Generation Gap Marketing Techniques

Tips to Help Bridge the Marketing Gap with Different Generations

Bridging the generation gap

One challenge that many marketers and business owners face is bridging the gap between their own age bracket and customers representing different generations. While knowing the traits, likes, values and behaviors of your target market is important, small businesses have a unique advantage over larger corporation in the area of marketing toward the generation gap – younger consumers seem to much prefer doing business with smaller, “home grown” businesses.

Social Media Marketing is Key

One marketing platform that some businesses struggle with is incorporating social media into the overall promotional plan. The older generations are starting to get on the social media wagon, but not enough to really be influenced by what they find. Younger generations, on the other hand, get a lot of their information from social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While this should not suggest moving all your marketing to social media, doing some marketing here will definitely impact your audience.

Incorporating social media into your marketing plan is easier than it seems – instead of abandoning your print, radio, or television ads, have them support your social media pages and help to drive traffic to them. Include the phrase “check us out on Facebook,” or whatever social media platform you are using, into your print or audio marketing to show younger generations you do have a presence online. Additionally, your social media pages can support print, radio, and television marketing in the same way.

Make Your Digital Marketing Mobile Friendly

Older generations tend to be a little shyer when it comes to technology but millennials are all about the mobile lifestyle. For those tech-savvy consumers, there is nothing more frustrating than landing on a webpage that is not mobile-friendly and does not load properly on their smartphone or tablet. If they are unable to buy products they are interested on their device, regardless of how much they like it, they may just go to another source. In order to make sure you reach your target audience wherever they are and so you do not lose sales, work with your web-developer to make sure all of your websites and other online materials are both computer and mobile device compatible.

Use Strong Visuals

Younger consumers are much more drawn to things that they can visually see, either in a photo or a video. This is why review videos on YouTube are so popular – younger consumers want to see products in action and want to see what other people are saying about them. While review videos are a driving force, businesses can also add their own momentum by putting out interesting, well-done photos and videos whenever possible. Making an impression visually with younger consumers is key to success.

Go Green

The Green Movement in business is still alive and well and no generational group is more on this wagon than the millennials. Being environmentally friendly is at the top of many young consumer’s priority list and they are much more likely to interact and purchase from businesses who share the same values by producing green products or by operating in a more economically-friendly manner. Because of this, it is important for businesses to develop a strong eco-friendly image and make sure consumers are aware.

6-Figure Income Club is part of the Stacy O'Quinn network of informational sites. Stacy offers more tips for home business owners on his personal blog. To visit his blog and to learn more about Stacy O'Quinn, please click here.

*Photo Courtesy of xflickrx via Creative Commons License

Don’t Buy Your Small Business with the Wrong Credit

Choosing the Right Credit Card for Your Business

In recent years, with the popularity of opening a small business on the rise, credit card companies have been expanding their offerings for small business credit cards. In many cases it is much easier for a start-up company to apply for and obtain a credit card than it is for them to establish a line of credit through a bank or credit union. Since having a credit card is a great way to establish a credit history, many small business owners are choosing this option when it comes to financing their business ventures.

But, which credit card is the best choice when buying items to start a small business? There are many questions that business owners should consider before making a final choice – what are the business’ spending habits? What is the annual percentage rate? Will you be paying off the balance of the card every month? Although all credit card companies make plans seem like the best out there, it is important to consider all the available options to make sure you are choosing the correct card.

Are You Carrying a Balance or Paying the Balance Each Month?

How the credit card will be paid off is an important part of choosing the right credit card plan. For many small businesses, paying off the balance of the credit card each month is simply not doable, so it is important to consider that you will be carrying a balance every month. If that is the case, look at different company’s interest rates – some companies will offer a low or even 0% interest rate as a teaser, so make sure to research what the rate will be after that initial introductory period.

If you plan to pay the balance off every month, the interest rate won’t be as much of a concern, so try and look for credit cards that offer longer grace periods – this is important if you can make the payments each month, but not necessarily right on time. Also, look at the company’s annual fees – even though the interest rates may be low, they may try to stick you with a high annual fee. If carrying a balance isn’t a concern, there are other options that you can look into, such as more generous rewards

What Credit Card Rewards are Important to You?

Many credit card companies are now offering small business card holders more rewards programs, such as airline miles or cash back. If you or your employees will be doing a lot of traveling, consider looking for a credit card that offers generous airline miles – this will allow you to double dip by using the card to pay for the travel and then using those same points for a free, professional or personal, trip. If your business just makes a lot of general purchases, look for a card with a great cash back percentage.

Having a credit card, either personally or professionally, is an important responsibility and it is vital to take it seriously. Make sure to never spend more than you can realistically pay back even if it is for your business and always strive to make payments on time – late or missed payments can have a severe negative effect on your credit report. Additionally, some companies will void any rewards the card has earned if a payment is missed or made late as well as assigning late fees or penalties to the account.

*Photo Courtesy of Sean MacEntee via Creative Commons License

Communication is Key for Small Business Owners

Simple Communication Tips for Your Small Business

Stacy sharing his ideas
at a Dani Johnson
Training Seminar

Many people say that communication is more of an art than it is a science. Although it may seem simple to exchange information with business partners or employees, communication is more about verbalizing our ideas while also knowing how to listen, influence, encourage, and have empathy. For some, these aspects of communication are not an automatic thing and knowing how to communicate effectively and clearly with your team is an important part of running a small business.

Use the “Magic” Words

As children we were taught to be respectful when we speak to others. Our parents always reminded us to say “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome.” Just because we are older now and running a business does not mean that these words lose their power. Although we may think saying “thank you” to someone for doing their job is a trivial detail, it is important to remember that being respectful earns you respect and being polite with colleagues and employees will have a profound effect.

Listening is Important

When we think of communication, we often think of how we relay information to others and how they interpret that information. However, another important part of being an effective communicator is listening. It is important to truly take into consideration what other people have to say during an exchange of information. Asking for and listening to the opinions and ideas of others is a great way to see if you are right, they are right, or if both of you are wrong and new ideas need to be discussed.

Stay Positive

Communication can be both a positive or negative experience, but how the conversation ends is your choice. Communication includes both how we speak and what our body language is – even if you are speaking positive things, your body language can be a dead giveaway to how you are truly feeling. By staying positive in your mind, you are able to portray the same feelings with where you place your hands, your arms and what your facial expressions convey. Be conscious of what you say as well as how you say it and what your body language is communicating to the other person in the conversation.

Do Not Be Condescending

No one likes to be “talked down to,” especially when they are trying to communicate their ideas to someone else. Business owners who are arrogant or act superior to others are usually not favored by their employees, colleagues, or customers and will more than likely not be taken seriously. When a boss in condescending, everything will be repelled from them – co-workers, employees, customers, and possibly their business. Make sure to be conscious of how you speak to others and remain positive.

Communication can be simple or hard, effective or ineffective – the choice is up to you. Whether you are speaking with business partners, employees, or customers, it is important to remember these points in order to make sure the idea exchange is a positive and helpful one. Being respectful, listening well, staying positive in the conversation and not “talking down” to those around you is the most effective way to become a great communicator, which is a key aspect to running a healthy, happy business.

To communicate better with his customers and close deals better and more often, Stacy O'Quinn has used Dani Johnson training tools like the Dani Johnson script book. This has enabled him from being deep in debt to creating a very successful work at home business. Today, Stacy helps other entrepreneurs using Dani's techniques and techniques he has perfected over the years. If you would like to learn more about Stacy and find out how he can help you create your financial independence, click here.

Passion is Great, but is it Profitable?

Starting a Business Takes More than Love for Your Job

Can your passion become profitable?

Passion is a word that is thrown around a lot in the business world – everyone is telling us to “do what we love” and “be passionate about what we do every day.” Although doing what you love and making a living is a dream for many business owners, the reality is that passion alone is not enough to run a successful business. They key to having success in a business is providing a product or service that consumers want to buy, and even though you are passionate about something, consumers may not be.

Evaluate Your Passions

Evaluating and assessing your passion is the first step in figuring out whether doing what you love is going to pay your bills. A great starting point is to make a list of all the things you love to do and start crossing out the things that will definitely NOT make a good business model. For example, if you love watching reality TV, that can quickly be crossed out as a business concept. Other ideas, like caring for animals, working on vehicles, cooking, or baking are all good ideas that can be then reviewed further.

After you have narrowed down the list to a few solid ideas, start thinking about whether or not it is profitable in your geographical area. Will consumers want to buy your products or services? Are they something that people need or want? If you want to design and manufacture bathing suits, but live in Minnesota, there is probably not a huge market for you to take advantage of (unless you consider opening up an online store). It is important to really think through whether or not a business model with your concept will be sustainable long term.

Figure Out is Your Passion is Sustainable

After settling on one or two ideas that may work, it is time to really dig into the financials and see if the profit is there. Calculate how much it will cost to start the business, how much it will cost to produce a single unit of your product, and what margin or how much you will sell that unit for. Also, use market data to predict how much you may sell each month or in a year. Finally, compare costs and expenses to your projected profit – if the numbers do not work, you may want to go back to the drawing board.

Will Your Passion Fit into Your Life?

Let’s go back to the bathing suit example. Let’s say you are living in an area where this business model will work - if you are spending 60 hours a week designing and producing your offering, does that leave you enough time to meet other goals in your life? Will you have enough time to spend with family and friends, take a vacation, or go back to school to get your business degree? Goals are much more than what you want to achieve in your business but also what you want to achieve for your life.

Passion is great and it drives a lot of the best owners to see success in their business. But, before they jumped in with their business model, chances are they went through all the steps to see if their passion was profitable and got very lucky that it was. Doing what you love is important, but being able to sustain your business and yourself while still being able to meet your personal goals is really what matters.

Are you still looking for that perfect work at home opportunity? Have you ever heard of Stacy O'Quinn? Stacy started out much like you and then found Dani Johnson training. He used  and uses her techniques in a travel business that has enabled him to work from home and make six figures every year. Stacy can help you do the same and all you need to do is give him a call! For more information about Stacy and his opportunity, click here. 

*Photo Courtesy of Anthony Easton via Creative Commons License

Stop Putting Off Your Own Success

How to Beat Procrastination

Does this look like your day?

A lack of time is one of the most common excuses that is given for not being able to get everything done to deadline. While time constraints can be a problem, procrastination is often the leading factor when it comes to not completing tasks – many people who are the biggest offenders of procrastination do not even realize that they do it! In many cases, procrastination and not completing tasks is a huge obstacle between yourself and success – here are some ways to help manage procrastination.

Admit You Have a Procrastination Problem

Being in denial about procrastination is a huge road block that will need to be overcome in order to reach your goals. Recognizing you have a tendency for the behavior or knowing when you are procrastinating is key to overcoming it. It may not feel as though things are being pushed to the side when we are constantly working on something, but it is important to ask if the tasks you are working on are really a priority. Sure, you are getting things done, but are there other things you should be doing.

Answer the Question, “Why?”

Generally, when an individual procrastinates, it is because there is something that is stopping them from completely a task. If you are resisting the completion of a certain project or action item, ask yourself why you have an aversion to completing it. Does the task feel overwhelming? Do you not know how to complete it? It is boring, tedious, or just not interesting to you? Being able to answer this question is important in figuring out new ways to get tasks you do not enjoy doing completed on time.

Think About the Consequences

If recognizing you are procrastinating and knowing why you are is not enough to stop the behavior, it may be time to consider the worst case scenario if you do not complete a task on time. Use payroll as an example – some of the negative consequences of waiting to do payroll is the pressure to get it complete as well as the risk of employees not getting paid. These are huge penalties for not wanting to complete a certain task in a certain time frame that affects both you and those around you. 

Set Deadlines and Give Yourself Incentives

A big part of stopping procrastination is better time management. When a task comes across your desk, make sure you set a deadline for when it needs to be done and allot yourself specific time throughout that period to get it done. Additionally, think about how you can incentivize yourself to complete tasks you do not necessarily like to do – maybe when a big project is done on time you can treat yourself to a new piece of clothing, a special dinner out with co-workers and friends or something else you enjoy

Do Not Be Afraid to Ask for Help

If these tactics are simply not working for certain tasks, it may be time to ask for help and pass them along to someone else. For example, if there is a project that you do not know how to do properly or that does not fall into your scope of work, it is perfectly acceptable to delegate that task to someone with the right skill set and the time to get it done. Delegating helps to free up your time as well as making sure important tasks are getting done in a both a timely manner and correctly.

Stacy O'Quinn has enjoyed work at home success for years and has helped dozens of others enjoy this same success. Stacy also has an incredible opportunity for those looking for ideas to create their own work from home business. For more information about Stacy and to find out how he can help you, click here.

*Photo Courtesy of birgerking via Creative Commons License