may run the risk of losing potential sales if you neglect to display your business’s contact details and offering them openly helps to build trust and stronger relationships with your customers. It’s also important to provide a range of contact options like email, telephone and physical address (if appropriate).

A Blog

A business blog (like this one) is a great way to reach out to your clients and prospects. Not only does it give you a platform on which to provide useful information, but it also gives your business a voice. And the beauty of a voice is that it helps to build an online reputation and, more importantly, a loyal following.

Moreover, your blog can even help boost your search engine rankings and by providing useful, original and engaging content, your visitors will keep coming back again and again. At the end of the day, the more followers your blog attracts the stronger your brand will become.

Social Media Integration

You will have probably lost count of the amount of times you’ve visited a website and been presented with a range of social media buttons. That’s because businesses want to boost their social media following and if you’ve visited their website then chances are you’ll like their Facebook page, start following them on Twitter or add them to your Google Plus circles.

Social media activity sends strong signals to search engines and so business websites incorporate it wherever possible. After all, by ‘liking’ a company’s Facebook page you are basically signing yourself up to receive further updates from them. It’s kind of like building a mailing list.

Mobile Compatibility

Now more than ever, people are using their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices to access your business’s website. Therefore, it absolutely has to be mobile compatible. At the very least you need to have a bespoke mobile version of your site or a responsive design that adapts to mobile devices.

Your customers and prospects will be very disappointed if they try to use your website on their mobile devices only to find out that it’s a horrible experience. If your competitors have fully mobile compatible websites then you need to ensure that yours is at least as good, if not better.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

How to create killer content

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How to create killer contentDo you ever feel as though creating online content for your business is stressful? What with blog posts, social media updates and promotional material all forming part of your digital marketing strategy, it can sometimes feel like a struggle to keep creating decent content.

This is especially true if you aren’t much of a writer and crafting engaging material doesn’t come naturally to you. However, by using a content creation checklist – like this one – you can sculpt not just content that people want to read but also be consistent in your writing.

After all, writing is actually a learnable skill and the more you do it, the better you become at it. And by following these simple guidelines you’ll start creating better content right away:

Be alluring

The internet is absolutely littered with content and to make yours stand out you need an alluring title that makes people want to click-through. You could have written the best blog post in the world but if it’s let down by a boring title then chances are people won’t even get to read it.

But what makes a good title?

  • A sense of urgency – For example, a title that begins “Don’t miss out…” automatically makes people curious about the content that follows.
  • Look to inform – The ‘how to’ format is used a lot on the internet because it works. People want to be given knowledge that they can use going forward.
  • Use numbered lists – “Top 10”, “Five Top Tips”, or “20 Ways To…”
  • Incorporate bold/strong language – Notice the word ‘killer’ in the title of this post? Can content really kill? No, but it stands out right.
  • Ask a question – Questions are a fantastic way to engage your reader right off the bat. “Do you dread creating online content for your business?” will probably have most people thinking, yes! Why? Are you going to help me make it easier?

Make people want to continue reading

So you’ve managed to get someone to click-through to your blog post with your alluring title but now you need to keep them hooked. So many pieces of content fail to fully engage the reader at the start and they inevitably navigate away again – don’t let this happen to you.

By using a staggering statistic or a question at the start (like this post does) you further engage the reader and they are more likely to keep reading. Intrigue is very powerful and by triggering it in someone you will get your content read right to the end.

Be personal throughout

One of the best pieces of advice that anyone ever told me was, “Try to write like you talk.” Sounds obvious right? But it really is the best way to approach content creation. Not only does it make the whole process easier but it also gives your posts a sense of personality – people appreciate that.

Show the reader that you care by interacting with them throughout. But how do you do that you say? By asking questions like I just did. It involves the reader and shows that you are writing with them in mind.

The word ‘you’ is extremely powerful throughout an entire post and is more likely to lead to the reader becoming one of your customers in the long run. Plus, a sense of personality will see readers returning to your blog again and again.

Be consistent

Finally, it is important that you are consistent with your content. After all, building a list of regular followers is the key to success. Your audience have become your audience because they like reading what you write. The quality of past blog posts isn’t going to be enough to keep them interested if your new content isn’t up to par.

Always try to:

  • Post new updates frequently – don’t post five updates in a single day and then disappear for a fortnight.
  • Be recognisable – structure your posts carefully and let your audience become used to your layout. People enjoy consistent posts that look familiar every time.
  • Offer real value – By doing this you’ll inevitably increase your search engine ranking as well as pleasing your readers. Just don’t focus on the former, however, too much. You should always write for people first and search engines second – always!

To attract more followers and win more customers, you need to make your content stand out from that of your competition. Stagnant, boring content will just sit there. Lively, fresh, engaging content on the other hand will entice big audiences.

 

 

Image courtesy of Gualberto107 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

5 Tips for Boosting Your Social Media Following

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5 Tips for boosting your social media following

Establishing a social media presence for your brand is one thing; boosting it, however, is quite another. That’s why large organisations often have dedicated teams with substantial budgets specifically to handle the social media element of their business.

That’s because it’s simply not possible to create a social media page for your brand, post a few updates and expect people to find you; let alone start liking and following you! Furthermore, one of the main points of social media for business is to get your brand’s followers to actively promote your products and services through their own social media network.

But what chance is there of that happening if you can’t boost your social media following in the first place?

The answer is very unlikely, which is why I’ve compiled a list of 5 tips for building an engaged social media audience and loyal following.

Be careful with your content

Social media should not be used to constantly plug your services and attempt to sell your products. An approach like that is a sure-fire way to lose followers and, even worse, brand credibility.

Instead, post content that people find genuinely useful and interesting. This will inevitably engage your audience more strongly and encourage more retweets, shares and likes – the things we all, as social media marketers, definitely want.

Try to follow the 80/20 rule: 80% useful information and 20% promotional content. That way your sales pitches won’t feel quite so incessant.

Identify your influencers

Regardless of your industry, there will be key individuals who act as influencers and have the ability to sway your target market. Identifying who these people are and forging a relationship with them can be the key to your social media success.

After all, these people already carry a lot of clout when it comes to your prospective followers, so getting them on-side is a great strategic move. For example, share their posts that appeal to you, respond to community discussions that they start and try to identify what issues matter to them, so you can engage with them more directly.

Run Competitions

It might sound a bit archaic but running competitions and contests is an effective way to boost your social media following. The bottom line is that people like free stuff and the chance to win something is appealing.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start when it comes to competitions. Websites such as Offerpop allow you to devise and implement your own bespoke promotions. Moreover, there is the ability to stipulate that only your followers can enter your promotions.

Just be sure to make the competition interesting and appealing to your target audience and offer a prize that will make them want to engage.

Experiment with paid ads

Facebook and Twitter both offer paid advertising platforms that are a great way to further your reach and ultimately attract some new followers. Both networks offer very detailed options when it comes to paid ads, so you can be sure that you are targeting exactly the right demographic for your brand.

Why not try paid advertising on both platforms and see what kind of success you realise? You might find that one reaps bigger rewards than the other and choose to concentrate your efforts accordingly.

Promote your social presence

This has to be the simplest way to boost your following, but often there are times many businesses pass up perfect opportunities to promote their social presence. For example, every time you communicate with customers and potential customers you have an opportunity to plug your Facebook page, Twitter account or Google Plus profile.

Add social media links to your website homepage, offline marketing material, email signatures, business cards – basically any touch points that you have with your customers.

It’s also a good idea to give them a reason for them to connect with you on a social media level, so highlight your competitions, useful content and influencer backings wherever possible.

These are just 5 of the many tips that I share with my clients to get the very most out of their social media campaigns.

 

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

10 Effective Time Management Tips

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10 Effective Time Managment Tips

 

 

 

Towards the end of last year I wrote a post about the importance of time management. That post focussed on what time management is, the benefits of mastering it and some of the problems you might run into without it. It’s an absolutely timeless concept (pardon the pun) and so I wanted to revisit it again now and share with you all my top 10 tips for managing your time effectively.

Now, these are mainly geared towards time management in the workplace, but they can also be applied to our day-to-day lives in most instances. After all, effective time management is something that lends itself well to every aspect of our busy modern lifestyles.

1. Prioritise the most important tasks

If you only remember one tip from this entire list, then make sure it’s this one.

Every day, identify a couple of tasks that have to be completed and label the rest as ‘upcoming’. Then simply focus on these few crucial tasks before anything else.

If you manage to complete your essential tasks, then you will have had a successful day.

2. Focus on one task at a time

To successfully complete every task to a high standard, you have to give it your full attention. If you are thinking about something else on your to-do list then you will find it very difficult to focus on the task in-hand.

If you find your mind wandering to upcoming tasks then ask yourself if they are more important than your current task and focus on them first.

3. Make key tasks habitual

If you have regular tasks that you complete then turn them into habits. Train your mind to approach certain tasks in a habitual way and you will quickly see that they become more natural and more enjoyable to undertake.

Here’s a great post on how to form new habits – give it a try!

4. Set time limits, then review

Sometimes we sit down to complete a task and think, I’m going to stay here until this is finished. Whilst this might seem like a good approach, it actually increases the chances of procrastination.

Instead, give yourself a set time limit such as three hours and then review your progress when it is reached. The time constraint will act as a subconscious motivator to keep you focussed.

5. Say ‘no’ sometimes

If you’ve already got a huge to-do list and someone approaches you with more tasks, then you are quite within your right to politely decline. After all, how well are you going to complete a task if you have to rush it late at night or early in the morning just to meet a deadline? The person who gave you the task won’t appreciate substandard work, so don’t devalue your service & put yourself in that position to start with.

6. Get a good night’s sleep

I’m deadly serious about this. We’re always hearing about the benefits of getting 7-8 hours sleep on a regular basis and this is because it allows our brains and bodies to function at their optimum levels. Our ability to focus is greatly affected when we are feeling tired and tasks will take significantly longer to complete.

7. Eat healthily and exercise

Don’t skip meals because you’re busy. You’ll not only affect your health but also your productivity. Try to get regular exercise too as it will make you feel more energised and focussed. Drinking enough water each day is also very important to prevent dehydration and lethargy.

8. Be conscious of your internet time

Working predominantly on a computer, means that some of us run the risk of being side-tracked by our favourite social media sites, internet games and news outlets. Make a small note of how much time you spend surfing the net and add it up at the end of each week – you’ll probably be very surprised and the exercise will see you naturally curb your browsing habits.

9. Allow yourself a buffer between tasks

The previous point was about being side-tracked during tasks. However, allowing yourself a bit of down-time between tasks is essential. Otherwise, you’ll go directly from one task to the next and quickly find yourself lacking focus and motivation.

Step away from your desk for ten minutes after completing a task and get some fresh air. Your brain needs short breaks throughout the day.

10. Group similar tasks

Wherever possible, try and group similar tasks together. For example, if you’ve got to write three blog posts then do them consecutively. You’ll find this approach much easier than constantly reorienting your mind on different tasks.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

 

 

Your smartphone VS a Virtual Assistant

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Your Smartphone vs a Virtual AssistantThere’s no denying that smartphones have had a positive impact on our lives, especially when it comes to managing our businesses. After all, they are absolutely everywhere nowadays and if this recent news article is anything to go by, they’re about to become a whole lot more affordable; opening them up to an entirely new market.

But whether you’re an Apple fan or prefer a piece of Android technology in your hand, does your smartphone really do everything that you need it to?

Those amongst you who see their smartphones as an extension of themselves will probably have nodded in response to my question, but I’m now going to outline five things that your smartphone can’t do, but us Virtual Assistants can:

Conduct Research

Whether it’s keeping abreast of industry trends; identifying consumer needs; or staying up-to-date with hot issues, your smartphone can’t do it. Of course, you can surf the web and conduct research yourself; making your smartphone a useful tool or enabler.

Furthermore, your smartphone can be configured to display latest industry news and trending articles based on your personal preferences, but it can’t go any deeper than that. For example, it can’t take it upon itself to contact your customers and see if there’s anything they need right now, or scour social media looking for fresh ideas. A Virtual Assistant can!

Totally Manage Your Calendar

You receive a meeting invite and you can accept or decline it right from your smartphone. In fact, you can even have your smartphone display your current schedule to see if you’re free at the nominated time.

However, your smartphone still needs one important element to do this effectively – you! If you’re in an important meeting and a meeting reschedule comes in from a client, you might not see it for an hour or more. Can you afford to keep your customers waiting? What sort of impression does that give?

Virtual Assistants make it their job to keep you on-track and effective calendar management is often one of our highest priorities.

Afford Total Reliability

Okay, so I appreciate that people get sick and sometimes have emergencies that are unavoidable but should this happen, there are usually back-up plans in place.

Short of carrying around two identical phones, what back-up plan can you implement should your smartphone give up the ghost? Another consideration is the constant need to charge modern smartphones. They get used so much throughout the day that they inevitably need a power boost by late afternoon, annoying I know!

Virtual Assistants, despite popular belief, require no batteries – except the odd cup of coffee or two to perk us up.

Generate Content

Voice recognition software is undoubtedly a useful addition to many of us but most of the time it just serves a dictation-esque purpose. After all, you still have to spend time dictating and, more strenuously, actually think up something creative to say.

Virtual Assistants are adept at putting words together for you. Whether it’s emails, blog posts, social media content or a simple thank you note, we can do it all.

Pretty Much Anything Else That’s Not Automated!

Smartphones are absolutely fantastic tools. There’s no denying that. And the level of automation that they boast is growing more and more. But automation still inevitably needs someone to set it up – someone like a Virtual Assistant perhaps?

Moreover, automation is great while it works but still needs regular checks to ensure that everything is functioning as it should. That being the case, why not just get a Virtual Assistant to carry out the tasks that the automation handles? It cuts out a potentially fallible aspect and ultimately improves efficiency after all.

 

 

Image courtesy of patrisyu / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Top 5 Virtual Assistant myths debunked

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Top 5 VA myths debunked image for blog

Okay, so it seems that when people think of  a Virtual Assistant or VA (for short), they have very set opinions and ideas of what it is that we actually do.  Furthermore, the people who aren’t really sure what we do,  or haven’t even heard of a  Virtual Assistant, often take  guesses – which ultimately turn out to be way off the mark.

That’s why I’ve decided to debunk a few of the more popular myths and misconceptions that I hear.

Here are my top 5 (in no particular order):

5. Virtual Assistants only work from home

This is a myth that is best debunked by explaining the various types of Virtual Assistants in the first instance.

While many VAs do indeed work right out of their living rooms, there are others that adopt other places to set up shop for the day. It really does depend on the individual.

For example, freelance VAs and solo-preneurs quite often work from coffee shops or shared work spaces. After all, who wouldn’t work somewhere where you’ve got an endless supply of coffee, snacks and warmth right?

There are also the Virtual Assistants who work for virtual outsourcing companies and these individuals are inevitably supplied with an office environment from which to carry out their duties.

4. Virtual assistants only work for internet-based businesses

I’m not sure what ‘internet-based’ businesses is supposed to actually mean. Every business, internet-based or not, has some kind of physical location be it a bricks and mortar office building or small warehouse.

I think the myth is that we Virtual Assistants tend only to be hired by companies who have a strong online presence and do most of their business over the internet. This is simply not true though. At the end of the day, any business that finds itself in need of an extra member of staff and doesn’t have the space and/or just needs someone on an ad-hoc basis can take advantage of a Virtual Assistant’s services.

3. Virtual Assistants are only a temporary or part-time solution

For some reason, many people cast virtual assistants in the same light as temps, but we’re both very different in terms of our natures and skills.

People often think of VAs as being temporary solutions because contracts are inevitably short and we’re not usually employed as full-time members of staff. Having said that, there are virtual assistants out there who have been working with the same clients for years – myself included, and something that suits both parties just fine.

2. It can be hard to communicate with a Virtual Assistant

The modern world we live in affords many benefits in terms of technological advances and we’re more connected than ever before.

At first, it may seem a little alien communicating with someone exclusively via telephone and email, but it’s something that people get used to very quickly. Furthermore, innovations like instant messaging make communication even easier.

Virtual Assistants appreciate that good communication is absolutely essential and we do everything in our power to ensure we’re contactable during the working day (or evenings, if an out of hour’s service is provided.)

1. Virtual Assistants are only for administrative tasks

A lot of what we do could be classed as ‘administrative duties’ but our remit definitely doesn’t end there. In fact, we can carry out pretty much any task you throw at us (within reason).

For example, Virtual Assistants are often responsible for a company’s social media presence. That’s because we’re inevitably online for most of the day and can keep track of social media in an effective and efficient manner.

Other Virtual Assistants carry out research activities for companies and provide detailed reports on their findings or manage their diaries & emails or even draft up marketing strategies – the list is endless!

So the next time someone mentions the words ‘Virtual Assistant’ to you and then repeats any of the myths above, I do hope you’ll set them straight and debunk them there and then 🙂

 

 

Image courtesy of sixninepixels / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Apply now & get up to £2,000 towards Strategic Business Advice

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Starting a small business nowadays can be a daunting prospect. Often, people have great ideas, the passion to succeed and enough capital to get them going. However, best laid plans can sometimes fail to come to fruition due to a lack of strategic advice and many SMEs find themselves struggling to grow.

Growth Voucher image for blog

Growth is important for every business but especially SMEs that are just starting out

This is a problem that the UK government has recognised and, in an attempt to address it, the £30 million Growth Vouchers programme has been introduced this year.

So what is the Growth Vouchers scheme?

First announced by the Chancellor in his 2013 Budget, the scheme aims to subsidise strategic business advice and connect SMEs with advisor’s in the following five categories:

  • finance and cash flow
  • recruiting and developing staff
  • improving leadership and management skills
  • marketing, attracting and keeping customers
  • making the most of digital technology

The aim is to accelerate growth for thousands of small businesses at the most crucial stage of development. It is thought that this critical growth will lead to long-term sustainability.

Why was the scheme introduced?

As previously mentioned, the government recognised the importance to SMEs of strategic advice during their important growth phase. However, it has never been established just how crucial this advice is and, until now, it has never been measured.

The Growth Vouchers scheme will run for 15 months and allow the government to scientifically determine exactly what advice small businesses really value. This will also enable state-backed business support to be shaped in accordance with business needs.

Furthermore, it has also been highlighted that the advice SMEs receive at present is often sporadic and varies greatly. Under the scheme, advisor’s’ credentials will be established from the outset and business experiences will be recorded via a feedback system for everyone to see.

How does the scheme work?

Businesses seeking advice can apply to the Growth Voucher programme online and will then be asked to complete an online questionnaire or face-to-face assessment. Some businesses will then be randomly chosen to receive a growth voucher up to £2000 towards the cost of business advice in one of the specialist areas.

The Growth Vouchers scheme is designed to subsidise the advice that businesses receive and will cover up to 50 per cent of the total spend. So, in other words, you can spend up to £2,000 on advice and the government will match it – therefore a total spend of £4,000 is possible. Anything above this figure will need to be funded by your business.

The Growth Vouchers need to be redeemed through the Enterprise Nation Marketplace and SMEs can select the appropriate advisor for their business issue. Payment for the advice will be made by the business direct to the supplier and subsequently claimed back (up to £2,000) from the government.

Finally, who’s eligible?

Well I successfully applied to the scheme and was awarded up to £2,000 to spend on strategic advice, which is proof that it is definitely worth your time.

The scheme is available to small businesses in England who:

  • have been trading for at least one year
  • have less than 50 employees
  • have not sought strategic business advice in the last three years

Anyone considering applying or who simply wants more information should check out the scheme’s full terms and conditions.

Pinterest for Business – Are You Embracing The Visual Revolution?

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I don’t know about you, but when Pinterest was first released it had me intrigued. Maybe it was the initial invitation-only registration process or the fact that it promised to offer something innovative when it came to visual content.

Then again, I thought to myself, there’s only so much longevity in pinning things to boards – maybe it won’t really catch on. That was four years ago and it’s safe to say that Pinterest has definitely caught on! And, like all great social networks, it has coined its own verb: pinning.

For those of you who aren’t that familiar with Pinterest, it’s promoted as a visual discovery tool that allows people to create visual collections (boards) and visual bookmarks (pins), containing all the things that they like or that inspire them. These can then be shared and ultimately appear in other users’ Pinterest feeds.

So what’s the big deal?

The big deal is that Pinterest is now huge and fast becoming much more than just a visual discovery tool. In fact, it’s being lauded as a budding ecommerce leader, which could end up rivalling Google in terms of product search – interested now? Imagine the potential that Pinterest holds for your business.

Pinterest Google image for blog

It’s no wonder then that a price tag of $3.8 billion was placed on Pinterest towards the end of last year. The social network is growing and your business needs to embrace its visual revolution. But how?

Become pin friendly

Much like Facebook’s ‘like’ button, Pinterest’s ‘pin it’ feature allows people to pin your content directly to their Pinterest boards. Start by making all of the content on your website and blog pin friendly by adding an on hover pin it button to your images. There are detailed steps on how to do this on the main Pinterest site.

By adding this functionality, you will inevitably increase the chances of people sharing your business’s content on their `pinboards’. In turn, you will start to see what types of content your customers engage with the most and look to focus on more specific visual marketing campaigns going forward.

Organise your content

One of the great things about Pinterest is that you can organise your content into themed boards, thus making it easier for people to find more of the stuff that interests them.

For example, if you are a company that sells home décor, it would be highly beneficial to organise your pins into categorised boards like accessories, furniture and bedding.

Brand your pins

It may be more time consuming, but including your company logo on images is definitely worth the extra effort. It serves to further implant your company’s image in the mind of the reader and every `repin’ will ultimately share your logo.

It’s important, however, to be subtle when it comes to logos. A small corner logo is expected, but large watermarks can put some people off `repinning’.

Be shopper friendly

Unlike most other social networks, Pinterest users have a shopping mindset. Bear this in mind when you pin any content to your boards. For example, include useful information that the reader might want to know like product features, benefits and even price.

This ‘shopper-friendly’ information will undoubtedly increase the engagement factor and inevitably lead to more Pinterest referrals to your business’s website.

Engage your audience

Some businesses focus too highly on getting as much content out there as possible and often neglect one of the most important aspects of social networks: user engagement.

If one of your customers or potential customers asks a question about one of your products then you should furnish them with a prompt response. Failure to do so will harm your brand as people will come to think that you don’t care about your demographics.

Engagement can also come in the form of `repinning’ other people’s content; commenting on pins that are relevant to your industry; and leverage your community by forging relationships with influential pinners – those who have a lot of followers.

If you haven’t explored Pinterest yet, it is definitely time to do so. The benefits to your business are potentially huge and it should undeniably be a part of your social media strategy.

 

 

Photo Credit: MRBECK via Flickr

Going the “Extra Mile” for your clients

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Referrals, loyalty, opportunities and increased business – that’s what going the extra mile for your clients will bring you. However, one of the biggest mistakes that business owners make is to view customer service as an unpaid, administrative burden. Especially nowadays, thinking like this is a sure-fire way to destroy client relationships and ensure that you rarely receive any repeat business; let alone referrals!

But what does ‘going the extra mile’ really mean and how can you establish yourself as a business that’s synonymous with great client service?

Let’s have a look at why you need to ‘go the extra mile’ and how you go about doing it.

Beat the Competition

In business, there’s usually two ways in which you can beat your competition: being cheaper or by providing a superior service. The former may get you customers in the beginning, but they’re not going to be particularly loyal and will inevitably jump ship when one of your competitors lowers their prices. This is why you have to focus on building a strong customer base through great service.

Time and time again, customer surveys have shown that consumers don’t mind paying a bit extra for a product if they receive excellent service during and after the purchase. Word-of-mouth advertising is worth its weight in gold and certainly a more effective form than traditional mediums. This is because people have a great deal of faith and trust in their friends, so if someone tells them that they received great service from your business, they are more inclined to believe it.

Be Proactive

Contact some of your previous customers every once in a while and see if there’s anything that your business can do for them. Perhaps you’ve got some new products or maybe you’ve introduced a new service. Either way, reaching out to your customers personally, like via the telephone, will speak volumes for your business’s reputation.

Always Follow-Up

A massive mistake that many businesses make is to introduce satisfaction surveys and suggestion boxes, but then fail to follow-up on the comments of their customers. This is even worse than not having a customer satisfaction programme in the first place. Show your clients that you genuinely care about their concerns by following up on every comment/suggestion that they make. It may be that their suggestion simply isn’t a feasible option for your business, in which case you need to advise them of that and provide the reasons why. They’ll appreciate this approach much more than if you just appear to do nothing.

Be Contactable

If one of your customers calls your business it’s because they want to speak to someone – pretty obvious right? Therefore, it’s important to have an actual person handle inbound customer interactions wherever possible. Of course, you can use an automated system to buy yourself some time and filter calls accordingly, but always ensure they are eventually fielded by a human being. Your customers will really appreciate it.

Never Break Promises

If you tell someone that you’re going to do something then do it. It might sound simple, but trust can be easily damaged through broken promises. This is why it is so important to really think about what you tell your customers in the first instance. If you know that you’re not going to be able to deliver your product or service by a certain time then be honest and advise your customer. After all, your company’s reputation hinges on what your customers say about you. Don’t give them any opportunities to paint you in a bad light.

Train Your Staff

This is crucial and yet an aspect that many businesses sometimes neglect. Your staff are the face of your organisation and the people who ultimately interact with your customers and potential customers. It’s therefore important that they know exactly how they’re supposed to deal with clients and, in particularly, their complaints. It only takes one poorly trained employee to undo all your hard work and damage your brand’s reputation. Training is a proactive way to ensure that your business is always prepared for anything that its marketplace throws at it.

Some businesses don’t even go the first mile when it comes to customer service – make sure yours isn’t one of them.

 

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net