Tune Up Your Small Business

Key Principles that Work in Every Business Type

While every business and every industry is unique, every business can see success by following the same basic principles. Not only do these principles work in every business model, they often can be applied to specific, unique projects as well. Whether you are trying to open and grow a new business, build a strong customer mailing list, or close an important sale, these basic business principles can almost guarantee that any endeavor you take on to be a complete success.

Make it Simple

There are one of three things that all humans naturally are – lazy, busy, or both lazy and busy. Regardless of what category your customers fall under, there is one way you can encourage them to respond to you or your business - make it simple, simple, and more simple. This will be true for any business type, online or brick and mortar, and becomes even truer if you are trying to accomplish a goal through the Internet or smartphone app. Making it simple, easy and obvious will get you the results you’re looking for.

Keep it Short

In order to be successful with your project, you will need to be able to explain to someone what you are doing in just a few short sentences. Whether you are preparing an elevator speech or writing a headline for a press release, the fewer words you use, the better. You need to be able to explain your product or service and show its benefit in just a few short sentences. Think about the impact the following phrases have – “lose 5 pounds in 5 days,” “increase sale conversions 150%,” and “1000s of songs in your hand.” All of these phrases are 5 words or less and tell you everything you need to know just like that.

Repetition is Key

Repetition, whether it is seeing something or hearing something, is a key factor in making sure your business is recognized and remembered. How many times have you read a great article or seen an interesting photo and simply shared it with friends and family via sharing buttons on your smartphone? Every time someone shares in this manner, the piece’s originator gains more exposure. Going back to point number one, always make it easy for consumers to share your information with others.

Sell a Benefit, Not a Product

The features of your different products and services are great, but what consumers really care about is how your offerings can benefit them, fulfilling some kind of need or want. It’s all about the customer and if you can’t show the benefit, chances are you will not be selling very much. Chances are you as a business owner are in love with all your offerings and love all their features – the key here is to show consumers why they should love them too, while also keeping your messaging simple and to the point.

Always Analyze

It is very important to make sure you are reviewing the analytics of your efforts to see what is working and what isn’t – there is nothing worse in business than wasting time, money and resources on a project, product or marketing effort that is not helping to move the sales needle. Use the information you find to decide what to keep and what to cut loose. Doing this will help you focus on the areas of your business that need improvement or those that need to be cultivated to keep the success going.

Do you need help getting your own work from home opportunity off the ground? Did you know that Stacy O’Quinn was once just like you, in debt and making very little money? Today, Stacy has a six figure income and has shown dozens of entrepreneurs how they can do the same thing. If you would like Stacy to help you, click here.

*Photo Courtesy of Senselalan via Creative Commons License

Mobile Marketing for Small Business Owners

Improving Your Mobile Marketing Efforts

Using mobile marketing for
small or home businesses

As many successful business owners will tell you, marketing is an important part of growing your company. But, the problem that many small businesses face is not being able to outsource their marketing to ensure its success. Many times, owners take the marketing on themselves and become lost in the many options they now have to reach customers wherever they are. Mobile marketing is one of those tools that can make marketing easier, but doing it right is often more of an art than a science.

Mobile marketing allows businesses to reach customers directly on their smartphone or tablet device. Since these devices are much more popular these days than desktop computers or newspapers, it only make sense to hit customers up on the device they use the most. However, business owners walk a fine line between being effective and being annoying – bombarding consumers with unwanted text messages can often be a turn off so how business owners can use mobile marketing correctly?

Respect Consumers’ Privacy

Consumers are often taken aback when they receive advertising via text message, especially when they weren’t asked permission first. This is often a violation of consumers’ privacy and when they feel violated, they will often not purchase from a company. Before sending a customer any mobile marketing, make sure you ask their permission – this could be checking a box during online checkout or filling out a card at your storefront. If consumers are expecting your message, they are likely to accept it.

Keep it Short and Sweet

Text messages have a much higher open rate than email but give you only a few words to get your point across. Remember to keep your messages short and to the point – consumers are not going to want to take the time to read a text message that is multiple pages long. The beauty of mobile marketing is that it is fast and effective – the quicker a consumer can read your message, the sooner they comprehend it and the faster they run to your business to make a purchase or take advantage of a sale.

Include Special Offers

There is nothing consumers like more than having coupons and special offers sent directly to their smartphone. While mobile marketing is great for sending advertisements, it is also the perfect platform for sending consumers great deals. Consumers often don’t mind when entities like grocery stores track their purchases since they often get coupons for what they buy most – keep this same idea in mind when using your mobile marketing – great deals will bring consumers right to your door.

Integrate with Other Efforts

Mobile marketing is great but, as any marketing professional will tell you, an integrated marketing plan is much more effective than only using one channel. Make sure to use a mobile platform in conjunction with your other efforts such as social media, email and direct mail. Also, keep a close eye on the metrics of all of your marketing platforms to evaluate what is working and what isn’t – by doing this, you can tailor and advertising plan that is appealing to your target audience and will produce results.

If you would like more tips on how to make your small or home business more successful, call Stacy O’Quinn today! Stacy has helped dozens of entrepreneurs create financial freedom by teaching them the same tools he learned from Dani Johnson. For more information about Stacy and his opportunities, please click here.

Will Hillary Clinton be Good for Small Business Owners?

What Having another Clinton in the Whitehouse Could Mean for Businesses

Its official – Hillary Clinton will be making her second run at the White House for the 2016 Presidential Election.  This former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State has always put her best foot forward with her stance on social issues and foreign policy, but Clinton has also made it clear that her stance on economic issues will be front and center during the upcoming campaign. If recent statements are any indication of what is to come, her proposals will meet the small business world with mixed reviews.

Clinton on Minimum Wage

During her time in the Senate, Clinton was a strong supporter of increasing minimum wage. Her stance is that raising the minimum wage would help everyone, especially women, who make up a large portion of the force working minimum wage jobs. Keeping the federal wage minimum down holds back individuals in the workplace and thus has a negative effect on our economy. Clinton strongly believes in this fight and even slammed Congress last year for not taking action on wage-related issues. This is a sore point for some small business owners, as they believe a higher minimum wage will raise their labor costs so high that they will be forced to go out of business.

Clinton on Women in Business

During Clinton’s first presidential run, she outlined her stance on women’s issues and made a statement concerning the rules being proposed by the Small Business Administration during the Presidency of George Bush – her statement was that these rules would make it exponentially harder for women-led businesses to secure government work. At the time, women-lead businesses made up one third of all small businesses in the county but were only receiving three percent of available federal contracts.

Fast forward to today, and not much has changed – women-led businesses still make up one third of all small businesses but are only pulling in about four percent of federal contracts. In 2008, Clinton stated, “As president, I will ensure that women-owned small businesses receive the federal contracts they deserve and that the SBA expands opportunities for women business owners.” Time will tell if she will make the same promises for this year’s election but, chances are, her views have not changed.

Clinton on Tax Loopholes

Clinton has always been critical of the current tax system throughout her entire time in the political spotlight. One area that is she most critical of is the loopholes that exist, benefiting wealthy individuals and large corporations. While her stance has been clear for some time, she has not announced a plan of action to reform the tax code. Her husband, Bill Clinton, made news recently by stating that the United States must lower their corporate tax rate, which has climbed to among the highest in the world.

It is important to note that small business groups have been against changing the corporate tax code without plans to also adjust the individual tax rate – this rate determines the amount paid by small business owners whose companies are organized as pass through entities, such as an S Corporation. Additionally, business groups urge politicians to remember that raising taxes for the wealthy will also affect small business, since many small business owners fall into the highest tax brackets.

Are you still trying to find the perfect opportunity to launch your own small or home business? If so, Stacy O’Quinn can show you how you can make a six figure income working right from home! For more information, please click here.

*Photo Courtesy of Mike Mozart via Creative Commons License