5 Ways to Present Online Testimonials for Your Business
Image by lastquest. When today’s customers get it in their mind that they are interested in getting a product, they’re more likely than ever to do a little bit of research on the Internet prior to opening their wallets. While that shouldn’t be too surprising, here’s what might be: As many as 90 percent of customers said their decision as to whether to buy something was influenced by a positive review they read online. On the other hand, 86 percent of customers said their decision not to buy something was influenced by negative reviews they read online. In other words, your customers place a lot of emphasis on what other…
How to Make Your Product Sell Itself by Understanding Customer Psyche
How often have we heard this phrase from marketing gurus that we need to build and package a product in such a way that it sells itself? Is this actually possible? According to various psychological and marketing case studies prepared by researchers from Vanderbilt University, Wharton and others, there are a number of emotional and psychological factors at play when the consumer is out checking your product out. By making use of the right strategies, you can in fact make your product sell itself. Here are some tips on how to do this. 1. Make Your Product Premium If you are not in a business that has been commoditized, then…
Jumpstart Your Career in Raleigh
As college graduates enter the workforce, they often seek the perfect location that will serve as a hub for youth, energy and opportunity. Researching potential career destinations is a great idea for any aspiring leader. The city of Raleigh offers a research park that is home to more than 170 global companies.
5 Startup Tips From the Experts
If you’re in the tech startup industry, you might want to start sweating now. According to Wamda, approximately 90 percent of tech startups will fail for reasons including competition, a lack of funding and a lack of overall experience. With all of this stacked against you, you might find it worthwhile to educate yourself on a few startup tips from experts that made it big. Funding is Everything One of the main reasons startup businesses falter is due to a lack of funding. The Guardian provides expert insight on how to procure funding from some of the best minds in the industry. You will need to ask yourself how investors…
Build Your Business Through SMS Marketing
Text message marketing is anything but fringe when it comes to driving business. In fact, Mshopper notes that successful SMS campaigns have huge potential, with engagement rates reaching eight times the level of typical email campaigns. A number of retailers, meanwhile, have managed conversion rates as high as 23 percent. Given the brevity and immediate delivery of SMS marketing, the campaign strategy can be very economical and useful to businesses looking to build their client base. But SMS campaigns also deliver marketing materials to a rather personal virtual space: The consumer’s text inbox. As a result, it’s important to respect this access while making the best use of your SMS…
Got It Covered: The 9 Types of Business Insurance Out There
From Obamacare to workers compensation insurance, the waters of business insurance policies can be difficult to navigate. Ninety-four percent of small businesses believe they are adequately protected by their current insurance policies, according to Inc.com, but only a little more than half of them have the appropriate insurance necessary to recover from a disaster. There are certain insurance policies that a business is required by the government to have, and other insurance policies that intelligent business owners should maintain for their own protection. General Liability Insurance A general liability insurance policy is intended to protect you against a comprehensive set of scenarios, such as libel, slander, medical expenses and legal fees.…
5 Must-Dos to Increase Retail Shopper Conversions
Despite the Internet, brick and mortar retail store still serve the marketplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the employment of retail salespersons to grow approximately 17 percent from 2010 to 2020. Customers still enjoy the experience of shopping in a physical store or boutique, whether shopping for new clothes or books. Yet, to compete with e-commerce, brick and mortar store owners face the ongoing challenge of converting leads into buying, even loyal, customers. Unlike the Internet and e-commerce sites, stores create personal shopping experiences. To capitalize on this advantage, retailers can note the following techniques to boost those sales. 1. Create an Experience Start by making your store an…
How to Connect Your Mobile Lifestyle With the Rest of Your World
Worldwide use of mobile devices is on the rise. During the second quarter of 2013, 432 million phones were delivered to eager customers across the globe, the International Data Corporation reported. For that same period one year ago, that number sat at (a still-impressive) 400 million. According to the security company Sophos, the average American carries around three mobile devices. Sure, some of these pieces of equipment are connected to other pieces of equipment (we’ll talk about tethering shortly), but most of the devices are being used wirelessly. E-book readers, smartphones, tablets, laptops—they’re all accessing the Internet with no cord. However, it’s not just the Internet people are accessing while…
Reducing Internet Downtime Saves Businesses Money Over Time
The Internet has over the years had a significant impact on the way business is done in many organizations. This is a major shift from the early adopters, who were using the Internet for simple tasks such as reaching out to audiences via websites and providing a resource for employees to communicate or conduct surveys and research – there was absolutely no way of measuring its impact on an organization's bottom line.
What is Preventing Your Business from Prospering?
While you might be convinced that your business is ticking away at its optimum rate, there are a number of things – probably happening right now – that are hampering your productivity and, as a result, your profitability. In turn, these things can add up to reduce your potential for expansion. Isolated, they might look like tiny little things that aren’t worth thinking about. However, add them up and you might be surprised to find out just how much time they’re eating into – time that could be better spent growing your business and enticing new customers. We’ve compiled the top five things you can do to get things really…
Leadership in Business
When it comes to running a business there are all sorts of different styles of leadership you can take advantage of. However, not all forms of leadership are going to work in certain situations so knowing what there is available to you and what is going to work for you is always necessary. This way should alternative situations arise you are able to change your leadership style in order to best fit the situation and the circumstances. Some cases you may find an online business courses advantageous. Charismatic One of the best forms of leadership is a charismatic leader. This is when you are able to inspire individuals and influence them…
Address Validation Tools Can Save Your Business Serious Cash
You’ve captured the addresses of customers and prospects the same way for years, and you don’t really want to switch over to another system that requires re-training your employees. The learning curve and training time are nothing, however, compared to the costs your business incurs because of dirty data in your system. A whopping 94 percent of companies suspect their databases suffer from major inaccuracies, a QAS.com report on data quality notes. Even if you don’t think data cleaning is worth the time and effort, there are indirect and direct costs associated with data quality issues that all businesses need to be aware of. Direct Costs The postage you spend…
