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When running a business, you need to consider that one search thing is having a stronger Internet presence. Whether it is social media or having a good website, it’s important to understand that being online is the lifeblood of business, considering that the Internet is the best way to reach people. One thing that many people underestimate is the importance of a well-designed website for both your business and your image. While many people might not consider it as such web design is not only an essential part of your online presence, but it is also an art that requires a good understanding of Internet user’s habits as well as a good touch of subtlety.

Marketing and Image

When it comes to designing a website, there are many things to consider whether it is utility for information dissemination. One such worry of course is the importance of having a website that represents your company in the best way possible aesthetically. Having a functional website is a good thing, but it is important to take into account that a website is essentially a digital billboard that represents your company and is the first impression that many people will get of your company. This is why you want a website that represents both your company as well as your philosophy for business so that people feel welcome to your business and also get a better understanding of who you want just from browsing your website. Just like designing the interior of your office designing your website in a way that represents your business says a lot about how you treat business and see your own business overall.

User Interface and Easy Access

One thing that is important when you are designing a website is of course to take into account that while you as a designer might be used to navigating complex infrastructures many Internet users aren’t. Most people who are using the Internet today or not born with it and often are neophytes when it comes to browsing the web. This is why one of the most important tools in the web designer’s toolbox is being able to understand how to simplify a user interface to its most easy form. This is such a big deal that many people make sure that they hire a specialized firm from California or even a good Austin web design company. These people are often more well-trained to understand how the usual web user thinks and how to make their experience as easy as possible when it comes to accessing the pages you want them to have access to.

Creating a Web

When we talk about creating a web, we are not talking about the web at large but instead, we are talking about a social media web. Concretely what this means is to be able to integrate all of your social media within your website in a way that feels seamless and allows people to connect with your business on all these different platforms this way they always remain informed of the changes while always being advertised. Whether it is through the use of a newsletter or by the integration of widgets that allow for a quick look at your current Instagram posts or Twitter posts allowing your social media to have a presence on your website is essential. In the same way, your social media should be direct to your website this way you aren’t always making sure that your different platforms exchange traffic and boost all these different statistics. At the end of the day, the most important thing when it comes to social media and websites is of course clicks and traffic.

As you can see there are many ways in which designing websites is much more than putting code in a computer. There is a true art to understanding how people use the Internet and knowing what the best way is to catch their attention and direct them where you want them to. A website is not only a massive place to do marketing but also a great platform to do business on. At the end of the day having a website is not only great for your business but it might as well be essential in this day and age. Whether it is to have a digital business card or to run it as a digital storefront a website will allow you to do a lot of things that you couldn’t do otherwise. When it comes to designing a website, like many things, it is best left to the professionals who do this for a living.

The Art Of The Sell

There is one thing a lot of people often get wrong about marketing. They assume it is nothing more than a business that can be broken down into facts and figures. And this is an important part of successful marketing. But selling and marketing is as much an art as anything else. It requires creativity, imagination, and cunning. The key trick in marketing is making your customers believe you have what they need. Even if they don’t really need it.

This is especially true when it comes to expensive or “Luxury” products. More often than not expensive products are things that people don’t necessarily need. So you have to work twice as hard to convince a potential customer to part with their money.

I have been in this game for a long time. Most of my career has been focused on selling luxury products. And today I am going to impart to you all the tips and tricks you need to easily sell any expensive product.

Cold Reading

This is the mainstay of the sales persons toolkit. If you don’t know, cold reading is the art of learning about a person from nothing more than observation. When done correctly you can learn about a person’s wants, fears, personality, habits, mood, and so much more. The technique is often employed by fortune tellers and mentalists to make their acts seem more believable. But, for you, it will help you secure a sale.

If you can successfully cold read a customer you can easily sell them anything. Because you can start the conversation from a position of familiarity and security. If you can work out the type of person they are you can adjust your attitude and sales pitch to meet their needs. If they seem like they’re a no-nonsense person you can avoid the small talk and cut right to the chase. If you have them pegged as someone who appreciates comedy then crack a few jokes and keep the conversation light.

Cold reading will also help you figure out the exact reason why this particular person needs your product. Let’s imagine you’re trying to sell quality chandeliers. And the person you’re cold reading is a married suburban man. By his outfit you can tell he values appearances and enjoys quality products. From this you could play on his desire to stand out from the crowd. A quality chandelier would make his home the envy of his neighbors. Remind him that this is the sort of thing a luxurious person would buy. Play into his desire for the finer things in life.

Offering Appealing Deals

People love a deal. Studies have shown that people are more likely to buy products that are on sale. Even if they end up spending more money than they originally planned. And this is something you should be utilizing to make more sales.

When you are pricing your products you should do a lot of market research to determine what people are willing to pay and what the going rate is for similar products. Then, you will want to set a baseline price that, if possible, beats your competitors while still making you a profit.

But here is the important part. This isn’t the price you show to customers. You should inflate the label price of the product a bit. Then, while trying to make a sale, you can win over your potential clients by offering them a generous discount. Suddenly the customer will feel more inclined to make the purchase. Especially if you’ve used cold reading effectively to create a bond with them.

This is a popular tactic in supermarkets and car dealerships. They will hike the base price up a bit then slap on a sale sticker. More often than not customers end up paying the same price they would have. But they have been tricked into thinking they are saving money.

Endorsements

Customers have become extremely wary of marketing. With adverts being constantly bombarded at them through the internet and their phones. So your best tool to earn their trust is customer endorsements. To that end you need to be doing follow ups with customers to see how they are enjoying your product.

Keeping a good relationship with past customers will not only help you secure shining endorsements but also help you secure repeat sales. People are far more likely to recommend your business to their friends if you are following up with them.

Customer endorsements should feature on the front page of your website and on your social media accounts. You want to show them off. Let potential customers know you are offering a quality product and you know it.

If you were to ask any marketing guru what the most powerful weapon in their arsenal is they would likely all say the same thing. Social media. The amount of versatility and unparalleled outreach social media platforms provide businesses and individuals is almost ludicrous. Especially considering how young social media is as a concept.

Utilizing social media to its fullest is slowly turning into an art form. Navigating the complicated webs of influencers and algorithms can be mind boggling. But, if done correctly, will yield amazing results. Today we are going to be doing a case study of how effective social media is a marketing tool when used correctly. While also providing you with some tips on how you can step up your social media marketing efforts.

The Wendy’s Experiment

You would think that the big name brands wouldn’t need to do much creative marketing to stay in the game. But that just isn’t true. Wendy’s is a prime example of how an established brand can launch itself to new heights with some tactical social media marketing.

Wendy’s decided to adopt a more tongue-in-cheek approach with their social media profiles. You might have seen some of their famous Tweets where they rip into their competition in a light hearted, yet commercially effective way. Their Instagram page is filled with an array of memes, blending current social events and trends with their signature products.

Wendy’s has proved that companies can afford to loosen up when it comes to customer engagement. People are more likely to engage with a brand when it feels like it is being run by actual people. It is all too easy for us to think of a business as an unfeeling conglomerate. Wendy’s Tweets and Instagram posts remind customers that there is an actual human on the other end of the post. And, most importantly, they make that person feel relatable.

And the results speak for themselves. Wendy’s currently has 1.1 million Instagram followers and 1.8 million TikTok followers. The lesson to be learnt here is that it often pays to let your guard down on social media. Spend some time connecting with your audience and researching what is relevant and funny to them.

The Duolingo Craze

Duolingo is perhaps one of the most popular language learning apps on the planet. Effective, user friendly, and easy to use. But they, like Wendy’s, never rested on their fame and still maintain a strong social media presence. And, much like Wendy’s, they too utilize a more audience focused approach.

Duolingo doesn’t go quite as hard as Wendy’s. You won’t find them ripping into their competitors. Instead they focus on highlighting their signature character and incorporating him into current events and social trends. Often paired with clever and humorous post captions and Instagram bios. Duolingo spends a lot of time collaborating with other brands, both big and small. You will often see posts of Duo, their mascot, appearing in different restaurants or hanging with celebrities.

But they never lose sight of what Duolingo is for. Their posts highlight locations and events from all over the globe. Bringing to the fore the magic of learning another language and breaking down the barriers between cultures.

So what can we take away from Duolingo’s marketing strategies? Firstly, you need to spend time on your captions and bios. People are quick to overlook just how vital these aspects are for a social media post. If you aren’t particularly creative you can use an Instagram bio generator or a caption creator to help get you started.

Secondly, Duolingo never loses sight of what makes their brand recognizable while also adapting it to meet customer expectations. A while back people began to make jokes about how some of the Duolingo reminder messages sounded oddly threatening. Duolingo leans into this joke on their social media pages. Your brand should be as malleable as this. The way you want your logos or mascots to be perceived isn’t always how they will be. Don’t fight it. Lean into it.

Final Thoughts

Studying how other companies utilize social media is extremely useful in helping you perfect your own strategies. But you need to make sure you put a unique spin on it. People can spot overt imitation a mile off.

Collaboration is also the king of social media success. As we saw with Duolingo’s strategies. Make sure you spend a lot of time networking and building positive relationships with potential partners. And ensure that the brands you want to collaborate with meet your brand’s ideals as well.

The United States Dollar is arguably the most powerful currency on the planet. And we aren’t just talking about its financial value. Sure, there are other currencies that are worth more on paper than USD. But socially and politically the USD is unrivaled. It is one of the currencies that the rest of the world stacks themselves up against. It is considered the global currency and is often the primary choice for international transactions.

But there is a new contender in the ring. A social currency that is only getting stronger every year. And that currency is followers. The ultimate marketing currency. With the advent of social media we have seen a dramatic shift in the marketing landscape. Suddenly it is possible to visibly measure the success of an individual or company without looking at their finances.

And the importance of this cannot be overstated. Followers are no longer just an indicator for social connections. They are a currency that can be used in a variety of ways. Below we will examine how this new currency is changing the world and how you can use it to your advantage in the marketing and business world.

The Value Of A Follower

There is a curious phenomenon caused by social media that could be called number blindness. If you put up a social media post and it only got 100 likes, you might say that post was unsuccessful. But if 100 people came up to you in person you would say that is a lot. Social media has created a disconnect between the true value of a follower because most pages now operate in the millions of followers.

The page with the most followers on Instagram is that of Cristiano Ronaldo with over 600 million. For scale that is more than the combined population of the United Kingdom and the United States combined. In theory Ronaldo could market a product to every single person in both nations. Something marketing professionals of the past could only ever dream of.

And the reality is even more staggering as those followers will be spaced out globally. Social media provides global reach almost instantaneously. Most currencies on the planet become useless the moment they leave their border. But the currency of followers is spoken by everyone.

Leveraging Followers

In the past companies would only offer sponsorship deals to people of great renown. Athletes, actors, politicians. People who were in the public eye. But that metric of success was measured on their exposure through traditional channels such as TV, movies, newspapers. These days most companies offer sponsorship deals based on follower count.

Suddenly normal people can leverage lucrative sponsorship deals and launch successful careers without a single dollar being spent. Because having a million followers is worth more to a company than anything else about you. In essence an influencer spends their follower count to bring in money. This is why more people are starting to buy Instagram followers when they first start out. It equates to a direct currency conversion. And, in the long run, those followers will be worth a lot more than the money spent on them.

A lot of people also leverage their followers in real time to get products or services. Working on a barter system of sorts. Someone with a high follower count might get a free meal at a high-end restaurant in return for a social media posting about the meal. The cost to the restaurant financially is recouped in the form of the exposure. And that exposure’s value is directly tied into the follower count.

The Net Worth Of Followers

Follower counts are akin to the Net Worth of an influencer. In the same way that it might be huge news that a company’s stock has plummeted, an influencer losing 10 million followers will also be a story worth talking about. Because that is a lot of lost marketing and social value.

The value of follower counts is so powerful that there are numerous sites dedicated to the tracking of real time follower data for major influencers, political figures, and celebrities. In a similar style to how we monitor prices on the stock exchange. Companies value this data as it can tell them if one of their brand partners is suddenly falling out of favor. Allowing them to find new partners or distance themselves from the old one if needed.

The prospect of buying your first home is a daunting one. There is so much to consider. Moving logistics. Bills and maintenance. Decoration, bin dates, plumbing, and electrical installations. Not to mention wi-fi, TV, and other luxury technologies you might want to install.

But all of that is superficial to the biggest, and most pressing issue. Finance. How are you going to afford your first home? The property market saw a massive crash some years ago and it has never fully recovered. Gone are the days of getting a home for a few thousand dollars. Now, owning a home seems like a far-off dream to so many people.

And it is at this point you are faced with the daunting prospect of getting a Mortgage. But what exactly is a mortgage? How do they work? And should you get one? Allow us to dive into these questions and help you make this decision.

What Is It?

To put it simply a Mortgage is a loan designed specifically for you to buy a property. The main difference is you never get the money, rather the bank directly pays the real estate agency for the property. To that end, the house you live in is yours, but very technically it belongs to the bank.

This is a very important distinction to be aware of. This is the loophole that allows a bank to foreclose and repossess your possession if you continually fail to make mortgage repayments. Banks make money off loans and mortgages, and if you aren’t paying them, they will make back their money off your stuff.

Don’t panic though. Mortgage repayments are a lot nicer than typical loan repayments. For one, the bank never sets a time frame for you to fully pay it. In theory, you could spend the rest of your life paying off your mortgage as it accumulates interest continually. The bank wants you to pay it slowly, so they get more of you in the long run.

But this means they are willing to work with you to create a repayment plan that fits your budget.

Mortgage Brokers

This might not seem important but is it vital you find out what mortgage brokers actually do so you can better understand their tricks and techniques. You don’t want to sign yourself up for a mortgage scheme that will cripple you financially.

Mortgage brokers are the middlemen. They are as many salespeople as they are bankers. They want to sell you the best package they can, to make the most money out of you. So, make sure you are well equipped with some negotiation tricks and keep a clear, focused head when you go to negotiate.

Mortgage brokers will sweet talk you. They will try convincing you that owning a home is the best thing on the planet. Much like a real estate agent, they are master convincers.

Should you get one?

This is the big question. Should you get a mortgage?

This question might seem simple. If you want a house and can’t afford to buy it outright, then, of course, you will want a mortgage. But the question goes deeper than that. Should you even be buying a home?

There are a number of factors to consider. The main one being income. Are you earning enough and consistently to afford mortgage repayments? Keep in mind this is on top of all your other expenditures. Unlike renting an apartment, no bills are included in your mortgage. It is still your responsibility to fund everything. So if you aren’t going to earn enough in the long run, maybe you should consider renting.

Secondly, you need to look at the housing market. You might not think you will ever sell your home, but things change. The area could change and you might not want to stay. The house could encounter issues or an accident could leave you with bad memories of the house.

But with the current state of the housing market, you might find yourself unable to sell. Or, if you can, you might make a loss on your original investment of the property. This can be devastating.

So you will need to do a lot of research. You will want to know how popular units similar to your home are. This will help you better know what homes are worth investing in. You will also need to know how well properties sell in the area you are considering moving to. In real estate, location is everything. So an unpopular area will, of course, put off potential buyers and make it more difficult to shift the property.

Overall, buying your first home is an exciting experience. But it is a huge commitment and one that can’t be undone easily. So take your time to consider if this is the right step for you.

When it comes to looking after your business it is important that you put the necessary precautions in place to ensure its progression long after you are gone. For those of you that are business owners, it can be difficult to know how to get started with this especially when you are forced to consider that someone else will be in charge of looking after the entire company without your oversight. When you have put so much work into building a business you should believe in the fact that it can continue developing when you are no longer here. There are many ways that you can prepare your company for the future and having a will to make your wishes clear is a great way to do this.

If you do not already have a will in place for your business wishes for the future then I would highly recommend that you start thinking about organizing what you would like to happen with the way that things are run. Having a will in place is the perfect way that you can have peace of mind that the business will retain its success.

Putting your will together is easy to do and if you have an idea of who you would like to leave control of the business to, it is just a case of finalizing your decision with an official document. The harsh reality is that you never know when your time is up so it is better to be safe than sorry especially when it comes to protecting the future of your company.

Why is a Will Important?

It is extremely important that you get a will in place as soon as you can in order to avoid confusion when it comes to who you wish to take your place as a business owner. I would recommend leaving the company in the control of somebody that you trust and can do the job to a high standard. It is no small task so you need to be very sure that the person you wish to leave the company with is up to the job. This can be determined by speaking to the potential candidates beforehand to see how they respond to the idea of such responsibility, this will help you to make a better-informed decision around your will.

Another reason why having a will is important is that should the decision be made by someone else it is not down to you to decide the fate of your business, as a business owner I feel that this is a responsibility that should be left to someone who knows the company and the stresses it can cause which is where having a will comes in.

Making Sure Your Will is The Right Decision

Now that you know how important a will can be for your business’s future you should start thinking about how you are going to split all of the elements within your company. This is not something to be taken lightly and it is very important that you spend plenty of time considering all of the relevant factors within the decisions you have to make. If you are in need of professional guidance then speak to your legal team for advice on making sensible choices within your will, nothing is set in stone with your will and you can make changes if you feel it is necessary.

If you don’t have your legal team on hand you can find helpful advice for putting together a quality will online. Resources are available that provide each and every aspect of a company, all you need to do is fill in the necessary forms and you could be completed in just a few minutes. These are great starters for people who do not already have a will as they can be used to vet a basic idea of what needs to be included, with plenty of time to make alterations as you are given more information to factor in.

Legal Factors

A very important part of your will is ensuring that all of the necessary legal factors have been sorted along with the contents of your will, this includes getting a grant of probate so that when the time comes for your will to be read by your loved ones and business team they can be sure that it is valid. This will help to reduce the risk of any disagreement and show that the will is genuine in providing your wishes. Making sure you get this kind of certification is very important so when you finally finish the content of your will this should be your next step.

Securing The Future Success of Your Company

One of the biggest reasons why a will is so important for business owners would have to be the fact that it allows you to have a say in future decisions and the future development of your company. When you have started something from the ground up it makes sense that you would have an interest in the shape it forms when you are no longer here. By putting together a will you could also include elements of the business that you think need to be developed and some of the future directions your company could go in. I feel that when you give so much responsibility away to someone the advice would be very much appreciated.

Marketing is a vital component of any business. Without marketing, it’s difficult to get your message out to potential customers.

In the digital age, marketing has become even more important as businesses have become more and more competitive.

Let’s take a deeper look on what kind of marketing strategies will work best for you, as well as some resources that can help you get started.

How To Find Your Unique Competitive Advantage

As an entrepreneur, improving your business tops your priorities. One way to do this is to find your unique competitive advantage. Here are some tips on how to find your unique competitive advantage:

1. Know your target market

To find your unique competitive advantage you need first to establish your target market. Who are you trying to reach with your product or service and what their needs and wants are?

Once you know your target market, you can start to narrow down what makes you different from the competition.

2. Research the competition

After establishing your target market, it’s time to research the competition. Check out their websites and marketing materials.

How are they positioning themselves in the marketplace? And this research will help you fine-tune your own marketing message and give you ideas about how to differentiate yourself from the competition.

3. Identify your strengths

The third and vital step is identifying your strength. What do you do better than anyone else? Maybe you have a better product or you provide superior service, or probably you have a convenient location. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something that sets you apart from the competition and that your target market will

How To Improve Your Online Presence

There are a number of ways to improve your online presence such as:

1. Use of social media

Social media is a great way to connect with potential and current customers. Make sure you have a strong social media presence on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

2. Create helpful content

Another way of attracting attention to your business online is to create helpful content that solves problems or answers questions your target audience may have. This could be in the form of blog posts, infographics, eBooks, or even you buy YouTube views to increase your viewership.

3. Optimize your website for search engines

Make sure your website is optimized for search engines so that potential customers can easily find you when they search for keywords related to your business.

4. Build backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. They help improve your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs), and can also drive traffic to your site.

Marketing For Small Businesses

As a small business owner, you wear many hats. You’re the CEO, the CFO, and the head of HR. You’re also responsible for marketing your business successfully.

With so much on your plate, it’s easy to let marketing fall by the wayside. But if you want your business to succeed, you need to make marketing a priority.

The good news is that there are plenty of marketing strategies that are perfect for small businesses.

1. Content marketing

One of the best ways to market your small business is through content marketing. This involves creating blog posts, articles, infographics, and other types of content that provide value to your target audience. Videos are also a great way to present your business and services. These days you have a lot of online tools that can help you edit, flip the video, resize it, and do much more to make the best out of your video content.
Not only will this help you attract new leads, but it will also help you build trust and credibility with your audience. Over time, this can lead to more sales and conversions.

2. Social media marketing

Another great way to market your small business is through social media marketing. This involves creating social media profiles on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Then, you can share your content with your followers and engage with them on a regular basis.

Marketing Strategies For Local Businesses

There are a number of marketing strategies that local businesses can use to reach their target markets and boost sales. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Develop a strong online presence.

Make sure your website is optimized for search engine ranking and that you have a strong social media presence. This will help you reach more potential customers online.

Use traditional marketing methods.

Don’t forget about the power of face-to-face marketing, print advertising, and other offline methods. These can be highly effective for reaching local customers.

Get involved in your community.

Sponsoring local events or getting involved in local charities and organizations is a great way to get your business name out there and build goodwill in the community.

Conclusion

No matter what business you’re in, marketing is essential to your success. Without a solid marketing strategy, it will be very difficult to reach your target audience and achieve your business goals.

Luckily, there are many different ways to market your business successfully. The key is to find the right mix of strategies that work for you and your budget. By understanding the ins and outs of marketing, you can set your business up for success.