All posts by Steven

Local BrandingPersonal Branding

Simple Ways to Make the Workplace More Enjoyable

If you do what you love, you won’t work a day in your life. While many of us don’t have the luxury of doing exactly what we always wanted to do for a living, there are still things we can do to make the workplace more fun and engaging.

Recent studies show that only ten percent of us enjoy the thought of going to work each day; that means for every 100 people you pass on their morning commute, only 10 of them feel optimistic and fulfilled about what they are offering society.

Whether you are a boss or merely a cog in the wheel, there are some things you can do to spice up your workplace climate and make your 9 to 5 more fun for everyone. Follow these tips for workplace fun and frivolity:

1. Give decorative license

Allow employees to spruce up their work quarters with personal items—photos, decorations, plants, and even paint–to make it seem warmer and more inviting. At certain times of the year, you could also have a decorating contest to see who can get the most creative with their space. Play it up, have fun, and create a work environment that feels more like home.

2. Serve up some snacks!

Who doesn’t work better on a full stomach? Serving up some healthy snacks and providing iced coffee in the break room is a great way to develop a sense of community while boosting productivity. Who knows? That extra caffeine might even get you through till lunchtime!

3. Throw a party

You spend enough time with your co-workers; why not celebrate some of life’s special moments with them as well? Birthdays, wedding and baby showers, and holiday office parties are just some of the ways you can add some fun and celebration to your otherwise routine days. Want to surprise everyone? Bring in some barbecue for lunch on a Friday for an excellent way to kick off the weekend. You don’t have to have an excuse to gather and enjoy each other; get fun and creative with how you spend those leisurely moments, and they may be the beginning of some solid friendships.

4. Improve office mechanics

Having to work in an environment that is too cold, too hot, or with poor lighting and poorly designed office equipment can make work duties drag on forever. Doing what you can to make the workplace more comfortable and efficient will increase productivity and improve morale; happy, comfortable workers are productive workers! Adjust the thermostat, improve lighting, and ensure that office furniture is ergonomically correct, and you’ll reduce the physical and mental strain that leads to burnout.

5. Design and promote incentives

Do you have to fulfill a quota in your line of work? Do you have a goal or a mission statement you need to realize? What better way to create more drive and initiative than by putting some incentive in place for meeting those goals. All can work toward a common purpose like making more money or maybe reducing your office waste as close to zero as possible. You could also choose to reward individuals for their achievements; recognizing others for their hard work will inspire all to do better.

The sky’s the limit

A little innovation and creativity are all that stand in your way of creating a fun and inviting atmosphere for all employees to partake in; work doesn’t have to be drudgery, nor should it be. Following some of these suggestions for improving working conditions will create happier, healthier employees, one initiative at a time.

Local BrandingPersonal Branding

Making Lean Business Part of Your Brand

While you may have heard people use the word lean when referring to business models, its meaning may not be clear. As the name implies, lean methodology aims to eliminate unnecessary business elements, while retaining the essentials necessary for business growth and customer satisfaction.

What Is a Lean Business Model?

A lean business model is one that focuses on implementing processes and making continuous improvements to achieve optimum business efficiency. Lean business models accomplish this by removing or changing ineffective practices and unprofitable products while assessing and improving team productivity.

Through correct implementation, most businesses, particularly start-ups, can benefit immensely from adopting thriftiness and optimization. Recognizing the value of buying used office printers versus new, and other situations where cutting costs makes sense is something a company should be proud of.

How Organizations Can Implement Lean Business Models

Arguably, the biggest challenge most businesses face when implementing lean business models is ensuring that new models and processes do not negatively affect customers. While removing or changing certain products or teams may appear profitable, the move could impact a sizable chunk of the customer base either immediately or in the future.

Therefore, during lean implementation, businesses should analyze their start-to-finish processes of building products and services and delivering them to customers. This analysis should highlight areas of the process businesses can cut or streamline without negatively affecting the delivery stage. If such areas are present, then they should be the focus of the team responsible for lean implementation.

Benefits of Lean Business Models

I.Ease of Implementation

Even without going entirely lean, businesses can introduce elements of lean models via small continuous improvements throughout the organization. This enlightens all members of the organization to perceive lean as an essential attribute.

For instance, Gazprom Energy uses the acronym TIM WOODS to target eight kinds of waste, i.e., transport, inventory, motion, waiting, over-processing, over-production, defects, and skills. This acronym enables Gazprom Energy to remain mindful of various wastes that fall into these categories, along with potential ways to eliminate them throughout the workplace.

II.Engaged Employees

Through lean business models, employees can appreciate the value they offer to the broader team, hence fostering increased participation and engaging the attention. For instance, by adopting lean manufacturing, Nike reduced its waste, increased customer value, and eliminated bad labor practices by as much as 15% in its overseas manufacturing plant.

III.Continuous Growth

Businesses that follow lean methodology function and current manufacturing trends almost holistically, since they focus on the essentials. This implies that a lean methodology helps a business shine a well-rounded spotlight. Employees responsible for the quality of output and business effectiveness think proactively to identify and eliminate elements that do not add any value to the work.

IV.Improved Leadership Skills

From shift supervisors to mid-level managers and even top-level directors, lean methodology encourages a more proactive managerial approach. Things like 1 on 1 time with employees to address concerns in addition to fun and free for all activities like icebreakers can help leadership and the employees develop a stronger bond. 

Following a lean business model, managers at all levels will identify how to make their part of the business more effective to achieve greater efficiency, profitability, and quality throughout the organization.

Conclusion

Lean entails promoting simple, yet highly effective practices at each stage of the start-to-finish process and all levels of the business. By properly implementing a lean business model, you can reduce wastes on time and other resources, while improving KPIs(Key Performance Indicators) and your business’s responsiveness to opportunities.

Digital Branding

Top Sales Tools in 2020 for Online Businesses

Selling used to be a completely human activity. Today, in the digital age, we’re seeing a new world of online sales that’s leaving businesses scrambling to keep up. Succeeding in online sales takes more than just the right copy or the best price. 

You need to know how to balance humanity and technology. These tools make it easy for you to streamline your online selling so you can grow your business in 2018! Keep reading for the best tools to try now for your online business!

1. Social Media Marketing tool Hootsuite

Social media marketing isn’t optional anymore. If you’re running an online business, you need to be active on social media. Whether you’re sharing promotions, updates, or a constant stream of content. Even if you have a dedicated social media coordinator, Hootsuite streamlines publishing and provides valuable analytics so you can see greater growth across platforms. By integrating with your top social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and more, Hootsuite lets you plan your posts in advance and schedules them for you at the optimum times!

2. Parserr for Email Marketing Success 

Running a business calls for strong email marketing. If you aren’t using quality, real emails, you’re better off skipping your email marketing altogether. With Parserr, you can extract information from emails automatically. This gives you more time to spend building campaigns without having to worry about getting the right information. Your emails go from just emails to leads, and you can even integrate with your favorite marketing programs. 

3. Leadpages for Converting Traffic

Landing pages are changing the world of marketing and sales. Instead of driving prospective clients or customers to your website which can have an overwhelming amount of information, you can direct them to a landing page with targeted calls to action. With over 70 templates you can customize for conversion, Leadpages it the leading platform for building landing pages that build your customer base. You can easily configure Leadpages with your Facebook marketing strategy or even your own website to create custom, highly-successful sales pages!

 

4. Basecamp for Project Management

Project management is a big part of any online business. Even if you’re just working with a small team, it’s important to keep everything organized and clear. Basecamp puts everything together in one place. You can manage large projects, communicate with remote workers or clients, and set clear deadlines all through one clear platform. Learning more about the cost of these services, like BaseCamp pricing, would be good advice. Its simple, no-nonsense design makes it easy to use, and it’s trusted by millions around the globe already! 

5. airSlate For Document Generation

Your sales team will need many documents throughout their sales cycle. If you need to connect document templates to single or multiple data sources using no-code for document generation, airSlate bots are a great option. Generate modifiable documents or PDFs with fillable fields. Redline, comment and track changes until a document is ready for e-signing.

Building Your Business with the Best Tools!

When you’re building your online business, you can’t do everything on your own! You need to be open to using the best tools that help you along the way! Most importantly, these tools free you to be a better business owner since you can spend more time on the things that matter most. 

Bring humanity back into your sales by streamlining your strategy. The best way to compete in this competitive industry is to focus on the customer experience and how you can better serve your customers. That might mean bringing them the best products and services to their social media channels where they can find you. It might also mean having a secure email strategy for warming up prospective clients. No matter what tools you decide to use, be proactive to see your business grow! 

Legal Branding

4 Scenarios When You Can File a Wrongful Death Claim

The passing on of a loved one is usually a painful and devastating experience. It could be more challenging if it was caused by negligence. In law, this is known as wrongful death. If you have lost your loved one due to negligence, then you have the right to file a wrongful death claim. But, how do you tell that your case against the defendant is objective and robust enough to warrant legal action? Let us look at some case scenarios when you can file a lawsuit for the wrongful death of your loved one.

If a negligent driver killed the deceased

For starters, you can file a lawsuit against a negligent driver who caused the death of your loved one. For example, if the driver was texting while driving or drunk-driving and ended up causing a fatal accident, then this may warrant legal action. According to expert car accident lawyers at Greenwald Law Firm, proper investigations can be carried out to ascertain that indeed the driver was drunk and the fatality could have been avoided. And if you could accumulate sufficient pieces of evidence, you stand a better chance at winning the case. Apart from drunk driving or DUI, there are several other possible reasons which may lead to the wrongful death of your friend or loved ones. For example, jumping signals, overspeeding, and missing on car maintenance are also some of the common reasons found to be responsible for causing fatal accidents. That being said, it is noteworthy that only an experienced lawyer can help you understand the gravity of the crime and what you should expect in compensation from the defendant.

If a product malfunction caused the death

The law stipulates that product manufacturers ought to ensure that their products are safe from defects that can cause injuries or fatalities. In other words, you can seek justice for your loved one over unexpected death cases caused by a defective product this is the case when you need an attorney that handles wrongful death cases. Most wrongful death lawsuits are filed if the deceased was killed by defective products such as:

  • Auto-parts, including malfunctioning tires, brakes, etc.
  • Sporting gear
  • Industrial machines
  • Medical devices, e.g. cardiac pumps and defibrillators.
  • Food products

Frankly, any product can malfunction seriously enough, causing injuries and death. You can speak to an attorney if you suspect that any product might have contributed to the death of your loved one. Notably, when filing for a wrongful death claim due to product malfunctioning, you will need to ensure that the manufacturer did not warn or state the possibility of accidents. For this reason, even laws mandate it for the manufacturers to clearly mention the precautions and usage guidelines for the users.

If the deceased slipped and fell in unsafe property

Each year, thousands of people get injured and killed from slipping and falling on a floor, stairs, or other unsafe spots in buildings. If your loved one was injured in a slip and fall accident, which led to their death, you can also seek justice! Try to find out if the accident could have been avoided if the property owner was more careful.

For example, property owners have to ensure that swimming pools are safe for children. They should do so by securely covering by a fence to prevent children from using them unattended. If any property owner fails at that duty, and it leads to the death of your loved one, then they can be held accountable and liable.

If there was a breach of duty of care

You can also file a wrongful death legal case if you believe that a party owed a duty of care to your beloved one. For example, a doctor owes a duty of care to the patient by prescribing the right medication and using the right treatment procedures. In case the doctor is involved in medical malpractice such as misdiagnosis, which led to the death of your loved one, you can swiftly file a lawsuit implicating the doctor and healthcare facility.

Final thoughts

The death of a loved one brings pain, especially if it would have been prevented. And surprisingly, in many countries such acts of negligence are comparable to intentional killing. After all, if there are safer practices that can be followed than they must be followed. Find out the cause and determine if you can file a lawsuit to seek justice for your loved one. You can speak to a skilled attorney to help you seek compensation for wrongful death.

Local BrandingPersonal Branding

Breaking the Myth of the Modern Concept of Working Mothers

Working mum, the modern phenomena that started in earnest in the 1970s – wrong!  For the vast majority of human existence, working mothers have been the norm.  Especially as up until recent times, the work that women do in the home was not segregated from the concept of ‘work’.  For most of human history, work was about survival and women’s contribution to that survival was of equal significance to that of men, and they nearly always did it with children in tow.

In fact, a recent study of contemporary hunter gatherer tribes indicates that men and women have equal influence on the important decisions impacting the group.  As these tribes emulate what life would have been like for us all in the Palaeolithic to early Neolithic eras, then the findings challenge the idea that the notion of sexual equality is modern – rather it has been the norm for most of human evolutionary history.  In fact, early human existence was probably more egalitarian than we have managed to achieve today.  It would appear that the inequality between the sexes that still persists emerged when we moved from hunter gathering to farming – when people started to accumulate possessions – including specifically owned tribal land, this was the dawn of inequality.

For most of recorded history, agriculture was the chief human occupation, and heavy physical labor was not confined to men. Women in today’s agrarian societies that have changed little since ancient times, still perform physically demanding jobs such as grinding grain by hand, drawing and carrying water and gathered wood (often over considerable distances), as well as churning milk to make butter. Toiling in the fields with primitive equipment is back breaking work, undertaken by both men and women, the women often with babies strapped to their backs.

As more and more people left their nomadic life and became settled, we know from evolving archaeological information and the study of historical writings that across the globe, women/ mothers in these emerging cultures played a variety of roles: artist, agriculturalist, nurse, healer, midwife, judge, priestess, weaver, queen, leader, merchant, laborer, warrior, holy woman, and more.

In the earliest civilizations (e.g. Sumeria and Egypt), whilst women were not as equal as their hunter gatherer forebears, there were no legal restrictions on their economic activity, they could own property, run businesses, become priestesses, scribes, physicians and act as judges and witnesses in courts. However, as these and other cultures grew in wealth and power and as it became increasingly necessary to defend what they had, as they could no longer move on when challenged by a stronger tribe, a strong warrior/ patriarchal society formed, which gradually eroded the rights of women.  By the time of the Greeks and Romans in Western history, women were second class citizens and the chattels of the men in their lives.  However, women from the lower orders still needed to work hard both inside and outside the home.

In the Middle Ages in Europe, women spun wool, cooked and cleaned, washed clothes, baked bread, milked cows, fed animals, brewed beer and collected firewood.  At that time many women were spinners, brewers, jewelers, parchment makers and glovers.  In rural communities, women worked alongside their men in the fields and in towns they helped their husbands in their businesses.  Often if a man died, his widow would carry on his trade and aristocratic women managed their husband’s estates during their absences.

It was the Industrial Revolution that changed work forever.  The home had been the center of work, production and family life; industrialization meant that work moved from home to factory.  The role of women did not change overnight however, records suggest that women’s employment in the 1850s, 60s and 70s was higher than any recorded again until after World War II.  Evidence suggests that 30 to 40 per cent of women from working class families, made a significant financial contribution to household income at that time.  This was before State and Trade Union rules were brought in to regulating female labor, ultimately supporting the ideal of the male ‘breadwinner’, a concept that persisted well into the 20th century.

It was social and economic developments that precipitated the change in women’s work.  The growth of education increased the demand for more teachers and the need for more office workers and salespeople (particularly in retail) was growing, providing more opportunities for women, especially as they could be hired on lower salaries than men.  However, for married women many of these roles were unavailable, as numerous employers maintained a legal marriage bar (a ban on working after marriage), especially in ‘white collar’ work.  Even after national emergencies such as the World Wars, when women took on manufacturing jobs to replace men on military service, women were ultimately forced back to housekeeping or traditionally female roles.  

Significant change did not happen again until the 1970s when a surge in married women entering the workforce occurred and is still ongoing. Today, the equality landscape is so different from what our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers experienced; however, we clearly have a long way to go before we get back to the equality experienced by our Palaeolithic to Neolithic ancestors.

cleaning air ducts with vacuum
Local Branding

Reasons For Air Duct Cleaning

There are so many contaminants in the air around you in your house that you have no idea. There are people who are sensitive to these contaminants, especially allergies, but they don’t think that it all exists around them in their own house. This is where the need to clean the air duct system in your house arises. When you get the system cleaned, the effect of both dust and mold reduces to a whole other level. On the other hand, it’s important for all of us to breathe in cleaner air, right? Well, if you are here, then it seems like even you are thinking about opting for an air duct cleaning service. It’s just that you aren’t sure and want more convincing reasons that explain why it’s a worthy investment.

For now, we’ve established one thing quite well that air duct cleaning is of great importance, and you should look for a service provider as soon as possible. You can find one easily just using the internet as there are going to be several companies around you in the town for it.

Why Opt For Air Duct Cleaning?

However, before you make that move, it’s important to first know the main reasons why you should opt for air duct cleaning.

woman sneezing and covering mouth

Image by Mojca J from Pixabay

1- Allergies

If you or someone in your house is sensitive to allergens and contaminants in the air, then you shouldn’t wait at all to get your air duct system inspected as soon as possible. Especially the children are at a higher risk of developing allergies and conditions like asthma, which is why you should get the system cleaned. You never know if someone in your house is vulnerable to a point where he falls victim to a dangerous condition, and this alone is enough reason to look for a service provider around. Hiring a professional San Antonio house cleaning company, or a company wherever you are based, is convenient and will save you a lot of time.Mold n the air

2- Mold

Most people have air duct systems installed in their basements, and can get wet or damp due to rain or flood, which creates the ideal environment for mold to grow. After cleaning the duct, an antimicrobial should be fogged so that mold doesn’t grow in your house. If you do care about the air in which you breathe, and if you don’t want mold to grow in your house, then you  have no option other than to opt for an anti-microbial spray in the duct system.

3- Dust

Have you ever been frustrated because one day you clean the dust in the house and the next day, you find it there again? If the answer is “yes, this does happen with you,” then know that there’s something wrong with the ductwork, and it has to be cleaned. Especially if it’s a new home, this problem is common due to the construction debris and drywall dust. If you are the owner of the new house, just get the duct system inspected and cleaned to get rid of this problem.

Pets can trigger allergens

Omage by huoadg5888 from Pixabay

4- Pets

Got pets? If yes, then it’s obvious that the air duct system in your house has animal hair and fur stuck, which gives birth to bacteria and germs. People with allergies should be extremely careful because the bacteria produced from the fur can cause a reaction. Not just this, but if there are clumps of hair stuck in the ductways, you won’t have proper airflow around the house.

cleaning air ducts with vacuum

Image form https://www.ecoairductcleancosprings.com/

Conclusion

These are some basic reasons that explain why you should get the air duct system in your house cleaned. The point of explaining it all here is that this definitely is a worthy investment, and you shouldn’t think twice about seeking professional help. It’s a must for every homeowner to get this problem fixed and clean up the air around them.

development
Digital Branding

Importance Of Website Development Review

As a company involved in website development, it is very crucial to know what your customers are saying about your websites. It is pivotal for your web development business to know if your website is meeting their needs and expectations.

Website development reviews are highly crucial in some respects. So as the owner of your web development company, it is essential for you to check each and review posted on your webpage. Also, check about your client’s reviews on other reviews websites such as Quora and Reddit and Supple Reviews.  

Website development is the work that goes on at the back such that a seamless website runs on the front. Coding is an important part of web development and basically a web developer’s job. Every feature and functionality on a website is ultimately coded and determines how fast the website will perform, what tasks could be done, and things like that.  

web-development

So Here’s How Website Development Reviews Are Important For Your Company

Negative Reviews: Determining The Root Cause Of Customer Dissatisfaction

Dealing with negative reviews is a skill. It could be that you have not been able to meet the needs and develop the website as per the priorities of your customer.

But the way you deal with this customer is the key to your company’s growth. Don’t believe it? Here how it works-

A dissatisfied client will be angry and might even leave your company to join another website development company. But if you have read all his website development reviews properly, you can find out what needs to be done to retain this client.

review

Here’s What You Should Do-

Prompt Answering On How You Wish To Deal With The Issue

First, be prompt in your reply and assure the customer that you will look into the website issues on a priority basis. Find out the issues and fix them as soon as possible and deliver it back to the client.

You Get To Stay Updated:

One of the reasons that you must check the website development review of your work is because it helps you know whether you are using contemporary platforms and coding or not. Reviews from an unsatisfied client give you an idea of whether you are using technologies and coding processes that is outdated. Since technology is evolving each day, you need to be in touch with the latest coding platforms, programming techniques, and the syntax of the programming languages.

If you have come across too many negative website development reviews on your website, then you must consider changing your coding principles, processes, and platforms. Check out what your rival companies are using for developing websites.

development

Is Your Website Development Process Redundant?

Sometimes the problem with your website development may lie in your webs development process. If you carefully analyze the Supple website development reviews, you might get the clue there only. With better technologies and coding platforms, most companies are using the agile methodology for developing websites from scratch. Are you using it? Are you still using the traditional waterfall model of website development? If yes, then consider adapting to newer web development processes immediately for better web development.  

Is Your Customer Complaining About The Charges On Web Development? How To Deal With It?

Charges can be a major issue for customer complaints. If this is the cause, then you will be clearly able to identify it form the reviews the customers have posted on the website. Review your pricing strategy in case this is the major point in a lot of customer reviews.

Final Say

Website development reviews are crucial for your overall website development. They give you important clues to the areas where you are lacking. Carefully analyze each review and assure your clients that the problems will be resolved in a quick time.

Legal BrandingLocal BrandingPersonal Branding

Why It’s Better to Work for a Startup

Startups have become all the rage in the tech world. Still, across almost every business sector, you can find new, up and coming startup companies shaking up their industries. Startup culture is trendy, but if you peel back the outer layers, you’ll find that startups are fundamentally changing the way people work. While more established and traditional workplaces come with their own rewards, startups offer plenty of perks for job seekers willing to make the change. Here are some ways working for a startup can change your work life for the better.

1. Upward Mobility

While there is always some opportunity for advancement in more traditional settings, the startup’s nature is that they are continually growing. Getting in on the ground floor of a successful startup means that you’ll have far more opportunities to improve your bottom line. Beyond the basic idea that being involved from the earliest days of the company means you’re more likely to get a promotion, you’re also more likely to be in a position to expand your portfolio of skills. Employees at a younger company often wear many hats. Adding a versatile range of skills to your resume is always a good idea.

2. Office Culture

Startups are widely known for having a more open and engaging office culture than their more well-established counterparts. In some offices, that could mean more flexibility in working hours. Research shows that employees who have more flexibility with their work time are happier and more productive. At a startup, it’s much more likely that you will be able to set the work schedule that works for you.

Beyond the schedule flexibility, working for a startup most likely means you won’t find yourself drudging away in a sea of cubicles. For one, you’re more likely to get a sit-stand desk, allowing you to maintain a better and healthier posture. Getting up and getting moving is crucial at work. An open office space with a sit-stand desk and expanded recreation space are tremendously beneficial for health and productivity.

3. Wages and Benefits

Startup culture is, generally speaking, driven by data. While that can sometimes sound like corporate fluff, what it means for employees is that you’re more likely to have better wages and dental. There are two reasons for this. The first is that startups are often competing in aggressive job markets for candidates with in-demand skills. Sweetening the deal with better wages and benefits only makes sense in that scenario. 

The other reason is somewhat more complicated. Startups know that younger and more tech-savvy workers are more likely to have the skills they need. The employees in that demographic care less about the stability of a long career and more about happiness and comfort. Today’s workers are more likely to eschew the incentives of the old corporate world in favor of a wages and benefits package that maximizes paid time off, quality healthcare, and other fringe benefits like gym memberships. Startups know what these workers want and are more likely to give it to them.

4. Social Benefit

In the same way that the workers of the new economy are looking for comfort at work, they’re also looking for workplaces and occupations that allow them to affect social good. Whether you’re looking to help people in need or do your part to stop climate change, startups are more likely to solve these problems than traditional companies. Beyond the core work mission, startups are also typically heavily involved in charitable giving, especially in the fields they’re working in and the cities where they’re located.

5. Location

While the corporate office parks of yesteryear are more likely to be located in hard to reach and expensive suburbs, startups are much more likely to be in locations that are more desirable to the next generation of employees. Startups know that today’s workers want to live in work in places with vibrant social life, quick access to amenities, and proximity to public transit. Startups have the flexibility to choose and, if necessary, change locations to meet the needs of their mission and workforce far more efficiently than traditional companies.

Working for a startup comes with many great benefits that you won’t find in the traditional corporate world. If any of these perks are what you’re looking for in your next workplace, it may be time to consider going to work at a startup. You never know if the startup of today will be the business giant of tomorrow.

Connecting with customers
Digital Branding

Ways To Increase Your Brand’s Trust Online

To thrive within the immense competition of the market, a business needs to find a way to be a recognizable brand. Today’s consumers can easily do research online and compare one brand over another before they make a purchase decision. Consumers tend to make a comparison on the prices offered by different brands and see online reviews before they choose to buy a product. As there are a lot of options available for consumers today, building trust becomes important for businesses. Trust is a strong foundation for a brand to maintain positive customer relationships and will help a brand to get repeat customers and boost the profitability. Customers’ trust has a big impact on your business and it is essential to make it one of the main objectives of your online marketing strategy. So the question is: how do we build and increase brand trust online and win a consumer’s heart?

 

customer standing in front of globe

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Here are some ways to build brand trust online as recommended by Algo Sea Biz (a digital agency).

Improve your website design

A website’s design is one of the important aspects that can influence customers in making a decision. A poorly organized website will cause consumers to have a bad impression on your business. A website with a slow loading speed is an inconvenience for consumers and it has a huge impact on a customer’s purchasing decision. As people can easily judge whether your business is trustworthy or not by your website, it is important to ensure that you have a professional and well-organized site. Make sure it has easy navigation so your online customers can easily discover and buy the products they need. Stay transparent and provide accurate, up to date information on your site. It is essential to check your website regularly and organize it well so your website has a good site speed, a good design, and also mobile-friendly. These endeavors will give consumers a great experience which builds trust.

Always give valuable content

When it comes to digital marketing, content is an important aspect in leading a business toward a successful campaign. Quality content has a huge impact for your business, and it is important to ensure that you provide quality and valuable content on the customer’s touching points whether it’s on your blog, website, or social media channels. Providing reliable and insightful content to your audience helps to nurture your brand trust.

Connecting with customers

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Everyday consumers are bombarded by advertisements of various products online. Providing informative content such as articles, infographics, and informational videos on your website and social media can help them to break through the noises. While you provide informative content, you can still deliver your brand messages and do promotion about your products. When you post your content, ensure it to be original, up to date, and most importantly, relevant to your audience. It will show that you bring value to the table and you actually care for them. Valuable content boosts the credibility of your brand in front of customers and eventually builds trust.

The importance of a two-way communication

Today’s consumers love to engage with brands, and this is one of the important factors in building trust and strong relationships with them. The way your brand communicates has a huge impact on this matter. Social media is a place where you can create good communication and connect with consumers today.

Social media channels allow businesses to communicate personally with consumers and keep them engaged. Having a good conversation with your customers helps you to understand how they perceive your brand; you can then offer solutions to help them. As a result, customer s tend to be more satisfied, which can affect the progress of generating more leads. Two-way communication also helps businesses to identify customer expectations. You can find out their concerns while interacting with your brand so you can find a way to cater to those concerns and then improve their experience.

social media icons

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Conversation also helps your business to measure what the next step is to take place in your strategy helping retain the customer as you understand what they need. Two-way communication helps you to ‘listen’ and shows your customers that your business cares about their concerns on a human level. And then, when consumers are satisfied, it will create a positive reputation for your brand and ultimately establish a loyal community.

As we have found out, building brand trust online is very beneficial for your business, it is also good to make it a priority. On the top of it all, the key to earn a customer’s trust is showing that you keep them in mind and respect them. Once brand trust is built, it will maintain a long-lasting relationship between a brand and the customers.

Digital Branding

10 Tips To Help You Create An Awesome Email Signature (With Examples)

For email marketers, every element present in an email is bankable!

From the subject line to the body text through the email signature, one can optimize every single aspect of an email to trigger actions. While email subject lines are designed to grab attention, the CTA buttons are to set off desired actions, and similarly, a simple looking sig line can be used to accomplish small as well as large marketing goals.

If you’re signing off your marketing email with mere ‘best regards’, you’re missing out on some great marketing exposure. Today we’re going to talk about email signature tips that are thoughtful and actionable. Let’s get started…

1. Brand affiliation and contact information

Irrespective of how old or new your email contact is, putting in information about your organization, job title, or the brand you are associated with is imperative. Your name should definitely be the first signature element that goes there but closing it with the brand name or even a logo can portray a more sophisticated POV to the readers who see it.

Apart from that, secondary contact information is something you should have a practice of mentioning. If you don’t want to give out your personal contact number, a company website or an extension number can also do the trick.

Examples

2. Play with colors but maintain consistency

Playing with colors in your fonts, background, or imagery is a good practice to leave a lasting impression, but never go overboard with random palettes. Choose the ones which represent your brand persona and stick with it.

Example

(Source: WiseStamp)

3. The design ladder

Whether you go for a vertical email signature design or a horizontal one, the hierarchy of the elements present should not hinder the view of a reader. The design should go like the name – larger font, designation – medium font, brand – logo or website link, and so on. It differs from industry to industry or even sender to sender, but making sure the credible information is placed correctly is vital.

Example

4. Utilize signatures to trigger actions

CTAs in emails are essential, but if you want to utilize the signature space to notify something new or relevant to the reader, you can use links and CTAs in email signatures as well. Again, when you are using this space which is not a sales deck, don’t try to be pushy about the call to action. Remember, email signatures are not your primary source of conversions.

Example

5. Linking Social Profiles

While this is the fifth point in our post, you can find social media icons in almost every example that we have shared! Social media pages are important and having a credible social profile says a lot about you. 71% of consumers who have had good social media service experience from a brand, recommend it to others. Thus, having an active social media profile can work wonders for you. While you’re signing off in an email, you can put up quick links to your social profiles for the readers to easily click on them.

Example

6. The use of dividers

When designing an email signature, you want to add as many relevant elements as possible such as the secondary contact, website, social profiles, images, and more. Now when this is the scenario, the wise implementation of dividers helps you create a clutter-free design. All in all, the elements should not overlay any other information present while giving each of the significant attention.

Example

(Source: WiseStamp)

7. Make it engaging

When we say keep it engaging, it doesn’t stop with an appealing design, but also comes with a few cues that make it click-worthy! Simply putting in icons and links is expected from every marketer, what you can do differently is providing appointment booking links and calls-to-action. Share a personalized meeting link that automatically lets the user to book a slot.

Example

8. Follow the trends

You should revamp your email signatures from time to time with the latest information or a new format. Just like email template design trends, email signature trends also evolve. One such noteworthy trend is to add moving objects or GIFs in your email signature. There are numerous aspects you should keep in mind while adding something like this due to visibility criteria, screen size variations, email client support, and more, but there’s nothing wrong in employing them with precautions.

Example

(Source: WiseStamp)

9. Mobile optimization

Just like HTML emails, the signatures in them also require special compliance for different email clients. For instance, a signature that’s a GIF might have support for Gmail, but won’t render in Outlook. Similarly, with screen size and resolution support mechanisms, different email signatures work differently depending upon the device. The future is mobile, and if you are not designing responsive email templates (including signatures) you are toying with user experience. Emails with display disruptions get deleted within 3 seconds and if you do not wish to fall under the deleted emails category, it’s time you go mobile while designing an email.

Example

(Source: WiseStamp)

10. Test, and test some more

We are aware of the traceable email CTAs and other aspects that we generally analyze in an email. You can take help from the heatmaps to determine where people are focusing or clicking in your signature. Try sending test emails with distinct signatures and measure the performance. You can instill any or all of the above-mentioned tips while you test and choose once the results are out.

Extra Byte

Where your email recipients are situated, is a very crucial piece of information. If you’re catering to a global audience, you can set up an email signature that is general and can be helpful to anyone reading it. But, if you’re sending location-based emails, keep the business laws in mind. For instance, as per the Netherlands law, one has to include details like company name, registration number, registry location, registered office, and more. It is advisable to consult a legal representative to double-check your crafted email.

Conclusion

Email marketing is here to stay, and the innovations in email designs, HTML templates, and email marketplace as a whole are noteworthy. If you want your campaigns to perform, don’t leave any element of the email unattended. We hope the above-mentioned 10 email signature tips will help you create better sign-offs the next time you send an email.

 

Author bio:
Kevin George is Head of Marketing at Email Uplers, one of the fastest-growing custom email design and coding companies, and specializes in crafting professional email templates, PSD to HTML email conversion and free HTML email templates in addition to providing email automation, campaign management, and data integration & migration services. He loves gadgets, bikes, jazz and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on his blog.