Do you have a great business idea, but find yourself short on cash to get your venture off the ground?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. There comes a time in the life of all businesses when great ideas are halted by lack of capital. While traditional means like loans and the use of credit are still options, the internet has ushered in a new form of business fundraising: crowdfunding.
Rather than spending time work shopping pitches or trying to find a specific investor, crowdfunding can allow you to make your pitch to the entire world through the internet. $17.2 …
Is your company making the appropriate effort to foster an environment of inclusion? You likely know it’s important, but the stats supporting why it’s important may surprise you.
According to a recent survey by Deloitte, 80 percent of respondents say inclusion is an important factor in choosing an employer. In fact, 72 percent of the same respondents indicated that they would leave or consider leaving an organization for one that is more inclusive.
But what does an inclusive workforce look like? It’s one where a team member feels a sense of belonging, comfort in using their voice, participating in the…
How many email notifications do you get every day that you immediately brush off and ignore? If you’re like most business owners, the answer is probably a lot — even if you make a conscious effort to go through regularly and unsubscribe yourself from the email lists you aren’t engaging with.
When you think of newsletters, those are probably the emails you think of. Those emails that frustrate you, or that immediately remind you to take action to remove yourself from a list. That line of thinking may give you pause in determining your path in sending newsletters.
But no…
Social media is constantly changing.
What do we mean by constantly changing?
In 2020 alone, Google had seven core updates to their search engine, Facebook updated both their feed and marketing algorithm, and Tik Tok officially surpassed 500 million users. That doesn’t include changes to Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or YouTube.
Oftentimes, just simply setting up social media accounts and creating marketing plans can feel overwhelming, let alone staying on top of every search engine that is coming and going.
However, despite the seemingly impossible task of staying up-to-date on the ins and outs of social media, it doesn’t have…
R.I.P. Email Marketing
For years now, people have been working hard to spread the narrative that “email marketing is dead.”
Whether you realized it or not, we have all been through the same weekly ritual: a new marketing platform, technique, or functionality is introduced and everyone scrambles to call it the best way to market yourself or your business.
There’s one problem with that…
Email marketing is alive and well, and even stronger than ever.
It may not be new, and it may not be flashy but the cost and reach of email far exceed that of any other marketing tool.
In this…
In the highly competitive world that we live in, innovative ideas are what will separate you from the rest.
To create an outstanding product and strong brand you need to innovate. But innovation doesn’t always mean creating something new. Innovators will often take existing products and ideas and tweak them to make them the best solution for their customers. Innovative ideas are one of the factors that makes a business competitive.
The world has plenty of issues that are hard to solve and that will continue to demand a solution. Far-sighted, creative ideas and innovative solutions are required to solve…
How closely is your business monitoring its customer feedback? A business’s reputation can be influenced by unfavorable customer reviews and complaints, so it’s important to know what you need to do when one shows up.
Think of it from the other perspective: how often have you had an unsatisfying experience with a business and shared your experience in a public forum? And, if you received a personalized response from the business, how did that make you feel? …
What do you think Better Business Bureau does?
For most people, Better Business Bureau is a resource: a place to access reviews and establish trust in companies. People look for positive recommendations through reviews or the BBB Trust Seal to know that the money they spend is in good hands.
The value of BBB Business Accreditation doesn’t stop there. At Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest, we are committed to being a resource for business knowledge and management tips. …
How would you describe your business website?
A lot of people would probably say that their business website serves as an online catalog for the goods and services they provide. To an extent, that’s true, but your website is so much more than that. Your website is the most powerful marketing tool at your disposal.
By taking the time to refresh and optimize your website, infusing it with good, updated content, you can not only continue to use it in all the ways you already do but also start to rely on more organic search discovery.
6 Ways to Improve Your Website
Set attainable, SMART goals for your website
How much can you…
Have you ever presented your potential customers with a slam-dunk offer and not gotten the results you were expecting?
You may have thought your offer was going to be a surefire way to generate additional business, but you found it considerably less effective than you would have hoped.
Moments like that leave you with one simple question: why isn’t it working?
The truth to selling is that there are more factors to consider when trying to convert potential buyers into customers. …
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