Results for: business website

How To Get The Media To Notice You

Steven on August 22, 2018

Do you want more media attention for your business? Read on, here are some great ideas to do so.

1. Know What The Outlet Covers

Although most media outlets seem to cover the same publication, each outlet uses a different approach/angle for the same. For this reason, you need to identify whatever angle or approach the outlet uses in the content and news they air. It is after you have identified their ‘beat’ that you can start working on producing the same quality and matching news as theirs. You may however have to watch, read, or even listen to their broadcast severally to get the ‘beat’ right.

2. Use Email Instead Of Calling

Unless you have a burning question, always use email for media pitches instead of the phone. One of the reasons why you need to avoid calling is the fact that most calls go to voicemail. Listening to a voicemail message takes a lot longer than reading the text. It is even harder to forward the same, with most editors choosing to delete long voice messages if it isn’t direct to the point.

3. Try Reaching the Right Person

Media outlets like this have dozens of people working on different content each day. Sending your content to the wrong person means you won’t be ‘heard.’ With multiple writers and editors, you need to identify the specific person you wish to reach out to or contact. Many media outlets today have a desk software that helps route communications to the right person. All you need to do is identify the contact or use words that the software can understand to route your message to him/her.

4. Target The Outlet’s Regular/Main Feature

Take some time to learn/discover the outlet’s features, then identify where your story would fit perfectly. Most media outlets are always looking for stories and subjects to add to their features. It is after identifying the specific feature that you can schedule your story for online publication or in print. You may, however, have to follow the media outlet on Twitter to be able to see their feeds, as well as the editorial calendars to spot recurring features that may be of interest.

You, however, need to follow all instructions outlined for that specific feature to stand a chance. One of the best ways to have your business considered in the feature is by submitting the same to the right person. For instance, looking at the Contact page can give you a direct contact of the person/editor responsible for that specific feature. Sending a generic email pitch to the outlet only reduces the probability of getting to the said editor.

5. Let Your Expertise Known

Media editors receive tons of emails from people who want their businesses featured. While they cannot publish/air all these features at once, most editors save the emails for future reference/use should they need a source. For this reason, it would be advisable to send the editor an email every 3 months indicating your expertise and availability for an interview. Make your expertise known and especially the specific topic. Your business should also have an online presence where these editors can find it on Google. Journos are similar to employers, they want the right people and those that show their expertise – check out this post from nPower to see the similarities.

6. Make Yourself Available

Journalist work on tight schedules whereby they may want to call you for an interview. Make the process easy by providing your phone number and other contact details in all emails and company website. You also need to make yourself reachable and respond to any attempts to reach you on time. Returning calls and responding to requests sent makes it easier for the PR rep to reach you. You may also want to keep your phone close each time – you never know when the PR rep will call.

7. Create a Resource Center for your Media

The press/journalist may want to grab a few things about your business before running your story. These include images of your top products, black-and-white and color logo, as well as headshots of the business executives. Creating a resource center for this, and in high resolution makes it easier for the media to cover your business well. It would also be advisable to include figures and basic facts about the company, which the editor can sieve through when running the story. Making these pieces of information readily available without the editor having to contact you makes their job easier.

Digital Branding

Creating a Customer Journey Using a Marketing Automation Software

Steven on August 22, 2018

Everything in life unfolds at different stages. From physical maturity, career growth, to education. Each phase has its unique needs and should be confronted as such. It’s the same with customer journeys, there are different stages that should be dealt with accordingly. With the aid of an email marketing automation software, it’s easy to identify your customer journeys and manage them properly. A well-defined customer journey allows marketers to target and personalize their messages better. You can serve your clients better if you know what they are going through. The three common stages of customer journey are awareness, consideration and decision stages. Knowing at which stage at this journey a particular client is in will help you calibrate your marketing tactics. But how could you identify your client’s stage? The answer is marketing automation. This tool collects data, places triggers, and sends an appropriate response based on triggers. In one study, 45.9% of marketers said the marketing automation has enhanced customer experience, 37.7 % have developed quality leads and 34.9% have boosted their volume of leads. Now let’s get on to the nitty-gritty of the three stages:

The Awareness Stage

In the awareness stage, customers are not yet aware of their problems and they have not interacted with your brand yet. Your goal for this stage is to reach out to your potential customers and increase brand awareness. You must also find a way to establish communication with your potential clients. That is, by them liking your social media page, subscribing to your channel, or subscribing to your email list. To do this, you have to generate a massive amount of valuable content to reach as many people as possible. But, your effort would be useless if it doesn’t get in front of your audience. SEO is king when it comes to making sure that your message is heard. You don’t have to scavenge the World Wide Web to learn about SEO. You can use an SEO Management tool such as Linkio. Combine SEO with marketing automation to spread your message efficiently and effectively. To champion the awareness stage, create useful and attractive contents like blogs, videos, and infographics, and even create buyer personas. Ask visitors to subscribe so that you can continue nurturing them on the next stage.

Consideration Stage

At this point, the potential customers are already aware of their problems and are already aware of your brand. They are just checking out different options. Your goal is to win the trust of your customers and convince them that you are the best option. Winning trust is all about building relationships. Establish your expertise to help clients decide that your brand is a good fit for their needs. As with the first stage, marketing automation is also helpful by identifying which visitors are in this stage and sending out relevant content. Webinars, feedback from previous customers, and courses are the types of content ideal for consideration stage.

Decision Stage

During this stage, the potential clients should be ready to convert. They have recognized their problems and they have looked at all their options. They’re just one step closer to making a purchase. Your goal is to ensure that they buy your course, book, product or service. You want them to focus on that and just that. Examples of contents you can use for this stage is a free trial and a live demo. For instance, a client goes to the purchase page of your website after visiting other pages. The client will then be offered a free trial just in case he or she still has some reservations. Just in case the client leaves without making a purchase, you can still retarget the client using marketing automation. Visiting your product page is a strong indication of his or her interest in your brand. Through marketing automation, you can set triggers so that the client will still be reminded of your products even if he or she is on a different website. Automation also allows you to keep the cycle going even after the client has completed a purchase. You can keep a lifelong customer as long as you continue to provide valuable content and valuable products.

Conclusion

Awareness stage is all about reaching out to your customers. Consideration is letting them know that you’re the right fit. Decision stage is the time when they’re ready to purchase. The different stages of a customer’s journey are all important in the growth of your business. There is no one size fits all for the entire journey. Fortunately, you do not need to be manually checking on each client. Marketing automation can do that. All you have to do is lay out your plan, set it up, and let the software do the rest. You still have to generate high quality and useful contents. You need your entire mental prowess to create all these so don’t waste it on the mundane and let marketing automation do it for you.

Author Bio:

Kimberly Maceda is a Content Writer for ActiveTrail. She writes for some top online marketing sites and blogging advice on email marketing and marketing automation. The active trail is a leading provider of professional-grade email marketing and automation software for growing businesses.

Digital Branding

Brand Growth with Chatbots: How Companies can Make Use of it?

Steven on July 17, 2018

Emerging technologies have played a pivotal role in how businesses market their product or services. Companies who haven’t adopted the latest technologies with the passage of time are on the verge of being closed.

For instance, people who have relied heavily on traditional marketing after the evolution of digital marketing are being waived off. If you are one of those, now it is time to revise your marketing strategy, adopt the approaches that lead to success and reach an audience on a bigger scale.

Presently, marketing is all about interacting with the customers directly. Let’s have a look at some of the statistics revealing the dominance and future prospects of chatbots.

Chatbots have been dominant in the recent years and chatbot market revenue exceeded $250 million in 2017.
Moreover, a report published by Global Market Insights, Inc. on the chatbot market suggests that customer service is the highest contributing segment with 42.52% share. The size of chatbot is set to exceed $1.34 billion by 2024 according to Global Market Insights.
35% of consumers want to see more companies using chatbots
57% of consumers are interested in chatbots for their instantaneity. (HubSpot, 2017)
28% of top performing companies use AI for marketing (Adobe, 2018)

From the above statistics, it can be seen how seriously companies should consider chatbot development solution to stay competitive.

No matter, whether you are operating an e-commerce store or offering some kind of services, chatbots will prove to be fruitful. Let’s have a look at how chatbots can help grow your brand and engage your customers far better than ever.

Seamless Customer Support and Services Around the Clock

As a customer, you are impatient and want a solution to your problem instantly. What would you expect from a small e-commerce store, where resources are limited and the company can’t afford to hire a full-time customer sales representative. Customers are looking forward to a timely response and quick solution to their concerns.

Chatbots can offer customer support service round the clock 24/7 and 365 days a year. Simply by integrating a chatbot on your website, you can help your potential and existing customers to find answers to questions like what are the shipping charges, payment modes, and delivery time. Without waiting for a second, chatbots can answer the queries and make the process seamless, smooth and hassle-free.

According to Gartner, “Chatbots will power 85% of all customer service interactions by 2020. The average person will have more conversation with bots than with the spouse”

Buying Decision and Engaging Customers Made Easier

AI Chatbots are not only limited to one to one chat and offering solutions to the problems. They are progressing at a rapid pace, and help in recommending products or services customers might be interested in.

For instance, a buyer purchased a DVD player from an e-store. He or she might be interested in buying DVDs or a new smart HD TV. AI chatbot will recommend the products based on buyer’s interest that would ultimately lead to more sales and revenue.

In addition, chatbots can also suggest products based on customers queries. For example, a person is looking for a headphone of a specific brand but could not find it anywhere while browsing through the store; chatbots can help find the products instantly. Without any waiting or hassle of searching, customers can save time and buy the product instantly. Thus leading to the great and satisfied customer experience at the end of shopping.

Data Collection, Monitoring, and Insights

Chatbots are not only helpful in guiding customers but also support in collecting and interpreting data. Chatbots only understand what they learned from the conversation guide fed by the chatbot developer.

Collecting data has always been critical for big and small enterprises. However, not anymore because AI chatbots are adept at collecting customers data without any hassle. As soon as the customer interacts or visits the website, chatbots collect the data based on interaction and queries. With the help of this data, marketers can evaluate the data, draw inferences and make decisions that would help in generating more sales. It can also help in analyzing the customers buying behaviour, and what interests them the most.

Conclusion

Chatbots without any doubt will take the marketing to a new level, resulting in higher engagement, higher return, and happy customers. If you want to stay alive and competitive in the tough market, technology should be on the top of your list and of course, chatbot is one of them.

Author Bio:

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 15 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writing and Digital Marketing with IQVIS.

Digital Branding

5 Tips to Branding Your Workspace

Steven on July 12, 2018

With the right presentation, you can make any business successful. The way you keep your office says a lot about you and your business. The moment someone enters your office, they’re going to notice everything: the color of the walls, the furniture, the way you arrange your furniture, the whole ambiance of the place makes the first impression. Branding is not an easy task. You might need some professional advice sometimes. If you have decided to do this all on your own, here are some tips that you will require to get everything just right.

Tips For Branding Your Workspace

1. Get Opinions

Branding your workspace is a big step. It can either make your company more prominent, or it will take it down. Never make this decision single-handedly. One-person shows are not advisable when planning office layout; ask other people that you trust about their opinions and suggestions. Seek help from the people from various departments who might have a better vision than you since they know the workflow better than you . Remember that your target involves the public too. You are not going to impress every person that walks in these doors by just using your ideas. Check the ambiance of other offices also. Look for new furniture options. Choose unique designs of office chairs, tables, sofas, etc. An outsider should remember it for a long time.

2. Focus On Advertisement

Advertising is the key. Sometimes even if your product is not good enough, you can still make it look worthy with the right representation. Focus on the whole look of your website. When people are searching it, they should be able to easily find what they want.. Your site should have a separate opportunity for every service that you provide.

3. Logo

No matter what your business=, always try to maintain your individuality. Logos do this work for you. Make your logo so unique and impressive that if a person looks at it, he should know what about your company. Take the example of the Apple iPhone where their company logo in such a way, that no matter where you are from, you will recognize the company at a glance.

The same goes for the mottos and signs. Your office should be an accurate depiction of what your company does, your goals, your work, current projects you are working on. Let’s suppose; you are a commercial builder. Your office should contain the detail of what kind of work you have already done, your achievements, etc. If you have been a part of a major project or have been awarded some distinction, get the certificates framed and hang them up on the wall.

4. Organization

It is not essential to have extraordinary furniture; if you have a small budget, you can still make your place stand out from the rest. Place the ordinary things in an extraordinary way. The whole theme of the site usually depends on the type of work your company is doing. If you are doing creative works, you have a wide range of things that you can do with your place as you have more latitude than an accounting firm or bank..You have to maintain the decorum of the whole place.You should also keep the place well-lit and ventilated.

5. The Color Schemes

Again, if you are doing creative works, you can quickly get away with vibrant colors but if your office does more traditional professional look, you will have to go with light colors like grey or merely white will do. It is not recommended to go with vibrant colors as it might not correctly promote your brand.

Legal Branding

5 Ways Product Labels Can Help Your Branding

Steven on July 9, 2018

Labelling is an essential part of your business process. In fact, it is a part of your product and brand. Labelling pronounces a host of conveniences during a number of core business activities such as logistics, warehousing, and showroom displaying. Not only the efforts of your staff reduce, but also the cost and time involved in the management and sorting the products repress considerably with right labelling practices.

Did you know, that more than 60% of consumers make buying decision-based on the packaging and labelling of a product?

Did you also know that 65% of products go unseen in supermarkets owing to the chaos in shelves and sections?

These facts make enough sense why a business should be focusing on adding more elements to the visual appeal of their product, packaging and labels. How to build his brand’s recognition in the market is one of the first strategies a forward-looking entrepreneur develops. When it comes to branding, quality is not the only factor that a business should be looking at. Quality without a doubt should be the focal point of any success-hungry brand. It is something that you never have to compromise on. It helps you retain your customers.

But, your packaging and labelling are two key add-ons that support your brand building efforts among your audience. If your product looks good and your label shows useful and valuable information, the customer will most likely see it, pick it, read it, and might give it a try.

Spread the word

The consumer base of an infant brand solidifies swiftly with word-of-mouth marketing done by its first-time consumers. The WOM marketing is effectively free of cost and a brand does not have to invest a single penny on this. However, there certainly are some investments required to add quality to your product and some appeal to your labelling.

Quality in your product will give you returning customers. They will then spread the word about your quality and suggest their loved ones to use your product. Here comes the application of your product packaging and labelling. Your logo or your unique label will help the ones convinced through word of the mouth find or demand your product.

Almost all brands, whether emerging or established, invest in quality and look of their product, just to ascertain that their products catch the attention of consumers at the very first glance. It is, in reality, one of their core strategies.

Increase on-shelf visibility

Not seen not bought. To be seen in the market, your product needs to look good and most importantly, “unique”.

There is a direct connection between your sales and visibility! The more you are seen, the more you are sold. There is no denying that shelf placement also plays a crucial role in your sales.

For a newly-established business, gaining visibility in the market which already is packed with countless similar brands, is among the top challenges. However, if you have got your labels designed and printed by a professional service for custom labels, things will be easier for you.

For better visibility, it is imperative that you design your product’s appeal rigorously; get the first draft printed and quality checked; and then, the final draft printed and distributed.

Display brand information

How would a customer know it is your product if there will be no information about you on your product’s label? Almost every brand makes an effective use of labelling for this very purpose.

You are trying to establish yourself in the market. The best way is to advertise on different media. Another great way is to do it through your uniquely designed labels. You can write about the brand message, in addition to your promise regarding the quality of your product, your post-sale service, or anything persuasive.

The logo also gets a place on your label, and that is how your product gets your identity. It would now become easier for your customers to find and recognize your products.

Promote your offers

What else you can do through labels is to let your audience know about your ongoing promotional offers. This is a very common practice in stores, where each shelf or section has its own label displaying the very offer applicable for that particular shelf or section.

You can get custom labels designed and printed in bulk for each of your upcoming discount-offering deals. And as per the strategically chosen time, paste or distribute those labels in the store to avoid delays.

Promoting your seasonal offers is a great way to promote your brand. Giving your customers freebies such as coffee mugs with a custom printed message along with your logo or brand name can help you establish your brand.

Product Information

So, we have talked about how labelling speeds up the effectiveness of your promotional offers, promotional messages, brand information, on-shelf visibility and consumer base. But, here is something unavoidable.

In many states and countries, the law abides businesses to give all relevant and necessary information about the product on its label. Pertinent inputs including ingredients, how to and how not to use the product, conditions, and other ins and outs about the product should get a mention of the packaging label.

Additionally, the date of manufacturing, the date of expiry, production batch number, weight, and rate should be there on the label. All such pieces of information can be codified into a barcode pattern, which has become a trend these days; plus it brings your customers to your website.

So, never ever miss giving product information on your packaging. Without that, your product might be rejected authoritatively.

Here is an informative piece that explains the step-by-step process of creating product labels.

Bottom Line

There you go. Labelling delivers noteworthy benefits. It helps you establish your brand in multiple ways. Effectively-designed and timely-distributed labels allow you to gain momentum in the market influenced by brands of the same nature. However, what is essential is putting the right label on the right product (at the right time, if it is a part of your seasonal promotional event).

Not just your products, but also your labels and packaging – everything needs to be tested for quality stepwise. It is vital because you would never want your labels to have misleading or textually or grammatically incorrect information. One single misrepresentation can put a mark on your brand image. If you are making efforts to establish your brand, then such blunders can toughen your way significantly.

To transform into a real professional, consider Amazon FBA courses to get the best training available.

SaaS Branding

5 SaaS Product Trial Strategies to Put in Place

Steven on July 6, 2018

Guest author: Molly Gibson Kirby

You know your SaaS company has a really good free trial, but are enough people converting to paying customers after the trial?

Probably not.

Typical trial conversion rates from a visitor to a customer in SaaS are 2%. This means if you have 10,000 web visitors, 200 will become free trial users and 30 of those users will become paying customers. Increasing these numbers are one of the biggest pain points for SaaS marketing departments.

In order to get your trial users to become paying customers, you need to make your free demo something these prospects can’t live without.

If you want to better your SaaS free trial, you need to change your strategy. It is possible to upgrade your conversion rate from 2% and that’s where this article comes into play.

In this article, we’re sharing 5 effective SaaS product trial strategies you can start using today to acquire more paying customers.

Two Types of SaaS Trials

For the majority of software products, the question isn’t – should I have a free trial? The question is – what sort of free trial should I have?

When creating a SaaS product trial, it’s important to note which type of trial your company is offering. Below are the two different types to decide between.

Opt-out Free

Opt-out trials are the free trials that require a credit card to begin. The free trial will turn over into a subscription at the end of the trial if the prospect does not opt-out. If a free trial requires a credit card, the average visitor to retained customer conversion rate is around 0.6%.

This type of trial needs to have hard work behind it in order to get people to give out their credit card information before the trial even begins.

Opt-in Free

The Opt-in trials are the free trials that can be started without a credit card. Prospects will need to opt-in to a subscription by providing payment details during or after the trial is finished.

According to Totango, if a credit card is not required, the visitor to retained customer conversion rate increases to approximately 1.2%.

This type of trial needs to have hard work behind it to get people to become customers once the trial is up.

Now that you understand the types of free SaaS product trials, let’s get started on the strategies we know that help boost product trial ROI.

Make Sign Up Simple

The fewer barriers that you put in the way, the more likely it is that people will sign up and opt-in for your SaaS trial.

Consider what information your SaaS company needs for the free trial. This goes back to the two types of trial sign-ups. Are you going to do an opt-in or an opt-out free demo? This will determine if credit card information is needed in the form.

Keep the signup short, don’t ask for a separate username, simply use their email as a username.

Also, consider using social logins for account creation. This has become a popular feature for many SaaS companies and makes it easier for people to get started on their free trial without wasting time inputting all their information.

Create Engaging Content

In addition to having a free trial, creating content that relates to the SaaS demo is pivotal.

Users may have questions or concerns about the trial. Having the content that answers these questions will allow them to feel like your SaaS company is credible and authoritative. Start by creating a landing page for your free trial. Include an FAQ section on this page and a how-to guide on using the software, so people see it right when they sign up. Then make sure you have content regarding the free trial and how it can solve a customer’s problem on your blog.

Once you have these key pieces of content, get creative and begin to think of other ways to add valuable and educational content where it fits.

Show Your Value

However good your SaaS product is, the simple truth is that no-one will buy it if they don’t believe they need it. You need to show people what your product can do for them.

Articulate your value proposition on your website, landing page, content and in all marketing campaigns. Once you do that, any visitor should be able to tell what you offer, who needs it, what they will gain having it and finally, why they should choose your company.

Take Salesforce for example.

On their 30-day free trial landing page, they provide everything we just mentioned above.

Value Proposition: Sell Faster. Sell Smarter. Sell the way you want.

What’s offered: Sales Cloud

Who needs it: Canadian companies with a focus on sales managers

What they gain: lead management, opportunity management, sales forecasting and a mobile sales office.

Why choose Salesforce: Trusted by thousands of Canadian customers.

Salesforce does an incredible job at showing their value without sounding too preachy. When creating your SaaS free trial landing page, be sure to include these five sections we just mentioned.

Fix Your CTA

The effectiveness of your Call to Action (CTA) can make or break your marketing. It is the one piece that actually gets your visitors to take action – hence the name. A CTA should make visitors want your product, it should create an urgency for signing up and it should be an easy-to-use form!

Make your CTA visible on the homepage. This allows new visitors to see the CTA, hook them into thinking they need to try the free trial and have them easily sign up right then and there.

Exit Survey

On the same note as engagement, it’s imperative that you conduct an exit survey once someone is finished their free SaaS trial. If a user doesn’t move to a paid plan, it’s valuable to know why. After a week of not upgrading, an email should be sent out to ask why they cancelled.

Sometimes they leave because it wasn’t what they were looking for, but sometimes they’re not fans of a specific part of the trial/software. The latter reason usually can be fixed with needed changes or upgrades to the software.

As you may have noticed, user feedback is key when bettering your SaaS trial.

In the End

In the end, if you apply these strategies and tips, your SaaS trial should perform better. It’s possible for the conversion rate from a trial user to a paying customer to increase from 2%. It will just take time, commitment, user feedback and a handful of a/b tests.

Are you ready to better your SaaS product Trial ROI?

Author’s Bio

Molly Gibson Kirby is a writer and marketing strategist at Roketto, an inbound marketing agency in British Columbia. She dives deep into the world of inbound marketing on a daily basis and writes about this fundamental shift in business on Roketto’s blog. When not writing, she’s either on her yoga mat or getting lost in a new book.

Local Branding

How To Hire The Perfect Candidate

Steven on May 2, 2018

The U.S. unemployment rate has plummeted to right around 4 percent in recent weeks. And while that’s great news for the economy, it’s definitely not ideal if you’re trying to find the perfect candidate to fill a job at your company.

Whether you’re looking for someone to serve as a receptionist and greet visitors at the entrance to your office or you’re in search of a CEO with the right personality traits to be the face of your company, you’re likely finding it more difficult than ever to fill open jobs. Obtaining the right business skills is never an easy task, but when done properly they can really make a difference. There’s plenty of quality resources online like Businessstudynotes where you can get free exam material and see where you stand.

If you need a hand, here are some tips that will help you track down the perfect candidate for any position.

Create a Detailed Job Listing

The first thing you’ll need to do when trying to fill a position at your company is to create a job listing and post it on job sites. This job listing should serve two purposes:

It should clearly outline the skills you want the perfect candidate to possess
It should give all candidates a rundown on what your company is all about and what you have to offer to those seeking a job

This job listing should be as detailed as it can possibly be so that you only attract the right candidates for the position.

If you want candidates to have X amount of years working in your specific industry, you should include that. If you want them to have X amount of years of college education, you should include that, too. You should lay out exactly who you want your ideal candidate to be.

Additionally, you should provide interested candidates with what you’ll be looking for from the person who earns the job. You don’t want there to be any confusion in the future about what the job entails.

Avoid Setting Up Standard Job Interviews

Is there anything more boring than sitting down with a candidate and asking them a bunch of stock questions about their education and work experience? They’ll likely provide you with the same answers over and over again. It won’t give you a chance to find your perfect candidate if you take this approach.

Instead of going the standard route, how about taking a more creative approach to the interview process? You can:

Provide the best candidates for a job with a tour of your office or facility and ask them questions along the way
Invite the best candidates to lunch or dinner and pick their brains as you enjoy a meal together
Take a walk around the block and see how the best candidates interact with the outside world to give you a better idea of what kind of people they really are

While you will obviously need to get down to business at some point and ask the perfect candidates questions about themselves, that doesn’t mean it has to be done in your average interview setting. It also doesn’t mean you have to ask the same old interview questions.

Get as creative as you can with your questions and really get to know candidates before you narrow down your search. You will be doing yourself and your company a favor by going all out with your interview questions.

Place Candidates Into Real-World Scenarios

In addition to asking job candidates questions about themselves and their work experience, you should also try and put them into real-world scenarios and ask them how they would react to certain situations if they were hired by your company.

Role-playing is a great way to find out more about a person who has applied for a job. For example, if you’re trying to hire someone to be a magazine editor, you might ask them something like:

“You just got a big scoop from an anonymous source. The source told you that a famous celebrity is pregnant and ready to give birth any day. One of your coworkers tells you that you should write a story about it immediately and publish it on the magazine’s website. What do you do?”

The candidate won’t actually have to sit down at the computer and decide whether or not to write the story. But their answer will tell you a lot about what you can expect from them if and when they start working for you.

Give Candidates Optional Homework

There are more and more companies who are keeping the interview process open long after the actual interview ends.

If you really want to find out what a candidate is made of, send them home with a homework assignment and ask them to send it to you when they’re finished.

This will show how committed candidates are to a job, as many people will opt against doing additional work after an interview. These are the kinds of people you probably don’t want working at your company in the first place.

Ask Colleagues for Second Opinions

Once you have done all of your interviews and sifted through the choices you have, it will be time to narrow down your search.

Usually, there will be a handful of people who will stand out to you. Whether you liked the answers they gave during their interviews or they blew you away with the response they gave to your hypothetical workplace scenario, you’ll have a few favorites.

At that point, you should ask your colleagues to share their thoughts on specific candidates. You shouldn’t be trying to find the perfect candidate alone. Instead, you should trust those who work with you to lend a hand.

Sit down with a few colleagues and tell them about the best candidates. You might even want to bring those candidates in for second and third interviews with others in your company.

Your colleagues will be able to pick up on certain things you might have missed. It will be well worth your time to include them in the decision when searching for a perfect candidate.

Make Diversity a Priority in Your Hiring Practices

While you shouldn’t hire candidates based solely on gender or race, you do want to keep diversity in mind when trying to find the perfect candidate. You want to have people of all backgrounds working in your office or facility to make it the best it can be.

Diversity should be something you strive for, and it should also be something that is discussed at the highest levels of your company.

Always Check References Provided by Candidates

All employers ask candidates to include references when applying for a job. The majority of them then follow through and use those references during the hiring process.

But it’s kind of surprising to hear that not all employers check references. References can be an invaluable resource for companies hiring new employees.

Before you offer a job to someone who seems like the perfect candidate, you should call at least one of their professional references and ask questions like:

What was it like working with this person?
What did they bring to the job when you worked with them?
Did you have a pleasant experience working alongside them?
How did they improve your company’s culture?
Would you recommend them to another company looking to hire the perfect candidate for a job?

The answers you get when checking a person’s references will tell you just about everything you need to know about them. If the references hesitate to give a person a glowing review, you probably have a cause for concern.

Trust Your Gut Before Offering Someone a Job

There are going to be times when you interview someone and they look and sound like the perfect candidate.

They have the right education to do the job you need them to do. They have plenty of experience in your field. They might even have great references from their past employers.

Yet, for whatever reason, you still have this nagging suspicion that they just wouldn’t be the right person for the job.

While you obviously don’t want to overthink your decision and spend weeks and weeks trying to make it, you also don’t want to ignore any gut feelings you might have.

If you think someone might not be right for a position at the end of the interview process, try your best to confirm your suspicions. Go back and interview another reference or use social media to see what you can find about a candidate.

In 2018, there are so many ways that you can do extensive background checks on people to see if they’re definitely the best fit for a job. Use everything you have at your disposal to decide if you’ve found the perfect candidate. While not every company can follow these tips, many of them can be adopted. The sooner you implement these interview tips into your hiring process, the sooner you’ll be able to make sure you’re making the right hire for years to come.

And if you’re not convinced that’s the case, then keep looking until you find someone who is perfect for the position.

About the author:

Friddy Hoegener is the Co-Founder of SCOPE Recruiting a boutique Supply Chain, Operations, and Executive recruiting firm. Friddy holds a Master of Social Entrepreneurship from HULT international business school in London, UK. He started his career in Supply Chain Management with ABB Germany before moving to the United States where he worked for Thomas and Betts as well as Kohler where he left a successful career in the supply chain to join the recruiting world. Today, Friddy and his team utilize their networks and knowledge to match some of the best supply chain and operations talent with exciting opportunities from Start-ups to Fortune500 companies.

Digital Branding

Different Types Of Printing And What They Are Used For

Steven on April 9, 2018

When you are getting things printed, whether it is pictures, brochures, business cards or anything else, you want it to be as high in quality as possible. When you order these things online, it may be hard for you to determine the quality of the product you are ordering if you do not know the proper printing material that you should choose. This could lead you to become disappointed with the end results if they are not what you were expecting.

This is why we have put together a list of the different types of printing and what they are used for. Make sure to keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Printing Companies

There are many different companies like aura-print.com that can offer you services for printing. These companies can print anything you need for your business, which means you can get everything you need both print and design-wise for your company. For this reason, these companies should not be neglected and their services utilised as much as possible. If you’re having trouble finding one, then take a look at the website theprintauthority.com where you can find great printing services that will benefit you and your company in a number of ways.

Then there are companies that provide equipment and accessories needed for a printing company to work, such as Bonfilt, who’ve been supporting businesses doing screen printing, printing on plastic products, and printing on glass.

Green Printing

Green Printing has been popular since it was first introduced; this is because it is a process that makes the printing a lot environmentally friendlier than what the usual printing process involves. This process involves printing fewer amounts, changing the types of paper used and changing the ink or using recycled products.

Spot Printing

Spot Printing uses specific ink such as PMS inks in different colors including fluorescent and metallic inks. Using this type of ink is the best for matching for each job. Spot Printing is useful for preventing forgeries of important documents such as passports and bonds as well as money.

Offset Printing

Offset Printing is the process which involves using a printing press, wet ink, and printing plates. Offset Printing usually takes longer as there is more involved work when it comes to set up and because the product has to be dry before finishing can take place. This type of printing is known for producing the highest quality available and is known as the most beneficial choice when producing large numbers of prints.

Digital Printing

Digital printing is taken from electronic files that can be printed as photos or canvases as well as fabrics and even synthetic materials. This type of printing doesn’t require printing plates as it is printed straight onto the media substrate. This printing is a lot more popular as it is cheaper to use, takes less time and can be printed at any time you need it.

In Conclusion

Now you know the different types of printing and what each of them is used, you can make sure that you are choosing the right type of printing for your next project. Make sure to think carefully about the ink used and the type of paper for the best possible results.

Pros & Cons of Outsourcing Your Support

Steven on April 5, 2018

Many businesses choose to outsource various aspects of their business to third-party specialist companies that are able to provide a one-off or ongoing service at a fraction of the cost of having an in-house employee to handle everything. Common tasks to outsource include marketing, website development, graphic design, recruitment, customer support, and even the entire IT infrastructure.

Advantages of Outsourcing IT Support

A local IT support company can meet with you on a regular basis and keep you up to date with recent advancements and competition, as well as collect any faulty equipment or hardware for quick repair or replacement.
You have someone to turn to or hold accountable for any IT issues.
Having “pay as you go” support can be more cost-efficient for smaller companies that do not require constant maintenance of their IT systems. Instead, you can have a company that is familiar with your systems but only actively carries out tasks when needed.
You may be blessed with a particularly tech-savvy individual in your employ, but outsourcing your support gives you access to specialist IT professionals, rather than relying on an employee’s limited expertise whose role isn’t in that specific field.
Your company is able to focus on the products or services that you provide, strengthening your core process and reducing unnecessary management time, rather than being impeded by the technicalities of things like maintaining your equipment or software.
Reduces operational costs where the service vendor can provide their own equipment, resources or specialist software, without you having to pay for these technologies yourself.

Disadvantages of Outsourcing IT Support

When shopping around for IT support solutions, it can be tempting to go with a cheap company based in another country. Though they may be able to help you with remote assistance, an IT support company in London isn’t going to be able to provide you with deskside assistance if your company is based in Lisbon. There is a very real disadvantage to choosing an overseas IT company, that may result in you paying out even more for additional onsite support when a single local company can handle everything for you.
Third-party service providers have no pure loyalty to your company beyond wanting to provide a good service to uphold their own company’s reputation. This doesn’t mean that they will cut corners or swindle you in any way, but their time and focus will be divided among their clients, customers or accounts that they are responsible for.
As with anything that you may outsource to an external organisation, there is always a risk of exposing confidential company data. Even when you use cloud-based applications, such as Google Drive, you are entrusting your confidential data to Google. Though the likelihood of any negative outcome may be unlikely, data security is still something that you need to be aware of. The irony, of course, is that you may be outsourcing your cybersecurity to a third-party, when they themselves may be the weak link in the chain.
Due to the service vendor’s own time commitments, there may be a delay in handling any issues that require immediate attention when compared to an in-house employee.
You are essentially surrendering some of your control to a different business, and have to place an amount of trust to outsiders.

Whichever direction you choose to take your IT strategy, it is imperative that you find a solution that works for your particular business. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to IT, and you may find that an internal department suits your business better. Smaller businesses, however, may prefer the flexibility of a monthly fixed fee or, alternatively, a “pay as you go” pricing model.

For these businesses with tighter budgets, such as startup tech companies, outsourcing your IT support will probably be the best way to go as you reap all the benefits of ongoing IT support and advanced strategy, without the hassle of managing it yourself.

SaaS Branding

Quality Customer Service Will Make You Stand Out

Steven on February 18, 2018

The most effective way to get ahead of your competition is to set up high-quality customer service. The success of your business relies on the relationship with the customers. By building a great customer relations policy, you’ll manage to edge your prices above the competitors. Your customers will feel good when they visit your website or store, and they’ll keep coming back. Avoid defending yourself and your company, but learn from the customer’s feedback. Their opinion counts and you should try to adapt to their needs in order to grow. You can collect customer feedback from product feedback software. Take a look at the guidelines below, and start working on your new improved customer service.

Be available all the time

In order to build great relations with your customer base, it is crucial to be accessible. If you don’t have enough time for that, make sure to hire a customer support representative and they’ll be available for all questions your clients may have. Feel free to extend your accessibility. Your contact form should be available across different channels.

Start from social media, website, and email. Most of the communication will be done online, but don’t forget to provide people with your phone as well since some of them will prefer that way of communication. As you increase channels of communication, make sure you increase the number of employees, so they can take care of everything in a timely manner.

Be quick in responding

People like to get the answer in a timely manner. Try to remember how contacting some companies can get frustrating. You really don’t need unsatisfied customers, so go ahead and make a specific business policies. For instance, determine the timeframe of 24 hours, and instruct your workers to stick to it. That means that every call or email must be returned within a day. Don’t forget to make that information public, so your customers can see it. With that type of transparency, your clients will feel respected and will wait for their service.

Concentrate on your customers

Your client base is that one thing that keeps wheels turning. Your business will grow just in case you have great customer service.

Because of that, open your ears widely and listen what they have to say. Sometimes, you will hear something you don’t want to hear but listen through all of it since there might be a thing or two you can learn. Avoid defending yourself and your company, but learn from the customer’s feedback. Their opinion counts and you should try to adapt to their needs in order to grow.

Improve weak points

Every company has its own weaknesses and so does yours. Put some effort into resolving the most common issues your clients pointed out. If there are more than 5 people who reported the same issue, you should slow down and try to take care of it. Set high standards for your firm and your staff. That way, everybody will know their job and get it done accordingly. In addition, try to be as much transparent as you can toward your customer base. Meet the needs of your clients even when they are wrong. You want them happy at the end of the day, and you want your revenue to increase. It’s a win-win situation.

Think about the big picture

Your business isn’t just your product or service, it’s much more. People like to spend money at the places they feel comfortable and happy. Because of that, you should improve the whole experience around your business. Your office will be busy during the day, and people in line should be entertained in some way. You may set up a little library, install a TV or even hire a photo booth as an additional way for your clients/customers to kill some time while waiting. Your customers will be happy with that kind of treatment and will be eager to continue doing business with you.

Educate your employees

The chain is strong as its weakest link. In order to make the strong and sustainable system, it is crucial to make some rules. Once you start hiring new employees, you should invest some time into their education. Present them with company policy and insist on sticking to it.

Of course, be flexible and modify it when needed. If you want to build great customer service, all of you must think as one. It is bad for the business if you answer the same question differently than one of your employees. This issue can be resolved with prepared templates which can be modified in certain situations. Nevertheless, engaging and motivating your frontline employees is crucial, since they have direct impact on customer experience. They play a big role providing an exceptional customer experience and insuring frontline workers are passionate about your brand vision and empowered to engage with customers is essential.

Final thoughts

Making a big and successful company isn’t easy and it takes a lot of effort and time. As an entrepreneur, you should be aware of all challenges you may stumble upon and give your best to resolve them quickly. As much as it is important to have high sales and healthy revenue, you shouldn’t forget that most important people are your customers, so take care of their needs all the time.

This post was written by Ian Pearson. Aside from primary area of interest and expertise in business consulting, Ian could be tagged also as a passionate sports fan, nature and photography enthusiast, always trying to keep up to date with tech innovations and development.