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Why Workforce Development Is a Big Deal for Small Business
Many small and medium-sized business owners think that workforce development isn’t in their “lane.” They leave it to the big guys to work with the chamber and community leaders to ensure the large businesses have the skilled employees they need for the future. But unless you are a business of one and plan on remaining that way, workforce development should be a concern of all sizes of businesses. Here’s why you should want to get involved: Why Small Companies Should Get Involved in Workforce Development While workforce development may seem like a daunting task for small companies, there are several compelling reasons why they should actively engage in these initiatives:
While small businesses may have limited resources compared to larger corporations, they have a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on workforce development. By engaging with the chamber of commerce, local educational institutions, industry associations, and larger companies in the area, a small business owner can provide valuable insights into what’s needed in the years ahead. Workforce development is not only crucial for individual companies but also for the overall economic growth and sustainability of the community. Many small business owners think that as an employer of only a handful of people, their insights aren’t critical to the community’s plans. However, small business often comprises the largest employment segment in the area. Hearing from businesses under 200 employees is just as important as hearing from the largest employer. If small business owners don’t step forward to share their needs, the only ones who will be heard are big businesses and unless you think their employment needs and yours are the same, it’s time to speak up. Contact the chamber today. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Time to Get Influential: Leveraging the Power of the Influencer in Your Business
Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy for businesses looking to reach a wider audience and build brand awareness. But it’s not just for the big guys. You can leverage the power of the influencer even as a small business. You may not have the pockets to bring in Michael Jordan, but you can build an audience by working with (smaller) influencers. Before we get into how you can use influencers, let’s address the influencer in the room. Where are these minor celebrities and how do you work with one? Where to Find Local Influencers? First, you can approach all kinds of YouTube phenoms and other social media influencers, but unless you have a deep pocket and plenty of perks to pass along to them, they may be out of your business’s reach unless you have an appeal that is largely emotional for them. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on influencer marketing. Instead, shift your focus to a more localized appeal and look for people in your community who have large followings, are vocal on community sites, and can help you amass appeal. Here are a few channels to find local influencers:
Resources for Approaching Influencers 7 Proven Tips To Get Influencers To Promote Your Brand On A Budget How to Reach Out to Influencers For Collaborations What is influencer marketing: How to develop your strategy Now that you have a few sources for scouting influencers and know how to approach them for the greatest success, what should you do with them to build your audience? 4 Ways to Work with Influencers to Grow Your Brand Sponsored Content: Sponsored content involves paying an influencer to create content that features or promotes your product or service. For example, a fashion brand might pay a fashion influencer to feature their clothing in a post or video. Social Media Takeovers: Social media takeovers give an influencer temporary access to your social media accounts to create content and engage with your followers. This can help increase your reach and attract new followers who are interested in the influencer's content. Product Reviews: Influencers can review products or services and share their thoughts and opinions with their followers. This can help build trust and credibility with their audience and attract new customers to your business. However, a good influencer is going to give an honest review. Be prepared for that. Hopefully, they’ll give you a heads-up if there’s anything less than stellar, so you have the time to digest it. Giveaways and Contests: Working with an influencer to run a giveaway or contest can help attract new followers and increase engagement. For example, a bookstore might partner with an author to run a gift card giveaway because an author’s audience is comprised of readers. Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing pays influencers a commission for every sale or lead they generate for your business. This can be an effective way to incentivize them to promote your product or service to their audience. You can work with influencers in many ways to build an audience. By partnering with the right influencers, you can reach a wider audience, build brand awareness, and ultimately drive sales and revenue all while having some fun. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
4 Ways Copycatting Can Help You Build a Following on Social Media
Building a following on your desired platform on social media requires a bit of luck but there are some things you can do to help that luck (and other users) find your profile. But sadly, those things probably don’t have a lot to do with your business. 4 Ways Copycatting Can Build a Following on Social Media Most business owners I talk to have tons of ideas for showcasing their goods and services. For those with a sexy brand, viewers eat that up. But you need to get there (to sexy brand status) before talking about yourself will be effective in building an audience. For the time being, go for these ideas below that use things that have already been done. Let’s work on gathering a crowd, so you have someone to talk to and hear your offers. Give Them Something to Connect With Think of your target market. How old are they? What gender? What stage of life? Now think about what that person finds amusing. What do they reminisce about or love? What are their sacred cows or what events/pop culture made the biggest impressions? Imagine you’re trying to woo Gen Xers. Take a trip down memory lane (in a Little Red Corvette, perhaps) with videos and posts from the 80s. Ask them questions about what kind of lunch box they carried. What posters did they have on their wall? Did they wear jelly shoes or have a Cabbage Patch Doll? Share what you or your employees remember from the 80s. Post pictures of the 80s. The time of our youth leaves a huge imprint on our lives. Use that power to reach your ideal audience. Think Bigger Many people are feeling lost these days. Financial losses, bank collapses, shootings, lots of bad news and it’s hard to always look past it. Be an inspiration. People need that. Talk about something larger than your business. Share life tips. Matthew McConaughey is building an empire providing logical inspiration. You can too even if it’s only in the form of image quotes. People want to be around a proponent of positivity. Have a Shtick Being an unusual presence on social media will get you noticed. But one unusual act is not enough to keep people coming back. Take a note from comedians and get a shtick or a gimmick. If you have a successful one, you’ll become known for it. Get on TikTok or Reels and:
Most people don’t like change and they bond with the predictability of a shtick. They’ll come back over and over to see what you’re doing next. Use Pop Culture and Current Affairs When it comes to building a social media following, don't be afraid to hitch yourself to a wagon and ride that gravy train. There are trends on social media, that everyone jumps on and while you may be thinking--everyone's doing it--do it anyway. If you can't think of a trend to copy after scrolling through your streams, listen to what people are talking about in entertainment monologues on comedic news programs and late-night shows. Try the opening monologue on a show like Saturday Night Live, for instance. If people are talking about it, you want to be too. Don’t forget local issues or frustrations that may be causing people to roll their eyes. If you can make light of it, people will respond. The only exception to this advice is the topics of religion and politics. You don't want to alienate a potential customer or follower by talking about these divisive topics—with one exception. If you are sure your ideal demographic would enjoy it, then go with it (but keep it positive). Some businesses are closely aligned with political or religious ideologies; and in those cases, addressing taboo topics may actually work for you. It seems like an oxymoron to tell you that to stand out you should be like everyone else. However, the crowd responds to familiarity, and that creates connections. So, if you can play with something people recognize and yet do it in a way that's all your own, you'll make an impression and build an audience on social media. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Small Business Owners: It’s Time to Think Big
As a small business owner, it's easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day operations of your business. You're constantly juggling tasks like managing inventory or staff, paying bills, and dealing with customer service issues. It can be challenging to find time to think about the big picture, let alone act on it. However, it's essential to think bigger if you want your business to grow and thrive. Now’s as good a time as any. How Thinking Bigger Can Help You Grow Here are some reasons why thinking bigger is so important to your small business. Thinking bigger helps you:
So, how can you start thinking bigger as a small business owner? 5 Ways to Think Bigger Try these suggestions:
Thinking bigger is essential for small business owners who want to grow and thrive. Growth requires change and big efforts are more likely to yield big returns. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
How AI is Revolutionizing Search Engine Optimization for Small Businesses
Periodically, the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) gurus come out and tell everyone some <insert noun> is changing SEO forever. Add that to the nearly constant adjustments search engines are making to their algorithms and hitting the moving target of organic ranking success becomes as impossible as winning a giant stuffy at a carnival. Sure, you see it happen on occasion but never to you. This article is going to tell you that artificial intelligence (AI) will forever change SEO. We know. You’ve heard claims like this before but this time it’s true. Because for once we’re leveraging machine learning against the machine. It’s a war of the alphabet AI versus SEO and here’s why it’s changing the search landscape forever: AI Takes on SEO SEO has long been a critical component of digital marketing strategies for small businesses. Businesses have paid experts a lot of money to optimize their website's content and structure to improve its visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract organic traffic. In recent years, SEO has undergone significant changes due to the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies. In this blog post, we will explore what you need to know to stay ahead in the game and score a few wins in organic traffic. Smarter Keyword Research Keywords are the foundation of SEO, and AI is making keyword research smarter and more effective. With AI-powered tools, small businesses can now analyze vast amounts of data and identify high-performing keywords with precision. These tools can also provide insights into user intent, helping businesses optimize their content to better match search queries and deliver relevant results. AI-driven keyword research can save time and effort while helping small businesses target the right keywords and improve their SEO strategies. Future thought: If you’ve been in the digital marketing world and watched organic traffic drop off, algorithm change after algorithm change, you may be wondering what smarter keyword research means for those wily search engines. If every company has tools available to it to maximize keywords, then how does one company rank higher than another? (The old “if everything is urgent, nothing is urgent” idea. If everything is machine optimized, nothing is machine optimized.”) That is yet to be determined, but one thing that does become apparent is that businesses that are not optimizing for keywords using AI may be at a disadvantage. Enhanced Content Creation Content is king in SEO, and AI is revolutionizing content creation for small businesses. AI-powered content generation tools can analyze user behavior, search patterns, and competitor data to generate high-quality, relevant, and engaging content. These tools can also help optimize content for SEO, including optimizing headlines, meta tags, and other on-page elements. This allows small businesses to produce content more efficiently and effectively, keeping up with the ever-increasing demand for fresh and engaging content. The ”ahem” moment: AI creates amazing work and can help small businesses do a whole lot more with less. But it’s a mistake to think it’s ready to go out the door the minute it’s created. Think of it as a cupcake without icing and sprinkles. Yes, it’s good but with a little extra flourish, it can be amazing. Improved User Experience User experience (UX) is a critical factor in SEO, and AI is playing a significant role in enhancing UX for small businesses. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide personalized and real-time support to website visitors, improving engagement and satisfaction. Machine learning algorithms can analyze user behavior and preferences to offer personalized recommendations, improving user experience and increasing the chances of conversion. But what does that have to do with SEO and rankings? AI-driven UX improvements can help small businesses create a more user-friendly website, resulting in better SEO performance. Another “ahem” moment: AI is a broad term that encompasses many abilities and a lot of software companies are racing to add AI to their platforms because it’s sexy. For instance, your e-mail marketing platform probably recently rolled out a copy creator. Don’t assume they’re all capable of the things we’re referencing in this article. Some AI companies are producing enterprise software that can do everything short of predicting the future based on your customer’s past behavior. That free addition to your already free newsletter software probably doesn’t. Enhanced Search Results AI is also transforming the way search results are presented to users, and this has implications for small businesses. Google's AI-powered algorithm updates, such as RankBrain, are increasingly focusing on delivering more relevant and personalized search results. This means that small businesses need to optimize their websites for rich snippets, featured snippets, and other types of content that are prominently displayed on SERPs. By creating content that is more likely to be featured in these enhanced search results, small businesses can improve their visibility and drive more traffic to their websites. Future thought: Rich snippets and featured snippets have been around for a while now and many of us have been trying to pin the tail on that donkey by creating blog posts in a format similar to abstracts but instead of an executive summary we use a bulleted list of what the article conveys. Again, if everything is optimized this way then it becomes the new norm, not a differentiating factor. Advanced Data Analysis Data analysis is a crucial aspect of SEO, and AI is enabling small businesses to analyze large volumes of data with greater speed and accuracy. AI-powered analytics tools can provide in-depth insights into website performance, user behavior, and other key SEO metrics. These insights can help small businesses identify patterns, trends, and opportunities to optimize their SEO strategies. By leveraging AI for data analysis, small businesses can make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their SEO efforts. Still another “ahem” moment: this will involve leaning into the technology, learning what it can do, analyzing it, and applying it. It will also be an investment. These types of insights aren’t going to be free. Factoring this into your future budget is a wise expenditure. Local SEO Optimization For small businesses that rely on local customers, AI is also transforming local SEO optimization. AI-powered tools can help small businesses optimize their online presence for local search, including managing business listings, monitoring reviews, and analyzing local search trends. This can help small businesses improve their visibility in local search results, attract more local customers, and gain a competitive edge in their local market. AI is changing the SEO landscape for small businesses in significant ways. From smarter keyword research and content creation to improved user experience and advanced data analysis, AI is empowering small businesses to optimize their SEO strategies and stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Embracing AI-powered tools and technologies can help your small business optimize its efforts in many areas. Of course, we could also be putting our brains on cruise control and paving the way for machines to become sentient. But if it helps you achieve first-page search result rankings, isn’t it worth it? - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Top Business Advice from 3 Celebrities
If you’re like me, you may be wrinkling your nose at the thought of people making millions of dollars on one movie giving you business advice. But there’s a new generation of Hollywood stars that aren’t content with just time on screen. They’re building empires, too. And while name recognition is easier for them and start-up capital only requires dipping into their millions, they still have the same struggles to find a valuable product or service to bring to market. They didn’t go to Harvard but they’re learning every day just like you are and here’s what they have to say: Business Advice from 3 Hollywood Celebrities “Build Bonfires” – Matthew McConaughey Matthew McConaughey’s Instagram profile describes him as “Husband. Father. Actor. Minister of Culture. Professor. Creative Director. AustinFC. JKLivin. …Pickle Expert.” On a recent podcast, he told a story about how he was involved in many different business undertakings. He had about eight projects going at once—a movie production company, a music production company, his acting, and a few more side projects. Each was generating a nice little income. He referred to them as “campfires.” Following his gut, he decided to step back from all of them, but three. He concentrated his energy on the three he was most passionately invested in. Those three went from campfires to “bonfires.” What we can learn from this: pick 1-3 things to focus your efforts on. Go into each quarter with goals for as many as three things, but no more. If you try to do more, you’ll spread yourself thin. You won’t have the time to dedicate to them, so they’ll stay small. When you give a few ideas your undivided attention, they’ll catch fire and take off. Plus, you’ll have a more solid brand. People will understand what you do because you’re an expert at those few things. Change Isn’t Bad, It’s Necessary for Continued Success – Jessica Alba Jessica Alba, actress and Founder/Creative Director of the Honest Company, wanted to create a business based around healthier, ethically-sourced products for babies and homes. One of the things she talks about is the need for reevaluating success periodically. (Former Blockbuster execs would certainly agree.) Even a successful business requires review. She said, “No matter how much success a business has, the model constantly needs to be evaluated to protect that success. Even the most successful businesses are fragile and vulnerable. It's not enough to rely on having a great product that people love. The supply chain and operations need to be in place to support the business growth.” What we can learn from this: success is temporary, like Andy Warhol’s quote about “fifteen minutes of fame.” Your business audience will always be asking what you’ve done for them lately. To exist as the same entity for years means you will get typecast just like an actor does. That’s fine and can be lucrative until your audience decides they want something else and since you haven’t embraced change, you won’t be it. Trust Your Instincts - Robert De Niro Robert De Niro is one of Hollywood’s iconic names but he’s also the co-founder behind the lifestyle brand Nobu Hospitality, owner of hotels in Spain and London, as well as Nobu Residences luxury condominiums. De Niro believes in surrounding yourself with smart advisors but that’s not all. He says, “Listen to as many people as you can and get their input, but then finally you have to make your own decision about what you're going to do." What we can learn from this: making up your mind is critical to success, after all, it’s your business. But the first half of what he says is important too. “Listen.” Soak up what you can from others. Be a lifelong learner. Build your references from other people’s experiences and then take that information and use it to derive your answers for your business. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
5 Ways to Improve (or Build) Team Culture in Your Small Business
Many small businesses overlook the importance of team culture. They might do so because they feel they have a transient workforce and people won’t stick around. It’s possible they believe they’re simply too small and team culture is for larger companies like Nike. But that’s not the case. A team or company culture is as important as your brand. You’re not too small for one of those, are you? Why Team Culture Is Important to Small Business Team culture is important in small business because it shapes the attitudes, behaviors, and interactions of employees within the group. A strong team culture can create a sense of unity and shared purpose among employees, which can lead to increased productivity, satisfaction, and revenue. In a small business, the actions of every team member can have a significant impact on the success of the business. When employees share a common set of values and goals, they are more likely to work together effectively in achieving those goals. A strong team culture creates a supportive work environment that encourages collaboration, creativity, and innovation. A strong culture can also help you attract and retain top talent. When employees feel they are part of a team that values their contributions and supports their growth and development, they are more likely to feel engaged and committed to their work. This, in turn, can lead to higher job satisfaction and employee retention rates. Even if you operate a seasonal business, employees who like your culture will return on their breaks and/or refer you to others looking for work. Plus, satisfied employees always provide better service. How Do You Build (or Improve) Team Culture? So how do you build a strong team culture in a small business? It’s easier than you think. You just need to focus on five areas of importance: 1. Defining business values and goals 2. Hiring the right people 3. Encouraging good communication and valuing input 4. Recognizing and rewarding success 5. Leading by example Defining Business Values and Goals Knowing who you want to be is the first step to building your company culture. Without this critical piece, you are putting your car together while you’re driving down the road. Not ideal, and likely to cause more confusion and inefficiency than if you took the time initially to put it all together beforehand. That’s not to say you can’t create or rework values and goals as an established business, but you’ll save yourself headache if you do it upfront. After you have established your core values and goals, communicate those to your employees and your customers. This will help people know what’s important to you and what you stand for. Making your values and goals public will attract the type of people who like these things about you and identify with them. Hiring the Right People Hiring and training are some of the most expensive parts of your business. When you make a bad hire, you not only struggle to have them do the work, but you run the risk of their attitude or bad practices infecting the rest of your employees. Before you hire anyone, be clear on the kind of attributes you want in an employee. Sometimes an empty seat is better than one filled by the wrong person. After you hire, remember the words of Perry Belcher, co-founder of DigitalMarketer.com, “Nothing will kill a good employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one.” Encouraging Open Communication For your team to work together effectively, you want them to feel secure and welcome to bring up issues, congratulations, feedback, and any other kind of communication. You can do this by being easy to get in touch with and setting up regular communication channels. Find out how your employees like to communicate. If texting is their preference, so be it. Make sure you (and other levels of leadership, if you have them) are approachable. When employees come to you with a concern or feedback, listen to them and respond to what they have to say. You may want to create an avenue where they can provide anonymous feedback too. Recognizing and Rewarding Success Recognition and reward are important to any high-performance team but what type of recognition/reward is valued by each employee varies. Understand what makes them happy. If you employ high school kids or college students, money and gift card rewards could be large motivators for them. If your employees have a family, a bonus day off may be a bigger draw. Make recognition a regular practice even if it’s just small recognitions you give. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Lead by Example You (and your leadership) should be working examples of the team culture. You must model desired behaviors and encourage growth and development. If your team doesn’t see you doing the things you ask of them, it will erode the trust they have in you and discount what you say. For instance, if you stress the importance of work/life balance but they never see you go home, they’ll have a hard time believing you mean it. Building a memorable team culture is an ongoing commitment. It will help you attract the right employees and customers. Being without a team culture is like deciding your business doesn’t need a brand. How will people recognize you without one? - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
4 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Top Employee
Teddy Roosevelt is credited for having said, “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month." And so it is that we are often our biggest impediment to success, especially as business owners. We spend hours helping customers and often don’t show ourselves the same assistance (Oh, doctor, heal thyself.). If you’re wondering what this advice has to do with your “top employee,” you need this article more than you realized. In a time of rising costs and increased concerns over mental health, business owners must see an investment in themselves as one of the most important they can make for the future of their business. 4 Ways You Might Be Self-sabotaging Your Business
Many business gurus see running a business as a balance sheet proposition. You want to bring more revenue in than what’s going out. But it’s more complex than that. If you’re not investing in yourself, the revenue won’t matter because you’re admitting your top employee doesn’t matter either. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
AI for Business: Bewares and Boasts
Practical ways to use it in business and what to avoid At first glance, especially for people who have trouble writing or have difficulty starting out and collecting their thoughts at a keyboard, AI can feel like the smartest kid in the class offering to do your homework for free, forever. It seems like a huge win and I’m not saying it isn’t. But there are a few things you should be aware of as well as some tasks it does tremendously well that could save you a lot of time and energy. AI “Doesn’t Always Get It Right” Google’s new Bard (AI) issued this statement to all users, “Bard will not always get it right. Bard may give inaccurate or inappropriate responses. When in doubt, use the ‘Google it’ button to check Bard’s responses.” This is true of all AI. AI is not a sentient being. It gets its answers and content by crawling the web and condensing information. Sometimes that can cause problems. It doesn’t: • Fact check or verify stats and attributions/citations • Sift out bad info (if that information is mentioned in a variety of places) • Have any vested interest in producing SEO-rich content for you (unless you use an AI program that is created for that) • Know what your audience responds to AI Has Different Levels of Sophistication There are many free options out there as well as AI/bot starters where you can build your own “in minutes.” It’s important to know that each one has different capabilities and claims—some have a plagiarism detector, for instance, so you needn’t worry about the copy it creates for you being flagged as duplicate content. It’s Only as Good as What You Feed It The real benefit of using AI lies in its ability to create content in a fraction of the time it takes for a human to write it. Even talented writers using dictation software or ones blessed with 100+ words per minute typing skills, can’t research and write a 300-word blog post in a minute. But the content is only as good as the instructions you give it. For instance, if you were producing a blog post about Golden Retrievers, as a dog walker your blog would be different than that of a dog breeder/dog show participant, which would be different still from a vet’s perspective written for other vets. The level of sophistication and knowledge is different for each of those audiences. You will need to express that in the directions you provide the AI if you want a good piece of content that fits the needs and understanding of your audience. AIs Struggle with Same Names When I asked Google’s AI Bard what Bard does really well as research for this article, it responded with things that a bard/storyteller excels at, not what it does. (However, when I asked “what do you do well?,” it provided a satisfactory answer. So, if your business shares a name with something else or you’re using a play on words or employing a name/word in a different context, the program may not produce helpful results. 5 Things AI Does Well Now that you know what to watch out for, let’s cover a few things it does really well. Using AI for these things can save you lots of time. 1. Help you brainstorm. If you’re rewriting your business tagline and you have part of it but can’t think of the perfect ending, try giving an AI writer a prompt such as, “help me finish my <insert type of business> tagline <insert what you have so far>. 2. Come up with invite language. Basic invite language is a breeze for AIs. Canva has one built in. 3. Write simple emails or letters. Creating form letters can be a pain but not with AI. Feed it the necessary info and you can move on to a better use of your time. 4. Create an org chart. Provide your positions and it will give you what you need. 5. Produce content without colorful language. Many writers lament that the content AI creates is boring. It lacks colorful language and stories. While it can create stories for you, it won’t add a story example to a blog post. However, “boring” is not always bad. If you want to create content that lacks biased language AI might be the way to go. Don’t ditch your editor yet but I have not come across any use of language bias when employing an AI assistant. Is using AI right for you and your business? Perhaps. But keep in mind, it is a tool, not an additional employee. It can produce content in a fraction of the time, but it requires oversight. It does not always generate content ready to be used as is. If you envision what it creates as a starting point product like how a sous chef does the prep work for a top chef, you have a good understanding of how you might use it in your business. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
3 Easy Things to Help You Attract More Customers for Your New Business
Starting a new business is difficult under the best circumstances. But in today's economic climate, it's difficult to make a name for yourself when most people are trying desperately to cut back on expenses. Yet, you shouldn’t get discouraged. There are easy (and free) ideas out there that can help. Here are three tips to bring in more customers as a brand-new business. First, a “new business” is generally a business that has existed for less than a year. However, if you're still struggling to make a name for yourself but you've been in business for several years, these tips still apply. Tip #1: Spend Time Working on Your Business Every Day What you should be doing depends on the type of business you’re in. But generally, there are skills that all new businesspeople need. For instance, digital marketing. Digital marketing and social media marketing are two of the least expensive forms of marketing and they’re ideal for getting your name out there. However, these forms of marketing can feel alien if all you've ever used social media to do is share pictures of your vacations and pets. If you don't have a good grasp on how to develop know, like, and trust using digital platforms, this is one of the first things you'll want to work on. There are many free online resources to help you learn. If you are well-versed in marketing, there are still other areas of your business that you could spend time on such as market research, researching your competition, exploring the needs of new demographics, understanding your ideal customer's needs, outlining goals, and learning what you need to know from other businesses in your area. Make a list of the things you think are critical to your business and write out the components/steps you need to learn. Then take this list and assign each item an amount of time you think it would take to either research or learn what you need to know about it. Keep this list next to where you work. That way when you have downtime in your business you can immediately start on the smaller tasks on your list. You will have interruptions so keep a notebook nearby (or do it electronically). In it, detail what you've learned and where so you can easily go back to your research/resources and continue where you left off once you’re able to. Tip #2: Learn to Sell Selling can be one of the most intimidating things about starting a new company, especially if you're an introvert. Talking about your business feels like talking about yourself and most of us were raised not to brag. However, talking about your products or services is not bragging. It's easier to sell if you think of yourself as doing your customer a favor. They have a problem; you're a problem solver. Go into each customer interaction with that mentality. You are here to help. Doing so will not only make you feel more comfortable but your potential customers as well. People respond to those they believe have their best interests at heart. Pushy salespeople are no longer effective. Helpfulness motivates sales. Tip #3: Consider What Your Audience Doesn't Know and Educate Them on It If you're fortunate, buyers understand what you're offering and know why they need it. However, with most businesses, this is not the case. Even in established businesses, there's an element of education that is required. Why you and not the other business down the street? What makes your product or service unique? Video is an incredible medium for addressing these questions. You want customers to know, like, and trust you. People are more apt to trust someone they can see. That way, they can read body language and feel more at ease with positive facial expressions. You should use all types of content, but video is especially valuable for new businesses trying to get their name (and face) out there. Don’t worry if you hate the way you look on video. There’s a filter that can help. Finally, if you're a new business and you're trying to build a loyal customer base, one of the easiest ways to get the word out is to join your chamber. The chamber staff knows businesspeople as well as local leaders. The chamber can make helpful introductions and make suggestions based on their experience working in your community. Most people are surprised when they find out the number of inquiries chambers receive. Visitors and new residents often stop at the chamber to learn more about the town they're in. In addition to working on your business, adopting a helpful approach, and educating your audience, partnering with the chamber is an important part of any sales and marketing strategy for a new business. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Are You Ready for an Intern? 5 Things You Need to Consider Before You Hire One
It’s that time of year when businesses start thinking about summer help. Could you use an intern this summer? Here are several things you need to consider before bringing on your first intern. 5 Things You Need to Know About Hiring an Intern for Your Business
How to Find a Complementary Business to Help Yours Grow
If you’re a small- to medium-sized business that is trying to carve out a place for itself in a competitive market, you want to differentiate yourself from the competition. One way to do that is to offer something no one else is doing. You can create a new product or service or go after an untapped market. But if you’ve already tried all of those and you’re looking for something else, it’s time to find the peanut butter to your chocolate or the peas to your carrots. Partnering with another business can help you both offer something to your markets that neither has seen. Here are three ways to find your perfect complementary business so you both can profit. Finding the Ideal Business Collaboration If you’re old enough, you may remember the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials that showed two people enjoying very different snacks—one a chocolate bar and one a jar of peanut butter. Inevitably the two collided, one had chocolate in their peanut butter, and one claimed to have peanut butter on their chocolate. But either way, a scrumptious dessert was born. The same can be true of your business. You don’t need a formalized partnership with stakes in one another’s business. Instead, you can create special collaborations, offers, or referrals that are mutually beneficial to the businesses and your audiences. Brainstorm Businesses That Fit Yours Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate Make a list of businesses that provide a complementary service or product that you don’t offer but would benefit your target market. Ideally, the collaboration between you and this business should create something that other businesses aren’t doing. For instance, a bar that doesn’t serve food may pair up with a food truck to provide bar patrons with easy access to food while food truck aficionados can enjoy an alcoholic drink. Since some food trucks have sizable followings giving them access to your parking lot or a place to park can bring in new customers for you as well. Think About What Your Customers Want Building on that, make a list of what you hear customers asking for that you don’t currently do/offer. Take that list and decide whether those ideas make sense for your business. You can then decide to offer a new product or service line based on those customer requests, or you can collaborate with someone who has already created a successful business doing those things. For instance, if you own a gym, you could create a juice bar on-site or offer a healthy menu planning service. You could also work with someone to fill those needs. Here too there are options. You can rent some of your space to that business or create an affiliate or referral program so your gym members receive discounts for those other products or services at the other business’ location. Decide What Is Stopping Customers From Buying Is there something that is prohibiting potential customers from buying from you? What is the wall to purchase? Identify what is holding people back and solve it through collaboration. For instance, if you sell something large like furniture but you don’t offer delivery, partnering with a delivery or moving company may increase your sales. Some people don’t have the means (strength or room) to bring a large item home. But you may not want the headache of employing movers and covering the insurance. A partnership of this kind can benefit everyone. Business collaborations can help your business, the collaborator’s business, and (both of) your markets. By understanding what your customers need and want, as well as what holds them back from buying, you can create a satisfactory collaboration that benefits everyone and serves to separate you from your competition. This way, you’ll gain exposure to a new market or additional customers as well as improve business relationships. If you’re not sure how to make connections with other businesses, contact your chamber. They can put you in touch with someone looking to grow in a similar way. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
What Does It Mean to Be a Chamber Member?
Traditionally, a chamber of commerce was a membership organization that supports the interests of its business members. It is not affiliated with the government, nor is it a charity. The chamber is separate from the Better Business Bureau. Now that we’ve explained the traditional notion of chamber membership, let’s dive into what it means to be a member of a chamber of commerce today. If you think chambers are outdated, it’s time you take another look. As a chamber member, you are represented by a powerful organization. Because they are not government-affiliated, chambers weather the political storms, cannot get voted out of office, and always represent the business community. And since healthy communities are good places to work with strong employment opportunities, a chamber helps all members of a community. Chamber members are a critical part of the following work in your community. What Does it Mean to be a Chamber Member? There is a long list of benefits to chamber membership. But those benefits are only the surface of what you and your employees receive from joining. If you want to be part of something larger than yourself and your business, striving to improve opportunities in your community, chamber membership is an ideal way to do that. Volunteerism and Cause-based Marketing There are many ways to volunteer in the chamber. From assisting with events to running educational webinars, serving on the board to working with the scholarship program. Your skills or sponsorships will be leveraged in a way that helps you increase your network, your knowledge, and your business exposure. When you volunteer—and the chamber shares that information with others—your business is aligned with the cause in the eyes of community members. Chambers embrace many causes to improve the quality of life for the communities they serve. Check with your chamber to find out what its goals are or view its strategic plan. Many people who question membership have a narrow-minded view of the chamber as a “business only” entity without realizing that every issue in the community affects business. If the community is not seen as a prosperous one, people won’t want to live, work, or open a business there. Being pro-community is pro-business. You can likely help with the causes that are important to you through chamber work, while also strengthening your business and growing your network with cause-based marketing. Community Leadership and Responsibility Chamber members are viewed as reputable and dedicated to creating (or continuing) a flourishing community. When you become a chamber member, you are announcing to the community that your business is here to stay and you’re investing in the success of the area. Through membership, you are choosing to be part of an organization that has championed the cause of business for many years. Pro-Diversity At first glance, you may assume the chamber is comprised of a very homogenous mix of business owners. That is no longer the case. In many communities, the chamber is leading diversity initiatives. Chambers understand the importance of representing every aspect of business and ensuring each voice is heard. Representing minority- and women-owned businesses is a responsibility that chambers take seriously because a chamber can affect change. By amplifying the business owners’ voices and convening community leaders, business owners, and employees, chambers are leading diversity initiatives across the country. They’re advocating for legislation, hosting town halls, and providing educational DEI programs. Chambers often recognize what the business community needs before individual businesses can address it themselves. As a member of the chamber, you are part of helping traditionally underserved populations discover the joy, opportunity, and challenges of business ownership. Being a chamber member in the 21st century goes beyond the list of benefits you’ll see in the membership brochure. Sure, those items are good investments for your business, and they can save you money and help you grow but the chamber offers much more than that. The chamber is leading the efforts to make your community a better place to live, work, and play for everyone. And membership offers you a highly visible opportunity to be part of that excitement. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
What’s in Chamber Membership for You?
Hint: it’s more than just a ribbon cutting Years ago, business professionals joined the chamber because it was expected. It was just something you did. These days membership isn’t automatic but it’s still a valuable investment in your business. In addition to networking events and ribbon cuttings, the chamber offers a lot of benefits that you can’t do for yourself, and chamber benefits can save you a lot of money. If you’re like most business owners, you could really use some cost savings these days. Before we go into exactly what the chamber can do for you and your business, it’s important to note that chamber membership is not like a gym membership that comes with one entry and the occasional ability to bring a guest. Chamber member benefits apply to all your employees and each of them has full access. Smart businesses share this information with their employees and even add events and learning opportunities to the company newsletters and/or intranet/employee portal. Many market these benefits as an extension of their own, which can help you give your employees opportunities that may not be in your budget. Here are some of those highlights: Chamber Membership Perks for You and Your Employees 1. Learning opportunities. The chamber offers many learning opportunities throughout the year. Some are conducted by staff, while others are led by community experts. Topics vary but are always centered around information that benefits businesses. Past topics include Cybersecurity, Small Business Retirement Plans, MA Paid Family and Medical Leave – A Comprehensive Overview for Employers, and Challenging Unconscious Bias and Moving Toward Racial Equity . Check out our calendar for this month’s offerings. 2. Increased backing. One voice in a sea of many gets drowned out easily. But when multiple voices are insisting upon the same thing, leaders are more apt to listen. When you join the chamber, you add your voice to the strength of the chamber and together we can cohesively help protect your interests. When we assist members with zoning or advocacy issues, we often hear, “We couldn’t have done it without you.” The chamber has a powerful voice, and we can speak for you in a persuasive way. 3. Powerful credibility and a sense of community. Many people see chamber membership as an indication of trustworthiness. It shows you care about the community and are here to make a difference. These days that’s appealing to people. They want to do business with organizations that share their views and values. 4. A group with shared interests. Everyone knows that the chamber provides excellent opportunities for networking and increasing your business. But the other thing that makes these networking events (and all chamber events) more appealing is that everyone there has a business focus as it applies to our community. You will quickly discover many commonalities that make connecting easier. In addition to possible sales opportunities, you may discover partnership possibilities and other ways to mutually fulfill your goals. 5. Affordable advertising opportunities. If your ideal market is business professionals, the chamber offers a host of affordable advertising opportunities. From newsletters to banner ads, event sponsorships to speaking opportunities, the chamber can tailor an advertising package that not only places you in front of your target market but also does so in a way that helps you cut through the marketing noise of other platforms. Chamber membership may no longer be the automatic activity that it once was but it is an excellent way to position yourself in the community, establish respect, and get the assistance you need to grow and thrive. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
3 Reasons to Join the Chamber in a Time of Economic Uncertainty
Times of economic uncertainty don’t cause anyone to look for new ways to spend money. But there are some investments in your business that even when you’re worried about cash flow, are worth the return. Without those necessities—be they software or services—you couldn’t operate. Chamber membership is one of those necessary business investments and here’s why: Uncertain Times Mean Unprecedented Business Challenges According to a survey released in early January by the National Association for Business Economics, more than half of respondents believe the U.S. is headed toward a recession in the next 12 months. An additional 11% of those polled think the economy is already in a recession. (A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of shrinking growth). However, the severity and depth of the possible recession are matters of debate among most economists and market experts. Whether we face a recession or not, growth is slow. Costs are up. Shelves are not as full as they once were. Some industries are already claiming a recession has hit them. In times of economic uncertainty, businesses have greater needs than usual. It helps to have a partner looking out for your best interests. The chamber is in a unique position to provide that assistance for a minimal investment. The Hidden Job Market One of the reasons economists are slow to call what we’re in currently “a recession” is because the job market on average remains strong. Employers are hiring. Sometimes their hiring needs are even outpacing available, skilled candidates. Through chamber membership, you receive two types of job assistance—help in finding positions and candidates. If you’re looking for a job, you can network and locate available opportunities in the hidden job market (before they come available). Membership helps you get to know hiring managers and business owners, making a job search much easier and improving your chances of finding your dream job. On the other hand, as a hiring entity, you will be in a solid position to get to know potential job candidates who aren’t actively looking for work. This is often one of the easiest ways to find top performers. Plus, connecting with possible job candidates on a professional level outside of the office can assist you in getting to know them better than you would through a 30-minute interview. This helps to ensure a stronger hire and better fit for your organization. Public Sector Assistance & Advocacy Whether you have your eye on pro-business legislation or are worried about a zoning issue, like anything else, business often goes your way based on who you know. As a chamber member, your concern over business—your own or the entire business community—is amplified. When the chamber speaks to city, state, or federal leaders, they are speaking on behalf of all businesses. This gives your concerns more power among elected leaders. The chamber may also be able to help by placing your request in context in the larger picture. The zoning problem you’re having isn’t just about your business property but all properties moving forward. The chamber is well-suited to propose “if, then” scenarios that can help you get the assistance you need quickly. Economic Development While economic development of the area may not seem like a pressing issue in your mind right now, it helps keep you in business, regardless of your industry. A strong local economy can help maintain prosperity even when the national economy is struggling like the minority-business owners did along Auburn Avenue in Atlanta in the 1930s. While the rest of the country was experiencing the dark crash of ’29 and subsequent depression, Auburn Avenue thrived because its interests were protected. The chamber is dedicated to building community and ushering in smart economic growth so everyone can thrive. Chamber membership not only safeguards your business interests and helps you achieve your own goals but improves the business community, and thus the community, for all. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Ten 2023 Trends Hand-picked for Small Business
Whether you sell food, things, or services, we’ve brought together a round-up of trends that you can incorporate into your business in 2023 for increased revenue and better market traction. Ten 2023 Trends for Small Business 1. According to Architectural Digest, kitsch is in. From vacation rentals to home décor, over-the-top is just the beginning. 2. The New York Times proclaimed that climatarianism is the new Cabbage Patch Doll (what everyone wants and is willing to fight for – for those of you who didn’t grow up in the 80s). “It’s no longer about eating sustainably, which implies a state of preserving what is. A new generation wants food from companies that are actively healing the planet.” 3. Creative employee incentives. The buzz around professional placement agencies is everyone wants to work from home. If you can offer that to your employees, great. But not everyone can. That's why we'll probably see a rise in creative employee incentives that will help offset the work-from-home benefit for companies that simply can't offer that. 4. Going remote. This is not a new trend but it's likely because of the rising costs, we will see more businesses deciding to give up their physical space and support their employees going remote. 5. Doing more with less. There are a lot of great technology options out there but not everyone can afford new technology. Many businesses will instead look for ways to maximize the technology they're currently using; working with the help desk or consultants to get the most out of their existing software and tech. 6. Reducing paper. According to Inc., “It's time to actively reduce your company's carbon footprint. This can both save you money and engage clients and customers who prioritize environmental concerns.” A focus on the environment is becoming increasingly popular. Businesses that continue to use non-essential things like paper may find themselves on the wrong end of a public relations kerfuffle. 7. Performance media. With the increasing usage of video platforms like TikTok, organizations will find that they are now in the business of performance media. People want to see personalities and humor in brand videos along with products and services. Go ahead. Roll your eyes. Then get to streaming. 8. Creating a Cheers environment. For those of us who are old enough to remember this popular 80s sitcom, you can't hear the name Cheers without thinking of its theme song and the popular line, “…where everybody knows your name.” This type of familiarity is becoming an expectation for brands. Customers want to be remembered. This gives small business an advantage over the larger companies that can only do that virtually. 9. Concentrate on supply chain security. While there are a lot of not-so-positive economic predictions for 2023, there is good news for local small business. Thought leaders like Forbes are warning, “Companies need to improve their resilience in any way that they can. This means reducing exposure to volatile market pricing of commodities, as well as building protective measures into supply chains to deal with shortages and rising logistical costs.” Local small business often relies on local suppliers so they may have an advantage with the supply chain. However, if you don't, you should consider how you will navigate continued shortages and Forbes’ prediction of rising logistical costs. 10. Become more human. This has been a trend on New Year's lists for the past 10 years. But as many experts are predicting 2023 will be the year of digital transformation for many large companies, small companies can embrace their own secret weapon--humanity. While many companies combat hiring problems with an investment in mechanization, small businesses score big with what Forbes refers to as “… uniquely human skills that currently can’t be automated…skills such as creativity, critical thinking, interpersonal communication, leadership, and applying “humane” qualities like caring and compassion.” - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
How to Make Your Product or Service Indispensable
Unless you are extremely fortunate, there’s a lot of competition out there. Your product or service must compete against a host of other businesses not just in your town but, potentially, across the globe. You’re also in competition with inaction or doing nothing at all. If you haven’t analyzed the competition lately, you may be surprised by the competitive landscape. This morning, I discovered the design software Canva has launched an auto-writing feature so now I (along with thousands of marketing writers) are now in competition with AI, of all things. And while I can spend hours writing about how AI-generated content will never be able to trump the acerbic wit of my fellow humans, the truth is that some people will choose to go with the machine rather than hiring it out. The same may be true for your business. So, what can you do? You must find a way to become indispensable. Here’s how: How to Become Indispensable Since each business and industry are different, I can’t give you a strategic plan of specific steps tailored to you, but we can go over ideas that can be tailored to your business. 1. Know your market. You will never be indispensable to the entire world. Even someone who sells caskets must compete with the urn dealers. Don’t waste your time with those who will never be the right fit for you. Figure out who you help and concentrate on becoming indispensable to them. This can take discipline because we want to believe everyone could benefit from our business. But some customers are a better fit than others. Find them. 2. Identify your competition. It’s easy to identify all the businesses that sell what you do. But take that a step further. Competition is changing on a (seemingly) daily basis. For instance, fitness apps are now going to be in competition with Netflix that plans to launch a series of exercise videos (in conjunction with Nike Training Club) on December 30th. Competition is becoming less direct than a brick and mortar down the street. Next, ask yourself if a buyer doesn’t take the route of buying exactly what you sell, what are their options. For instance, if you cut and color hair, your competition is other salons, home dye boxes/processes, and inaction. People who are considering doing their hair always have the option of not doing anything. For that reason, a baseball cap may be your competition. Once you figure out who or what you’re competing against, you can start to craft some fun copy/content around that. For instance building on the salon example, you could post, “Time to give that hat (or ponytail holder) a rest. Come in and see us. Appointments available for New Year’s Eve.” This step is important because content created out of this type of research/knowledge helps people identify with your business and think you are speaking to their specific needs. Speaking of… 3. Realize why they need you/what they want/what’s in it for them. Why do people buy what you’re offering? Do they want to look better, feel better, move quicker? Then take that a step deeper. Think about something else they could achieve working with (or buying from you). Consider things that make life easier and help them fulfill dreams. 4. Map out what’s holding them back. There’s a reason they’re not buying from you even though what you offer is what they need. Is there a barrier? For instance, if you run a gym, are they afraid there won’t be people like them there? Doubts lead to inaction. Do your best to address the doubts so you can speak more clearly to their needs. 5. Talk about what happens if they don’t choose you or don’t act. What won’t they achieve if they don’t buy from you? What will they continue to struggle with? 6. Consider extra content or services that can round out your offerings and make you indispensable. What can you add to your offerings to either create an experience or address additional needs they have. For instance, a business might add oil changes to its car wash, while a car wash could add a few gas pumps. Creating a one stop shop can help you bring in more revenue and save your customers time and money, making your business an obvious choice over the competition. Becoming indispensable requires one thing above all else—a deep knowledge of your ideal customer. Once you know who that person is, you can offer them what they want, need, and can’t live without. Then all you have to do is convey that in your content and branding. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Making the Most of Your Minutes
Small business owners usually have more on their to-do lists than there is time in the day. If becoming more productive is one of your New Year's resolutions, we have a suggestion for you that could be a game changer. One of the biggest productivity challenges is interruptions. But as a small business owner they’re practically in your job description! You never know when someone will walk in or call. And while you want potential customers to do this in abundance, interruptions impact what you accomplish during the day. One of the best ways to remain productive through interruptions is by planning. While you can't plan interruptions, you can create a list of things you need to do sorted by the amount of time it takes to do them. Whether you realize it or not, your day is filled with small pockets of time. Even when you feel at your busiest, you likely have a handful of minutes that you aren't maximizing currently. Creating this list will help you use every minute of your workday in the most efficient way. Most to-do lists are organized around large demanding activities—the things with a noticeable deadline. Those kinds of to-do lists are still very valuable, but the “Mystery Minutes” To-do List will help you with all the time in between your large to-dos. How Does a “Mystery Minutes” To-do List Work? First, make a list the things you must do for your business that don't have pressing deadlines or have deadlines months away that you need to work on bit by bit. Next, organize it by the amount of time each item takes. For instance, if your to-do List contains “clean out the back storage room” the time assigned to that task might be something huge like two days (depending on the size of the area). If you’re like most small business owners, you don’t have two days to work on organizing your storage closet. You either need to hire or assign someone to do that or you must do it when you’re off/closed. However, if you break the task down into manageable smaller jobs, you can assign each a shorter timeframe. For instance, imagine you have three boxes on the floor in your storage room that you need to unpack and organize. If you write that as a standalone task, instead of lumping it in with the entire room organization project, that job can be completed in a few minutes. If you have large tasks break them up into smaller components. List each component on your to-do list. While this will make your to-do List longer, it will also make it more “do-able.” Plus, this to-do list isn't something you're going to finish today or even later this week. A Mystery Minutes To-do List is one that uses downtime effectively whenever you have it to ensure projects get completed a little bit at a time. Next, organize the list by shortest activity to longest based on time increments. Your list may have several 5-minute activities, 10-minute activities, 15-minute activities, and so forth. Then take each task within the category and sort it by importance or upcoming completion date. For instance, if you have three 5-minute jobs with one of them coming due next month (and the rest of them not being deadline specific), place the task due next month at the top of your 5-minute category. Throughout the day you'll have time to work on your prioritized to-do list. You may not always realize whether you're going to have five or ten minutes at your disposal. So, for those times when you're not sure how much time you have, you can either choose the shortest activity on the list or you can select a longer activity knowing you will need to break it into multiple sessions. There are some occasions where you will know that you have ten minutes such as before a meeting, phone call, or event. Make the most of that time. It's easy to allow ourselves to get bogged down in business. When business is nonstop and we have a few moments, we tend to use that time to catch our breath and don't use it efficiently. However, if you have a list of quick wins that you can conquer in a matter of minutes you not only will get more done, but you’ll also feel better about your day and what you've accomplished. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Popular Misconceptions About Shopping Small That Are Holding Your Customers Back
As I'm writing this, we're closing in on two weeks until Christmas. That means businesses with e-commerce options are quickly counting down deadlines for Christmas deliveries. This is the perfect time for local small business to shine because you can promise customers holiday smiles quicker than they can be delivered in online purchases. However, there may still be things holding the average customer back. Questions lead to inaction. To overcome some of these misconceptions about shopping with you, you'll want to tackle them head-on. Here are some of the most common concerns that are likely holding your customers back and how you can address them. Common Misconceptions about Shopping Small It's More Expensive While small businesses often don't sell the loss leaders that big retail companies do, small does not equal expensive. Large retailer’s pricing is set on a national level factoring in national costs of living. This is particularly true online. However, a local small business is going to set prices based on its economy, not New York’s or Los Angeles’. That means the cost of things is in line with what the market sets in your community. What you can do to combat this myth: in addition to talking about affordability, make sure everyone knows that when they buy from your small business more money stays in the local economy. They're Never Open Some people would rather shop with a large business because they know when the store is open. Many local businesses stay open later right before the holidays, but people won't know if you don't tell them. What you can do to combat this myth: Make sure you post your hours on social media and your business profile on Google. If shoppers have any questions about whether you'll be open or not, and they perform a quick search, they should be able to see when they can shop with you. If your hours are impacted by the holiday, make sure you communicate this online on your website, on your Google business profile, and social media, as well as notifying people with signs on the door and in your business. Selection Is Limited Again, the selection in a small business will never be as large as a giant warehouse but that's not where the appeal lies. The beauty of a small business is that you find those unexpected items. The ones you will be proud to gift because they're not found on every shelf. You can match your gift to the recipient in a way that is almost magical when you shop small. What you can do to combat this myth: If there's an in-demand item in your town and you have a few, make sure you post that to social media and update people when you sell out. Aside from that, share the unique items or services that you sell so people who are scrolling through their social media posts will be moved to act and come visit you. While large retailers carry a lot of the same things, people won't know what you carry if you don't share it with them. Your social media profiles, along with your website, are ideal places to get attention for the wonderful items and services you have to offer. As the small business season wraps up over the next few weeks, small businesses are at an advantage. You can provide easy access to unique gifts and services as well as help with last-minute gift ideas. Those looking to get in the holiday spirit can't do it online so providing them with an invitation to check out your business can go a long way to bringing in new customers. If you want them to act, just think about what may be holding them back and provide them with the information they need to overcome those misconceptions. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
During Small Business Season Don't Forget This
It's easy to get swept up in the stress of managing a small business during the holidays. But if you sell gift cards or are a participating business in a gift card program, there's one thing you want to make sure you don't miss. While we use the term Small Business Season to refer mainly to the time between November 1st and December 25th, if you sell gift cards some of your busiest times this holiday will occur after people have unwrapped their gifts and before they return to work and school. Gift card recipients and people with returns often go shopping that week after Christmas. This year, Hanukkah coincides with Christmas week as well so you may have an even busier last week of the year. That's why it's essential to prepare your small business for the week between Christmas and New Year's. But how do you do that? 1. Create a targeted marketing plan. Decide what you'll offer and how you will communicate your specials. Treat this marketing plan differently than the marketing plan you created leading up to the holiday. This one has a different focus. Switch your messaging from “find the perfect gift” to “get yourself a little extra something” or “wind down after a busy holiday.” This shift in marketing can be especially effective for those in the wellness and service industries. 2. Post your hours. If your hours are going to change after Christmas, make sure everyone knows about it. You also want to communicate to them if you're keeping extended business hours through New Year’s Day. Update your Google listing, as well as your website, social media, signs on your door and in your store. 3. Provide bonuses. Due to the newly received gift cards and ill-fitting gifts, many shoppers return to stores immediately after Christmas. Consider what bonuses you will offer to ensure that they spend their holiday money with you quickly. It's easier to sell to people who already have reason to buy than it is to recruit someone who has never purchased from you. One of the reasons gift cards are so popular with merchants is that most people spend more at the business than they have on the gift card (the average is $59 more than the value of the card). When people feel like they're getting good value for their gift card and their money, they'll spend even more. 4. Reward employees. It's likely if you've had a busy small business season that your employees are worn out. If you haven't already done so, this is an excellent time to show them your appreciation through rewards or sales bonuses. 5. Ensure your business is ready for the crowd. Just because Christmas is over doesn't mean everyone will stay home. You still can attract a crowd. Again, not only do people have gift cards they want to use and items they may want to exchange, people have guests in town, college kids at home, New Year's Eve parties to shop for, Hostess gifts to give, as well as delayed Christmas and holiday parties. Extending your holiday hours for the week after Christmas can be a real positive for your revenue flow. The small business season doesn't end with the passing of Christmas or Hanukkah. There's still at least another week left when shoppers will want to have access to your products and services. Make sure you're ready for them. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
4 Psychological Techniques for Increased Sales During Small Business Season
It's a noisy world out there and there's lots of competition. If you want to stand out, you must provide excellent value and persuasive copy. Without these two things the holiday season will not be the boon you are hoping for. Luckily, creating copy that drives your audience to action is very easy during the holiday season. While many people have a strict budget this year, they want to provide a nice holiday for their friends and family. That means they are looking to buy. Here's how you can help them decide to buy from you. Effective Sales Psychology Techniques for the Holiday Season Holiday purchases are often impulsive. A shopper sees something and without much thought decides it would be perfect for someone on their list. As the holiday draws closer, less time and holiday budget are left, and panic ensues. This is an opportunity for your business for two reasons. First, little time and little money forces quick action. Secondly, providing good value and the perfect gift will make many a frenzied shopper appreciate you. If you make it easy to buy from you, customers will take note. When energy for mental activity is low (like when holidays are fast approaching), self-control is often weakened (buying anything to just get the shopping checked off the long list of holiday to-do’s). The following ideas can help you sway needy shoppers into buying from you. Make Them Believe It Remember high school and how impressionable we all were? Labels and nicknames could color reputations for four years of school (and well into the future). Maybe you were labeled brainy or cool or something less appealing. People saw you through that filter. The same can be true of how you label your products or services. If you claim things like, “This is the perfect gift for your hard-to-buy-for friend” or “Every dog loves these bacon treats,” last-minute shoppers will believe you and act accordingly. You may have hated labels in school, but they go a long way to driving purchases in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Use a Reason Along those same lines, and pulling from the seminal influence study by Robert Cialdini that found people responded positively when presented with a reason, using a simple “because” can make people much more likely to honor your request. Keep this in mind when creating copy (or even videos). Give people a reason to buy your products or services. “This is perfect for the budding artist because…” or “Our service will delight your family because…” Catch People Enjoying Your Offerings Social proof is an effective motivator for purchases. When people see customers buying from you, enjoying your establishment/offerings, or talking about you, they’ll want to be a part of it. If you have a full store, take pictures or video of the crowd. Interview those who are shopping, especially your regulars. A few seconds of them sharing why they love coming to your business can drive many more to check you out as well. Promote Discounts, Not Fees No one likes to be penalized for their behavior, yet a lot of businesses are now charging shoppers credit card processing fees. This can leave a bad impression at check out for people using the convenience of paying by card. Remember, just a year ago some businesses were refusing cash and insisting people pay through a touch-free interface. But with the rising costs of credit card processing fees, what’s a business to do? In this situation you have two options. Either increase the price of your offerings to cover the increased fees (so no one sees them) or pass it along as a “nostalgic” discount for using cash. If you give the cash user discount a fun name patrons may be less likely to be disturbed by the upcharge for using plastic. If you want to increase sales this Small Business Season, think about how you can use psychological incentives to drive more business. Value and experiences give small businesses an advantage this holiday season. If you use those things as a focus in your marketing, you’ll have a stellar season. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
4 Things to Do For Your Small Business in December
The holiday shopping season is in full tilt right now and while you’re busy analyzing your Black Friday and Cyber Monday revenue, there are a few things you want to do to capture those December holiday dollars. Refresh Your Website If you still have Black Friday info up there, it’s time to strip it down and focus on last-minute shoppers. You want to ensure everyone knows the last days to order from you to meet shipping deadlines as well as what your availability is for pick-up or services. If you have hard-to-find items available, let people know. If you have space left for reservations, offer that on your front page. Websites are designed to feature the most up-to-date info so make sure you are using that space to drive the most sales. Make an Offer December has a way of getting away from people. We enter the month thinking we have an entire month to shop and before we know it, we’re missing ordering deadlines and holiday shopping at a 24-hour grocery store as we head to a friend’s house. That’s why December is the perfect time to roll out a special deal. It doesn’t have to be a loss leader. People are already in a need-to-buy situation. It’s just a little something extra to make them feel the value behind what they’re getting. That could be a coupon for a free dessert with every $100 gift card or special tote bags for purchases. Use a bonus offer with purchase to drive more sales. Launch a Social Media Giveaway A quick way to build your following (and your email list) is by launching a social media giveaway. Post on social media and encourage people to sign up for your newsletter/discount list. Then pull a name from that list and provide them with a gift card for your business. Why not just limit the contest to social media posts and shares? Why require them to sign up for your mailing list? Because you don’t own the information on social media. You need a way to contact your fans outside of social sites. Highlight Past Purchases or Services A confused mind doesn’t act. You want to be clear about what you offer and what your customers receive. December is a great time to showcase what others have purchased or the services you have rendered. Spotlight clients. Show gift baskets or things you designed for them. When people see options, it’s easier for them to make decisions. Difficulty kills more sales than cost. December is the most frantic part of Small Business Season. But it’s also an excellent time to help people when they need it most. You can make a big impression on customers when they’re feeling stressed and frantic. Do what you can to make holiday shopping easier on them and you’ll end up with fantastic end-of-year revenue. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Easy Last-minute Bonuses to Drive More Sales During Small Business Season
Bonus offers are a great way to drive sales without discounting your products or services. It makes people feel like they are getting extra value—and these days, with inflation—that can make a reticent customer buy quicker. But what if you haven’t thought out an entire marketing strategy around bonuses? Is it too late to offer one? Not at all. Below we have some ideas on how you can make the last few weeks of Small Business Season some of your best. Offer a Bonus Gift Card Give a small gift card ($10-20) with every purchase of $100 or more. The buyer will appreciate the bonus because of its versatility. The smaller card can be used as a tip for a service provider, a gift for themselves, a stocking stuffer, or a teacher gift. It’s like getting two gifts for the price of one. Add a Coaching or Instructional Session This is a low-cost bonus that can help an unsure customer act quickly when an expiration date is set. Offer your time as a bonus to a higher spend. If you don’t have the time to offer your undivided attention, give them a free pass to a class you’re offering in January. For instance, if you sell craft supplies, you can encourage novices to take up a hobby by bundling a starter kit of knitting materials and throwing in a free class to learn how to use them. Which brings up… Bundling Goods That Go Together You can create a nice gift basket or starter kit and package it beautifully for a very thoughtful gift. If you’re a service provider, think about a few items you could add with a gift card for your services. You might even be able to work together with another business to include their goods with your services. Provide a Bonus Download Create an electronic freebie for download with purchase. You could also use this freebie to build your e-mail/mailing list, no purchase required. Both are good ways to give your audience something of value in exchange for their contact information. This allows you to stay in touch throughout the year. Give a Bonus Review If you are a service provider, you could offer a free/bonus audit or review with the purchase of a service package. For instance, if you’re a web designer, offer a free SEO audit. Provide Free Shipping or Delivery Offering free shipping is a great way to entice people to buy. Set a minimum spend for free shipping or you could run up expenses with very little revenue to show for it. Setting a minimum also incentivizes people to spend a little more to qualify for it. Another option to drive purchases is offering free delivery. If you do this, define your delivery area or gas costs could eat into your profits. Throw in Some Goodies December is the ideal time to give away samples, especially to people who are already buying from you. If you sell food, add a giveaway to every purchase. If you don’t sell food, include a small treat with a cute message about how important the customer is and how much you appreciate them supporting small business. Be a Personal Shopper If you have the manpower, you could offer free personal shopping via Facetime where you walk someone around your business virtually and help them pick out their ideal gifts. You can also offer this service without the Facetime component and do the shopping for them yourself. In that case, make sure you perform your due diligence to find out the likes and dislikes of the person you’re shopping for. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Sprucing Up Your Website for the Holidays
Most people research online before they purchase. That could take the form of looking up prices, options, or educating themselves on the product or service they’re in the market for. Many buyers also use a business website to verify hours, availability, make reservations, etc. During the holiday season people are busier than ever and it’s common to check things out online before getting in a car. If your website isn’t easy to navigate, with important information front and center, you may be missing out on a host of customers. Here’s how you can ensure it’s in good shape. 10 Things You Should Do Right Now for a Better Business WebsiteMost of the changes below are things you can implement quickly but you should also make sure that your website is user friendly, loads quickly, and looks great on mobile. If it doesn’t meet those requirements, work on those basics first. Make sure you have the following things clearly accessible on your website:
Prepping your business for the holiday season is essential but don’t forget your website while you’re at it. A stale website can make people wonder if you’re still open for business. And that’s no way to impress the holiday crowd. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
An Effective E-mail Nurture Campaign for Small Business Season
It's small business season and if you're part of a small business you're probably looking for ways to make the most of your Q4. While mega retailers and big business are slashing prices, that's not the best way for you to be competitive. Small businesses often operate on smaller reserves and slashing prices to the point of taking a loss decreases the revenue you're bringing in. You need something that builds on connections. That’s the small business superpower. One of the best ways to do this is through an e-mail nurture campaign. To accomplish this, you need an e-mail list. Ideally, you already have a list of past customers. If you don't, start collecting emails immediately. After all, it's much easier (and cheaper) to sell to someone who has purchased from you before than it is to influence a potential buyer for the first time. In this article, you’ll learn how to create an e-mail nurturing campaign that will reengage past customers. With e-mail marketing you can schedule emails to “autofire” and send based on a schedule and/or actions. For instance, if the recipient opens your e-mail and clicks on the link, the next e-mail they receive will be different than if they had not opened it. Reconnecting with Previous Customers Through Email Use the following formula to create your own email nurture campaign for past customers. E-Mail #1 Reestablish the Relationship The first e-mail in your e-mail series will reestablish the relationship you had with this past customer. Using your business tone, craft a message that tells the recipient, “it's been a while. We miss you. Here's what's new in our business.” Make sure you include why they should care. Speak to what’s in it for them. Other options include an end-of-year thank you message, a summary of the year, or a project that helps you shine. For instance, “In 2022, we donated 543 bags of dog food and here are some pictures from our happy shelter friends who seem to be enjoying the food.” Set the next e-mail to hit a couple of days after the first. E-Mail #2 Build Momentum Tell your recipients a story about something that impacted you recently. Then give them a treat. For instance, you could share a story about gratitude or family. (These are especially welcome during the holiday season.) Then offer the email recipient a download that ties into your story. A good way to do this is to talk about what you're thankful for such as your loyal customers. Offer them a free gift-giving guide or create a helpful download based on what you sell such as a “Cooking with wine recipe e-book,” if you sell wine. Allow them to claim their “gift” by clicking a button. This requires them to act. Then you can see who clicked on the code and who didn't. Set the next e-mail to hit a couple of days after the first. Because you created a clickable link in your last e-mail, you now have record of who clicked and who didn't. At this point you could segment the clickers from the non-clickers and create a tailored e-mail for each. But you don't have to. You could also just send the same e-mail. E-Mail #3 Stay Connected Continue telling more of your story. This could be a continuation of the feel-good story in e-mail #2 or it could be building on the theme but with a different story. You could also talk about your “why.” Invite them to stay connected with you somewhere else like a specific social media platform or invite them to an event you're hosting. The point here is to extend an additional invitation and keep them connected. If you've segmented your e-mail based on who clicked and who didn't, add a line about the freebie you offered hoping that they enjoyed it to those who opened. To those who didn't open, offer them the freebie again with some language around “not sure if you saw this” or “in case you missed it, it's still available here…” and additional language why the freebie would make their lives easier or interest them. E-Mail #4 Invite Them Back Give your past customers a reason to spend with you again this holiday season. Perhaps you're hosting a special event with discounts. Maybe you're rolling out a loyalty program. Whatever the special is, make sure they know about it and use language that ensures they feel like a VIP. They're receiving a special invitation because they are your very valued past customers. That messaging can go a long way from moving someone from the passive state of reading an e-mail to actively buying. In this e-mail, you also want to give them another opportunity to buy from you in case they can't make your event. For instance, invite them to explore your website and purchase online. If you don't have E-commerce on your website, consider sharing your items through social media and encouraging people to call or e-mail you with orders. When creating e-mail nurture campaigns for small business season, remember what makes your business special. You want to focus on the experience and the feeling that buying local provides. Big business can offer deep discounts. Small business can offer memories of a joyful holiday season. That seems like a pretty great way to stand out. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Save a Small Business This Holiday Season
It’s officially Small Business Season and that means it’s time to give a little love to small business. With rising interest rates, soaring costs, and online competition, small businesses are feeling the crunch. This season, do a little extra for your neighbors and make a concerted effort to shop small. If you do, you could be saving a small business this year. How to Save Small Business Without a Lot of Money Besides being job generators, small businesses flavor our towns. They attract tourists and bring money from other communities into our own. A quaint Main Street and shopping district attracts a lot of people. If we don’t support small business this year, we could lose those businesses and lose the attraction factor for additional spending. Yet not everyone has money to spend this holiday season. According to GOBankingRates over 1/3 people surveyed plan to forgo tipping their service providers or providing them with a Christmas bonus. People are looking for ways to save and many are coming up short. Still, there are many ideas for saving small business that won’t cost you anything. 1. Write reviews of your favorites on a variety of sites. From Facebook to Google, industry specific sites to local spots, reviews influence buying decisions. Writing a review is free. 2. Tag friends when you see something they would like on social media. When a small business shares something you like on social media, tag a friend. Not only will you friend see the post, but all their friends will as well (permission settings allowing, of course). 3. Check-in at businesses. Even if you’re not buying, when you check in at a business that is providing social proof that you are visiting this business. It creates a crowd mentality that the place is worth checking out. Ever decide not to eat at a restaurant because there are no cars in the parking lot? Checking in helps create a (virtual) crowded lot, which drives people to check the business out. 4. Share images from the business. Take pictures. Share details about your experience. Photograph their calendar of events. Share anything that would draw people in. When you’re not directly affiliated with a business and you share, people see that as an endorsement and they’re more likely to act. 5. Join their newsletter or mailing list. Now may not be a good time to buy but joining their mailing list and forwarding helpful information to your audience can help match a buyer with a needed product or service. 6. Answer questions. If you see a question about a product or service on a group, give some suggestions. These types of referrals are hot leads for your favorite small business because they know the person asking is already in the market for what they sell or do. 7. Post a round-up on social media. Create a list of your favorite businesses, restaurants, or service providers or post a daily “thankful for small business post” and feature a new local business each day. Write a “best new businesses” post for businesses that opened this year. Get creative and tag the business whenever possible. There’s a lot you can do to support small businesses without spending anything. Giving them your time and promoting them to your audience can drive buyers to patronize them. For the biggest impact, make sure that everything you post is visible to the public and encourage people to share your posts. Your efforts might just be saving a small business this season. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Why Shop Small for the Holidays?
Small businesses add flavor to our area. There is a sense of adventure when you explore a small business. You never know what beauties you’ll uncover or what scrumptiousness awaits. Sadly, that’s also why a lot of people choose to patronize chains. With chains they know exactly what they’ll get and there’s a lot of comfort in that. But comfort does come at a price and that price could be our community. Large employers and chains are vital to our area, but this holiday season we’re asking you to support small business to help ensure they’re around in the coming years. Here’s why: 7 Reasons to Support Small Business This Holiday Season 1. Small businesses need you. While SCORE advises that businesses should keep three to six months of operating reserves, most small businesses have 27 days’ worth. With inflation, rising costs, hiring issues, and a plethora of other challenges, that place our small businesses in a precarious position, where you spend your money this holiday could affect which businesses will be here in the new year. 2. It feels good to shop small. Supporting small business feels good because you can see the impact. The smiles and gratitude you receive for shopping with a small business feel special. You can tell you’re making an impact and often they remember you when you return. 3. Small businesses support your causes. Small businesses are the first ones you turn to when asking for support for your beloved causes from your kids sports to your favorite nonprofits. Their sponsorships improve the quality of life in the area. But they can’t sponsor your causes if they’re not in business. 4. Small businesses answer your questions. Chatbots are great but they are programmed to respond literally to your questions. They do not anticipate needs or ask follow-up questions like small business owners and employees do. Sometimes the conversation that comes from speaking with small business professionals lead to other opportunities, interests, and stories. That’s less likely to happen with a chatbot or large-scale online retailer. 5. Small businesses give you an experience. Shopping small is about the experience and holiday shopping provides some of the biggest highlights of the year with seasonal aromas, delightful demos, delicious tastes, and happy melodies. Twinkle lights make everything more festive. Even an amazing website can’t provide the same tantalizing shopping experience an in-person trip to your favorite small business can. 6. Small businesses rely on your holiday spending. As many as 20% of small businesses rely on holiday sales to offset slower times during the year. If you don’t buy local during the holidays, it affects their future. 7. You can be a gift-giving wizard. Times are tight right now and many of us are cutting back on what we’re spending this year so that we can cover rising costs in essentials. While it’s natural to look for the cheapest gift possible during these times, you don’t want to forgo the holiday smiles from the perfect gift just to stay in your budget. Many small businesses provide unique, thoughtful items that you can’t get in many places. You can spend less but give your special someone something that they’ll cherish. Shopping small this holiday season is a big deal. These past few years have been hard on local businesses. With smaller operating reserves, rising costs and lower sales, they need you this year. And if you enjoy those small businesses, you know where you need to put your holiday dollars. - written by Christina R. Metcalf How Small Business Season Keeps Money in Our Community
By now you’ve likely seen the statistics that shopping small/local keeps roughly $68 out of every $100 in our community, whereas shopping at a national chain means about $43 remains here. Why is that important and what does it mean to you and your family? A lot more than you may think. How Small Business Spending Makes a Big Difference in Our Community Where Do the Dollars Go? While it’s difficult to track the exact path of a dollar spent locally versus one spent at a chain, you can imagine it looks something like this: 
That image is an example of what’s called “indirect impact.” Indirect impact is felt when a local business owner or employee spends the money they make locally but it’s not the only kind of impact that can be felt by spending local.
Johnny Goes to Band Camp When your son or daughter has a school expense like a club trip, sporting event, yearbook expense, camp, or graduation program, do you email Elon Musk to fund it? No. You ask your local pizza parlor or favorite small business owner. They get their name listed as a sponsor and your child is one step closer to their goal. Small Nonprofits Win Along the same lines of sponsors, when it comes to local nonprofits and raising money for local causes or even natural disasters, it’s the local businesses that come through. They understand the importance of helping neighbors. Yes, large companies give hundreds of thousands of dollars to large nonprofits. We’re not discounting that. But local charities and nonprofits are often not on their funding radars. Chains are doing their part donating to the United Way and national groups like the American Cancer Society. Local charities often rely on local support. We Enjoy a Better Quality of Life According to studies compiled by the Institute of Self Reliance, “the more locally owned businesses per capita that a community has, the better off that place is on many of the other indicators of community health. The larger the share of transactions in our economy—buying, producing, investing—that involve a locally owned business, the more thriving, equitable, and resilient our economy and community can be.” Local Vendors and People Win During COVID and immediately after reopening, there were supply chain issues (we’re still feeling them in some industries). Many of those issues were due to lack of transportation or lack of labor in the transportation industry. That caused many businesses to look for local options to meet their needs. When local businesses pay for things they need to do business (like inventory, utilities, equipment and pay to employees) locally, that has a direct impact on the local economy. Chains and local businesses pay a salary to local employees so they both have a direct impact on the local economy. However, a chain is limited in where it can get its inventory, equipment, and other items from. These costs are probably paid to, or dictated by, corporate. A small business owner makes those decisions themselves and can choose to keep some of those purchases local as well. Jobs Are Plentiful In times when jobs are needed most—in high unemployment—local businesses are there. According to the article “The Contribution of Large and Small Employers to Job Creation in Times of High and Low Unemployment,” which appeared in the American Economic Review, “…in times of high unemployment, small businesses both retain and create more jobs than large firms do.” Where you spend your money is an investment in the growth and prosperity of our area. You’re either investing for maximized returns on your holiday dollars by spending local or you’re not. We hope it’s the former. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
7 Ways to Get Your Business Ready for the Holidays
The holidays are right around the corner and that can be a big spend time whether you’re in retail, hospitality, or services. It can also be a lucrative time for your employees as many people generously tip at the end of the year. But good tippers want a great experience and if your business isn’t ready for the holidays, it won’t just hurt your revenue. It could affect your employees’ earning potential as well. Here are a few suggestions to help your business get ready and have the best holiday season yet. Start Marketing Holiday Specials NOW Even if you’re in a business that’s not typically associated with holiday spend, tie your business in. For instance, if you change oil in vehicles, talk about service specials to get cars in shape for holiday travel. Insert yourself into buyers’ holiday-readiness checklist. The holidays are about a lot more than just purchasing gifts. There’s a lot of prep work to be done that can carry over into décor, furnishings, beauty industries and more. Which brings us to… Master the Offer What will you offer to bring people in the door (or encourage them to buy from you)? Will you discount a popular product or service, host a free how-to clinic, run a webinar with a special discount at the end, offer a BOGO deal, provide a buy now/save later opportunity, offer a gift with purchase or bonus gift card, organize a contest or passport program with other businesses? There are so many ideas to excite potential customers. Choose one and start marketing it ahead of time. Create a Spotlight People have a lot on their minds these days. Holidays are particularly stressful. Anything you can do to make buying from you easier will stand out. Ideas like a gift-giving guide, a holiday services menu, or a buy online and pickup in the parking lot can all be great ideas to drive business. Decide what you can do to make your customers’ lives easier and market that. Increase Your Marketing Whether you’re paying for ads and marketing opportunities or going the free route, people are overwhelmed right now. The ability to bring in holiday customers with marketing can come down to the timing of your message, reaching them right when they’re deciding. So, you need to be everywhere. Increase your social media posting. Double down on your emails. Increase your content. But as you’re doing this, focus on what your customers need and it’s not more noise. They need you to help them in a very directed manner. Provide them with valuable information and easy access to your products or services. Establish Vacation Policies If you don’t already have an established policy, get one. Do you award vacation based on seniority or first-come, first-served? To avoid upsetting your employees, make sure everyone knows how you decide time off during the holidays. Once you have a policy, be proactive and ask who needs what time. You may consider offering an incentive to work the times that are less popular like Christmas Eve. Hire and Train Seasonal Employees It’s nearly impossible to offer exceptional customer service and an unforgettable experience with burned out and overworked employees so you want to ensure you’re adequately covered for the holidays. Consider your coverage needs. Do you have enough employees? If so, when advertising your open positions, make sure you focus on what’s in it for them (besides a paycheck). Is it a nice work environment (why?)? Do you offer a discount (how much)? Are there additional perks to employment? If you offer an employee discount, explain what they could save on Christmas gifts. Talk all this up in your advertising/job posting and your business will stand out. Be as descriptive as possible. Give Employees Something to Get Excited About Years ago, the company Christmas party was talked about and planned for throughout the year. But these days it’s become another obligation in a very busy time of year. Consider what your employees want most. Do they enjoy that fancy dinner and the open bar? Would they enjoy it more after the rush of the holiday season? Would they rather have a cash bonus or a gift? Maybe your employees are more altruistic. Would they enjoy sharing their blessings by working on a company project and helping a charity? Maybe even one you could pull in customer support for. You don’t have to host a holiday party. Tailor your year-end celebration to what your people will get the most excited about. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Business Recovery Post-Pandemic: What Changed and Should You Change It Back?
COVID and labor shortages have caused a lot of businesses to reevaluate offerings and pivot how they did business. But if you’re like many business owners, while adapting to customer needs was a critical component to staying in business, you may now realize that you are off track. It’s important to provide value to customers but veering too far away from your true business can cause you to take on too much too soon. For a pre-COVID example, when restaurant Planet Hollywood experienced great success initially, they spread themselves too thin ultimately forcing a lot of location closures. If you made a change to your business during the pandemic to meet customer needs, it might be time to reevaluate what was done and see if it is still in keeping with your business mission and vision. Ways Businesses Change and What They Mean Today There are many reasons to change your business. Some changes may provide long-term solutions others are short term panaceas. But if you did any of the following over the past three years, it may be time to reevaluate whether these changes are still serving you and your customers. New Offerings During the pandemic and subsequent inflationary times, many of us implemented things that are outside our usual offerings because it was a way to stay in our customers’ lives and entice them to continue opening their wallets for us. It’s probably time to reevaluate those new offerings. Were they a good addition to what your business did before? Are they making you money? Are they providing a needed solution for your customers? Have they caused your employees or customers to become more loyal? Do you still enjoy the work you are doing? All these things are good indicators of whether those changes were just a needed bandage to get you through tough times or something you should keep going and grow. Limits Did you limit your business in any way to survive the pandemic? For instance, many restaurants created shorter menus or rearranged their seating areas. Do the limits you’ve placed on your business still serve you? Maybe you’ve found that by limiting choices, you’ve perfected the upsell. Maybe your roomier interior design has encouraged people to spend more time browsing and thus increased sales or maybe the opposite has happened. Maybe you’ve decided you need more tables again and it’s time to bring them back. Revisit the limits you implemented for survival and see how they suit you now. Are they contributing to growth or limiting it? Services and Products Many product selling businesses looked for ways to sell services and many service based companies started selling a line of products during the pandemic. How are those new areas serving you? Did they open a new market or are they languishing? Are you marketing those things with growth in mind or were they just to get you through the tough times? Working from Home Many businesses allowed employees to work from home and now they’re finding difficulties in convincing people to return to the office or hiring new people who want to work outside of the home. It might be time to reevaluate your office space needs. You may find it’s cheaper to operate out of your home and use your local chamber or business incubator for meetings (if they have space). Nearly three years since the pandemic began and with an inflationary period on our doorsteps, it’s likely a good time to reexamine the changes you implemented for your business. Are those changes still serving you or is it time to sunset them? - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
How to Build Untiring Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty is essential to strong sales. After all, it’s easier to get repeat sales than it is to convince a new consumer to buy from you. But customer loyalty is something grown and nurtured, not bought or ordered. It takes time. That time investment is worth it because it means more revenue and sticking power. Bill Zinke, Senior Vice President of Marketing at BELFOR Franchise Group said, “One of the key lessons from the pandemic has been [that], in good times, building customer loyalty can help you grow faster and more profitably, and in tough or challenging times, it can be the difference between surviving and going out of business.” However, just because someone has been buying from you (or donating to you if you’re a non-profit) does not mean they are loyal. It may just mean that they tend to do the same things over and over until they don’t. If you want a strong customer (or donor) base, you need to cultivate loyalty. The methods to do so require consistent tending and upkeep. How to Create Loyal Customers (or Supporters) While building and increasing loyalty isn’t a set formula, there are several components that make it easier. They are: 1. Tell your business (or nonprofit) story. People want to know you. Being loyal to an organization is partially about a customer wanting to be a part of what you’re doing and believing in your mission. If you’re not sharing your story, you’re missing an opportunity to build connections. 2. Give customers/donors a reason to be loyal. When people buy from you repeatedly, make sure you thank them and are always appreciative for their loyalty. They could spend their money elsewhere, but they chose you. Loyalty programs reward your frequent customers. Even a small freebie or discount can make them feel valued and want to return. Being part of a loyalty program increases customer spend. According to a 2020 McKinsey survey “Members of paid loyalty programs are 60% more likely to spend more on the brand after subscribing, while free loyalty programs only increase that likelihood by 30%.” 3. Recognize them. Whether you are a brick-and-mortar store or an online operation, customers want to feel like you remember them. It’s like the theme song of the old TV show Cheers, everybody just wants to go somewhere where the business remembers their name. But you don’t have to literally remember a name, a face and an order will do or past buying history will make them feel like you recognize them. What they’re looking for is to feel valued and seen. 4. Make them feel like they were missed. If your customer hasn’t purchased from you in a while, invite them back with a special coupon. People want to feel missed when they’re gone. This type of reminder can be automated if you have buying/donation history and an email list. 5. Don’t offer new customers better deals than past customers. Cable companies and cell phone businesses are notorious for giving new customers unbelievable deals and offering very little for existing customers. Don’t make that same mistake. Past customers should feel appreciated. Giving great offers to newbies and not loyal customers is one of the easiest ways to make sure your past customers don’t feel valued. Reward past customers for their loyalty. Show your appreciation and make them feel important. Loyalty is a great fix for pricing competition. After all, you might not be the cheapest, but you can offer the best value and feelings behind a purchase. That will keep your customers coming back—and with any luck—referring you to their friends as well. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Gearing Up to Capture the Holiday Dollar
This week MasterCard announced its prediction that holiday spending by customers would increase by 7.1% over last year. This is good news for businesses that were thinking inflation may quell holiday spending. But how did they decide on this and what does your business need to know to make the most from holiday shoppers? Increased Spending Trend Spending this summer increased by 11.7% year over year in August, which is an increase of 20.4% over 2019. Pretty impressive numbers considering the high cost of everything. But why the predictions for increased spending? One reason is that the unemployment rate is going down (currently 3.7%, down from a high in April of 2020 of 14.7%). There’s also been an increase in new jobs (nonfarm payrolls rose by 315,000 in August) in the US. Salaries are also starting to adjust for inflation. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® released the following statement nearly a month ago, “Purchasing intentions increased after a July pullback, and vacation intentions reached an 8-month high. Looking ahead, August’s improvement in confidence may help support spending, but inflation and additional rate hikes still pose risks to economic growth in the short term.” So, it sounds like cautious optimism for holiday spending. Assuming customers are out there, here are a few ways you can capture their dollars this season. Online Is Key MasterCard revealed that online sales in August grew by 8.9% year on year, which is a 100.2% growth since 2019. If you don’t have an online presence, you need to be working toward one. If you have one already, ensure that it is user friendly and provides opportunities for upsells. Take some time to associate “also boughts” and buying suggestions to maximize upsells. Experiences Customers want to buy and enjoy doing it. That’s why many savvy merchants and organizations are offering special events. A wine bar or restaurant may offer an exclusive wine tasting or special farm-to-table tasting event. Look for ways you can offer your customers a larger experience than simply a purchase. Doing so helps them know, like, and trust you. Plus, it keeps you top of mind because you’re now more than just a business that sells them something. You are a part of their entertainment or a resource for learning (or experiencing) something new. Inflation Is Still a Barrier to Buying Despite political talk from both sides on the economy, and improved spending and consumer confidence, inflation, rising costs, and increased transportation costs are still a concern for most people. That’s why merchants and businesses that can offer the best value are most likely to capture the holiday dollar. What can you do to make your customers feel like they are getting the most from their dollar? This is not an invitation to lower prices to bring more people in. That becomes a slippery slope of who can offer the cheapest item and that doesn’t benefit anyone. Instead, aim to offer more for your customers’ money. You can charge a premium if they feel like they are receiving excellent value or even prestige. Hide the Cost A lot of businesses have started charging a cash price and a (higher) credit card price to cover the increasing credit card or processing fees. While that’s a good way to look out for your operating costs, because of the negative way people perceive this “sharing of the costs” you may be better off by simply rolling those costs into your price. When someone sees an additional charge for the convenience of paying by card, they often feel put out. However, adding a few dollars to the price, if you’re providing good value elsewhere, may remove the friction from the sale. The holidays will soon arrive and hopefully consumer spending will meet (or exceed) MasterCard’s predictions. If you want to be part of that increased spend, follow these four suggestions. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Now Is the Perfect Time to Tell Your Business Story
Telling your business story is a compelling way to get your audience more invested in you and to help build know, like, and trust. But your business story shouldn’t be a dry About Us page filled with dates you first opened and how many locations you’ve been through over the course of your business history. Your business story is a lasso that draws people in and holds them there. But it can also be a feel-good moment in a sea of dread. With the pending recession and economic struggles most are enduring, now is the perfect time to cultivate and share your business story. Creating Your Best Business Story Your business story must be true. This is not a time to take liberties on the facts but as I always say, what you leave out of a story is as important as what you put in. Here are a few ways to create a stellar business story: Grow Positivity A story without friction is simply pretty words. You need a struggle to make a story. Having said that, your business story is not the place for a lot of negativity. Paint the picture of the struggle (yours or your customers’) and then move to positivity and solutions. Spend most of your business story talking about the positive. People really need that right now. Use Words That Convey Emotion With shorter attention spans, you don’t have the luxury of creating an epic business story. You must hook them fast. Use words that are laden with emotion—words like love, pride, joy, etc. When people hear these, they associate their own experiences with them. These words carry stories within them. When words are at a premium, you want to use those that already carry a certain message to your audience. Make each of them count. Don’t drone on with long lead ins. Do Your Research Telling a compelling business story means knowing your audience. Who are they? What are they looking for? How do they spend their free time? Knowing these things can help you make connections with your ideal customer and draw them in. An easy way to do this research is to look at your social media posts. Which ones get the most shares or likes? What do those posts have in common? How can you translate that knowledge into crafting a better business story? Be Consistent Usually, this advice would be given about the importance of posting or sharing consistently over social media, and that’s true. But when it comes to creating a successful business story, you need to ensure the story you tell is in alignment with everything else you post. You can hire a talented marketing writer to create a masterpiece of a business story but if you’re posting daily about things that contradict your story, a disconnect will occur and it will eat away at the trust your audience places in you. They will wonder which is the real you and they will most likely assume it’s the daily posts, rendering your beautiful business story a work of fiction. A strong business story will connect you to your audience. Today, people are looking for positivity. They’re looking for someone who’s overcoming challenges. They want assurances. But this is not a time to brag about how wonderful you are. It’s the time to show how you are helping, what you’re doing for your customers, and how you’re all in it together. Show you understand the struggles but are optimistic about what can be done when you help one another. While there are many worries in the world these days, it’s those very worries (and the assuaging of them) that will help you make connections quicker and hold onto them longer. It may seem strange if you’re struggling in your business to work on your story—especially if you’re not sure where your business will be in the future. But it’s for that reason that you should start telling it. Customers need a reason to buy from you—outside of a bargain. They’re longing for something to believe in and if you craft a strong business story, you might just become that for someone. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Is It Time to Join Forces with Another Business?
As a child of the 80s, I remember the excitement when the Wonder Twins would join forces and utter those magical words “Wonder Twin powers activate!” Sure, there were often comical results but both characters used their strengths to save the day. The same is happening with business these days. We’re seeing a lot of it among big brands, unlikely partnerships to sell additional products or services. Some of them are umbrella situations where the companies are owned by the same parent organization, but others are simply recognizing that to be competitive, they have to offer their customers more. Just this week, I’ve received two promotions from big brands that are uniting and forming their own “Wonder Twin” combos for the delight of their customers. For instance, Walmart+ subscribers can receive a free subscription to Paramount’s streaming service. T-mobile is offering its small business customers free Canva Pro subscriptions through the end of 2022. Are you considering a pairing of your own? 3 Kinds of Pairs That Could be Lucrative for Your Business If you’re looking for new ways to entice your target market to buy, consider pairing with a business that serves a similar market. A successful pairing begins before you approach the other business. You want to understand your target audience and their needs. Once you’ve done that, consider their likes and desires. Besides your offerings, what do they enjoy? Where are they? How are they spending their time? What are their goals? What business pairing can bolster what you offer? All pairings should benefit the two (or more) businesses involved and their customer bases. People do business with those they know, like, and trust. A pairing can help you enter a new market and do the same for your partner business. This is not to say you become permanent partners with this business. You can run a temporary pairing for the holidays or a summer challenge or any number of special campaigns. Here are a few kinds of pairings you may consider: Complementary Pairings Complementary pairings are pairings that come to mind quickly, cookies and milk types of pairings. These pairings look for complementary services, things that naturally go together. For instance, if you run a gym, you might pair with a juice bar to give your members discounts when they show their card. Or you could partner with the juice bar to create a nutrition program or a challenge that you could market to both of your customer lists. To be successful in this pairing, figure out what your audience is looking for—something you don’t offer or plan to offer—and look for businesses that offer that. Before you approach the business, do your research. Make sure they’re not offering something like what you’re proposing already. You don’t want them to feel like you are competing with them or unknowledgeable about their business. Then brainstorm ways you can work together to meet your customers’ needs. Entertainment Pairings Sometimes the pairing isn’t about two things that naturally go together but between two companies with audiences that enjoy similar things. For instance, a wine bar might pair with a local bookstore to host their writer’s group or book club. The wine bar may have a larger gathering space or be open longer than the bookstore is, offering the bookstore a spot for evening events. This type of pairing may also work well between a business and an association such as a writer’s professional association and a coffee shop. The group brings in new customers and the coffee shop gives them a spot to assemble, give readings, and maybe even sell merchandise. To be successful in this pairing, do your market research and find out what your ideal demographic likes. Build relationships with other businesses or organizations based on that. Marketing/Sponsored Pairings Another strong pairing is when one business partners with another to amplify their own marketing or reputation. For instance, a new restaurant may cater a networking event at the chamber so it can get its name out there, allow people to sample the food, and build a reputation as a good business because it is affiliated with the chamber. (This makes people feel that the business is a larger part of the community.) The same can be done through a church or civic organization or even a nonprofit depending on the target market the business wants to reach. To be successful in this sort of pairing, you want to ensure that people who come to the event are in your target market. Don’t sponsor a vegan health fair if you run a Brazilian Steakhouse, for instance. Pairings are a great way to grow your customer base/audience and provide your customers with more value. Offering an opportunity to meet their needs in one stop versus several can be very appealing and may cause your audience to see you in a new light. Wonder business powers activate! - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Your Employees Are Likely Part of the Gig Economy and That’s a Good Thing
COVID forced many employees to work from home, whether they wanted to or not. As recovery continues employee and employers are deciding between their preferred work location. Many employees chose to remain at home even when their business called them back. Some employers, on the other hand, decided to trim costs and allow employees to stay home indefinitely. This battle between home and the office also created a third group--those who are leaving the traditional workforce to “do their own thing.” As we have seen with recent rising costs like skyrocketing property and rent, increasing fuel charges, and groceries, the dollar just isn’t covering what it used to. Salaries aren’t keeping up with costs. The average increase in salaries since 2021 is 3.4%, while the average increase in costs (the inflation rate) is 8.5%. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly harder not only for business owners to make a sizeable profit, but for their employees to make what they need to cover running their households. 58% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and with inflation outpacing salary increases by more than double, financial troubles are getting worse. What previously was an “either or” situation of working for someone or working on your own, has become yet another “hybrid model.” Many employees are now working for someone and on their own to make ends meet. It’s possible a good portion of your employees have a side hustle. Here’s why you should be happy about that: Why You Should Support Your Employee’s Side Hustle When some business owners hear their employees have a side hustle, they get concerned. But that doesn’t have to be the case. 1. Side hustles help your employees learn new skills that they can use in your business. From marketing to presentation skills, graphic design to website building, when they own a business or have a side hustle, there are things they are learning that could help round out your business. 2. It assists them in making ends meet, which means they are less likely to leave. 3. A side hustle provides an extra challenge and may help them fulfill their passions while remaining in your employ. Happy employees are less likely to quit. 4. A side hustle will inevitably build your employees’ sales skills (or it won’t work out for them). Their new sales techniques can help them sell more in your business—and these days everyone is in sales and service even if it’s not in their job description. 5. It shows you provide good work/life balance. If an employee can work for you and work a side job, they have extra time outside of their position. If additionally, you show an interest in their side business (or even support it), you will create a loyal employee and that goes a long way to keeping your business running smoothly. Who knows? They may even provide a complementary service or product that you can find a way to use for mutual benefit. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Using Existing Facebook Groups to Grow Your Business
If your town is like most, there are several Facebook groups that have formed around living, working, and/or playing in your area. Some are private and you’ll need to request to join. Others are public. Some groups are loosely veiled business generators for community leaders or professionals (often real estate agents) who recognize how important it is to insert themselves into conversations about the community. Facebook groups are an excellent way to grow your business. Here are a few ways to do this in an existing group. Grow Your Business Through Existing Facebook Groups Do Your Research First, do your research. As mentioned previously some groups are owned by people with their own agenda. It's important to know who's behind the group you want to join. For instance, if you're a real estate agent looking for more clients, it doesn't do you any good to join a Facebook group started by another real estate agent. Chances are, if you offer your information in a salesy way, you'll be kicked out of the group. Knowing the organizer behind the group is essential to your success. When it comes to local groups people start them for a host of different reasons. Understand the Rules Some groups let you post about your business 24/7. Other groups have a specific day designated for business posts. Finally, other groups have a no solicitation policy. If you want to be successful in your Facebook group of choice make sure you read and understand the group’s rules. Update Your Bio Before interacting on any Facebook group, you want to make sure that you've updated your bio on both your business page and your personal profile. It used to be that you could only join a group from your personal profile. That’s no longer the case. In some instances, you can join from your business page. If both are allowed, you'll need to decide which one works best for you. Since people do business with people they like there's a benefit to joining from your personal profile. However, if you choose to do this, you need to make sure that your company is referenced on your personal profile’s bio. Otherwise, people won’t make the connection between you and your business. One point to consider when deciding between joining from your personal profile or your business page is that if you share a lot of things on your personal profile that may get in the way of you doing business, don't join this way. If on the other hand, you decide to join from your business page, make sure your business page is congenial and welcoming. Because if people find your posts helpful and they're in need of your services or products, they can click on your response and go to your page directly. For maximum lead potential, your page must be ready to welcome potential customers. Do Your Research (Again) Spend some time reading over posts and get a better understanding of what people in the group are looking for. Pay close attention to the types of posts that get a lot of positive engagement. While you may be joining the group to increase sales for your business, if you find out that sunset posts, for instance, reign supreme from an engagement perspective, then start there. (How about a picture of the sun setting from your business?) Post what people love and as they get used to seeing your name they will make positive associations with your business. Educate, Entertain, or Inspire but Never Sell OK, never might be a little too heavy-handed, but most people aren't on Facebook because they want to hear how amazing your business is. If someone specifically asks for the kind of products or services you offer, join the conversation, and explain what makes you unique. Or better yet have a local friend who is on the group provide a referral to your business. But for most posts you're going to want to refrain from speaking about your business. Instead, showcase your knowledge in a helpful way, point people in the right direction, refer people to other businesses in town that you enjoy, and do your best to be a part of the conversation. In addition to refraining from being overly salesy, you also want to stay away from jumping on the bandwagon when someone puts another business down even if it's your competitor. Especially then. Nothing good can come out of your name being associated with negativity about the community. Finally, just have fun. Let people get to know you, share things about the community that you love, give positive reinforcement and suggestions, and show up on a regular basis. People get to know you that way and are more likely to do business with you in the future. Remember, social media is about relationship building. That takes time. You don't want to join a group and immediately start talking about yourself, your business, and only the things you care about. You're there to add to the conversation, not to appear with a megaphone announcing yourself. Consistent, helpful participation is the way to get interest in your business. And interest is the first step toward eventually landing the sale. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Stop Procrastinating Tomorrow
The title of this article is supposed to be funny, but procrastination isn’t a laughing matter. In fact, procrastination can be severely impacting your business. It can affect sales, revenue, and employee happiness. But when work is tough and no news sounds good, it’s easy to tell yourself that you’ll handle the hard stuff on a better day. The problem is there will never be a perfect day to do the hard things. So, here’s how you can tackle today, what you could put off for tomorrow. 6 Ways to Stop Procrastinating Procrastination is an excellent way to miss opportunities, and no one wants that. If you’ve found yourself procrastinating a lot recently, it’s time to get it under control. Take back your tomorrow, and get things done today with these tips and mental shifts. Get Control “I just don’t feel like it” is a common nagging feeling for many people these days. Feeling overwhelmed by the level of work, the high cost of living, and a dozen other worries, it’s easy to put things off. But most of those things won’t go away. You need to shift your mindset from one of passivity to one of action. Tackling the hard stuff will give you a sense of accomplishment and make you feel like you are back in the driver’s seat again. Make a List of What Needs to Be Done Make a list of the absolutes—the things that cannot be put off any longer. Use whatever format you love, whether that’s a paper to-do list or an app. For me, there’s something rewarding about using a highlighter to cross off what I’ve accomplished. But some people like the convenience of having the list on their phone. Figure Out How You Work Best Next, decide if you are the type of person who wants to start your day off accomplishing several small tasks quickly or the largest/hardest one first. I like to gain traction in the morning by tackling a few easy wins. I also go for the easy wins when I know I have a hard stop like a meeting. I don’t want to start something large knowing I’ll get interrupted. However, you may find you like to tackle the big things when you are fresh. You may also come to realize that you like working on a big project when you know you have a hard stop because you enjoy a break and the distraction of doing something else. Learn these things about how you like to work and implement strategies around them. Recognize Your Self Deception Why do you put things off most often? Do you put off big tasks because you feel overwhelmed, or do you put off small tasks thinking you shouldn’t be wasting your large chunks of time now and will do them later? Some people put off small tasks because they figure they don’t need much time to complete them. They tell themselves they’ll do the small tasks in front of TV in the evening or multitask while in carline, running errands, or attending a function. Determine your most common excuse and address it. Stop giving yourself outs. For instance, if you shy away from large projects because they’re intimidating and tell yourself you’ll do it when you have more time, know that there is no time like the present. You can only speak to the amount of time you have currently. Tomorrow’s time may be spoken for. It’s not guaranteed, after all. Also, you may realize after starting the project that it is not nearly as daunting as you expected. Take One Bite at a Time Since most of us tend to procrastinate the big projects, another way to combat that is by breaking big projects into smaller segments or bites. As you check off each of the smaller segments, you’ll feel more accomplished and build momentum. Plus, smaller bites provide you with natural stopping points so you can switch gears or take a break and come back refreshed. Give Yourself a Deadline It’s easy to table things that don’t have a deadline, especially if most of your work is deadline-driven. When that happens the pieces that don’t have deadlines get lost in a pressured environment. Whether you are assigning the task to yourself, or someone is assigning it to you, make sure everything in the pipeline has a deadline. That way, it is less apt to be set aside. Procrastination can make you miss out on a lot with your business, but it can also make you feel plagued by guilt, anxiety, and a feeling of underperformance or underachievement. Conquer what you are putting off today so that you can feel more empowered and closer to your goals. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
What’s Your Biggest Marketing Challenge?
When a business operator finally decides they need someone focused on their marketing, and they resolve to hire for the position, it usually goes something like this: “This position will be in charge of posting to our social media channels.” But if that’s all you’re doing, you can put that in the hands of the nearest thirteen-year-old. If you’re contemplating stepping up your business marketing, you need more than a scheduler. You need someone who understands the different kinds of marketing, your audience, and how to nurture prospects. Successful marketing looks like this: 
As you can see from the diagram, there’s a large area of information you want to share with your audience and there’s a large amount that they want to know or are curious about. But the area that overlaps between the two is considerably smaller. That means you must be deliberate and strategic in what content you choose to share. Too many topics or posts that aren’t of interest to your target audience, not only means a lack of engagement on their part, but also a drop in organic rankings and visibility on social media.
While the center of the Venn diagram is marketing gold, that does not mean you can’t share things that are important to you too but keep it at 80-90% of what your audience wants and 10-20% of what you think they need to know about your business. So, how should you prioritize the smaller percentage about you and what you’d like to share? Since most of what you share should be of interest to your audience, when you share the content you want to share, make sure it addresses your largest marketing challenge so you get the most return. Addressing Your Largest Marketing Challenge To keep a good content balance, you want to ensure you’re not speaking about yourself too much. That also means using your most important content strategically on the rare times you talk about your business. Since you shouldn’t be monopolizing the conversation, you want to be sure that when you do post about yourself, the content tackles your largest marketing challenge. Your largest marketing challenge is personal. What is a challenge for you and your business, may not be a challenge for others. You must address it individually. Plus, your marketing challenge today may not be the same a year from now. Choose one challenge and use content to solve for it. Your marketing challenge may be one of restoring reputation damage or conversely, not being well known in your community. Ask yourself and your staff what is holding you back from achieving that next level of success. I spoke with a business owner recently who does a strong business between 10 am and 5 pm. But even though he operates a wine tasting room, located in an ideal tourist area with great pedestrian tourism traffic, he struggles after 5. Why? Because this terrific location he has is surrounded by businesses that have closed before 5 for decades. It’s the type of place that makes a nice day trip but because of the history of early business closures, no one thinks to stay around for the nightlife. His biggest marketing challenge is telling people he’s open late and convincing them to stay around or come to visit in the evenings. He has a lot of positives on his side when educating his audience. Things like no crowds, better parking, a laid-back atmosphere but he also must create top-of-mind awareness that his business is an evening establishment as well as a spot for day drinking. Publishing his hours isn’t enough to get people to take notice. He’s going to create content that speaks to the fun things he’s doing at his wine store in the evenings. He’s going to incorporate some evening events and work with a few restaurants in the area (he doesn’t serve food) to act as overflow when the restaurants are on a 4-hour wait (yes, seriously. It happens.). What are you doing to identify and address your greatest marketing challenge? If you want to increase your marketing prowess, you need to solve for your greatest marketing challenge through content creation. After all, on the few times you post about yourself, you want it to be meaningful and help move you toward your business goals. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Labor Day Ideas for Your Business
Labor Day is fast approaching. This unofficial end of summer is largely ignored by businesses partly because a holiday surrounding working doesn’t seem like much fun. However, you can use this day for more than planning a backyard BBQ or trip to the beach. Here are some engaging social media and activity ideas that you can work on over the next month to drive interaction and get employees and customers excited about this much overlooked holiday. Labor Day Content Ideas 1. Honor your employees for the hard work they put forth every day. Showcase them individually or as a group. Make them feel appreciated. 2. Thank the laborers who have made our country what it is. Call out the quiet efforts that go unnoticed. Do a series of shoutouts to people who are essential to our lives. 3. Call out the efforts of your vendors and suppliers. Name them. Tag them. Their audience will see your accolades. 4. Feature local laborers in images like people working on the roads or construction nearby. Highlight a new project you’re excited about that wouldn’t be possible without their hard work. 5. Send a Labor Day weekend message to everyone telling them you hope they enjoy this special time. 6. Share a few funny pictures of your summer vacation or summer at your business. Say good-bye to summer. 7. Ask your top performing employees to post about what person inspired them to be a hard worker. Labor Day Activities Posting to social media isn’t the only way to celebrate Labor Day. Here are a few ideas for your business. 1. Treat employees to a BBQ and bring in lunch or let the managers cook for them in a parking lot cook off. 2. Write a note or email to your staff about the year you’ve had so far and what you expect for the remainder of 2022. Keep it uplifting and inspirational. 3. Close a few hours early to allow employees to get a jump on the weekend. 4. Host a food contest such as a chili cook-off, best BBQ sauce, or best apple pie. Let employees and/or customers vote. Create a badge for the winner(s). 5. Bring in an ice cream truck as a treat for your employees. 6. Give a limited-time discount to all laborers like people in construction and other manual labor positions. 7. Throw an all-white party (or invite employees to wear all white for the day) in honor of the old fashion rule of “no white after Labor Day.” 8. Serve apple pie to customers. 9. Run a contest for employees to see who can get the most positive business reviews. 10. Ask customers to vote for their favorite employee. Let that employee go early the Friday before Labor Day weekend. Labor Day Quotes If you love inspirational quotes or you don’t want to come up with something on your own, that’s okay. Here are a few quotes from brilliant people that you could easily match up with an image or design it out for maximum impact. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King Jr. “It is labor indeed that puts the difference on everything.” – John Locke "Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy." ―Ralph Ransom "There is no substitute for hard work." ―Thomas Edison "All wealth is the product of labor." ―John Locke “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” ―Theodore Roosevelt Take these ideas and incorporate them in what works for your business. Labor Day is a great way to celebrate summer and your company’s efforts thus far. Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Are You Ready for These 3 Workplace Trends?
Workplace trends come and go like snack carts, but these trends may very well revolutionize the way we work because they are just so darn appealing to most employees. But before we go into these workplace trends, know that they are not for everyone. Your business may not be able to function if you put them into operation. There are some businesses that simply require employees in seats, seats that are customer-facing in a central location. But if you do have the flexibility to adopt some of these, you may see very big changes in productivity and morale. These things may be what the employee of tomorrow is looking for. Asynchronous Office Environments Say good-bye to 8-5 or even shift work. Now, there’s something leaner. Asynchronous work environments don’t have set schedules. They allow employees to work an agreed upon number of hours a week but that work can be done whenever the employee wants to do it. That means Employee “A” could work 8-11 AM and then again 5-10 PM, while Employee “B” works her 32 hours in only three days out of the week. Some asynchronous office environments have employees in different time zones, but some are in a central office that simply pays no heed to time, only product being moved/created or duties getting done. This is no different than how you might work with a freelancer. You know they’re doing the work and you know the deadline for deliverables. You’re just not in control of when it’s worked on. Flattening the Pyramid: welcome Holacracy Some companies adopted flat leadership environments (or Holacracy) when it was new to the scene in 2007 or shortly thereafter (including Zappos in 2014), but we’re starting to see a resurgence in it embraced by large companies like UBS bank, which got rid of all titles above managing director last year. A flat leadership environment tasks leaders of projects, not leaders of people. It does away with top-down managing and 1-2 people at the top of the company giving orders to everyone underneath them in pyramid formation. Instead, Holacracy focuses on how leaders can lead from every level and gives younger people a way to lead on individual projects, not through titles. With younger people desiring leadership roles and contributing to a work environment from their first day on the job (they don’t feel the need to earn seniority before sharing suggestions), this idea could become the new trend in work. Devout Work/life Balance With more discussions about the importance of mental health and wellness, employers can expect to make changes based on employee expectations. Managers will start weighing the importance of productivity over “time in seat.” With work from home and hybrid work environments, we’re starting to see the time clock punching mentality lessen its hold on business. Employees are starting to notice that if the goals are being met, where employees are, and when they’re working, is less important. As of this writing, businesses are trying to recover from the Great Exit, where employees left the workforce in droves. To reestablish trust again, employers are going to have to create environments that are as appealing as the freedom in working for oneself. That requires flexibility and good benefits. The next decade will have a great impact on how/where we work and how that shapes the workplace. After all, efficiencies in manufacturing ushered in the industrial revolution. We might just be seeing an employee-led revolution leading into 2030. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Are You a Neurodiverse-friendly Business?
If you’ve recently picked up a write up on Most Loved Workplaces or Best Places to Work, you may be surprised to see that good benefits and higher than average salaries aren’t contributing to those titles anymore, but then neither is having a Foosball table. Employees (and customers) want more. While many businesses are launching diversity initiatives, there’s one area of diversity you may not have considered—neurodiversity. There are several ways to be designated a neurodiverse-friendly business, whether that’s creating a more inviting atmosphere for neurodiverse customers or creating a workplace where all employees are comfortable and valued. Over the past two decades, identification as a neurodiverse individual has increased 600% so ensuring your business embraces this aspect of diversity is growing in importance. Neurodiversity in the Workplace If you want to make your business more diverse from this perspective, you’ll want to consider:
For smaller businesses, these programs may seem out of your reach. However, you can still incorporate aspects of them on a smaller scale. For instance, be cognizant of the interview process and inquiries you receive from potential employees. You may need to alter your expectations on things like eye contact from every interviewee. Understanding the neurodiverse job candidate can help you create a more diverse employee base. Welcoming the Neurodiverse Customer In addition to creating a more diverse work culture, think about how you can improve the experience of your customers. The Autism Society is challenging businesses to create more friendly experiences for everyone. You can fill out their form to become listed as an Autism-friendly business. They’re looking for businesses that do things like:
Over 3.5 million people are estimated to be diagnosed with autism in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of autism among children is 1 out of 59, and that does not span all neurodiverse diagnosis, only autism and its spectrum. If you are considering a commitment to diversity in your business, you may want to consider neurodiversity as well. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
10 Ways to Get More Business Reviews
According to an article on SmallBizTrends.com this week, “Small business owners’ expectations for better business conditions over the next six months fell by seven points to a net negative 61%. So far expectations for better conditions have worsened every month this year.” That’s not great news. With rising costs, many businesses are struggling. When it comes to dealing with these pressures, you have two options to improve revenue: new growth or new marketing efforts. New growth means pursuing new avenues or audiences and expanding. This can be unnerving. New marketing efforts means simply being more deliberate in who you’re trying to reach and how you’ll get there. Whether you choose expansion of audience or marketing, you need reviews and you need them everywhere. Here are a few ways you can motivate your audience to help. Get More Business Reviews with These Ideas 1. Put a link on your website and ask for the review. 2. Use a QR code in your physical business that leads straight to a review site. You can change the sites out periodically so that you get reviews on Facebook, Google, Yelp, etc. 3. Send a thank you email or postcard to people after they buy and add a request for a review. 4. When someone pays you a compliment, thank them, and ask them if they could write a review. If they decline, ask if they would mind if you used their words in a testimonial. 5. Search on social media. People may be talking about you without you realizing. For instance, there may be a local Facebook group where your business is mentioned often. Finding out what these groups are and then listening to what others are saying can give you a lot of great quotes. But don’t grab them and stick them on your site. Reach out to the writer and ask if you can use them or if they’d be willing to copy and paste what they said on a specific review site. 6. Add a star rating to your website that allows visitors to give you a quick rating. 7. Post reviews openly on your site with a link for people to add their own. Show extreme appreciation for your reviews. If they’re visible and openly appreciated, it may influence visitors to leave their own. 8. Thank people for reviewing you, if possible. Let them know you saw it and you appreciate them. 9. Reach out to those who left you negative reviews to see what you can do to turn it around. They cared enough to mention the dissatisfaction so see what can be done to turn their negative into a positive. 10. Provide a discount coupon (or special bonus) to anyone who leaves a review. Don’t tell them ahead of time. Make it a nice surprise. This one won’t necessarily lead to more reviews but will likely increase sales. Finally, when you get these wonderful reviews, don’t forget to use parts of them on your site as testimonials or make quotes out of them and use them in your marketing collateral and ads. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
How Can the Chamber of Commerce Help Your Business?
This week, I came across a video on Smallbiztrends.com that suggested for a small business to get the most value out of a chamber of commerce membership, it shouldn’t ask about what the benefits are, but rather ask themselves “how can I help the chamber help me.” Help the Chamber Help You I can rattle off many benefits behind chamber membership but it’s likely there’s one thing in your business that’s really bothering you. There’s one problem or goal you have in your business that if the chamber could solve for you, you’d be a die-hard member forever, right? If you’re already a loyal member, then you know there’s something the chamber does that you couldn’t do without them. So, let’s talk about that. Member or not, what is it you need in your business? What are you missing? What direction do you want to take over the next year? What can the chamber take off your plate? That last one is a doozy, right? We all have more than we can handle these days. We’re doing more with less, trying to figure out how we will pay for our necessities as prices skyrocket. What if there was something the chamber could do to take something off your plate, to help you do more with less time? Whether you are a small or large business, wouldn’t that be great? Who couldn’t use a helpful partner in your success? That partner is waiting. You just need to do one thing first to enrich that partnership. It’s All About the Ask According to Pew Research Center, women earn 84% of what men earn. There are many reasons we can explore to explain the gender pay gap, but one of them is in negotiation. Women believe if they come in and prove themselves, their manager will see their value and reward them with a raise. Men negotiate before getting the job. Part of the difference in the pay gap comes down to the ask. The best way to get the most from chamber membership is simply to ask for help with your specific need. Chamber staff (and the chamber board members) have vast experience in business; many of them were or are business owners. As a marketing writer, if someone comes to me and says they need content, I’m going to ask them several questions about their goals, their audience, and their past content experiences—what worked and what didn’t. Your chamber will do the same when you have conversations about membership. If you are prepared for those conversations, you’ll achieve a much better return on your investment. Think about what you need. Don’t censor yourself assuming the chamber can’t help in that department. The chamber touches many areas of the business community from legislative advocacy to workforce development to tourism and a host of other things that are important to the success of businesses in your area. You can still achieve great things with a chamber membership, even if you never have that conversation, and ask for what you need. But if you do initiate that dialogue, you may be astounded by the doors that open to you, or the bridges the chamber can help you build. Chambers do some astounding work in the community, but they’re not mind readers. Ask yourself what you need and then ask them to help. That’s the way to get the best return on your member investment, whether you’re just now considering joining your chamber or you’ve been a member for years. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Acing the Basics of Grant Writing
Hiring a grant writer isn’t cheap. Some charge a flat fee, while others base their fee as a percentage of the grant amount. If you’re a small business or nonprofit, you may not be able to afford to hire someone. But it is worth it. To take on grant writing yourself, you’ll miss out on the years of experience you’ll get with a professional and it will likely take more time. But if you’re looking for a DIY solution, you need to know the basics of grant writing. Basics of Grant Writing First, know that good grant writing is simply good writing. If you struggle with the basics of grammar, you either want to hire it out or hire an editor once you write it. However, one thing to keep in mind about grant writing is that even if you hired a grant writer, you would still need to give them the bullets to put together a compelling grant application. Knowing this, the rest of the writing is simply polishing. The points will always be yours anyway. Another important aspect is research. Grant bestowers won’t contact you. You must apply. Half of the work in a grant is finding one that’s a good fit for you. Do you fit their criteria? If you’re lucky, you’ll be an obvious fit and hit all of their requirements, but for some you may need to (creatively) illustrate the fit for the person/group giving the money away to show them how you meet their specifications. Assuming you’ve found a grant you’re interested in, do the following: 1. Set aside time. A grant is not the same as a credit card application. It will likely take you hours to compile the information needed. If you want to be successful in your grant writing, clear the table, and make sure you have the bandwidth. Delegate, if you must. Applying for money is a big deal. Treat it that way. This is not something you want to write at home in front of the TV at night. 2. Double check your eligibility. Don’t waste everyone else’s time applying for things you are not remotely eligible for. For instance, if the grant is for a Florida business, don’t apply as an orange grower from California hoping you can sneak in. 3. Consider the fit between your group and the one giving out the money. Ever watch a sponsor drop a celebrity because they do or say something that is not in keeping with the sponsor’s brand? Well, you want to consider the same thing when applying for grants. Don’t take money from an organization that does not jive with your mission or beliefs. If you can’t tell from the grant offering write-up, do your own research on the group. 4. Follow the instructions. Even if the grant is being awarded for creative pursuits, follow their directions. If they require a 500-word essay, don’t write a sentence, and submit that thinking it will be Avant Garde and make a statement. If they say 500 words, that’s what they want. 5. Tell a story. If you watch America’s Got Talent or other talent show with judges or an audience selection process, you’ll notice that contestants who share their tearful stories of family members with cancer or lives spent living in vans, often when paired with a little talent, progress to the next level. A good voice can sound extraordinary when accompanied by a compelling story. Think about your focus, your passion, your successes, and your obstacles. Make people feel what you’ve gone through as you answer the grant questions. Your story will also help you stand out from other applicants. 6. Use the right language. In addition to telling your story, you want to use persuasive, concise language. Don’t drone on and on thinking the more often you reiterate something, the more you’ll hit the point home. Imagine each word costs (you) money and use as few as possible (following their guidelines, of course) to prove your point and convince the decision maker that yours is the best entity for the money. Axe words like “really,” “actually,” and “very.” They add nothing to your application. Were things really hard or challenging? See the difference? The latter conveys feeling, the former doesn’t. 7. Proofread. Then do it again. And again. We all make mistakes but not on applications for large amounts of money. Run your finished application by several people. Ask them to read for grammar/typos, as well as understanding. If they can’t follow your reasoning as to why you should be awarded the money, the grantor certainly won’t be able to either. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
5 Ways to Level Up Your Small Business Marketing (and yes, it’s time)
If you’re interested in ways to reach more people, and you’re ready to start maximizing technology, it’s time to look at these business solutions: List Building You need an email list. It’s the best way to stay in touch with your customers, nurture them into a sale, and then remind them to come back. The other benefit to an email list is that it’s yours. You won’t lose access to it if you’re in Facebook jail or one of your social media platforms goes the way of MySpace (for those of you who are old enough to understand that reference). Here are a few ways to build an email list. Marketing Automation Now that you have a list, it’s time to start talking about marketing automation. There are tons of marketing or e-mail automation tools out there from enterprise software to free aps. There’s an initial time investment to set the campaign up, but once the initial set up is done, you’ll have a wealth of options to help you grow your business and stay connected with your customers. Learn more about marketing automation and how to get started. Copy Tricks and Content Marketing Copywriting is the art of persuasion in the briefest of characters. These days, most audiences are more won over by eye-catching images than long prose. But you still need compelling copy for website visitors of the human and search engine kind. If you don’t have a marketing person or you’re not freelancing it out to a professional, take a weekend to brief yourself on the basics of copywriting. You won’t be a copywriting pro in just a weekend but your efforts will show. Here’s one idea that’s incredibly important to making sales. If you are giving your customers a choice between three levels of service, mark one as the “best value” or “most popular.” There are many customers who want to be told what to do, albeit subtly. Marking an option with this type of designation persuades them into choosing what others have. Also, make sure all your pages have a call to action that fits the level of the relationship/page content. If the page is based around the visitor getting to know you, for instance, don’t immediately ask for the sale. It doesn’t fit what they’re trying to do. A pop-up for content on how to make an educated purchase decision for what you sell is a better fit. Chatbots People want answers on their schedule. A chatbot can help you stay in touch with your audience and potential customers when they have a question or concern, even when your business isn’t open. Here are a few ways you could be using them. Ask I wanted to throw in an idea for the non-techies as well. Some of the other components mentioned here can be a bit overwhelming at first. This one is as basic as speech. Start a conversation with your customers, vendors, or a similar audience to your own who aren’t customers yet. Become more social. Listen to what people are talking about, what they need, what they like. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, talk to people when they come in. Run your branding by them. Go to a festival and host a pop-up booth. Sure, you may have some sales, but it’s also a way to get in front of a different audience and talk to people. Then use all that information to change how you communicate with others and market to them. There are a lot of ways to increase sales these days. Much of the marketing technology has become less expensive and does more. But all these solutions do take time. Just as people say it takes money to make money; it also takes time. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be your time. If someone can do it more efficiently than you can, let them and concentrate your efforts on the things that only you can do for your small business. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
The State of Small Business
The chamber is the Voice of Business and as the Voice of Business, there’s something we feel the need to express to everyone in this community. Inflation is being felt everywhere, from Fortune 500 companies to solopreneurs just starting out. However, the difference between large-scale companies and smaller ones are their reserves. According to JP Morgan Chase, the average small business runs with only 27 days of operating expenses in reserves. Increases in utilities, goods and services, real estate, and gas costs; supply chain issues impacting delivery; and employee shortages have taken a toll on businesses, especially our smaller ones. In this challenging time, while you are dealing with your own concerns over stretching your paycheck, we want to share some things you might not realize. Small Business Pricing Stats (April 2022, Goldman Sachs)
Let’s repeat that last one. Three quarters of small businesses are seeing a rise in their costs but less than half have raised prices. Costs are going up. These businesses have held out as long as they could. Soon those that haven’t already will raise their prices. It’s inevitable. Before you react to this, please consider… Responding to Increased Prices Businesses need our support, and they need our patience. This is a last resort for many small businesses because they are very close to their customers. They don’t want to pass on their costs. They know customers have their own pricing concerns and their paychecks are not going nearly as far as they used to. You may see closures on days the businesses used to be open or experience limited hours to help with staff shortages. Be understanding of this. By limiting their hours, they are trying to remain in business and cover the employee shortage they’re facing. Businesses may reduce the services they offer or the secondary costs. Bars, for instance, may cut back on bands to save money. Table your complaints. They’re doing the best they can right now to make enough profit and cut costs to stay in business. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, 31% of small businesses are taking on debt to help keep costs low. So, they need your continued support and understanding. This may seem like a bleak picture for small businesses, but we have had some wonderful success stories over the past year as well. There are new businesses growing. People are starting their own enterprises even through these tough times. Business owners are resilient, hardworking, problem-solvers. People who go to work for themselves believe in the service or product they provide. As the saying goes entrepreneurs would “rather work 80 hours for themselves, than 40 for someone else.” We have faith in business owners and we’re doing our best to help by giving them the resources to work through these extraordinary challenges, but we need your help. Bottom Line Small businesses need you to:
We’ll get through this together, but it won’t happen by making small business owners and employees feel dumb or guilty for trying to do what’s necessary to stay open. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
“Small Businessing” Ain’t Easy
There was a time when the biggest concern a business had was bringing in customers. These days, we know you’re worrying about a lot more. You’re wondering where you will find qualified employees. When you do find them on paper or through an application, you keep your fingers crossed that they will show up for their first day of work, or better yet, the interview. Once you hire them, you hope they’ll come back the next day and the next. You worry about how you will sell items if you can’t get anything on the shelf. And you’re so very tired of hearing your suppliers talk about the supply chain. Two years ago, you didn’t even think about a supply chain in reference to anything more than toilet paper. You worry about baby formula or people getting sick, your loved ones, your friends, your employees. You wonder if you should ask the person who’s been coughing the entire time they’ve been in your business to leave. Will they be offended or angry? You worry that if you raise prices to try to make the smallest of profits to help pay for your gas to get to work or the groceries that keep getting more expensive while the quantities shrink that people will stop buying from you. Lag times and scheduling keep you up at night. Or you’re challenged with too much need of your product or service and an inability to deliver. You hope that when you tell people it will be two to three weeks before you can meet their needs that your competitors are in the same boat. You want to learn more, do more, and help more but your profits are dwindling almost as quickly as your “rainy day” money and investments are. Rents are going up and you worry your business’ lease will increase above what you can afford or you worry your landlord will sell your building. Home prices are going up but if you sell now, you won’t be able to find an affordable place to live. It's summer and you want to take vacation but there’s no one to run your business and even if there was, plane tickets and gas prices look more like car payments these days. And you worry about safety. No, this is not an easy time. But we see you small business owner. We are working to connect need with solutions. We’re talking to municipal, county, state, and federal leaders and voicing what you need most. We are brainstorming solutions for these unprecedented times. We know you’re stressed and anxious, but we are here for you. Small businesses like yours are the backbone of our community and our country. You are not in this alone even though it can feel that way as a business owner. While it’s important to have a support system, many small business owners struggle when they turn to friends and family for advice. Unless your family and friends are/were business owners themselves, they likely do not fully understand what you are facing. At the chamber, we do. While these are unprecedented times, we are working with all our resources to find solutions. We have experience in business and are bringing business owners together. We can’t make your anxiety go away, or fix the supply chain over night, but we’re working on viable solutions and growth for all. And because we understand what you’re going through, we’re sharing the following. Please feel free to use it (or edit it) however you see fit: <<feel free to share this with your customers>> We’re Business Owners, Not Miracle Workers Behind this business is a person and a family. The employee you’re fed up with or questioning because prices are “too high” or service is slow, is someone’s mother, father, child, friend, or loved one. We’re not a faceless conglomerate. We are your neighbors and we’re doing the best we can working in times no one prepared us for. And while we seem to have everything together, we’re working round the clock just to help keep appearing like they used to be. In reality, we’re getting by and doing what we can to keep our doors open. A lot of people depend on us--our employees, our landlord, our vendors, our suppliers, our own family. We are providing you service with a smile today even if you’re not showing us your best self. And we’ll do it again tomorrow and as often as you want to patronize us. We will be here as long as we can keep our business open. We thank you for sticking with us while we navigate unprecedented times. And yes, some days we’re going to run out of things or we’ll be short-staffed. That may inconvenience you for an hour or two, but please don’t take it out on the person who’s working a double shift because a co-worker called out. We love being part of this community, but we’re worried, too, just like you. We drive to work, we buy groceries, we must take off when people who depend on us are ill. No small business owner or employee signed up for the challenges we’re facing now. But we’re making the best of it—like you are—and we sure could use your continued help and understanding. Thank you for your support. We want to continue to serve you long into the future—or at least as long as it takes for the supply chain to get untangled. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
How to Get Certified as a Woman-Owned Business
If you’re a woman who owns a business and you’d like to apply for federal contracts, getting officially certified as a woman-owned business is essential. The federal government’s goal is to award at least 5% of its contracts to women-owned small businesses each year. While the certification process may seem daunting, it’s not that difficult if you know the basic application rules and materials needed. Two Kinds of Certifications There are two types of women-owned certifications, Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and Women-owned Small Business (WOSB). WBE is a designation that many private sector businesses and organizations, and some state and local governments use. To be given this designation, you must apply through one of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) third-party certification partners. WOSB is a designation used by federal government agencies. Under the WOSB designation, you may also be qualified to apply for an Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) designation. How to Apply for WOSB Certification The certification process for these designations changed in 2020. While there is a lot of paperwork involved, the federal government has done a lot to streamline the process. 1. Verify that you meet WOSB eligibility requirements, which are: -Be considered a small business by SBA size standards -Be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens -Have women manage day-to-day operations and make long-term decisions 2. Gather the materials you will likely need to apply. These may include things like: -Company name and/or “Doing Business As” (DBA) name. -Owners’ names, addresses, and company website. -The company’s legal designation/structure. For LLCs, articles of organization and operating agreements. -Incorporation date. -A list of each proprietor, partner, shareholder, or member within the 12 months leading up to application filing. -Affiliate relationships. -Business and personal loans. -Birth certificate, current passport, or naturalization papers. -Driver’s licenses of all owners. -EIN (Federal Tax ID). -Resumes of all owners, directors, partners, officers, etc. -Current bank statements and financial institution signature cards. -Documentation on how the company was funded. -Financial statements for three years, including balance sheet, profit & loss statement. -Tax returns for the past three years. -Authority to conduct business in the state and certificate of good standing issued by Secretary of State. -Articles of incorporation and articles of amendments filed with the Secretary of State. -Bylaws and amendments. -Statement of information filed with Secretary of State listing officers, directors, managers, members, or general partners. -Partnership agreements. -Professional, industry, and/or business licenses. -Copy of lease or deed for business location, if applicable. 3. Apply online through the self-certification tool and complete the process. This site also provides a wealth of resources to answer your questions. 4. Upon receipt of the full application and paperwork, the SBA usually decides to grant or deny the designation within 90 days. Incomplete packages may require additional documentation before a decision can be made. Once approved, you will need to maintain your designation with an annual recertification. While there are about 13 million women-owned businesses in the US, only 4,800 are certified as WOSBs. With the increasing visibility into data and the government’s goal of providing funds for small and minority business, this is an ideal time to get certified. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
4+ Tips for Attracting More Tourists to Your Business
It’s that time of year again and many of us are preparing for a return to normal when it comes to the seasonal onslaught of tourism. Even with high transportation costs people are traveling and still—hopefully—buying. If you’d like to attract more tourists to your place of business, here’s how you can prepare. How to Appeal to Tourists Many tourists are looking for something unique in a business, something they don’t have in their hometowns. Here are a few ideas to make a big impact on them whether you are in retail, the restaurant and bar industry, attractions, or services. Create an Experience Again, tourists are looking for something different. If you want them to visit you need to offer them an experience. This could be a class, special tasting, photo op, or any other “special” time. Whatever you decide on it needs to be marketed in a variety of outlets. Don’t forget your local chamber/visitors bureau. You might be surprised how many people stop in when they’re looking for recommendations. Offer a Special Create a deal or special with a short window of opportunity. Buy one, get one offers are a good idea or a free item/service with purchase. Your free service could even be a sampling of a much longer service to entice a future purchase. For instance, a mini head massage with every facial. You can even give them the ability to extend the service for additional money. Who can say no to a longer massage when they are already feeling the benefit? Host Contests Run fun contests just for travelers like a prize at the end of the day for people who have traveled the farthest or a small, free item for anyone who is visiting from over 1,500 miles away. (This is also a great way to build a mailing list if you ask them to give their address to be eligible. Just make sure you give them an opt-out option and be transparent that you are adding them.) Be Travel-friendly We all know the limitations of plane travel when it comes to carry-on liquids and such. And with the rates that airlines charge for checked bags, many people are hesitant to do that. If you want more tourists to buy from you, you should consider offering ways to get your goods home to them. Offering shipping options is also great for those who decide to send something to loved ones. Speaking of… Some tourists may love your business, but they simply aren’t ready to buy. Or they may love your business so much that they want to continue a relationship with you after they return home. Perhaps they’re even thinking about doing some holiday shopping with you but aren’t quite ready to do it on that visit. If you don’t offer a website or mailing list, you’re missing out. On my travels, I visited a handmade hat store. Her work was beautiful and reasonably priced. I wanted to buy my hat-collecting husband one for his birthday, but he was with me, and we were only in town for a few hours. I discretely asked her for a card and if she had a website. No, purchases could only be made in store. The customer/seller relationship evaporated at that time with no further chance for the sale. If you want to draw more tourists in this summer, follow these tips. Just remember that the relationship doesn’t have to end when their trip does. If you’re smart about your offerings and have a mailing list, social media, and/or website to keep in touch, you can continue sales (and the relationship) well into the future. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
5 Professionals You Need on Your Small Business Team
If you’re a small business owner without the resources to hire a large full-time team, you can still meet your business needs through freelancing or turning to independent business professionals. This can be an economical way to accomplish your goals without having to cover the cost of full-time employees. 5 Professionals Every Small Business Needs Even if your budget is strapped, a successful business requires the services of the following types of professionals. These professionals do things that you don’t need to (or shouldn’t be doing on your own). They’ve spent years learning their trade and can help you avoid that costly learning curve or even costlier mistakes. If you are ready to hire one of these people but you’re not sure where to find one, your chamber of commerce can help. The chamber knows a lot of professionals and can introduce you. Lawyer You don’t need a lawyer as part of your full-time staff in the beginning but there is legal set-up and structure required in a business, not to mention ongoing questions you may have on employment and hiring (especially if you don’t have an HR person on staff). Having someone you feel comfortable with and trust before you need them is a good idea. Accountant No one wants to overpay or underpay taxes. A good accountant can save you the cost of their fee in tax deductions. Sure, you could do it yourself, but your time is best spent elsewhere (like bringing on more clients and increasing sales). Insurance Guru Risk. It’s something you need to know about if you’re running a business. Find someone who can tell you what your liabilities are and how you can cover them in the most affordable—yet business smart—way. Graphic Designer If you have a good eye for color, understand the psychology behind palettes and branding, and are adept at graphic design software, you might be able to do this on your own. Since most of us aren’t, you should at least get someone to create a “brand” for you with a logo, color palette, and an easy to stick to website theme. You may also want them to create a few flyers for you. As a note of caution, with a designer you will get what you pay for. There are people who will do a logo for you on Fivrr and then there are designers who will create an entire branding package for you. Your brand is what will catch a potential customer’s eye so you want a gifted professional in this role. If you have a little extra money in your budget, hire someone to write your website content. There’s more to it than simply matching nouns and verbs. There’s SEO and the art of persuasion. In a limited space like a website, you need every word to count. A writer can also help you with a tagline, mission, or vision statement, as well as your business plan, business blog, and marketing. Business Mentor/Coach Most business professionals skip this important contact. They’re so excited about their new business, they often overlook the importance of coaching or mentoring. Unless you’re fortunate enough to have a family member or friend who’s an entrepreneur or business owner, you likely won’t get the information and feedback from your closest people that you would from a coach or mentor. Whether you consider a formal paid arrangement with a business mentor/coach or you meet someone at a chamber function who agrees to answer questions as they come up, having someone who understands business and has paved the path before you can be very helpful. No matter if you’re just starting out in business or you’ve been working for years, it’s critical you surround yourself with a smart team. If you want to meet professionals in the area, the chamber networking events are an excellent place to do that. Check out the events calendar so you don’t miss the next one. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
6 Ways to Make Your Business Stand Out During a Local Event
Does your town host a Wine Walk, Holiday Stroll, First Friday, or other downtown event where they close off streets and encourage people to get out and support business? If so, you may know that those events often bring the crowds but also bring “tire kickers,” people who are just out for a stroll, not really interested in what you sell. They’re just going into each business, poking around, and usually leaving empty handed. The hard part of that is that you likely brought in full staff to ensure you had enough coverage only to deal with a lot of “lookers.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are a few suggestions on how to transform your looky-loos into looky heres. 6 Ways to Help Get the Sale If you have an event that will bring a lot of commerce “tourists” to your business who do a lot of visiting and not much buying, you need to change that with these ideas. 1.Tell a story. While you may not have the time to do this for everyone in the store, if you see someone eyeballing one of your items in a loving way, go up to them and tell them something interesting about the piece. You’d be surprised what may inspire a sale. 2.Give a taste. If you sell food or drink, offer someone a taste before they buy. This works to create a sale in two ways: they’ll (hopefully) enjoy it and want more and/or because you kindly gave them a taste (and did something for them), they will feel obligated to buy from you. 3.Teach a quick skill or use for your product. Draw the crowd into a quick presentation that features a product you sell. Have several products to hand people who want to buy right there. Alternately, have a pro available to answer questions. For instance, a store that sells painted furniture might have an expert on hand to walk people through how to do it themselves. Don’t worry that it will discourage them from buying from you. When they realize how hard it is, they will beg you to take their money. 4.Get people on your mailing list. You never know when a “tire kicker” may see something in store and decide later that week they must have it. When people are in your store, ask them to join your mailing list. A few days after the event, follow up with a coupon, special offer, or sales notification. That call-to-action will likely send them your way. 5.Offer a freebie for that night only. If it’s a special night or event, give away a little something to anyone who buys from you or offer specials for that night only. 6.Create a singalong. In a crowded store, it’s hard to talk to everyone but you want to make sure people have fun and feel the energy of your business. You want them to remember you. A good way to accomplish that is by queuing up the tunes and encouraging people to sing with you. There are certain songs people just can’t help but sing along with—"Don’t stop believing.” You know what I mean. If you don’t, just put on Sweet Caroline and see what happens. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
5 Great Lessons from Customer Service Mistakes
A cruise ship captain once said, “There’s always a weird person at your dinner table. If you’re sitting with several couples and you can’t figure out who the weird one is, chances are it’s you.” The same can be true of customer service. Every business is convinced they offer stellar service but if you can’t think of a company in your area that offers bad service, it might be you. It’s statistically impossible, not to mention an abuse of a superlative, for every business to offer “the best” service. One is better than the other. We aren’t all 5-stars all the time. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the experience. 5 Great Lessons from Bad Service If you’ve recently received some bad reviews or customer service complaints, here’s how you can learn from them. 1. Listen and respond. Most people will give a business another chance if they feel heard and if something was done to remedy the situation. The remedy may be offering a free service, discount, coupon, or other incentive to try your business again. A florist that missed a delivery deadline for a special occasion and failed to communicate the error, credited the customer 125% of the order and guess what that customer did? They gave the florist a second chance. This time their delivery and product were flawless. Mistakes happen. Most people understand that. 2. Under promise and over deliver. It’s always good practice to build in a buffer of time (or cost) on a project or delivery. The customer will be pleasantly surprised when it takes less time (or money) than expected. A doctor’s office admin shared that they tell everyone a specific series of testing will take three hours, but it usually only takes two and a half, although it can take three. She said that way everyone is pleasantly surprised and not upset. When they used to tell patients two and a half hours, any minute over that meant angry patients yelling at their staff. Now everyone is prepared and expects three so if it takes less than that, they’re thrilled. 3. Turn a complaint or bad experience into an FAQ on your website. FAQs are a great way to help people get the info they are most curious about, not to mention bring some good SEO your way with a page that ranks highly in important keywords. When you have a misunderstanding with a customer on a process, procedure, sale, or return, ask yourself if other customers could benefit from that understanding. If so, add an FAQ about it. 4. Set a tickler and make a new friend/loyal customer. If you have an incident of lackluster customer service, follow up with them before it is resolved, once it is resolved, and a few days or weeks after it’s resolved. This kind of attention will make your customer feel like you care. It may also be a good reminder to order/buy from you again. Some businesses create a special email campaign to earn trust back again. In the email campaign, they look to reengage the customer. A handwritten note checking in can also be very effective. 5. Be preemptive. Reaching out after someone uses your services can be an effective way to make an impression. A pet border sends an email to every pet who stays with them thanking them for vacationing there and reminding the pet parent to let them know if they have any questions or concerns. It’s a nice touch and makes pet parents feel like the business cares. This can quell any concerns they may have over the stay and places a friendly face on the service. Disappointing experiences don’t have to be the end of the customer relationship. There are many ways to salvage the relationship and help reestablish trust. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
How Easy Is It to Do Business with You?
It’s not uncommon to hear old timers (of any age) complain that young people don’t have it as hard as they did. It’s a common lament that younger generations are not as battle worn as the Silent Generation. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen. But the one thing that is true is that people will not do business with you if you make it hard to do business. There’s just too much competition and not enough interest. To attract sales and become interested in your business, you want people to know, like, and trust you. Once they are interested, your work isn’t complete. You want to make it easy on them to do business. If you’re doing the following things in business, you may be missing sales because you are making it too hard. You May Be Making It Hard to Do Business with You If… 1. You don’t have an online presence. It’s not quaint. It’s difficult. When someone wants to learn more about you, they go online. They may search for you because they’re curious about your hours or your contact information or they may want to order from you. Some people may have heard of you but don’t know what you do. There are many reasons someone would look for you online and if you’re not there in some capacity, you are missing out. 2. There’s no social proof about you. Have you seen great deals advertised on Facebook? Do you click on them? What if you don’t know the business and the claim appears too good to be true? Are you hesitant to order? Probably. However, if there were reviews on a reputable site for this company or you were referred to them by someone you knew, you would be more likely to buy from them. If you want to increase sales, you need to empower people to talk about you. You need to ask for referrals and reviews. 3. Your hours are limited. If you sell or enable customers to make appointments online, your hours don’t matter as much. But assuming you sell only in store, or someone needs to reach you to make an appointment, limited/unpredictable hours make it difficult to do business with you. People don’t want to wonder if you’ll be open. They want to know for sure before they go out of their way. 4. Your business is unknown. If a customer isn’t sure how they would buy from you, they won’t. For instance, let’s say you are the first business in your town to do massage and no one there has ever heard of it. They might not know how they work. They may be worried that they will have to get completely undressed, or may worry that the robe you provide may not cover them, or a host of other questions that crop up with trying something new. In order to help people buy from you, you need to educate them and make them feel at ease. You can do this through content on your website, ads, etc. This advice doesn’t just apply to new businesses. For instance, people who are considering joining a gym will want to know if you are geared toward athletes, elderly, or those struggling with weight. They want to find their “people” at your business. Targeted content helps you convince them that they’re in the right place. 5. You can’t stay staffed. A recent survey found 61% of businesses are struggling with this right now; but if you don’t have enough employees to guarantee a good customer experience, people won’t be back. You want to ensure your customers are receiving good service, but overworked employees aren’t always capable of that. Hire as quickly as you can and make the employees you have feel valued. If you want more sales, make it as easy as possible to do business with you. If you do, you and your customers will be more satisfied. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
27 Engaging Ways to Use Mother’s Day in Your Marketing
Mother’s Day is an ideal way to honor the women in your life who have helped you become the person you are today. In recent years, it has surpassed the celebration of one’s own mother and encompassed grandmothers, women we think of as second mothers, mother-in-laws, fur moms, best friends, and even female mentors. Mother’s Day is also a great way to honor women in our world who have made a difference. Broadening the definition of mother also allows for a more inclusive celebration on a day that can, for some, be a sad occasion. While everyone may not have a mother living or a good relationship with one who is, everyone has a special woman in their lives who they can celebrate. Mother’s Day can now be transformed into a time to honor those women who have nurtured us and helped us grow, whether they gave birth to us or not. Keep that in mind in your marketing. 27 Ideas to Celebrate Mother’s Day at Your Business Here are some engaging marketing ideas to celebrate this heart-warming holiday: 1. Host a contest by inviting people on your social media page to share stories about the special women in their lives. Allow people to vote on the best and award prizes. 2. Offer a Mother’s Day discount. Offer a discount to your audience and invite them to share with their favorite moms out there. 3. Give away a Mother’s Day flower (or other free item). Provide a flower to every woman who walks into your store (or buys something from you) and wish them a Happy Mother’s Day. 4. Record a video of your staff telling stories about women who influenced them. 5. Share your mother’s best recipe. 6. Create a gift guide. Work with other businesses to list their items and services as well. 7. Offer last-minute, e-delivery of gift cards. 8. Send reminder emails counting down the days until Mother’s Day with gift suggestions or ways to honor their mom. 9. Create a video of a DIY project for mom. 10. Host a special event moms would enjoy. 11. Create kits of things moms can do with their kids. 12. Create a taster or tester bag, free with purchase to all ladies in your store. 13. Offer a free consultation or roll out a new service for busy moms. 14. Create a page (or landing page) dedicated to Mother’s Day shopping. 15. Create a themed board on Pinterest of gift ideas, places to take your mom, or activities to do together. 16. Offer a “Tell your story” session or memoir writing for moms class. 17. Create a special wine-pairing or tasting event in honor of moms. 18. Host a tea at your business. Encourage people to dress up. Offer prizes for best hat or outfit. 19. Post mother-related quotes on social media in the week leading up to the big day. 20. Hold a Mother’s Day selfie or funniest video contest. 21. Host a photo contest of moms with your product. 22. Offer chair massages for moms while people browse or wait for food. 23. Run a “Caption this” picture contest with an endearing picture of motherhood. 24. Invite people to share pictures they think epitomize motherhood. 25. Encourage people to share generational pics of mom, grandmoms, great grandmoms, etc., or post about how much you miss your mom if she has passed on. You might be surprised how many people identify with this sentiment on Mother’s Day. 26. Host a “Tag your mom (or a special woman)” for a chance to win contest. 27. Post funny questions on social media. Categories could include “hardest working mom in the animal kingdom,” “Who has it harder—boy moms, girl moms, both?”, “Sign you’re a mom”, or “This or that” questions “like which would your mom like more as a gift—chocolates or jewelry?”. This year, have some fun with Mother’s Day and use it to get more engagement with your audience while also bring smiles to many faces. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Do You Have These 10 Things on Your Business Website? You Should.
If you’re a small business, you probably bootstrapped your website content, picking it up here and there, copying what you like from other sites (hopefully not word for word), and adding as you go. That’s the way most small businesspeople do it unless you’re lucky enough to know someone who offered their writing services or have it in your budget to have it written for you. But do you ever wonder if you have the type of content that will transform the casual web visitor into someone who buys? Here are the components you need on your website to ensure more sales conversions. Top 10 Most Critical Website Content Don’t let this list overwhelm you. While it’s extensive, you can check these things off as you go or work with a copywriter and designer who can accomplish most of this quickly. If you want more sales, you need these things: 1. Keyword rich content. You need people to find you, but you also want them to read your content. It takes finesse to write for humans and search engines. Make sure you have plenty of keywords in your text for SEO but that they work in a way that will also be appealing for your audience. 2. Mention of where you are. Your website can be seen all over the world and you’re not the only “Columbus” out there. Somewhere you need to mention your area. This not only tells visitors if they can come take a look in person but also helps with SEO and local web referrals. Many businesses incorporate the mention of the surrounding areas in their content, not just in the footer. 3. Call to action. People are spending time with you. Give them a next step with a call to action. Make sure your CTA matches the page the visitor is on. “Learn more” linking to additional resources is a solid choice for introductory pages. “Work with us” is better for more in-depth content. 4. Links to social media. Most people won’t continue to return to your website to interact with you, but they will check to see what you’re doing on social media since they are already there. Make sure you only include the sites you are active on. There are no prizes for listing the most social media profiles. 5. Things you’re doing. If you host events or are participating in a festival, make sure people know. Tell them where they can find you outside of your business. 6. Your personality. You don’t want to look (and sound) like everyone else. Let your personality shine through in your content. Even if someone else is writing it for you, make them aware of what tone you want and give them examples. 7. What your audience wants. This may sound like broad advice, but good content reflects what your customers and potential customers want from you, whether that’s information/education, entertainment, or inspiration. A hardware store, for instance, may find DIY project content gets a lot of engagement or visits than straight text, while a florist may find that an album of floral designs is its most visited area of the website. Experiment with different types of content and media to see what gets the most action. 8. Internal and external links. You want people to spend time on page, that means you want them to “hang out” on your website and get to know you. You do this by keeping them interested and giving them things to do. That’s where internal links come in. Use them throughout your content to help visitors explore in-depth. For SEO, you also want external links to high-ranking websites (always have these links open in a new window/tab so visitors can get back to your content easily). High-ranking websites like industry or news sites can be beneficial, linking to your next-door neighbor, less so. 9. Security. Visitors want to feel safe. Talk to a cybersecurity person to find out not only how to achieve it, but what assurances you can give your audience that they are safe with you. 10. Affiliations, awards, and testimonials. If you are affiliated with any community groups (like the chamber) or have won awards, add them to your site. If people are saying amazing things about you or you have excellent reviews, post them. These things will all serve as a testament to your value and improve your trust rating among new visitors. These things are just the beginning of what you need in a high conversion website. There’s a lot more you can do but start off with these basics and you’ll be setting yourself up for success. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
20 Ways to Celebrate National Holidays
As I write this article, it’s not only National Empanada Day, it’s also National Zoo Lovers Day. And I plan to go to bed early to rest up for tomorrow’s big double celebration of National Winston Churchill Day and National Unicorn Day. All in, there are 257 national holidays in April alone. If you’re like me, you may find them hard to keep up with, but they can be a great source of engagement for your business. You just have to know how to use them for maximum return and get a little creative. Here are a few ideas: Ways to Celebrate National Holidays Celebrating these days serves to connect your audience with your business so make sure you have a little fun with this. You can:
National holidays can be a lot of fun, but they can also give you a great opportunity to connect with your business audience. You just need a little creativity, a good content calendar, and these ideas. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
10 Things to Do for Your Business Instead of Watching TV
We all have the same 24 hours in a day. While we may have different responsibilities, the most productive people learn to use their time in valuable ways no matter how little of it there is. They quickly grasp the best way to use “stolen minutes” in between projects or appointments. Some even keep a non-critical to-do list of all the things they want to do when they have those unexpected moments. That way they can make the most of them when they appear. But if you want to take your day back and get some of those mission critical things done that you never seem to have time for, you may need to be honest with yourself. Instead of waiting for an opening in your day, create one by taking back your night. After all, how much is binge watching TV really helping your business? We get it. You need that down time after a busy day. You don’t want to think. You’re burned out. TV is easy. You’re spending time with family. Whatever your excuse is as to why you’re losing hours in your night staring at a screen, you could be moving your business or yourself forward. If you need to unwind that way, give yourself an hour, not three. Here’s what you could be doing instead with just 1-2 hours each night. Better Yourself or Your Business in 1-2 Hours a Night Use your evening time wisely and you’ll see results quickly. In the time it takes to watch a movie, you could be:
While TV is a nice brainless way to unwind, if you feel like you never have enough time in the day, chipping away at couch time is an easy tip to become more productive. We can’t give you more time in your day. But with fewer hours in front of the TV, you’ll feel like you have a greater number of hours than usual. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
36 Creative Ways to Bring More Attention to Your Business
Do you need more attention? Do you feel like your business isn’t top of mind in your community? People won’t buy from you if they don’t think of you. While the easiest way to increase sales is to upsell existing/current customers, the second-best way is increased exposure. These days—to stand out—you need to get creative. Here are a few ideas to help get your business the attention it deserves without breaking your budget.
Marketing needn’t be expensive. If it provides good return on investment by bringing in more money than it costs, it’s invaluable. With these ideas you can play around with the right mix to find what works for you and provides good return and conversions. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
5 Wellness Ideas for Your Business
Whether your team works from home or in an office, whether you are a business of one or one hundred and one, taking care and making time for wellness is becoming increasingly important. Stress levels because of what’s going on in the world around us are increasing. You may not even be aware of the outside stress someone is under. Making sure you create an atmosphere where wellness is stressed and made a priority is critical to successful performance. Stressed out employees make more mistakes and have difficulty making good decisions. 5 Wellness Ideas for Your Business Host a Walking Zoom If your team is working from home, encourage them to get outdoors for your next meeting. Ideally, they could walk and get some exercise with you but if not, encourage them to take the meeting outside (or if weather doesn’t agree, encourage them to try a new spot away from their desk). A change of scenery can be a pleasant uplifter and spur on conversation before the call. Host a Sleep Challenge Create your own 8-hour sleep challenge where you ask employees to track their sleep and challenge them to get 8 hours of rest every night. Deduct points if someone sends a late-night email. Reward them at the end for those who improved their sleep. Most people have a competitive side. If a sleep challenge doesn’t work for your group, challenge them to something else like a movement challenge to become more active. Bring in a Stress Reliever Whether you bring in a masseuse or someone to talk about making mental health a priority, a professional stress reliever is a good idea to help ensure everyone has coping mechanisms in place when things get stressful, or they feel themselves getting overwhelmed. Set Expectations If your employees face the public, they could be under a lot of stress and may not always be treated well. Make sure they know you support them. While you never want a customer to be verbally assaulted by an employee, the same should be true for your staff. Make sure they know that while customers should be treated with respect, that is a two-way street. Clarify Sick Days and Establish Protocols Many people come to work when they are ill because they either need the money or they don’t feel like anyone is doing their job when they are out. The thought of the pile of work awaiting them when they return makes taking time off seem like a burden and stress inducer. You can talk about wellness all day but if someone who is sick feels unable to take time off to recover, you run the risk of increased stress prolonging recovery, not to mention their contagion infecting your team. Make sure everyone in your business has a backup person for their work or at least the most pressing part of what they do. If someone comes in with an obvious illness, send them home. Don’t make them feel like their health is secondary to the work. That won’t end well for either of you. If you want your team to be more productive, you need to make wellness a priority. This does not happen purely by saying it’s true. You must lead through example in showing wellness is also a priority to you as well. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
It’s Time to Really Start Talking Cybersecurity
At the risk of sounding like Chicken Little (you know the one who runs around talking about the sky falling) the current global “go-ings on” are the closest we’ll ever get to advanced warning that cybersecurity is something every business needs to worry about. Big or small, selling globally or just in your tiny town, if you do anything online, your data is in (potential) jeopardy. Here are the things you need to do now. Seriously. Invest in Protection While there are many articles out there that will tell you small ways businesses are at risk, it’s important to know that cybersecurity is something you will now have to consider as part of your business’ annual budget. Running updates as soon as they come out isn’t enough protection. Storing data in the cloud, isn’t enough if those cloud companies get hacked. Making sure your virus protection is in place…while all these things are good, they aren’t enough anymore. You need to speak with a cybersecurity expert. Rest assured a good expert will offer a customized plan for your business and work within your budget. But cybersecurity is now something you will have to budget for as a line item. Move toward that now. Don’t Ignore Warnings The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FBI have issued warnings over the past two months about the imminent threats of destructive malware aimed at organizations with dealings in the Ukraine. However, the agencies believe it is only a matter of time before American businesses (with no connections to that area of the world) are targeted too. The actions that CISA/FBI urge companies to act on as soon as possible (meaning today, start these things today) include: • Set antivirus and antimalware programs to conduct regular scans. • Enable strong spam filters to prevent phishing emails from reaching end users. • Filter network traffic. • Update software. • Require multifactor authentication. • Use strong passwords, single use only (not the same ones across every site you access), and change them often. Set your machines to require it. • Regularly backup data offline. Yes, a few years ago we were told cloud was everything. Now we stress redundancies. Do both. • Implement network segmentation. You don’t want to give access to everything through one “door.” • Work with a professional to draft a recovery plan. • Require credentials to install software. • Configure access controls with “least privilege” in mind. If your employee doesn’t need it, don’t give them access. • Consider a VPN. Over the last several years, it’s become increasingly easy to access machines and log in to work from home. It was essential to work during COVID. But now that easy access can cause big problems. • Disable hyperlinks in emails. • Train your employees on cybersecurity and potential threats. Even savvy employees can be tricked by coincidences. For instance, an email from “Federal Express” when they’re expecting a package can cause a lapse in judgment. While they may not normally click on something suspect like an attachment in an email, in this example it seemed legitimate because it fit into their world/expectations at that moment. If you’re not sure where to turn to start working on these things—and you don’t have an IT department—check with your local chamber. They often know of resources in the area and cybersecurity experts who can walk you through what you need to know. Also, read the Cyber Essential Resources for Small Business from CISA. It will help you decide where to start and how to begin cyber security implementation to keep you and your customers safe. Don’t wait for something terrible to befall your organization (and this goes for nonprofits, too. Your lists could be very valuable). If you conduct any sort of business online or have any lists or data on your computer or in the cloud, you need to investigate the necessary level of protection and begin a plan for implementation. Once malware strikes, even large companies with huge budgets are helpless. This is a business threat that you need to be proactive about. Being reactive to this threat is the same as doing nothing and that just won’t do. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
20 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day
March 8, 2022, is International Women’s Day when the world celebrates the many contributions of women everywhere. If you’re not sure how to celebrate, we have some ideas for you and your business. For the ideas in this article, think across multiple mediums to add content on your blog, in videos, reels, podcast episode, audio quotes, social media posts, etc. The same content can be repurposed in different formats to ensure everyone can find their favorite way to enjoy it. 20 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day Here are a few ways you can show your support for women: 1. If you’re a woman-owned business, tell your story and the challenges you overcame to open your doors. 2. Share a story about a woman who inspires/inspired you. 3. Tag women who inspire you in pictures on social media (but make sure you know them personally). Tagging someone you don’t know—while flattering—is like interrupting a conversation. It’s just not considered polite. 4. Talk about your experience with bias or gender inequality either something you’ve experienced or something you’ve heard of. 5. If you’re a woman working in a non-traditional field for your gender, help someone who’s thinking about doing what you do. 6. Review your business policies to see if they are fair. Do you offer flexibility? Is there a job in your business that could fit the hours of moms whose children are in school? 7. Have a tough conversation about why people have left your employ. Were any of them women or moms who felt uncomfortable in their surroundings or felt like it was difficult to work in your business/industry? 8. Read a historical piece giving advice about women or to women. How has that advice changed? Share your findings with your audience. 9. Be thankful for the opportunities that exist now and share words of gratitude. 10. Talk about how you’re a progressive employer or how you intend to become one. Use specific examples. 11. Host a flash meetup or plan an event for next year honoring women or strides made by them. 12. Visit a nursing home or retirement home and speak with women about their memories and the challenges they faced. Use what you’ve learned there to develop a newfound appreciation of the struggles faced by women. 13. Research the first women in your field or industry and talk about their experiences and history. 14. Call a few of your female peers and invite them to breakfast or lunch that day. 15. Create a resources for women page on your website (if it makes sense for your business). 16. Challenge yourself to buy from female business owners for a day (week, month, season. etc). 17. Volunteer at a women’s shelter, girl’s group, or women’s business association. 18. Ask women what advice they wish someone had given to them about the workplace or industry they work in. Put their suggestions together and share it with your audience. 19. Share a favorite recipe, way of doing something, or advice from a woman who was influential to you. 20. Read a book or article about women across the globe. How do their experiences differ from yours or the women you know? International Women’s Day is about celebrating women and their accomplishments whether those accomplishments involve starting what becomes a Fortune 500 company or raising a kinder generation. Women of all walks and educational levels contribute to our society. How will you honor them? - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
TikTok Basics for Business
Are you on TikTok? Maybe you’re just figuring out video and livestreaming and you have written off TikTok as a site for kids. While you aren’t wrong about that (32.5% of users are between 10 and 19, while 41 percent of TikTok users are between 16 and 24 years old), the TikTok adult audience has grown at a rate of about 5.5 times in just 18 months. The app now boasts 1 billion active users. TikTok videos are becoming a way to pass time for many people and the average user spends about 52 minutes per day on the app. It also has huge reach. 167 million TikTok videos are watched in a minute on average. So, if you’re looking to reach an under 35 audience in your business, TikTok might be the avenue for you. Here’s what you need to know as a beginning user: TikTok Basics for Business If you’re new to TikTok or are considering it for your business, it’s a little different than other social media platforms. Premise TikTok is a video platform. Some people lip sync, act, create short video blogs, or showcase their products. Humor is a popular driver for likes on this platform. Before creating anything, think about visuals and short, punchy ideas. This is not the place for a long diatribe. The audience is constantly swiping and liking. Comments will tend to be shorter and emoticon driven. There are lots of editing options in app, but some people still prefer to use other programs (like Canva) to create videos and then upload them to TikTok. Going viral on this platform seems a little easier than Facebook or YouTube. Business Accounts Like most social media platforms, you can—and should—create a business account, instead of a personal one. The main reason for this is that it will keep you out of trouble. A creator account is a copyright infringement waiting to happen because the app allows users to attach music (and not the safe royalty-free kind either) to their videos. While Kenny Chesney may not sue a parent for adding his latest song to the background of a video of their kid’s first step, you can be certain he’s not going to want people associating his music with their product (not that he has anything against your product, of course. It’s just that he—and any other music creator—is going to want to be compensated for his music. While I don’t speak for Kenny, proving me wrong about how he feels regarding your product by using his music without permission could be quite costly for your business). It's just too easy to get yourself in copyright troubles with a creator or personal account. Business accounts have music available as well but none of it will get you in trouble with rights holders. The music available on the business side is royalty-free. A business account also has analytics that personal accounts don’t. Links Like Instagram, website links are a bit of a challenge at first. TikTok doesn’t let you have a link in your bio until you reach 1,000 followers. It used to allow businesses to add a link before the 1,000-follower mark but that changed in January. These days, you must meet the follower threshold for links and the ability to go live. Hashtags TikTok is another hashtag driven site. There are very specific hashtags used here. For instance, for writers there’s #BookTok, #writertok, and #authorsoftiktok. There are hashtags for business like #biztock and #smallbiztok. Take some time to research these. They are very specific but will help you find your ideal audience. Filters and Film-Ready Face If you’re like me, you may have some hesitancy being in front of the camera. Heck, most of us barely make it out of pajamas these days, let alone put on makeup or look presentable on camera. To this challenge, there are several solutions:
Sponsored Toks TikTok, like other apps and social media platforms, allows for sponsored videos. They appear in a user’s stream marked as sponsored but they blend in quite well. Most businesses that pursue this option also use either influencers to record the video or create their own. This is not the place for a formal commercial. You want to think about fun entertainment, not a salesy pitch. Video The best way to figure out TikTok is to go in and start playing around. (Here are the app’s directions for video creation.) If you’re older than 40, you may feel like you’re crashing a kid’s party at Chuck E Cheese at first. But stick with it. Scroll through until you find a video you like. When you do, you can use the same effects they use by clicking on the links in the video. On TikTok, imitation is the sincerest compliment. No one thinks anything of copying someone else’s Tok (unless that someone else is your competitor. You might want to avoid that.) You can create, like, and share content on this platform. If you entertain and are true to yourself and your business, you’ll quickly amass followers and likes (they are counted separately as are your video views). Keep in mind the social rules you use on other platforms should be used here too. When people comment on your Tok, respond back. Don’t simply publish. Like other people’s work and comment on their posts as well. If you want to learn more about using TikTok for your business, check out TikTok’s business page. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Engagement = Content:
Good for You and Your Audience Whether you are a business or a nonprofit, operating in the public sector or the private one, serving businesses and organizations or serving individuals, established in your sector or just starting out, running an empire or “lone wolfing” it, your audience wants to get to know you better. In fact, they expect it. So, what does that look like and how does that benefit you? It depends on your ideal demographic, but most of the things we’ll cover in this article, will work for everyone. Good content creates loyal, engaged followers. In turn, a loyal audience (eventually) will create content for you. Best of all, that type of content, known as referral marketing or word of mouth marketing, is not only one of the strongest in converting new followers and creating an army of people willing to give you money, it is also free, minus the time it takes to nurture that type of follower. Start with Social Media Which social channel(s) you use depends on your target market or ideal audience. Assuming you know where your “people” are, the real difference in helping them connect to you is the content you share. Before your audience begins generating content for you, you must first create, curate, and share valuable content. And…you need to put some personality behind it. Let them see who you are and what you stand for. Each share should be a glimpse into you and your organization. All content should also educate, inspire, or entertain. Ask questions. Converse. Be interested in your audience. If this doesn’t come naturally for you, find someone to do it for you but make sure they have a firm understanding of your tone and personality before asking them to post. Give Them Something to Do Action is an important part of keeping your audience involved and talking about you. If they do something for you or with you once, they’re more likely to keep doing it. Find commonalities and use them to call your audience to action. Before they buy or donate to you, you’ll want to engage them in several smaller actions. This will keep them in your social media feed, and you’ll become part of their internet habit. For instance, a nonprofit shelter may celebrate National Dog Day by asking the audience to share pictures of their rescue pups. Build on User Content Continuing on from the previous idea of asking people to do something for you (and the example of sharing the dog pics), you could go back to those image posters and target a few specific sharers to tell their story. Message them directly and ask to tell their story beyond their post. Feature that story on your website, in your newsletter, and/or on social media. Most will be flattered and excited and they’ll likely share your post with their followers. Invite Them to Become Part of the Team This can take a lot of shapes from inviting them to work/volunteer for you, intern with you, refer friends, share your cause/product/service with their followers, participate in a physical challenge and post results, or wear your swag. There are hundreds of ways to invite them to be part of what you are doing. Many people will share their involvement online. This is yet another way their interaction with you will bring in more content. Ask for What You Need and Personalize the Request Your audience won’t know what you need if you don’t ask. And when you do, you should tell them why it’s important. For instance, if you need a review, tell them where it will benefit you most and explain why. “We need more Facebook love. Won’t you please review us so that your friends will know the best place to adopt dogs like <insert their dog’s name>?” The personalized touch will get them thinking about how much that experience impacted them and how they can help their friends get the same. If they understand the value to you, to them, and to their group, they’ll likely do as requested. Finally, when inviting them to become part of your team, be specific about what you’re looking for and what they’ll receive in return. This may be easier for a sexier brand, but you don’t have to have a large following for them to be loyal. Offer different ways to get closer to you and your mission and you’ll never have to worry about what you’ll post again. Your content hopper will be full of valuable, real, engaging content. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
6 Ways to Use Promote Value in Your Product/Service
This morning, the headline inflation is at a 40-year high hit me before my coffee did. If you’re like me, and millions of other businesses, you’re probably caught between the idea of raising your prices to cover the increase in your own costs and providing your loyal customers with good value. It’s difficult these days. I see many business owners apologizing for raising prices, but it can’t be helped. You need to make a profit to remain in business, yet your customers are likely struggling too. That’s why now, more than ever, you need to communicate the value behind your products and services. Here’s how: Communicating Value to Your Customers: 6 Solid Ways Talk About What They’re Getting When Little Caesars Pizza® recently raised their prices, they didn’t focus on the 11% price increase, nor did they justify the increase by marketing the message of how many years their price had remained the same (since they began in 1997). Instead, they focused on the message that their customers were now receiving 33% more pepperoni on their pizzas. And who doesn’t want more pepperoni? Focus on the Fear of Missing Out Using the words “for a limited time” conveys value, even when it doesn’t mean cost savings. When you use that phrase, customers immediately think of a price reduction or offer that will only be around until it vanishes without warning. You can use this language when you know a price increase is inevitable. Market your current offerings with the language “for a limited time” and then increase your price or run a special under that same language and then increase your pricing. You’re giving your customers one last opportunity to buy from you at a lower price. Mention How They Can Save This advice is specific to your business, services, and products but is there something additional that buying from you saves customers from purchasing? For instance, does your diet meal prep service save them money at the grocery store or keep them from spending money dining out? If so, try to estimate what that looks like. Put some numbers around it. Ask current customers what they save. What can your customers eliminate in their expenses by buying from you? Market those ideas. Host Secret Sales While it may be cost prohibitive to offer sales and discounts to everyone, why not offer flash sales to your newsletter subscribers or social media followers? You’ll drive more business in the short time you hold the sales, and you’ll make your loyal customers feel appreciated by offering them more for less. Speaking of… Let Them Know When to Buy If you have loyal repeat customers, train your employees to offer savings tips to them. Give them a reason to return. For instance, if you run a products business where you get new selection of rotating stock in on Tuesday, for example, share that. People who love a good bargain will return again and again if they think they can get to the items first. Use Pairings If you need to increase prices, look for bundles you can create in your business to provide more value. What items or services can you combine to provide your customers with more? Most people don’t mind paying more if they feel like they’re getting more. The good news is that most of your competition is doing the opposite. They’re raising prices and offering less such as smaller boxes, reduced quantity, etc. If you’re like most business owners these days, you’re faced with the fact that increasing prices is inevitable. Even if it pains you to do so, your costs are increasing, and you likely must pass those along to your customers if you want to remain in business. If that’s the case, these ways to increase perceived value should help you both feel better about the necessity of doing so. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
3 Creative Ways to Become Top of Mind
Do you want people to think about your business before all others? Of course, you do. The first step to patronizing your business is remembering it exists. Imagine you have a free evening, and you want to go out to eat. It doesn’t matter how amazing the food is at the new place down the street; if it doesn’t pop into your mind, you won’t be going there. The same is true of your potential customers. They need to think of you to spend money with you. So how do you ensure you’re top of mind and that they will think about your business over the competition? You need to find a way to stand out and be memorable. A good product or service is the first step. Good customer service is also a solid choice. But to truly stand out you must do something slightly different. Ways to Ensure Your Business Is Top of Mind Events Hosting an event at your business is a great way to help people remember you. It also provides an experience, and many individuals admit to enjoying them over physical purchases. When you host an event encourage people to share the occasion on social media for even greater reach. There are several types of events that draw crowds:
A Facebook Group Depending on the nature of your business, and the things your ideal customer/target audience may have in common, a Facebook group can connect your buyers to you and to one another. This idea works well when you can find a connection or mutual interest among your customers. For instance, a bookstore might create a Facebook group for writers or for fans of a specific genre. In a Facebook group you can share information and flash sales, stream events, and invite your audience to talk about their favorite books. The online community will keep your brand center stage while uniting and engaging your audience. Savings Clubs/Subscriptions Have you noticed that a lot of companies are charging their customers a monthly fee for some sort of discount or benefit? It began with Amazon Prime, where customers paid an annual fee for free shipping. The program has expanded beyond that now, but you can certainly start with one benefit like that. Panera has created an unlimited coffee subscription where coffee lovers are auto-charged a fee each month and given a free cup of coffee daily. Both programs drive sales (and loyalty). When people pay for something, they want to get their money’s worth. Often, that means buying from one store over another because they're part of a savings club. However, like gift certificates, there may be people who pay every month and don't use your services. That's OK too as the subscription (even if it’s only a few dollars) is a source of revenue you did not have before. If you want strong sales at your business, you need to ensure that your target market thinks about you. You can do that through email marketing, social media participation, or these three ideas. But whatever you do, make sure you use consistent branding and tone. After all, you want them to remember you, not question who you are. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
5 Components of a Standout Job Description in 2022
The past two years have brought about a lot of change in business. But many companies haven’t reevaluated their job descriptions. Every time they have a position to fill, they search a hard drive (or folder) and post it. This won’t keep you competitive in the employment arena. While there are basic elements you need in a job description like explaining what the job entails and the expectations, it’s the extras that will inspire people in this job hunter’s market to apply. In addition to the basics, a great job description for 2022 includes: 1. Consistent corporate/business tone and brand 2. Logical keywords 3. Location 4. Hours 5. New (soft) skills Components of an Enticing Job Description When creating a job description, it’s not a race. It should be a combination of good HR practices, marketing/corporate branding, and sales. After all, this is an advertisement for your business as much as it is an ad for employment. In 2022, you should ensure it: Matches Your Corporate/business Tone and Brand It’s all the rage to create fun and engaging titles with witty words, but if that is not a reflection of your true business culture, new employees will be disillusioned. Make sure your job description sounds like you. After all, you wouldn’t send a formal foil-embossed invitation to a pool party. Don’t use a job description that sounds like something you aren’t. Includes Logical Keywords Very few of your applicants are scrolling through an open jobs section like they might’ve twenty years ago. Instead, they are typing or using voice search on keywords to locate jobs that fit their qualifications. They’re also signing up for notifications on these keywords. While fun job titles are, well, fun, they leave something to be desired when people are searching for openings in their field. Save the fun titles for business cards or your website and use titles with meaningful keywords to help potential employees find you. Specifies Location Location, location, location. And that means being specific about remote work as well. There are some industries where candidates will assume the ability to work from home unless you say otherwise, or they may expect it is negotiable. Be specific about where they’ll work and whether that is consistent or flexible. Includes Hours Be specific about the hours your employee will work. Are weekends required? Can you guarantee a certain number of hours? Again, like location, some industries offer flex hours with floating starting times (for instance, between 7-9 AM). If the position allows someone to work when children are in school, that should be mentioned too as it is a nice selling point/perk. Incorporates New Skills If your job description is over three years old, you want to reevaluate it. There are skills required of today’s employees that weren’t expected even a short time ago and you want to make sure they are included. For instance, if the team works virtually, you may add something about working well in a virtual office environment. If your retail business now also requires e-commerce skills or social media, you’ll want to add those. If you have a diverse business culture you may want to add something about emotional intelligence and a diverse workplace. Look at how things have changed in your business and make sure the job duties and skills reflect those changes. Finally, give some thought to also including information about salary. Sure, it’s likely based on experience, but you don’t want to waste anyone’s time wading through resumes or applications for people who would never consider your position for what it pays or are not at the right level of their career to apply. Including sensitive information like salary/pay may feel uncomfortable at first but it saves everyone time and effort. In today’s market, that’s greatly appreciated. In conclusion, before uploading your job description to a job search website, consider how it reflects on the culture of your business and review the description with a 2022 vision. A lot has changed over the past two years and if you’re using the same old job description from five years ago, you may not get the type of applicants you want, or need, to be successful. - written by Christina R. Metcalf 
4 Ways to Attack (and Attain) Your Business Goals
When you run your own business, you’re the person deciding on the direction. You’re in control of start dates and marketing promos. You’re the one who must hold yourself back from the shiny object syndrome. And yet, so many of us fail on that last one and it’s easy to understand why. Open your social media feeds or search on the internet for business advice and you’ll find dozens of articles that tell you what you need to be doing for your business this year—things you need to implement, apps you need to download, widgets needed on your website, and a host of other projects you would be remiss not to implement immediately. And they all sound so wonderful. Things your audience will love, will drive more sales, help you become better known. But if you take off in hot pursuit of them all, you won’t accomplish any of them. Pick a Goal, Pick a Timeframe Yes, there may be many things you need or want to do for your business, but you have a better chance of completing them if you concentrate on 1-3 goals at a time. If you have more than three things you want to institute in your business this year, you can still do them after you complete the first three. Some professionals have new goals each month, quarter, or every six months. Treat business goal setting the way you do eating. Don’t pile mounds on your plate just because it looks delicious. Take one helping first and when you’re finished with that, come back for more. Cluster Your Goals If you have an auspicious agenda this year, cluster the goals that naturally fit together. For instance, if your goals are more followers on social media, being consistent in your blog posting, and implementing a new training program for your employees, know that the first two can easily be stitched together as good blog content gives you something valuable to post to social media (and thus, get more followers). The third goal is better as a standalone. Select a Quarter for New Launches My writing business has two facets—business marketing writing and fiction writing. My business writing trumps my fiction writing because it pays the bills. But my fiction will never have a chance to pay the bills if I don’t give it the attention it needs to take off. The same may be true for an area of your business. For instance, perhaps you own a food truck, and you’ve considered adding a brick-and-mortar location. If those thoughts are just thoughts, your café will never take shape. You must open to see if your business idea will work. But there’s a lot of planning involved before you can do so. Pick a quarter (or season or even a month) and dedicate your free time during that period to work the pieces you need to get closer to your launch goal. Which brings us to… Schedule Time and Purpose It’s great to use free time to explore ideas for your business but your free time is likely limited, and it can be frustrating to save something for your free time only to be discouraged when your free time is usurped by something else. That’s why you also need to set aside time in your schedule each week for goal attainment. This is not an hour set aside to think about your idea, although that is a necessary thing early on. But if you want to be successful in meeting your goal, you need to map out what it will take and break that up into smaller, attainable pieces that you can schedule. In our restaurant example, a task might be listing all the restaurants in an area of town you’re considering for your café. It might be reaching out to the local chamber to find out what development projects are in the works. Whatever you assign for this time should be measurable. At the end of your time block you should know whether you accomplished it or not. If your goal was thinking about opening your restaurant, you may have done that but there is no end point. You could “think” about it for the next decade. However, if your task was to call three landlords for potential spots, you know definitively whether that was completed or not. This year don’t try to do it all. Pick 1-3 things that will advance your business and map out how you will get there. Then assign time to make it happen. We all get excited about ideas, but the real excitement should lie in your ability to accomplish them. That starts with making the most important ones a priority. Just like in your personal life, you make things a priority by giving them your undivided attention. -written by Christina R. Metcalf 
What Customers Want Post-Pandemic The results of a recent survey commissioned by GoDaddy and conducted by OnePoll of 2,000 Americans and what they want from small business going forward, shouldn’t surprise business owners. But if you’ve been thinking that some of the things you did for safety purposes can be phased out once we start beating the numbers on this virus, you may be in for a rude awakening. Just like our kids on summer vacation, our customers have gotten used to a certain way of life and they expect businesses to help them maintain it. What Customers Want First, customers appreciated how most small businesses changed their offerings and ways of doing business with the pandemic. Here are the eight things that are most important to buyers: 1. Contactless payment options 2. Curbside pickup 3. Online stores 4. Self-checkout 5. Virtual/digital loyalty cards 6. Mobile apps 7. Ordering ahead online 8. QR code menus Not surprisingly, 68% of respondents said they would shop from small local stores more often if they could purchase items online. What Do the Results Mean for Small Business? There’s very little interpretation needed here. Consumers are in love with convenience methods. You may have originally implemented these conveniences for safety protocol, but it turns out many of us like having food and items brought to our cars. We love tapping credit cards at payment terminals and we like ordering things in our PJs and having them delivered. Wise businesses have likely already invested in these things, but they may have done it with the idea that these protocols would be temporary. Knowing this is what many customers prefer may have small businesses everywhere rethinking a few things. These preferences may change: • The size of buildings businesses operate in – more carryout or online shopping means less need for room for eating or browsing. Some businesses may give up brick and mortar all together. Some restaurants may close dining altogether and offer a Sonic-like, carhop model of service. • The number of staff they employ and how they are allocated – more desire in online shopping means fewer jobs in face-to-face sales in some industries and more options in online tech. • A good majority of employees working online will be able to relocate to areas where their type of work may have been (previously) hard to find, like tech employees moving to the beach. • Work hours may become more flexible, outside of the 9-5 or even traditional retail hours. Focus will be on productivity, not clock punching; task oriented, not time oriented. • Bandwidth and internet, areas may start looking at offering increased free public internet (most of Australia’s major cities, for instance, have already adopted and made major investments in this). Some people still enjoy getting out of the house. Others love the instant availability of purchasing things in-store. Finally, it’s important to note that all this desire for easy ways to shop from home is predicated on several factors including the ability for businesses to find employees, navigate the supply chain issues (so availability can still be used as a unique value proposition over waiting for an online delivery), and other side effects of the pandemic. Will you continue these customer favorites once we come out on the other side of this pandemic or will you go back to how you used to do things years ago? -written by Christina R. Metcalf 
Efficiency Versus Effectiveness: which will you choose for 2022?
How do you like to work? Are you a speed or precision person? Do you like many small projects or one big, long one that you can dig into? No, you’re not in the middle of a recruitment fair. These are simply questions that most self-aware professionals should know about themselves and about their teams. My go-to answer used to be, “I can do either.” But that’s not really an answer, is it? What’s my preference? What do I excel in? After years of running my own business, I’ve come to realize that I like most of my days filled with many smaller projects, with a large one in the background that I can explore about once a week. Because I like to go fast. What about you and your business? An Ode to Speed I am always looking for more efficient ways to do things. Maybe you are too. There are tons of productivity tools, suggestions on how to streamline operations, and the like. If you love efficiency, you are probably a mass consumer of this type of content. You likely fill your time in the car with podcasts and maximize learning or working opportunities whenever possible. You also either fall asleep the minute you turn off the light or you’re up for hours considering new ideas and solutions. If you work for someone else, they likely pass you the ball often because they know you’ll get it done on time but… There’s something speed demons often sacrifice and that’s effectiveness. That’s not to say they aren’t effective at their jobs. But as they develop a reputation for getting things done, those around them pile on more. After all, it’s fun to watch kind of like those strongest man contests where they sport truck tires around their arm as if they were bangle bracelets. Get It Done Speed allows for singular focus. Efficient people know what tasks can be performed when. If they have a few minutes in their schedule, they know how to use them. Effective people, on the other hand, allow themselves to take a step back. To make decisions about what tasks will advance their ultimate goals and what will detract from them. They weigh everything against what they want to accomplish, and they say “no” often. They would rather have a moment doing nothing than cramming it full of busy work. Effective people are not the most efficient. They are not the people you hand something to when it needs to be completed ASAP. They probably wouldn’t put up with you dumping things on them anyway. They make deliberate decisions. Choose Your Way As a business owner or employee, there are times to concentrate on efficiency and there are times to gear your operation to effectiveness. If you are one or the other all the time, you will find yourself struggling either with burn out or missed deadlines. Ask yourself if this week you moved the marker toward your goals be being deliberate in what you were trying to accomplish, or did you break the speed barrier and astound audiences everywhere? Only you know which of these is the most important for your business this week, this month, this year. But you must recognize the differences between the two to realize what you need when in order to succeed. -written by Christina R. Metcalf |
New Year, New You, New Biz: Find Your Motivation in 2022
If you’re like me—and almost everyone else in this country—the end of the year is a time to look back and assess. I enjoy the nostalgia and reminiscing that occurs at this time of year, but it can also be a time of dread. It’s a time to realize you either hit the mark or you didn’t. And if you did, you may be apprehensive about being able to do it again in the new year.
So, we make resolutions.
We tell ourselves we’re going to do X differently this year. And most of us fall short of X because we forget about it, or we fall back into old routines because they are easy and we know how they work.
But this year, if you’re going to take on a resolution, we have some tips for you. The goal is to make resolutions more intuitive and doable. Here are a couple of ways to do that.
Make It a Team Effort in Business
Create improvement goals you have for your business and assign each of them to a person or department. If your company is large enough you could assign the task to an interdepartmental team. In the case of smaller companies, give it to someone you think would enjoy the task and be good at it. For instance, maybe you have been threatening to do live-stream videos but can never find the time. Maybe someone on your staff loves making TikToks. Enlist their help to either do it or act as your mentor or accountability coach. The reversal of roles can be fun.
Tell Everyone
The more people you announce your intentions to, the more embarrassed you will be if you don’t succeed. Risk of embarrassment can be a powerful motivator.
An announcement should never be just a tweet. Instead, use multiple formats/mediums to announce your intentions too. Video, blog posts, social media posts, and/or live streaming can be entertaining ways to stay true to your commitments.
Derive Your Why
Just as it is important for your employees to understand the why behind your business, it’s smart to make sure you fully understand the why behind your resolution. Digging down to the most motivating reason can help you stay the course. You may find that tying someone else into your reasoning is a more effective motivation than your own.
For instance, did you resolve to lose weight in 2022? Why? Because you hate that your pants don’t fit? Or is there something more motivating? After all, non-fitting pants can be remedied by drawstring sweatpants (trust me on that). Try for something more motivating. Maybe deep down it’s not about the number on the scale but that you’re worried that because your parent had heart disease at a young age, you will too. Health is motivating but burgers and fries are delicious, so tie it into something larger than you. Maybe you don’t want your children to experience the same grief that you did with the loss of your parent at a young age. Sticking to a resolution for someone else can be a lot more motivating.
Choose a Resolution That Matters with Quick Measurable Results
If you want to be successful in attaining your resolution or goal, you must choose wisely. We tend to fall into ruts and assign ourselves little. If you view yourself as a winner and someone who always attains their goals, you will be motivated to take on harder ones. If, on the other hand, you see yourself as someone who gives up, guess what will happen when things get hard? You’ll revert to what you know (or think you know) about yourself, and you’ll give up.
If you want to change that scenario, you must change how you view yourself. That takes more than just positive talk. Your brain wants examples of how you followed through or what you successfully completed. That’s why you should start with a resolution to do something that you can see quick, measurable improvement almost immediately. After you accomplish that smaller goal, with that “win” in hand, you can tell your brain you do complete things. Then tackle the more difficult one.
If you’re considering taking on a resolution or making some big changes in your business or yourself, consider these motivational suggestions. They’ll help you make effective use of your time and direction and assist you in building confidence in your skills in 2022.
-written by Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green)
If you’re like me—and almost everyone else in this country—the end of the year is a time to look back and assess. I enjoy the nostalgia and reminiscing that occurs at this time of year, but it can also be a time of dread. It’s a time to realize you either hit the mark or you didn’t. And if you did, you may be apprehensive about being able to do it again in the new year.
So, we make resolutions.
We tell ourselves we’re going to do X differently this year. And most of us fall short of X because we forget about it, or we fall back into old routines because they are easy and we know how they work.
But this year, if you’re going to take on a resolution, we have some tips for you. The goal is to make resolutions more intuitive and doable. Here are a couple of ways to do that.
Make It a Team Effort in Business
Create improvement goals you have for your business and assign each of them to a person or department. If your company is large enough you could assign the task to an interdepartmental team. In the case of smaller companies, give it to someone you think would enjoy the task and be good at it. For instance, maybe you have been threatening to do live-stream videos but can never find the time. Maybe someone on your staff loves making TikToks. Enlist their help to either do it or act as your mentor or accountability coach. The reversal of roles can be fun.
Tell Everyone
The more people you announce your intentions to, the more embarrassed you will be if you don’t succeed. Risk of embarrassment can be a powerful motivator.
An announcement should never be just a tweet. Instead, use multiple formats/mediums to announce your intentions too. Video, blog posts, social media posts, and/or live streaming can be entertaining ways to stay true to your commitments.
Derive Your Why
Just as it is important for your employees to understand the why behind your business, it’s smart to make sure you fully understand the why behind your resolution. Digging down to the most motivating reason can help you stay the course. You may find that tying someone else into your reasoning is a more effective motivation than your own.
For instance, did you resolve to lose weight in 2022? Why? Because you hate that your pants don’t fit? Or is there something more motivating? After all, non-fitting pants can be remedied by drawstring sweatpants (trust me on that). Try for something more motivating. Maybe deep down it’s not about the number on the scale but that you’re worried that because your parent had heart disease at a young age, you will too. Health is motivating but burgers and fries are delicious, so tie it into something larger than you. Maybe you don’t want your children to experience the same grief that you did with the loss of your parent at a young age. Sticking to a resolution for someone else can be a lot more motivating.
Choose a Resolution That Matters with Quick Measurable Results
If you want to be successful in attaining your resolution or goal, you must choose wisely. We tend to fall into ruts and assign ourselves little. If you view yourself as a winner and someone who always attains their goals, you will be motivated to take on harder ones. If, on the other hand, you see yourself as someone who gives up, guess what will happen when things get hard? You’ll revert to what you know (or think you know) about yourself, and you’ll give up.
If you want to change that scenario, you must change how you view yourself. That takes more than just positive talk. Your brain wants examples of how you followed through or what you successfully completed. That’s why you should start with a resolution to do something that you can see quick, measurable improvement almost immediately. After you accomplish that smaller goal, with that “win” in hand, you can tell your brain you do complete things. Then tackle the more difficult one.
If you’re considering taking on a resolution or making some big changes in your business or yourself, consider these motivational suggestions. They’ll help you make effective use of your time and direction and assist you in building confidence in your skills in 2022.
-written by Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green)
