How To Market Your Business On Facebook And Twitter!

There are so many social media channels available that it’s hard to keep up, but it’s important to be familiar with each platform at your disposal. And as you want to create brand awareness, you can’t afford to ignore what makes each one unique.

If you’ve found an interesting article you want to share with your ‘fanbase’, what platform do you upload it to? Facebook? Twitter? You probably think it doesn’t matter where you upload it: as long as it’s online, people might see it.

But it does matter. Each channel is unique. It has different resources, and there are different types of people there. You want to post your content to a platform where it will be appreciated and users will engage with it. 

92% of business owners indicated that social media is important to their business, according to Forbes. In other words, getting it right can significantly impact your growth.

People use social media to learn new information, discover people and companies, and keep updated with news and share stories.

FACEBOOK

Facebook has a community culture.  People use it to connect with people they know. Many of us don’t accept invitations from people we don’t know. What this means to you is that you don’t want to just post information about your industry.

A recent study by Boston University found that people use Facebook to fulfil their need to belong and the need for self-presentation. People upload family pictures and share personal information on Facebook because they want to let people in on their lives. Private people tend to not update their Facebook profile regularly because they aren’t comfortable letting people in. 
  

1. Share Your Feelings, Values And Thoughts 

Facebook is a space to express your private life. People should get to know you - not your business - by what you post. That means avoid over-promoting your website and contact information. If you’re wondering why your page is receiving few ‘Likes’, it’s probably because you’re doing just that.  Provide insight into who you are by creative posts that have personality.

2. Track Your Audience

Understand who is following you and post content they would find appealing. You can’t be selfish in social media. After all, you are posting content for other people to engage with.

3. Post Pictures More Than Text

 There has been a move to becoming more visual, because people are more likely to read your post if there is an image accompanying it. This     is because when people scroll       their timeline , images are more               eye-catching than text.

4. Add  Links To Relevant  Content 

You have a lot of room to write your status. The huge bonus to this channel is that people can share and ‘like’ posts they find interesting, so you show up on their friends’ news feed.

TWITTER

Twitter is the easiest social media platform to grow because you can connect with other users directly. With every tweet you upload, the ultimate goal is for people to
retweet it, and then their followers to retweet, though that of course takes time and dedication.

The benefit of Twitter is  that you can easily connect with people from all around the world.

1. Make Conversation 

People love sharing their thoughts on Twitter and expect companies to have a social media presence. Don’t just put a tweet out there and expect people to ‘do something with it’. Ask questions to get a conversation rolling. You could even hold a regular Twitter chat where you answer questions.

2. Don’t Put Lengthy Tweets 

It sounds crazy that you only have 140 characters and I’m telling you to not use all of them. But the idea of Twitter is that you can receive information quickly by scrolling through your timeline. If users see a lengthy post, they’re likely to skip it, especially as most people scroll through quickly before work, at dinner and in the evenings.

3. Use Text More Than Images 

Contrary to Facebook, text performs better than images, according to quicksprout.com. In addition, I encourage you to write tweets that contain a link - specifically to your website.  Share interesting articles and news you think your followers will be interested in too, even if it isn’t something from your website.

4. Use Quotes

 You are an expert; you know what people want to know. Post motivational quotes to show that you are passionate about your industry.

5. Add A Call To Action

 The best way to get someone to do something is to tell them. Post a link to your website with text    saying ‘click here for more info’. Put things like ‘RT if you are looking for an Accountant’ to get people to engage with you.

6. Tag Suitable People

 If you decide to tweet a link to an article, why not try to find the writer on Twitter and mention them in your tweet?  The person may see this in their notifications and retweet, so their followers see your account.

It’s essential that you post for the right platform to sustain a strong social media presence.  Always think what your followers would want to read and see, to keep you focussed.

PJ

☎ 020 89310165

☏ 07900537459

✉ pushkar.joshi@apjaccountancy.com

The Plan For Getting A Lost Customer Back!

On average, and for a variety of reasons, most businesses will lose about 20% of their existing customers, clients or patients each and every year. Customers come and go. It’s simply a fact of life. 
 

Some of the reasons for customer attrition (customer losses) are unavoidable but others are in the complete control of the business owner.

According to a recent survey by Sales and Marketing Executives International, customers stop buying for the following reasons:

1. 1% die
2. 3% move away
3. 5% develop other friendships
4. 9% leave for competitive reasons
5. 14% are dissatisfied with the product or service
6. 68% leave because they were treated with indifference, disrespect, apathy or neglectful behaviours on the part of employees of the business organisation with which they interacted 

82% of a business’s customers leaving because they are unhappy is not good news in anyone’s book.

But what is good news is that because 68% of people leave through indifference, with a bit of ‘hand-holding’ and ‘cuddling’ some of those customers can be ‘won’ back.

Each name on your past- or lapsed-customer list represents the marketing cost to acquire each one in the first place and all the hours upon hours of your time spent to convert them into customers.

Plus, according to the US Office of Consumer Affairs, it costs six times more to acquire a customer than it does to keep an existing one. Therefore your past-customer list becomes  even  more   valuable,   not only because the business should already ‘have’ them, but because those past customers already know the business, which makes them far more likely to buy again.

Don’t think of them as ‘past’ customers. Think of them as ‘inactive’ customers with the potential to come back and buy again and many more times in the future. But they won’t do it on their own – not most of the time anyway.

No, you have to get proactive and start working that customer list with a solid plan and goals for creating more sales using those valuable names.

It’s likely you won’t have contacted the names on your past- or lapsed-customer list for a while, or if a lot of those customers have not come back on their own for a long time, you need to institute a ‘lost-customer reactivation strategy’.

One of the best ways to get past or lapsed customers back is with a good letter (a ‘Customer Reactivation Letter’). But whatever you do, put a plan in place for winning them back. It will be time well spent and you’ll be surprised at the results!

7 Tips for effective Employee Management!

Working with the guy who shows up at 9.15am with the remainder of last night’s party on his breath is fun for no one. Nor is dealing with the undecider who takes days to produce a one-page report.
Difficult people can drive you batty, but there are effective ways to tolerate this in the workplace.

1. Listen

We’re all human - we have bad days, but bad days shouldn’t turn into weeks and months in the workplace. If an employee is difficult, it may be because they are unhappy in their position, or there are personal issues. As a manager, you should always give your employees the opportunity to express their side first. Don’t be a school teacher where you don’t give your team the chance to explain their side first, before jumping to the dark side.

Listening shows you care and it may also highlight that the solution is a quick fix solvable by you.

2. Feedback Meetings

Complaining about employees for months, or even years, is not a constructive way of dealing with difficult staff. The situation will not miraculously resolve itself. Be proactive.
Hearing you haven’t done so good on your latest task isn’t the best thing to hear, but you shouldn’t be afraid to tell staff that you disagree with what they’re doing. If your directions are clear, the meeting can lead to huge progression.

Giving honest feedback is uncomfortable for any manager, but it doesn’t have to be a dire process.
Make the meetings regular—every six months is great, because it doesn’t allow             employees to get off track.

Make feedback meetings structured, so everybody knows what is expected of them when they close the office door and sit down at their computer. Use the meeting to inspire your team to work harder. Specific targets and clear deadlines will mean that staff have no excuse for uncompleted work, unless they don’t understand - in which case, ask if they have any questions. They shouldn’t feel uncomfortable   asking. If they do, there is a definite need to make changes to your management style.

Begin feedback meetings by asking employees how they view their own work ethic. Having an understanding of how they view themselves is a great starting point. A great manager gives their employees a chance to explain their side of a story.

3. Be Consistent

If there are set rules, don’t occasionally allow some staff to break them. A person shouldn’t be punished for not doing something, and then let off the following week. This is unreliable management and staff won’t know where they stand, and the likelihood is they won’t take you seriously when they are penalised.

4. Help Staff Get Back On Track

A good manager doesn’t just tell their employees what to do, and then leave them to it. They help their employees. That doesn’t mean holding their hand and checking up on them every five minutes. But regular reviews will keep them heading in the right direction, so they don’t fall off track.

The best teachers at schools are those who explain what students need to do, and are very approachable, so students never fear asking them for help if they're confused. At times, being a manager is similar to the role of a teacher.

Coach the difficult employee through their problems and find suitable solutions if current ones aren’t working for them. Try new methods.

Don’t make employees feel like a failure, but give them time to    adjust their behaviour and        actions, with deadlines (of course, you can’t keep hoping they will change).  

5. Get Involved Soon

Don’t allow the problems to build up and spiral out of control. If an employee hasn’t worked to the company’s standards, step in. Don’t wait until there is another problem and then another, until some action is taken. This invites trouble.

It’s easier from the beginning if employees know where they stand. One problem is easier to deal with than ten.

If an employee thinks they are getting away with regularly texting during work hours and subscribing to YouTube videos, they will persistently do this, which over time is costing your business time and money.

6. Don’t Just Focus On The Negative Things

This probably goes against everything you’ve just read, but honestly, if a manager only focusses on what an employee is doing wrong, they won’t notice when something is done right.

A manager should believe in their staff; after all, they hired them because they’re skilful and talented. Baby steps in the right direction are better than continuing with a poor work ethic. Remember that.
If an employee who never gets in on time suddenly starts showing up ten minutes early, they don’t deserve a gold medal, but this progress should be recognised.

7. Know Staff

Getting to know staff can make life easier. They will feel that they can communicate their issues to their manager, and the manager can also notice when things aren’t right.

A bad manager hides in their office all day and lets their staff get on with their work unsupervised – never asking how they’re getting on. A good manager understands their staff, sees through their fake smile and     notices when they aren’t typing away like they usually are.

Having a close relationship with all staff members makes life easier. Asking regularly how they’re getting on can stimulate the quiet ones in the office to approach you if they’re quietly stressing. 

PJ

☎ 020 89310165

☏ 07900537459

✉ pushkar.joshi@apjaccountancy.com

The Amazing Power Of Persuasion

Whether we like it or not, as business owners we are in the business of persuasion.

Persuasion covers many different facets of our business. We need to use persuasion to elevate prospects to customers. Customers need to be persuaded to buy more frequently from us. The team around us need to be persuaded to do the things we want them to do things they like and don’t like doing. 

Even suppliers from time to time need persuasion to deliver the things we want from them, whether that’s in terms of products or services or service (with a capital ‘S’). The point is, if we can get good with ‘ethical’ persuasion, then the effect on our business will be significant.

Subconsciously, many of us use persuasion without even realising it. Our children master persuasion at an early age too! But what’s more interesting is that there is a science to persuasion that can be measured.

Perhaps the leader in the ‘field of persuasion’ is Robert B. Cialdini. His bestselling book ‘Influence—The Psychology Of Persuasion’ is an interesting read and covers the 6 major areas of persuasion…

1. Reciprocity

2. Scarcity

3. Authority

4. Liking

5. Consistency

6. Consensus

 

As a firm, we regularly (and not always consciously!) use reciprocity, authority, liking and consistency but I’d like to just talk about the real impact reciprocity can have on your business. This is the science of giving before receiving. Simply put, people are obliged to give back to others the form of behaviour, gift or service that they have received first.

For example, a recent study carried out at a number of restaurants demonstrated the result of giving each diner a simple mint with their bill at the end of the meal and the effect it had on the size of the tip. The results are quite frankly staggering and revealing (if you run a restaurant, you should implement this immediately!)…

They found that giving one mint with the bill increased the size of the tip by 3%. Not bad. Giving two mints quadrupled (yes, quadrupled) the tip to an increase of 14%. But when the waiter gave one mint per diner, walked away, paused and then turned back saying ‘for you nice people, here’s an extra mint’, tips increase an incredible 23%.

 That’s the power of reciprocity. How can you use it in your business to increase sales and profits? 

PJ

☎ 020 89310165

☏ 07900537459

✉ pushkar.joshi@apjaccountancy.com

3 Easy Tips to Recruit Via Mobile Channels!

Are you a small business looking for the best recruit but can't afford big budget for recruitment drive? Small and big organizations are using the mobile platform alike for recruiting the best resource in the market. In today’s mobile world, more and more people are using social media services like LinkedIn to search for jobs. In order to find the best potential candidates, businesses need to take advantage of this trend.

Here are a few tips and ideas you can use to help you find your next new recruit:

1. Post Jobs on Social Media

In addition to listing vacancies on your company's website, post them to social media sites. LinkedIn is a favourite among recruiters, and many job seekers will use LinkedIn’s search functionality to find their next role. 

Image Source: Adweek

Facebook is less business-focused, but people may still look at company pages for jobs. Many businesses also use Twitter to post messages such as, “We are hiring! We are looking for a talented [job title] to join our team. Click here for more information.” The “click here” can then be a link to your company website with full details of the role and information on how to apply.

2. Use Mobile-Friendly Online Applications

Jobseekers should be able to fill out their online application using their phone or tablet. Potential applicants generally want to be able to apply for jobs directly from their mobile devices. If your firm doesn’t already have a mobile-friendly application page or system, you should revise your page so that it is responsive (works on tablets, phones, laptops and desktops), doesn’t require too much typing and lets the applicants easily upload their CV and cover letter. If you are using LinkedIn to advertise a job vacancy, you can even set up the job listing so that the applicant can click on an “apply now” button and then apply using their LinkedIn profile as their CV. This makes it much easier for candidates to apply for the role.

3. Use an applicant tracking system

Each application you receive should ideally be automatically entered into an applicant tracking system. Not only will such a system ensure that you have all applications on file, it will also organise applicant's CVs and cover letters. Your online application can have fewer forms, which are annoying to fill out on a mobile device, because an applicant tracking system can read and organise any documents that applicants upload.

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