The Secret to Writing Great Blog Headlines

  It’s tough to say what is the most important element of a blog article, but your headline is certainly a top contender. You could be Ernest Hemingway, but if no one wants to click on your headline, they’re never going to read it, anyway. There is a kind of science to writing effective headlines. A good one will describe, in very short length, what the content is going to be about, while being interesting and clickable at the same time. This is harder than it looks, which is why we’re offering this post to give you some good ideas on how to build your headlines so that they will perform well.   Spend More Time On Your Headlines   Like the title of a book, the headline is what first hooks someone and draws them in. If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out why your articles aren’t …

Why VoIP Phone Service is More Trouble than It’s Worth

There are many different types of phone service. With our technology today, you can literally have your pick of a variety of service providers that will fit your particular business the best. Given that advanced technology, however, VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) systems are beginning to trail behind because the virtual phone systems available now have everything you get with VoIP, but better and more versatile. There are still applications where VoIP has value, for sure. The only problem with them, though, is that you can get more while investing less with a virtual phone system. If you’re in the market for a VoIP service provider, here’s why you may want to reconsider that. There May Be More Cost than You Bargained For Where a virtual service usually just needs you to sign up, and be up and running in an hour at most, a VoIP service isn’t that simple. …

How to Use the Local Press to Grow Your Small Business

Since you probably put most of your marketing efforts into online media, there is an outlet you most likely haven’t paid much attention to–local mainstream media. You definitely should be paying more attention to online content marketing, but at the same time, it’s advantageous to devote some energy to local media and news outlets, as well. There are opportunities in that area which also have the potential to give your business a boost of exposure. It’s easy to overlook it. Of course, content marketing is the primary method of reaching new customers these days, but people still consume content through the traditional channels, too. Mainstream Media Channels Are Not Dead Local or wider news media channels probably don’t even enter your mind for marketing your business, but they can still be useful in the age of the Internet. It may seem pointless, but there are ways in which your business …

Mailchimp vs. Constant Contact: Email Marketing & Automation

  Email marketing: One of the most surprisingly effective methods of gaining attention for your company that actually translates to new sales. Even though it was one of the first uses that people found for the Internet, email has somehow kept some momentum from the 90s, to the present day. Now, it has come back in a big way with the development of online marketing technology, which marries perfectly with email. If you’re of the mind that email is dead, then you need to disabuse yourself of that idea. Email marketing, along with the automation provided by a service like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, is one of the best drivers of sales currently available. Both of these providers have roughly the same tools and functions to inspire increased web traffic for your business, but each one has its own advantages. Let’s see which one comes out ahead.   Bang for …

Working from Home? Learn How to Separate Your Work & Home Life

Running a business out of your home can be a great experience and a tremendous advantage, but there are also some drawbacks and pitfalls that most entrepreneurs don’t foresee when they embark on their home business venture. Most of these drawbacks involve adjusting to the working environment. Whether you started a home based business or you temporarily have to work from home, there are many things you can do to set yourself up for remote success! Ultimately, the biggest mistake you can make is to jump right into it without taking much thought for how you will manage it and what your days are going to look like. You will definitely need to separate your work from your personal life, even though those two things will be happening in the same place. This is how to do it: Understand the Psychological Effects of Working from Home For those who have …

7 Ways to Improve Your Phone System with Automation

Automation for phone systems was one of the most important things that was ever created for businesses. It’s honestly kind of crazy not to take advantage of automation for managing your business calls because it does nothing but add value for you, across the board. It saves time, saves labor, gives the caller a better experience, and prevents you from losing sales due to confused or frustrated callers. There are a variety of ways that automation can enable your phone system to function better, and here are a few of those benefits. 1. Create a Company Directory Even if you only have a small number of employees, adding a company directory allows you to professionally direct callers to the right person, right away. With a directory, there is no need for them to speak to a representative before they can be transferred to the right person because you can eliminate …

How to Be a Better CEO

So, you’re the CEO of your own company. That’s a huge accomplishment and a fantastic position to be in, but just being in the position doesn’t mean that you’re automatically good at it. It’s easy to just sit back and revel in the fact that you’re the boss, without putting too much effort into the continual improvement of yourself, your company, and the way you do business because after all, you don’t answer to anyone, right? Technically, you still answer to your customers (or shareholders), but that’s not the point here. The point is that to be a highly successful CEO, you have to do a lot more than just take a seat and watch the cash roll in, and in fact, if you do that, the cash is bound to stop rolling in at some point. You need to be actively involved in all aspects of your company while …

Braintree: A Payments Solution You Can’t Live Without

  For those who searched in Google for payments solutions for your business, then you’ve earned yourself a pat on the back because you’re on the right track if you found Braintree. Or, maybe you’re just lucky. Braintree is one of the greatest-kept secrets for business payments solutions (not sure why it would be kept secret, though). They not only have a fantastic platform to tailor payments for a business, no matter what kind of structure or website you have, but they give you the ability to accept pretty much any payment type under the sun without paying separate fees for each type. By any metric, it’s fair to say that Braintree is most likely the best option you will find for payments services. Of course, you should do your own research, but there’s not much chance that you’re going to find a provider that offers more than they do. …

Online Marketing Home Business

Why Mastering Online Marketing is Critical for Home Businesses

  There are a few things that are essential when you run your business out of your home–a good ISP and lots of bandwidth, a dedicated phone line, a good space to work out of, and the usual office trappings. A home business is unique in many ways, though, and one thing that you should get very good at is online marketing. You can promote your product extremely effectively online, and that doesn’t just mean taking out Facebook ads and then sitting back to wait for the revenue to roll in. There are a variety of ways to market and advertise your home business online and gain multiple advantages while you’re at it.   It’s Great for Marketing on a Budget   Even more than other new businesses, your home business probably doesn’t have a lot of running capital to work with, or startup capital to spare as you make …

Things That Upset Customers

5 Things That Upset Customers When They Call Your Business

It’s tough to know what your customers are thinking, which is basically the whole reason that marketing strategy exists, but you can be sure of a few things. People don’t like to wait, they don’t like to go through any extra hassles, and they want things to work the way they’re supposed to. Those are the core issues behind these 5 points that you’ll see here, as it applies to your business’ phone system. You might not know exactly what every person who calls your business is thinking, but these 5 grievances are things that you can easily address to make your calling customers happy. 1. Long Wait Times Callers might have to wait on hold; that may be unavoidable. But you should limit that wait time to the best of your ability and manage their anxiety while they hold. One thing you can do to solve this problem is …