If you want to increase sales on your e-commerce site, you should not only focus on traffic but also on your conversion rate. The higher your conversion rate, the more money you can make with the same number of visitors. Here are five tactics to help you increase your conversion rate. Test Testing is an important part of improving your conversion rate. Split testing can help you determine what aspects… Read more
In business, finding a niche that can supply enough revenue is important. More entrepreneurs than ever are realising the importance of finding a narrow set of customers and catering their product or service to them. This allows you to focus your efforts on being great at a few things, rather than mediocre at many. But how do you find your ideal target market? This article will get you started by… Read more
If you’re a small business owner with a modest marketing budget, every dollar you spend has to be worth the investment. For decades—before the web, Google, and social media transformed the nature of marketing—buying an ad in the local Yellow Pages was a reliable way for people to find a business. The fact is, these days most consumers across the globe use the web and review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor,… Read more
Freelancers in all industries deal with the same problems due to the nature of their work. Typically, freelancers are solo work-from-home contractors that manage every aspect of their business. If you’re thinking of dropping your career as an employee to begin freelancing, consider the following obstacles you will need to navigate. Unfortunately, problems beget more problems, and a shaky foundation quickly leads to a crumbly business, and many regrets about… Read more
Email marketing is one of the best ways to develop a relationship with your customers. It’s also a proven way to increase sales with subscribers who are interested, qualified buyers. The key to maintaining high open rates with your email campaigns is to craft catchy subject lines for every email you send out to your customers. These ten proven tips will show you how to quickly grab attention with compelling… Read more
Your employees are the blood of your entrepreneurial life. No start-up will survive without a good set of people making sure that things run perfectly. The problem for you and any other entrepreneur is making sure that the people on your team are trustworthy and reliable. Some people have a sixth sense when it comes to reading people, but if you’re not that lucky you can simply keep an eye… Read more
With social media, you can connect with business associates quickly and creatively. But this communication mode is not without risk. A thoughtless post can offend customers and other business partners and damage relationships rather than build them. By following a few ground rules you can be confident your comments and posts will be appropriate ones. Check your Messages for Grammar and Spelling Your co-workers and business partners evaluate your communication… Read more
Use the Right Business Structure When you start a new business, you need to carefully choose the right business structure for your goals and for the type of business you want to run. Each business structure has different requirements around set-up costs, asset protection and tax. There are four primary business structures in Australia and their tax implications are as follows: Sole trader You pay taxes on your business income… Read more
If you’re ready to expand internationally – perhaps you plan to open a store overseas, start working with international clients or make a leap into exporting – these tips will help you prepare for hassle-free business travel. Check your passport – The earlier you can get your passport documentation in order the better. In many countries it takes several weeks to receive a new passport once you’ve submitted your paperwork.… Read more
Increasing efficiency and minimizing costs are essential to running a profitable business. Yet many small business owners waste countless hours on meetings that lack focus, run on too long, and pull staff away from more productive tasks. Follow these seven tips to make your meetings more efficient and cost-effective. What’s your Goal? Every meeting should have a clear objective, and a reason the meeting is needed (versus an email or… Read more
We now look at eight characteristics important to successful businesses. International researchers who have studied many small businesses have found that these characteristics consistently play a part in the success of small companies. The eight characteristics are: Owners leading by Example Having a simple business structure Information sharing among employees Staff are carefully chosen Staff commitment and loyalty A unique product or service A specific Customer focus Prompt follow up… Read more
A Canadian bank recently surveyed over 500 small business owners about what they love and hate most about owning their own business. Unsurprisingly, flexibility and feeling in control ranked first in the “love” category. Meanwhile, almost 60% said bookkeeping was hands-down their most hated task. Most business owners understand that effective financial management is key to their success. But lack of knowledge, frustration, and even avoidance can add up to… Read more
Preparing for tax season is really a year-round endeavor. Tip number one for SMB owners is to update financials on a monthly basis, using a streamlined software or cloud-based system. This way, come tax time, everything you need is all in one place. And well organized SMBs are better positioned to minimize their tax bill while avoiding penalties associated with missing or inaccurate information. Here are four more ways to… Read more
Whether you’re an entrepreneur seeking lucrative new partnerships or a skilled worker in search of the perfect job placement, LinkedIn is the social network you need to be using. As the world’s premier social network geared towards professionals from all walks of life, LinkedIn is effectively your online portfolio and résumé. Companies all over the world use it daily to seek out valuable new connections, but with some 350 million… Read more
Every website should have an About page. It exists to capture the very essence of your business by reeling in your target audience and inspiring them with your story. The About page is more than just a brief biography or a list of achievements; it should be something that forges a connection with your readers and gives them a reason why they should choose your business. Crafting an unforgettable About… Read more
Stale inventory is a costly nuisance for any business owner. Ideally the rule of thumb is to sell the goods taking up space on your sale floor within 90 days; after the three month mark stale inventory becomes dead inventory. Products are much harder to move and nearly impossible to get top dollar for. Fortunately there are a number of ways to recoup at least part of your investment on… Read more
As a business owner, you may appreciate the importance of monitoring key performance indicators but feel overwhelmed by the process—especially if you need to sign into to various applications to access a wealth of unconsolidated data. A business dashboard provides an at-a-glance view of your business intelligence, so it’s quick and easy to make sense of your data in real time, whenever you like. Fully customizable, you can pick and… Read more
It’s very rare these days that people just happen to find your business and become a client or customer with no work on your part. Your business has to grab people’s attention, turn curious visitors into leads and then convert those leads into sales. This means that the more solid leads you have, the greater your chances of making a sale. Solid leads are those contacts who are engaged in… Read more
Most family business owners have a similar goal in mind – to grow the business and pass it on to the next generation of their family. While keeping the business in the family and getting to work with your parents, siblings, or children who share common goals can be a fun and rewarding experience, running and growing a family-owned business isn’t without its challenges. Conflicting views on business and family… Read more
Everyone would like to become a better investor. People get into a twist trying this method and that only to abandon them for the next new thing. There’s an easier way, and it involves following a few simple suggestions. Stop Watching the Market and start Watching your Stocks Just because the market is frothy doesn’t mean your stock’s price is. Just because the market is sinking doesn’t mean your stock… Read more