Crafting a Flexible Organizational Structure

As your business grows, establishing a flexible organizational structure becomes vital. This framework helps clarify roles and responsibilities, balancing authority and accountability. You can create a dynamic environment that fosters cross-functional collaboration by choosing a structure that aligns with your market and business goals, such as a matrix structure. This approach boosts productivity, minimizes conflicts, and streamlines processes, setting the stage for sustainable growth.

Boosting Your Business Acumen with Online Education

One of the most effective ways to prepare for managing business expansion is by enhancing your knowledge through an online business degree. Pursuing a Bachelor of Business Management can help you develop essential leadership, operations, and project management skills, which are crucial for steering your business through growth. The flexibility of online learning allows you to balance your studies with your business responsibilities, making it a practical choice for busy entrepreneurs. 

Reinvesting Strategically for Long-Term Success

To sustain your business’s growth, it’s essential to reinvest profits strategically. Directing earnings toward employee development, technology upgrades, and equipment enhancements can significantly boost operational efficiency. For instance, investing in advanced software can streamline processes, while upgrading machinery can reduce maintenance costs. By focusing on these areas, you strengthen your business’s financial stability and position it to seize new opportunities and weather future uncertainties.

Cultivating a Resilient Company Culture

Managing rapid growth also requires fostering a company culture that adapts to change while maintaining high employee morale. Aligning your team’s actions with the organization’s core values creates a cohesive environment that supports growth. Encouraging open communication and offering flexible work arrangements can enhance job satisfaction and reduce turnover. Investing in continuous learning opportunities demonstrates your commitment to employee development, driving personal and professional growth.

Leveraging CRM Software for Enhanced Customer Relationships

Implementing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can be transformative for managing customer relationships during rapid growth. A CRM system centralizes interactions across various channels, providing a comprehensive view of each customer. This allows you to customize communications and services, enhancing customer satisfaction. Additionally, CRM tools facilitate team collaboration, ensuring everyone is aligned and making informed decisions based on real-time data.

Strengthening Your Supply Chain with Diverse Suppliers

Diversifying your supplier network is crucial to ensure your supply chain remains resilient during growth. This strategy reduces reliance on a single source and mitigates risks from geopolitical tensions or natural disasters. By expanding your supplier base, you can better manage uncertainties and ensure a consistent flow of goods. Third-party logistics providers can enhance your supply chain’s flexibility and robustness.

Training Your Employees for Supply Complexities

Investing in staff training is essential for preparing employees to handle the complexities of an expanding supply chain. As operations grow, team members must develop logistics, inventory management, and vendor coordination skills to maintain efficiency and prevent disruptions. Training programs focused on technology, data analysis, and problem-solving equip employees with the knowledge to streamline processes and adapt to shifting demands. A well-trained workforce enhances communication across departments, reducing errors and improving overall supply chain performance. 

In rapid growth, businesses must remain agile and forward-thinking to sustain success. Investing in education, such as earning an online degree, helps entrepreneurs develop leadership and strategic decision-making skills. A strong company culture keeps employees motivated and aligned with business goals while leveraging technology, which improves efficiency and scalability. These strategies tackle immediate challenges and create a solid foundation for long-term growth, ensuring your business thrives in an evolving market.

Discover innovative design solutions and elevate your brand with N77 Design—your partner in digital transformation and creative excellence.

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, leveraging technology is not just an option but a necessity for businesses aiming to thrive. Custom mobile apps emerge as powerful tools that significantly enhance operational efficiency and customer engagement. By tailoring a mobile solution that aligns perfectly with your business strategy and customer expectations, you position your enterprise on a path to substantial growth and sustainability. N77 Design shares more insights:

Tailored Research for Targeted Success

Before developing an app, it’s crucial to understand your target audience deeply. This means conducting comprehensive research to capture their needs, preferences, and behaviors. The insights gained from this research will guide the customization of your app, ensuring it resonates well with users. By aligning the app’s functionality with the expectations and preferences of your audience, you enhance user engagement and satisfaction, which are pivotal for the app’s success.

Seamless System Integration

A custom mobile app should be a natural extension of your business systems. Whether it’s your Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), or e-commerce platforms, integrating these systems with your app streamlines operations and enhances user experience. Seamless integration allows for data flow automation, reduces errors, and ensures that your customers have a consistent experience across all touchpoints, thus boosting efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Building a Technical Foundation with Education

Earning a computer science degree lays a critical foundation for excelling in app development, providing you with mastery over programming languages, data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles. For working professionals eager to balance education and employment an online computer science degree offers the flexibility to learn and immediately apply new skills (consider this option). This approach boosts your capability to craft compelling apps and empowers you to navigate the complexities of software development effectively.

Prioritizing User Experience

The success of your mobile app heavily depends on its user interface and overall user experience. It should be intuitive, easy to navigate, and enjoyable. This involves designing a clean layout, logical navigation paths, and interactive elements that engage users. A pleasant user experience increases the likelihood of the app being used frequently and recommended to others, thus extending your business reach and impact. Work with N77 Design to keep your app users satisfied!

Ensuring Robust Security

Protecting user data is paramount in today’s digital age. Your app must incorporate strong security measures to safeguard personal information against breaches and cyber threats. Implementing comprehensive security protocols protects your users and builds their trust in your brand. Trust is critical in customer retention and conversion, making security a top priority in app development.

Engaging Users with Push Notifications

Push notifications are a powerful tool for informing and engaging users with your app. However, balancing frequency and relevance is vital to avoid overwhelming or annoying your users. Thoughtfully crafted notifications that add real value can enhance user engagement, while excessive notifications can lead to uninstalls. By monitoring user interactions and preferences, you can tailor notifications to match user expectations and foster lasting engagement.

Leveraging Continuous Feedback

The digital realm is ever-evolving, as are user expectations and business needs. Continuously updating your app based on user feedback and emerging trends keeps your app relevant and functional. Encourage users to provide feedback and make it easy for them to do so. Regular updates improve functionality and demonstrate your commitment to user satisfaction and continuous improvement.

Utilizing Analytics for Improvement

Utilize app analytics to gain invaluable insights into how users interact with your app and its overall performance. This detailed data collection on user behavior and app functionality allows you to pinpoint successful features and areas for improvement. Armed with this knowledge, you can make strategic enhancements that boost the usability of your app. Ultimately, this informed approach increases user retention and propels your business toward tremendous success.

Custom mobile apps offer a unique opportunity for business enhancement and customer engagement. By focusing on comprehensive research, system integration, user experience, security, engaging notifications, continuous updates, and effective use of analytics, you can maximize your app’s and your business’s potential. This strategic approach ensures that your mobile app not only meets but exceeds the expectations of your target audience, providing them with a valuable tool that enriches their interaction with your brand.

In the fast-paced digital landscape, it is important to focus on the metrics that matter. As an online business owner, your website performance can determine your success or failure in the market. That’s why it is crucial to monitor your website’s performance to ensure you are meeting your goals and engaging your target audience. In this blog post, N77 Design delves into the benefits of monitoring the performance of your website and how it can impact your business in the long run.

Get Insight Into Customer Preferences and Behavior With Data Trends

One of the most significant benefits of monitoring your website’s performance is that it can provide vital insights into customer preferences and behavior. By tracking performance data, you can effectively analyze website traffic trends, user behavior, conversion rates, and other relevant metrics. Using that data, you can easily identify what’s working and what’s not, enabling you to make targeted and informed decisions regarding your website’s design, content, and marketing strategies.

Update Workflows and Efficiencies on the Back End

With performance monitoring, you can utilize business process management (BPM) to identify workflow inefficiencies that impact your website’s performance. By analyzing data trends, you can spot bottlenecks, optimize essential business processes, and create new workflows to enhance performance. This approach, called digital process automation, streamlines administrative tasks, reduces errors, enhances the user experience, and improves your website’s overall performance.

Optimize Your Website

Optimizing a website for search engine optimization (SEO) is critical to ensure that it reaches its full potential. Tracking rankings over time allows you to identify where your content stands about your competitors and make improvements as needed. SEO changes require time, dedication, and a deep understanding of best practices.

Monitor Security Features

One crucial element of website performance is data security. Security breaches are one of the most significant risks for online businesses, and a single lapse in security could harm your customer’s trust, reputation, and sales. By monitoring your website’s performance, you can keep an eye on irregularities or lapses in performance standards and security measures like SSL certificates and malware scans. By doing that, you can take prompt action, enhance security when necessary, and maintain your website’s credibility.

Improve Your Web and Coding Skills

With the proliferation of new technology, it has become increasingly easy for individuals to enhance their understanding of web and coding skills using online resources. This saves time, increases efficiency, and improves accuracy as compared with manual coding. Resources like Code Profs make it easier than ever to learn these skills cost-effectively and efficiently.

Track User Journey Paths Around Your Site Over Time

Another crucial reason why you should regularly monitor your website’s performance is to track user behavior and navigate the site. By tracking user journey paths around your site over time, you can identify areas where users may be having difficulty navigating and finding content that meets their needs. This data helps you make informed decisions on website design, update website content to suit your target audience, and improve your website’s overall user experience.

Use Analytics as Basis for Improvements

Finally, website performance monitoring helps you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and metrics in the market. Tracking analytics like page views, bounce rates, or conversion rates helps you make informed decisions about changes or improvements that you need to make. You can use this data to evaluate website strategies, identify the areas that need improvements or changes, and optimize your website’s overall performance for enhanced user experience and engagement.

Maximize your website’s performance for maximum engagement and success online. Use key metrics to help identify customer preferences and behaviors, optimize your site for SEO purposes, monitor security features, track user journey paths over time, and measure analytics like page views or bounce rates. Data analysis techniques such as digital process automation can enhance this approach even further.

As your business grows, it’s important to make sure that your website is up to the task of handling the increased traffic. To do this, you’ll need to ensure that your website is fit for purpose and can handle the influx of customers. We have compiled a list of tips and tricks for upsizing your home to accommodate your growing business.

Boost Loading Speed

The speed at which a website loads is one of the most important factors in determining how successful it will be. If a website takes too long to load, customers may become frustrated and leave before they even get a chance to view the content. To ensure that your website loads quickly, you should optimize images and videos, minify code, utilize caching plugins, and reduce redirects.

Ensure That Your Website Is Fit For Mobile Navigation

In today’s world, more people are using mobile devices than ever before. This means that it is essential for websites to be optimized for mobile navigation to remain competitive. To do this, you should use responsive design techniques such as media queries and flexible grids so that your website looks great on any device.

Update Web Content Actively

It’s important to keep web content updated regularly to keep customers engaged with what you have to offer. This could include updating product descriptions or adding new blog posts or articles regularly. You should also consider creating an email newsletter so that customers can stay informed about any changes or updates on your site as well as any special offers or discounts available.

Use Coding Tools To Find And Fix Broken Links

Broken links can cause major problems for websites by preventing customers from accessing certain pages or information they need. To prevent this from occurring, you should use coding tools to identify broken links and fix them as quickly as possible. This will ensure that customers have a seamless experience when navigating your website.

Use PDFs To Protect Customers With Added Security

PDFs are a great way to protect customer data while providing an extra layer of security when downloading files from websites. This will ensure that customers feel safe and secure when downloading content from your website, which in turn will encourage them to return for future purchases. PDF documents are difficult for hackers to access which makes them ideal for storing sensitive information such as credit card numbers or personal details without worrying about it being compromised in any way.

Enhance the Customer Experience – and Boost Profits – with Data Analytics

We all know it’s happening, and there are news reports all the time about how data is used for medical information and Facebook’s advertising, but how do you put data to work for you? You’re already collecting data, and it’s really just a matter of learning how to collect and process it. With the right formulas, you can enhance your customer experience and ultimately make more money. Apps make it easy. Explore what’s available, determine what bells and whistles will be meaningful to your company, and then find software that fits your price point. 

Build Your Web Knowledge With Classes In Web Analytics 

If you’re interested in advancing your knowledge of web analytics, why not enroll in a course to get an online degree? With technology today, the course is designed with flexibility and convenience in mind, so you can learn at your own pace and still keep up with your daily tasks. Check this out; not only will the course give you a deeper understanding of how to measure web performance, but having that qualification on your resume will help you stand out among other applicants and may even open up new job opportunities.

Make Your Website More Dynamic

Making your website more dynamic is an essential step to being successful in today’s market. With the right design, you can exceed customer expectations and build trust with them. Investing in a user-friendly layout that emphasizes easy navigation and modern visuals will make your website far more dynamic. Focusing on improving this corner of your company can pay dividends down the line and help draw in more customers.

It can be difficult to stay on top of everything when you’re trying to run a business and take care of your family. But if you want to successfully upsize your home to accommodate your company, there are some things you should keep in mind. First, use PDFs to protect customers with added security. Second, apply web analytics so that you can build your customer base and consider classes to enhance your knowledge. And third, make your website more dynamic by adding new features or pages. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to successfully upsizing your home—and business!

Starting a small business is an accomplishment in and of itself. But just because you’ve got a great product or service doesn’t mean your business will be a success. So, what separates the wheat from the chaff? Avoiding common mistakes is a good place to start.

As a small business owner, you need to take stock of potential pitfalls that could hurt your bottom line before they have a chance to do any damage. In this article, we’ll explore six mistakes new small business owners often make and offer advice on how to avoid them.

A Laissez Faire Business Plan

When you don’t follow a business plan and allow your business to take its course, you immediately set the stage for failure. The first step in starting any business is creating a business plan. This document serves as a roadmap for your business, outlining your goals, strategies, marketing plans, and financial projections. Without a business plan, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of running a business and lose sight of your long-term goals. A business plan is also something lenders will want to see if you ever decide to apply for a loan.

Being Blase About Your Marketing

A lot of new small business owners make the mistake of thinking they can wing it when it comes to marketing. Others mistakenly believe that simply having a website or social media profile is enough to attract customers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Marketing is an essential part of any successful business, and it needs to be given the time and attention it deserves.

Choosing Wrong Structure

Another mistake new small businesses make is choosing a structure (e.g., LLC, sole proprietorship) that doesn’t align with their overall business model. For example, if you’re running a one-person operation, there’s no reason to choose an LLC — a sole proprietorship will suffice. However, if you’re operating in a high-risk industry or plan to hire employees down the road, an LLC may be the better choice.     

Carrying the Load Yourself

While it’s a common choice for new small business owners, trying to do everything yourself can lead to burnout as well as several other problems. For one thing, you can’t be an expert at everything. Even if you’re good at a lot of things, there are bound to be some areas where you’re not as strong. This is why it’s important to delegate tasks to people who are better suited for them. Not only will this free up your time so that you can focus on other things, but it will also help ensure that the task is done correctly.

Additionally, trying to do everything yourself can make it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of your industry. When you’re buried in work, it’s easy to miss out on new trends and developments. By delegating tasks and bringing in outside help, you can make sure that you always stay on top of the latest changes.

Not Building Your Skills

If you’re not continuing to learn and build your knowledge, you’re missing out on opportunities to advance your business. An online business degree can give you the skills you need to succeed. Through coursework in areas like marketing, accounting, and management, an online business degree can help you develop the practical skills necessary to run a successful business. Online programs are flexible so you can learn while you run your business. If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a good option.

Hiring People Who Don’t Fit

In a rush to staff your business, it’s easy to start hiring the first applicants you get. However, this can be a huge mistake. Bringing on staff is an expensive undertaking, and hiring employees who aren’t a good fit for the company culture or who don’t have the skill set required to do their jobs effectively will cost you a lot of money. When interviewing candidates, it’s important to not only assess their skills but also their personalities and whether they would be a good cultural fit for your organization.

Being Financially Irresponsible

Perhaps the most common pitfall new businesses face is not sticking to their budget. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of starting a new venture and overspend on unnecessary things, but resist that temptation! Making smart decisions about where you allocate your resources is crucial to ensuring your long-term success.    

Starting and running a successful small business takes hard work, dedication, and discipline. By avoiding these common mistakes and taking steps like going back to school and hiring the right people, you’ll put yourself in a much better position to succeed!
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Becoming a successful handyman requires more than just fixing things around the house. In this article, you’ll learn the first steps to starting your own business — from finding your niche to laws and regulations on starting a handyman business in Atlanta, GA. You’ll also discover helpful apps and software that will help streamline your business.

Getting Your Handyman Business Off the Ground

The first step to starting a handyman business in Atlanta is to research the market and understand the competition. Many companies provide handyman services, so developing a niche and targeting a specific customer base is vital. Once you have a clear idea of your business’ direction, you can begin to develop a marketing plan. This should include strategies for advertising and promoting your business and ways to build relationships with potential customers.

Additionally, obtaining the necessary licenses and permits to operate is essential, as is how you structure your business. If you’re looking for something flexible with less paperwork and tax advantages, consider forming an LLC. It doesn’t need to be costly as you can file yourself or use a formation service. Check your state regulations in forming an LLC, as they’re not all the same.

Choosing a Specialty

As a handyman, you have the opportunity to specialize in a particular area of home repair or maintenance. This can be a great way to build a niche for yourself and attract repeat customers. But how do you choose the right specialty? Here are a few factors to consider.

• Think about your strengths and weaknesses. What kind of repairs or maintenance are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? 
• Consider the needs of your market. What kind of repairs or maintenance are in high demand in your area? Are there any under-served niches you can fill? 
• Think about skills. Ensure you have the necessary skills and knowledge to complete the repairs or maintenance associated with your chosen specialty. If not, be willing to learn new techniques or take training courses. 

Attracting Clients

You can attract clients in several ways. First, consider offering discounts or promotions to new customers. This can be an effective way to encourage people to try out your services. Next, make sure you have a solid online presence. An up-to-date website and active social media accounts can help potential customers find you. Finally, word-of-mouth is also a powerful marketing tool, so be sure to let your satisfied customers know that you’re always looking for new business.

Useful Handyman Apps and Software

Using certain apps and software can help you streamline your business. When you tender for new projects, you can pinpoint the actual costs when you opt for the software option for construction estimating. This tool allows you to add material and labor costs and customer payment schedules. In addition, estimates can be sent directly from the job site, and automated email reminders can be sent if estimates are sent but not approved.

Be Your Own Boss

Starting a handyman business can be a great way to be your own boss and provide a needed service in your community. Research, choose a specialty, and market your business effectively to attract new clients. Utilizing helpful apps and software can also make running your business more efficient. 

For all your digital and visual design solutions, visit N77 Design.

Your website could be your business’s biggest asset in 2022. How?

55 percent of people search for online reviews and recommendations before making a purchase, reports WPForms, with 47 percent visiting the company website (for impressions and information).  Essentially, it’s a given that people will scout you out online before doing business with you. By tweaking and optimizing your website, you can put your best foot forward, make a good impression, and generally drum up more business.

Building a good website is easier said than done. Not only do you have to make it stand out, but you have to feature useful content and maybe include relevant functionality – like online purchases. In this mini-guide, N77 Design offers some critical considerations to make to create a website that can ably support present and future growth:        

Consider your present and future needs carefully 

First and foremost, consider your business needs. Your business model will determine the type of website that would best suit you. A service-based business doesn’t need e-commerce store functionality, for instance. It’s a good idea to consult with an expert when in doubt. Some top considerations: 

• Do you want an interactive site or an informational one? If it’s an interactive one (such as an online dating site), you may want to look into making a web application (or include web app functionality). 
• What kind of investment are you looking to make? DIY website builders let you make a website in 20 minutes for free, but such sites tend to be simple and don’t come with advanced features businesses need. Hiring professional developers is expensive but can get you a more suitable site.  
• How can you monetize your site? You can do this directly or indirectly. For instance, adding an e-store or using Google AdSense to make money from a niche authority blog. 
• Who is going to maintain the site? Do you have an internal team who can do it or will you need to outsource the work?

Integrate ERP and CRM systems with your site

If you’re an established business, you likely already utilize an ERP and CRM system of some kind. Integrating these systems with your site can offer multiple benefits. You can make these systems “talk” to each other, and then share that information internally with your organization and externally with your clients, customers, and site visitors. ArganoArbela sums up the benefits of this approach nicely: quoting of inventory (and prices) in real-time, a better understanding of buyer behavior, better budgeting, more sales opportunities, faster invoicing, and a personalized customer experience. 

Make sure it’s visually engaging 

Beauty can be just as important as functionality. A well-designed website makes your business appear professional, credible, and trustworthy. Furthermore, it heavily influences your visitor’s user experience. A clean design, well-thought-out menus, and clutter-free distribution are some of the hallmarks of a visually-appealing site. You can partner up with N77Design to create a stunning, beautiful site that both you and your customers will love.   

A clean design, well-thought-out menus, and clutter-free distribution are some of the hallmarks of a visually-appealing site.

Optimize your site for conversions 

Having a beautiful, useful site isn’t enough – it should be optimized for conversions. That means designing your site in a way that encourages people to do business with you. Some ways to do so are adding site search, adding CTAs, user testing, adding FAQs, adding live chat, and featuring reviews and testimonials. 

Consider the search engine friendliness 

Search engine optimization (SEO) makes your site search-engine friendly. You want to, ideally, rank up at the top of the first page for search queries related to your niche. Getting there is a long-term endeavor and requires a good SEO strategy, backed by quality content. Some suggestions are using appropriate keywords, capturing search intent, having relevant content, and creating an SEO-friendly site structure.  

Make sure to speed it up and use a good host

Speed and performance are two other factors to consider. You want your site to load fast – most visitors will abandon slow-loading sites. This means you should use a good platform (and have a team who can make necessary technical decisions). Furthermore, this also involves using an appropriate host with a powerful (and secure) server. 

Create a recovery plan to safeguard against cyber threats

Last, but not least, consider the security angle. What is a cyber threat? It’s any malicious person or thing that could cause damage to your site electronically. Sites are commonly attacked and taken down by a hacker. Even if you think it’s not going to happen to you, it’s best to be prepared. A recovery plan allows you to deal with threats decisively and also get back up and running again in the event of an attack. This plan identifies the applications that need to recover first, time objectives, and the individuals involved in the recovery efforts. 

Conclusion 

You don’t necessarily have to make a perfect site on your first attempt. All good websites are a work in progress. They improve and change, adding new features, optimizations, and design elements over time. Focus on the critical bits now and then optimize slowly. In time, your site will become a worthy representation of your company, not to mention be a big benefit to your bottom line.

Image courtesy of Unsplash

The marketing industry has changed quite a bit in the last few years, but the traditional methods of getting the word out about your product or service are still effective. From flyers to coupons to stickers, traditional marketing methods can be cheap and effective for small businesses and startups. Below is a guide from N77 Design to old marketing methods that are still effective today. 

Create Catchy Slogans

Come up with a great catchphrase for your business that makes it seem like your products and services really deliver. Today’s most popular taglines have been around for years — think Nike’s Just Do It, Dove’s Real Beauty, or Apple’s Think Different. Consider how you want people to feel when they hear your slogan, then create something clever that embodies that feeling.

Create Great Offers and Discounts

Sometimes, all it takes to motivate consumers to buy your product or service is a discount. Whether you offer a limited-time-only deal or just ways to hook new customers with attractive offers, coupons and discounts can play an essential role in getting people interested in your offering.

Ensure your discount is easy to understand. Don’t give people any reasons to be put off by your offer. You don’t want them spending unnecessary time trying to figure out how much money they need to spend or whether they qualify for additional savings. For social media, a clear message can easily be created using a Facebook ads maker, which is available online for free and can customize your offer to your liking. It’s a quick and easy way to get your message out to a huge audience.

Tools You Can Use for Basic Design

Canva is an effective tool for basic design. It’s simple to operate and completely free for personal use, with paid options available. There are plenty of other tools — it depends on what you want to create. For more complex images, it’s best to have Adobe Photoshop at your disposal. Free trial versions are available. You can also try asking at local colleges or universities if they have any programs in graphic design — many students are happy to help with designing your materials for a small fee.

Methods That Still Work

From flyers and postcards to stickers and yard signs, there’s a lot you can do in terms of marketing by physically interacting with your community. If you already have an online presence, there’s value in handing out pamphlets or including flyers with packages.

Ask for feedback from potential or present consumers on how they learned about your product or service. The responses may assist you in determining where to concentrate your marketing efforts.

Theme Vision points out that a business card is more visible than an email and gives potential consumers and clients something concrete to remember you by. Creating a personalized business card is straightforward when you use pre-made templates that you can alter with images, text, color schemes, and the typeface of your choice.

Professionals To Hire

If you’re emailing design ideas to a designer, ByteScout notes that you may want to compress JPG files to make them easier to send. Compressing a JPG file, however, can reduce image quality. Instead, utilize a JPG-to-PDF converter to maintain the image quality. This tool can also combine many JPG files into a single PDF file, eliminating the need to email multiple images.

Attract Customers

Many effective old marketing methods still work. It’s essential to know how to implement them in your marketing strategy to help you build a strong brand that attracts customers.

Do your due diligence, plan your business wisely, and reach out for guidance and advice when you need it, and you could be on the road to successful small business ownership. The N77 Design is here to offer some tips to help you along the way.

Why Start Now?

While it’s true that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closure of a number of businesses, it has also opened the door for new startups. There are many companies liquidating assets, which means you can likely buy equipment, display racks, and even inventory at reduced rates. Likewise, people who lost their jobs are now looking for new employment. Add to that the fact that business loans are available at incredibly low interest rates, and it creates an environment for starting a new business on the right foot.

Don’t feel as if you’re taking advantage of people who lost their operations. Buying out their unneeded product, inventory, and even real estate allows them to get their finances back on track so they can open up a new business when the time is right.

Look for Funding Resources

Small businesses can get startup money from a variety of sources. Perhaps you plan to bootstrap your company’s launch or seek loans from family and friends to help you get off the ground. You may also want to seek a lending institution for a small business loan, but be mindful of your personal finances. In addition to applying for a small business loan, you may be able to secure a microloan from a small business development center.

You also have the option of looking for angel investors or exploring crowdfunding. According to the Angel Capital Association, angels are individuals with a high net worth who finance promising new businesses in exchange for an equity share of the operation. Crowdfunding, on the other hand, is an online solicitation of small amounts of money from multiple individuals who are interested in supporting your business.

Make the Most of Your Money

Even when interest rates are low, it’s incumbent upon business owners to ensure they’re using their startup capital wisely. You can do this by charting out all operational functions of your business, starting with a business plan. According to the Small Business Administration, this will help you identify your target demographic, create targeted messaging strategies, and look for innovative ways to reach your market by differentiating yourself from your competition. It will also help you assess operational and management functions, including hiring.

Write out job descriptions before posting job openings, and look for people who have the skills and qualifications you need to help you grow your company. If you don’t need full-time staffers right away, consider utilizing freelancers and independent contractors in the interim.

Operating Your Company

To successfully get your business up and running, you’ll need to have some key strategies in place. If you’re operating from a home base, you want to make sure you have the appropriate office equipment and space, especially if you’re planning to see clients or customers on-site.

If you’re operating a storefront, Insureon notes you’ll need appropriate degrees of insurance, based on state requirements, as well as appropriate signage and parking. In addition to developing marketing collateral, you’ll also need an interactive website and a robust social media presence to help attract your first customers.

Launching a business is an exciting process, even more so on the heels of a pandemic. Planning your strategy is the first step, and providing superior levels of product and service is the second. Continually revisit your business and marketing strategy to ensure you’re staying on track with your goals and objectives.

This article is brought to you by N77 Design, providing digital and visual design solutions that invoke and inspire. For more information about our services, contact us today!

Starting a business is compelling in the best of times. You get to make your own hours, pursue your passion, and follow your dreams. And if you’re a senior entrepreneur, you know that entrepreneurship is a rewarding path – despite the hours, it’s an excellent strategy to get more work years in before retirement. But if you’ve been at the business game for a while, with no real results to show for it, chances are that you need to boost your marketing efforts. Here, we break down critical marketing advice for success.

Do Your Research

To market successfully, you need to be fully in tune with the needs of your potential customers. Scope out the market by researching current customer behavior, likes, and dislikes. Platforms like Reddit and Twitter or community sites like Facebook or LinkedIn are great for seeing how customers are responding to the efforts of your competitors and how engaged they are. You can then use this as a metric and build your marketing efforts on top of that. This will help you get results more quickly, instead of a ‘shot in the dark’ approach where you’re testing out multiple strategies without prior research.

Networking

Over 85% of professionals report networking as being critical to success, according to LinkedIn. As a senior, you likely have years of contacts built up from various jobs and careers. Utilize these contacts to the fullest, even if they work in a different industry to yours. The best way to do this is slowly building relationships – touch base every couple of months, offer your help or services, and generally check-in. It’s important to stress that the objective shouldn’t be a favor or service – instead, approach networking as an activity you undertake to get to know someone. Once trust is established, you can explore the possibility of working together.

Referrals

Every entrepreneur knows that loyalty is vital in the business landscape. Loyal customers will purchase products or services from you repeatedly, choosing your business if they genuinely love it. In addition, loyalty generates word-of-mouth spread, as customers will tell their friends to try this business they adore. This simple chain reaction of referrals is a critical tool in marketing as it generates organic spread and traffic. And you can hasten the (often slow) referral process too.

Some low-cost and easy ways to create referrals for your business include offering small discounts or freebies for every referral and offering rewards or loyalty points for each referral. You can also hand out business cards that customers can give to friends and family. It’s easy to create an eye-catching business card when you utilize an online business card maker. This tool provides pre-made templates that you can customize by adding your own images, text, colors, and font.

You can utilize referrals in both the online and in-person space. Just be sure to follow up on leads immediately so that you’re capitalizing when you’re top of mind.

Create Valuable Content

Senior entrepreneurs often opt for more old-school approaches to marketing, such as flyers or door-to-door sales. But as we live in a digital world now, it’s time to adapt to the idea of content marketing. While it may seem like a no-brainer, you need to provide value to your clientele in various ways. This can be done through blogs, tutorials, videos, posts, and more. Whether it’s a how-to on using one of your products or sharing trends within your industry, every business needs a consistent content schedule. The idea here is that you provide value but also insert a plug into your services. This can be done through a ‘click to learn more’ button or a hyperlink redirecting the reader to your product page.

Invest in SEO

Search engine optimization can increase your organic traffic by 106%, Accent Interactive reports. A good grasp of SEO will be critical to ensure you rank well on Google, generate traffic and leads, and optimize your conversions. It will also ensure you get noticed in your local business landscape and help clients find you easily. However, SEO is a murky world, with constantly changing algorithms, rules, and guidelines.

Instead of eschewing SEO for this reason (as most senior entrepreneurs do), try to invest in this critical tool. If you’re working with a low budget, look up online resources to educate yourself on the basic principles and start implementing them. It’s also a good idea to include your business name, location, and phone number on each page of your website.

But if you have some wiggle room in the marketing budget, we highly suggest working with social media specialists or agencies. They will help run all your socials with a clear strategic vision, not to mention implement SEO on all your channels. Some might help with content creation too! SEO is the tool every entrepreneur needs for exponential return on investment, so be sure not to miss out.

Track Results

You will likely have multiple marketing strategies on the go simultaneously. How will you know which ones are paying off and which ones aren’t without properly tracking them? Every business is different, and it can be tricky to ascertain your various marketing experiments. That’s why it’s critical to keep figuring out what works while tracking. Be sure to create a spreadsheet to measure all your marketing efforts to create a cohesive system you can look back on. Investing in a robust CRM and marketing automation system will help with this as well. Tracking results allows you to play with the iterative process and layer different strategies for the best results. The best part is, you’ll be able to look back many years down the line and see what you started with!

The older you get, the greater your chance for business success. After all, you have years of experience, networking, and strategies under your belt. However, in all your know-how, don’t neglect your marketing efforts. They’re crucial to getting your brand discovered and building your empire!

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