What is it it’s a tracking token that you get to put on your website and then it gives you so much information about the people who are Coming to your website what pages they’re visiting when they’re, coming, how they’re coming and the best part about it? It’s free! I like free, All right so first step we’re going to to go google.
Com/analytics And then we need to sign Up for an Analytics account All right, so it’s going to bring You to this landing page Hit Sign Up, So we’re just going to name this one Morgan Test for my test website And then you can choose to share your data with a variety of things. I’r just going to click those Right now it’s up to you And then click Next, Since we’re setting This up for our website we’re going to click.
We want to measure web. The next thing that we Need to do is we need to put in all the information About our website, So we gave this account a name, and now we need to specifically Call the website name, So this website is called upskill.Life and we’re just going to use the Same thing, upskill.Life, This is actually one of Nealey’s accounts that we’re going to be setting up for him. I think it’s, the Beauty and Fitness So pick an industry category.
And then you can obviously put your Time Zone and then hit Create. So now that you’re account is set up the very first page that it Brings you is your Tracking ID. This is the most important step. Just because you created an account does not mean that suddenly, Google is going to start Tracking your website, You actually have to do something with the code that it generates So right here, very top front and center it let’s.
You know that this is your code, But you don’t just copy And paste this code, you actually need this Code all the way down here this script, So what you’re going to go? Do is you’re going to put that on your website. Every website is different. WordPress has areas that you can do it. Depending on your theme, you Might have to add a plugin, but it’s best to go and Look at your website’s documentation to see how to Add the Google Analytics’ code So after that than I’m good In theory, it may take 24 To 48 hours to propagate, so that’s why you can come Back here to the status just to keep, checking and Right now it says no data received, so we haven’t Put it on anything, but it will say you’re good.
I have a site, we can go. Into that has traffic and has the code it’s Been there for a long time, So let’s go check out. One of my other sites, So this main page, this Kind of gives you a snapshot of everything that you’re seeing So right. Now you can see that there’s one active user on this site. You can see over the past few days more or less what how many Users have been there page views, balance rate and Just some other statistics, where they’re coming by country, when are your hottest hours, So these are other reports that give you even more granular data about the people who are Coming to your website, So this first one is real-time.
So if you can click right here, you’ll see the number of people active on your site right now or Over the past 30 to 60 minutes, You can see where they’re coming from just one person has been To this site recently, but you can drill it Down based on location traffic sources, where They’re coming from, but what’s more important, Is your audience in general? Yes, you can see a snapshot in time, but I love to go to the audience tab and then go to overview where I can see over a longer period of time how many people have Been coming to my site, So the first thing that I like to do this is just showing the Past week that’s helpful, but I let’s go back in time.
Let’s just look at 2019 as a whole just to see [ Sam ] Yeah one week doesn’t give you a lot of information. [ Morgan, ] Yeah and you may Wan na just look at a quarter or a month, but you can See bigger trends over time, So the default it’s going. To default to users, I like to also look at page views, And then it also has some Other just high level statistics for this period, which is great, you can see the Total number of page views the average number of pages per session number of sessions and so on, how long they’re staying on average and then the bounce rate.
So the next big category, which is one that I love, is Acquisition. This is where are your Customers finding you And I always like to do Overview first because again it’s just the dashboard That has all of the metrics in one place and then, of course, you can always drill it down. This would be able To help you to redirect how you’re, using all of your time Like you, could get more On social, then you know where to spend more of your time And you know promoting your business Yeah or if you don’t Having many people coming organically, it’s probably an opportunity that you’re not ranking in search, And so you need to probably do more SEO.
Another category is Behavior So once they’re on your Website what are they doing So, let’s click on the Behavior Tab and go to the overview, So you can see – and we’ve kind of talked about these on the high level overview. You know what how many Pages, are they viewing the average page time bounce rate, but you can actually see Where they’re spending the majority of their Time on which pages, If you go right here to Behavior Flow, you can kind of see a mapping.
Of of how a customer is going through your website, As you get more familiar, With Google Analytics and you’re using it more And more for your business, there may be certain aspects: Of the different reports that you love seeing and Others that just aren’t really valuable to you, So you can go to the Customization section and then create custom. Dashboards and views so that way, when you log in you see the most important things and then you can go back.
To doing what you do best All right, that’s everything! Google Analytics, I hope you found it useful. Let me know in the comments below what you’re favorite piece of data is to track using Google Analytics I’m interested. Is it Page views is it users? Is it traffic sources? Let me know And make sure that you like subscribe and ring that bell. So You know when we have new content coming out. This is “.
My name is kia jay. I am the CEO of taylor beauty’s, so you guys have asked for more entrepreneurship articles, and today I have a special article for you guys. So in today’s article I am going to be giving you all the tea on how to ship your products at a low cost. So we’re all here because we’re a business we’ve been shipping out products, but we’re really confused about how to get those products shipped out at the lowest cost.
The benefits of understanding shipping rates is one. It gives you a huge value to your customer because you’re not charging your customer an arm and a leg for shipping and to really it also helps with customer service, because it also gives you an idea of how long it’s going to take you to get a Product from your office or wherever you ship from to that customers door. So today I’m going to be talking about shipping rates, as well as different shipping options and pretty much transit time.
I use a combination of the United States, Postal Service UPS, FedEx and DHL, depending on where my item is going, but overall today I’m only going to talk about the USPS because for a small business I find that this is the most cost effective way to ship Out of idem, so a lot one of the biggest mistakes that I see a lot of small businesses make. Is they try to get these personalized packages to ship out to a customer and what I mean personalized? Let’s take this, for example, this is the envelope right and one of the things they want.
A cute pink envelope will all of their writing and stuff on it and they want this nice pretty packaging, and I think that is okay, but keep in mind that costs money. Not only does it cost money to you, but you have to also charge your customer. Your customer for that as well, so I like to stay away from branded envelopes. I like some nicely packaged my stuff inside that way. We that way, you’re able to provide a good value to the customer because they’re not overpaying for packaging.
So when it comes to the United States Postal Service, they do offer a lot of different ways to ship items and understand in the different ways that they have to ship items is what’s really going to help you save money on your packaging, so there’s different levels To the United States Postal Service, so the first thing we’re going to start with is first-class mail right, so first-class mail is basically anything that weighs under a pound.
So if you are shipping an item and it weighs under a pound, you never want to ship it Priority Mail 1, because that’s going to make your price hike even more and 2, because you want to give your you want to give the best value to your Customer and really give your customer the best value in their shipping rates. So when it comes to the first-class mail, one thing you have to understand is you: do have to purchase your own packaging for anything that costs under a pound.
So so, if you are a business, the first thing you want to do is kind of figure out. How much is my item going to weigh so understanding? How much your item is going to weigh is really going to help. You understand how you’re going to package this item each and every single time that you ship out item anything that weighs less than a pound one. It’s the envelope is fairly light. It weighs less than an ounce.
So it’s not going to be very heavy. I like to use a scale I’ll leave a link below to the scale that I like to use. You want to always make sure you weigh your items before you ship it out it usually shits for under $ 5, depending on where it’s going and also you also want to make sure when you include that rate, you include a lot of things. Some of the things you want to include is you want to include how much it costs a package so include that in your shipping rate, as well so, for instance, figuring out about how much your envelopes cost and how much other things cost now.
I know a lot of times: people don’t like to use these generic envelopes, but keep in mind. Sometimes when you get the personalized envelopes, they can cost you about a dollar or two, if you’re not buying a whole lot at one time, it can be very expensive. So, keep in mind that you can always save money, finding a supplier that that gives you a very low cost and if you think that this is not great, also think about how you can package that item to make it look good.
I like to package my items to keep it under a pound very nicely and also because I know the envelope is not the best. I do like to personalize packages by adding thank-you notes, and things like that took my customers, this class. Let’s talk about Priority Mail Priority Mail is anything that weighs over a pound and priority milk can get expensive. That’s why I say understanding how much your stuff weighs now, if there’s stuff weighs over a pound, you want to figure out.
You want to go the priority mail route. The thing that I love about Priority Mail is that you can get free shipping supplies from the Postal Service, so you can go online to the United States. Postal Service com go onto that website and actually they can give you all of you can get all of your ship and supplies for free and you can order as much as you want. Unlimited amounts – and that’s what I like so here – are some options of some free items that come through the double United States Postal Service.
You can get some milled to your business or to your home wherever you want to get the mail to so this is a flat rate envelope. The United States Postal Service has a lot of different flat rate envelopes. The thing that I like about the flat rate envelope is that if your item weighs over a pound, it doesn’t matter how much it weighs it’s always going to be a the same price depending on where in the United States its shipping to so.
This is a good asset to use if you are if it could fit in the envelope, but it’s more than a pound, because this is probably one of the lower prices, then, even if it is a pound, they still offer other different options like this, which is Just a regular box that you can ship and then they also have other types of boxes, which is flat rate boxes. So if you’re, you have a lot of stuff but you’re shipping it in the box, you can get yourself flat rate box, so showing you guys an example of shipping, something flat rate versus not shipping it flat rate.
Let’s say I wanted to ship something from Atlanta, Georgia to New York, just using a fake addresses and I’m shipping to the Empire State Building, and so let’s say that package weighs ten pounds now, here’s the difference. If a package weighs ten pounds and you shipping your own box, not provided by the United States Postal Service, it costs you twenty five dollars as opposed to shipping it in a medium flat rate box, and that is thirteen sixty five and it also has flat rate Boxes on their site, like a region, a box which is way cheaper and it’s actually the same size as a medium flat rate box.
So the same item that you could have shipped for twenty five dollars at ten pounds. If you go on their website and order free supplies, this is comparable to a box and it’s eight dollars and 15 cents. So those are the things that I like to do. Another option to help you save money on shipping is, if you are a business that does ship out a large value. My business has grown to the point where I ship out a large volume of stuff.
So the great thing that I love about you States Postal Service. This article is not sponsored. I just I just loved their customer service. So much, but one of the things that I absolutely love is, I have an Account Manager with them. So, basically, what an Account Manager is is somebody who looks over the total amount of items that you’re shipping out and basically what you get to a certain volume there.
You get two different tiers of value. Your prices can go down. So if you are shipping out at a large value, I definitely encourage you to find a manager that can help you really advocate for you. I have a manager that really advocates for me helps me get the best price on my shipping, as well as make sure that I have a pickup every single day at at convenient times. So just keep that. Keep that in mind.
Another thing about Priority Mail is that what Priority Mail um as opposed to first-class, sometimes first-class, will take about five days to ship. So keep that in mind, but snow Priority Mail usually takes up to three days to ship, but also a great thing about the United States. Postal Service is that you have tracking, so you can provide your customers with tracking options so once your business does grow like I said you, you can get an account manager, and not only can you do that with the US Postal Service, but FedEx and FedEx and Ups and DHL all have that option where they will also advocate for you to get the best pricing the thing of the thing about using those companies as opposed to the United States Postal Service is, unfortunately, they do not offer these great shipping boxes.
The United States Postal Service has so many different options for a boxing. That’s why I do like that. So yes, so there are also other services that you can use in addition to having an Account Manager, there’s sites, there’s different sites like Stan’s, comm, ship station and sites, like that, where all of your orders will come into one. It’s called the API it’ll come in two there and then it’ll upload all of your shipments at one time.
So you can kind of print out all your labels at one time. So if you’re a business and you’re you’re, you have like 30, you have like 30 orders a week. I definitely would not recommend using a service like that one because you do have to pay a monthly fee and that might cut into that might cut into the monthly fees. So when I was operating on a very small level with my business, what I would do is I would go into the United States, Postal Service website and I would manually type up each and every each and every label.
I would already know my weights and things like that, and I would print out my labels, one by one PayPal does offer this as well. If you have you have, if your payment method is PayPal, PayPal does also offer where you can print out multiple labels at one time. So just kind of check on your website see what options you have for having labels and if you are a small business, it’s really great to understand your pricing on how much you are going to spend on each thing rather than kind of winging it.
As you go along, I would definitely recommend if you are starting out or if you already start out order, every single or every single free priority mail box that they have going USPS. You can’t go wrong because it’s free and packaged your stuff in the boxes and see which one is going to be the lowest for you to ship and once you the good thing about that, is anything that you don’t need. You can always just go to the post office and leave it there for somebody else who may need it.
So I definitely recommend that when your business starts, operating and business is really booming, then that’s when I recommend to use the third-party websites like stamps.Com substation and things like that, because using those webs using those websites will help, will save you a lot of time. But you know there are fees that come along with that. So make sure your business is ready for something like that.
But, like I said the more you start, shipping out, you can get an account manager to help advocate for you to really make sure you’re getting the best price on shipping as possible. So I hope this article was helpful for you guys. I hope I was able to explain that very well. A few hot guys have any questions. Leave me some questions in the comments below I’ll leave. The link to the scale that I like to use, as well as everything that was mentioned in this article.
So I’ll see you guys in my next entrepreneurship series make sure if you have any requests, you guys leave them down below and thank you so much for reading.
Let’s go Hey, I’m Emma your GoDaddy Guide and today, I’m super excited to be joined with my co-host, Justin Nealey, Hey Justin! What’s up What up? How are you, What are we going to talk about today, Starting a service business, Exactly We’re talking about starting Your service business, I’m already dying to Know where do you begin?’Cause there’s a lot of things.
That I’m sure you have to do, but what’s first and foremost, Right and you have to take That first step of really figuring out what you want: You want your business to be Right, You can’t just go. I want to Be a service-based business! Well, what do you want to do If you want it to be something that you’re actually passionate about, because you’re going to Get a lot of the things that you don’t want to do like the admin or just the run-around.
And if it’s not something You’re really passionate about it’s not going to last. I love the passion component To me if you’re doing something that you’re passionate about you’re, going to give it your all your 110 % Right, absolutely You’re going to do the best work Right. It’s your! Why It’s? Why you do what you do Yeah? So what do you need? Where do you start So probably step one just to make sure that you’re productive is to buy a computer If you don’t have one, If you read this on a computer, then just disregard this Move on to step two, but That’s going to be step one.
What about a smartphone, though I feel like I do everything On my smartphone, You can do a lot absolutely, but it’s all about being productive. You can flip to different tabs. Go to different screens. Do a bunch of stuff that You potentially couldn’t do or if you have to go and type everything out on a smartphone. It’s going to take you a lot. Longer than on a computer, It’s good to have both, though That’s a good point.
Okay, so you have a computer got it Then. What’s next, I’m thinking social media, but that’s just’cause. I’r Obsessed with it domain, where do you go from there? So probably the next Step is to figure out what your name is and buy a domain name and get your social media handles. We’ve got a couple of articles. That we talked about really diving into Instagram Twitter and Facebook in the links or descriptions below As soon as you have that Domain then you need a website.
Social media is great, but you can’t always control social media. Do you remember Vine (, laughs, ), Yeah Yeah? It was a super popular platform Right. What happened to Vine Everyone invested all their time and it’s gone So all those followers went with it And with your website, it’s there to help. You generate Leads and you control it and it’s there for as long as you want it, And then you piggyback into social Another thing, I’m so just wrapped up! In the digital world, — Absolutely, But I was at a trade, show recently walking the floor.
Networking and I forgot my business cards And it’s easy to do’cause. I do so much in the digital world Right, But I got by, but I just am curious as a small business owner and the local heroes listening in are business cards still An important thing, Absolutely it’s absolutely relevant. In fact, I got a business card today and it blew my mind. The quality of it Right. Look at that Super cool There’s even a texture with the font It’s something tactile and if you’re on the go, sometimes you may not Remember the domain name or the handle, or things like that, but that business card is just something to really make yourself stand out, Especially if you got a cool one like that.
That’s different It’s a cool one. It helps you out. Did you want it back? I mean I might ( laughter ), We’ll get it later. I didn’t even notice you Put it in your pocket Yeah thanks Some place, you can get business cards. There’s places like Moo.Com, that’s pretty cool, There’s Vista Print They’ve been around forever, We talk about Canva a lot. You can create your own Business card on there They can print it off for you.
What do you use? I use Canva’cause I like to really design every part of it and there’s a couple of templates, but to each their own. Now, when it comes to Getting your actual work done, I imagine you need to have what An office space work space Space in your home, It’s going to vary right. Is that important? It’s somewhat important! It depends on what type Of service you provide, If you don’t ever really Talk to someone face-to-face, you don’t need an office, but if you want to be able To have meetings with people things like that, you don’t have to invest.
In an office space, There are a ton of just co-working spaces popping up all over the country. Some are free, some are Freemiums some are paid, It just depends on what the budget is, but with those co-working spaces. What I love about it is it’s Not only a place to work, but it’s a place to –, Free coffee, There’s, free coffee, too (, laughter, ), There’s coffee and Kick Flips, but it’s a great place to network And you get all these Like-Minded people around you that you can just piggyback ideas off of or find just complimentary businesses That maybe I’m a web designer right And you’re working there and You’re, a graphic designer You start sending me web design leads, I start sending you graphic design leads and your service just builds.
And builds and builds Or work at home Have a little office space. Something that’s just yours, free of distractions. I know I’m like a squirrel. I just get distracted all day, Just I’m working and Then Netflix will pop on and my dog runs by and I get distracted so what I like to do, Is go to a coffee shop and drink coffee, (, laughs, )! I love the working at home, It’s not for everybody, but — Not for everyone.
It is if you like to work in your PJs. That’s how I do my webinars ( laughter, ), Okay! So one more question: for you All right: How do you stay productive doing this? Oh, that’s! Tough! It really depends on the type of service business you provide. There’s not one answer fits all, but I’ll go over. Some of the Things that helps most people First off. You need some Type of productivity suite Most popular out there are Google Suite with all their Google Docs Sheets all that good stuff and then Microsoft Office.
I would almost caution people to have basically get a second number And what I mean by that is not going and getting another phone Right. There’s lots of digital services, where you can basically have Another number on your phone so that way people aren’t Calling you on your mobile line and you’re like is this personal. Is this business And then it gets confusing Separate the two Absolutely and then you Don’t answer like a weirdo like hey, this is Nealey’s Web Design and it’s your mom right.
You want to make it professional, so you have that difference. She’ll be happy to hear That you’re always working and working hard, (, laughs, ), She’s, so proud, (, laughter, ) And just separate your personal Life from your business’cause, otherwise it’s going to Start getting overwhelming, I say the same for social media. If you have a business, go And get a business page, Don’t use your personal page, Yeah Absolutely All right and then let’s Talk about getting paid, You’re a service business right, Oh right, yeah, You want to get paid You’re not doing this — That’s an important part of all this This is not just a hobby, Not just a hobby.
We all got bills, Yeah passion that pays Yes, lots of tools out there If you’re going in person, probably Square or something like that, so you got that little dongle and you can swipe that credit card. Venmo’s, probably my favorite just to read the comments. Personally, that people talk about, but quick and easy way to get paid, otherwise, there’s PayPal and Stripe for your website and things like that Sounds like a lot of options.
We got options All right, that’s a wrap. I want to thank my co-host. Justin for being here, It’s been awesome, You’re the expert, and we learned a lot about how to start your service business. But I’m sure you have questions so go ahead and drop them below and be sure to subscribe to our blog for more articles. Like this See ya, Bye
My name is kia jay. I am the CEO of taylor beauty’s, so you guys have asked for more entrepreneurship articles, and today I have a special article for you guys. So in today’s article I am going to be giving you all the tea on how to ship your products at a low cost. So we’re all here because we’re a business we’ve been shipping out products, but we’re really confused about how to get those products shipped out at the lowest cost.
The benefits of understanding shipping rates is one. It gives you a huge value to your customer because you’re not charging your customer an arm and a leg for shipping and to really it also helps with customer service, because it also gives you an idea of how long it’s going to take you to get a Product from your office or wherever you ship from to that customers door. So today I’m going to be talking about shipping rates, as well as different shipping options and pretty much transit time.
I use a combination of the United States, Postal Service UPS, FedEx and DHL, depending on where my item is going, but overall today I’m only going to talk about the USPS because for a small business I find that this is the most cost effective way to ship Out of idem, so a lot one of the biggest mistakes that I see a lot of small businesses make. Is they try to get these personalized packages to ship out to a customer and what I mean personalized? Let’s take this, for example, this is the envelope right and one of the things they want.
A cute pink envelope will all of their writing and stuff on it and they want this nice pretty packaging, and I think that is okay, but keep in mind that costs money. Not only does it cost money to you, but you have to also charge your customer. Your customer for that as well, so I like to stay away from branded envelopes. I like some nicely packaged my stuff inside that way. We that way, you’re able to provide a good value to the customer because they’re not overpaying for packaging.
So when it comes to the United States Postal Service, they do offer a lot of different ways to ship items and understand in the different ways that they have to ship items is what’s really going to help you save money on your packaging, so there’s different levels To the United States Postal Service, so the first thing we’re going to start with is first-class mail right, so first-class mail is basically anything that weighs under a pound.
So if you are shipping an item and it weighs under a pound, you never want to ship it Priority Mail 1, because that’s going to make your price hike even more and 2, because you want to give your you want to give the best value to your Customer and really give your customer the best value in their shipping rates. So when it comes to the first-class mail, one thing you have to understand is you: do have to purchase your own packaging for anything that costs under a pound.
So so, if you are a business, the first thing you want to do is kind of figure out. How much is my item going to weigh so understanding? How much your item is going to weigh is really going to help. You understand how you’re going to package this item each and every single time that you ship out item anything that weighs less than a pound one. It’s the envelope is fairly light. It weighs less than an ounce.
So it’s not going to be very heavy. I like to use a scale I’ll leave a link below to the scale that I like to use. You want to always make sure you weigh your items before you ship it out it usually shits for under $ 5, depending on where it’s going and also you also want to make sure when you include that rate, you include a lot of things. Some of the things you want to include is you want to include how much it costs a package so include that in your shipping rate, as well so, for instance, figuring out about how much your envelopes cost and how much other things cost now.
I know a lot of times: people don’t like to use these generic envelopes, but keep in mind. Sometimes when you get the personalized envelopes, they can cost you about a dollar or two, if you’re not buying a whole lot at one time, it can be very expensive. So, keep in mind that you can always save money, finding a supplier that that gives you a very low cost and if you think that this is not great, also think about how you can package that item to make it look good.
I like to package my items to keep it under a pound very nicely and also because I know the envelope is not the best. I do like to personalize packages by adding thank-you notes, and things like that took my customers, this class. Let’s talk about Priority Mail Priority Mail is anything that weighs over a pound and priority milk can get expensive. That’s why I say understanding how much your stuff weighs now, if there’s stuff weighs over a pound, you want to figure out.
You want to go the priority mail route. The thing that I love about Priority Mail is that you can get free shipping supplies from the Postal Service, so you can go online to the United States. Postal Service com go onto that website and actually they can give you all of you can get all of your ship and supplies for free and you can order as much as you want. Unlimited amounts – and that’s what I like so here – are some options of some free items that come through the double United States Postal Service.
You can get some milled to your business or to your home wherever you want to get the mail to so this is a flat rate envelope. The United States Postal Service has a lot of different flat rate envelopes. The thing that I like about the flat rate envelope is that if your item weighs over a pound, it doesn’t matter how much it weighs it’s always going to be a the same price depending on where in the United States its shipping to so.
This is a good asset to use if you are if it could fit in the envelope, but it’s more than a pound, because this is probably one of the lower prices, then, even if it is a pound, they still offer other different options like this, which is Just a regular box that you can ship and then they also have other types of boxes, which is flat rate boxes. So if you’re, you have a lot of stuff but you’re shipping it in the box, you can get yourself flat rate box, so showing you guys an example of shipping, something flat rate versus not shipping it flat rate.
Let’s say I wanted to ship something from Atlanta, Georgia to New York, just using a fake addresses and I’m shipping to the Empire State Building, and so let’s say that package weighs ten pounds now, here’s the difference. If a package weighs ten pounds and you shipping your own box, not provided by the United States Postal Service, it costs you twenty five dollars as opposed to shipping it in a medium flat rate box, and that is thirteen sixty five and it also has flat rate Boxes on their site, like a region, a box which is way cheaper and it’s actually the same size as a medium flat rate box.
So the same item that you could have shipped for twenty five dollars at ten pounds. If you go on their website and order free supplies, this is comparable to a box and it’s eight dollars and 15 cents. So those are the things that I like to do. Another option to help you save money on shipping is, if you are a business that does ship out a large value. My business has grown to the point where I ship out a large volume of stuff.
So the great thing that I love about you States Postal Service. This article is not sponsored. I just I just loved their customer service. So much, but one of the things that I absolutely love is, I have an Account Manager with them. So, basically, what an Account Manager is is somebody who looks over the total amount of items that you’re shipping out and basically what you get to a certain volume there.
You get two different tiers of value. Your prices can go down. So if you are shipping out at a large value, I definitely encourage you to find a manager that can help you really advocate for you. I have a manager that really advocates for me helps me get the best price on my shipping, as well as make sure that I have a pickup every single day at at convenient times. So just keep that. Keep that in mind.
Another thing about Priority Mail is that what Priority Mail um as opposed to first-class, sometimes first-class, will take about five days to ship. So keep that in mind, but snow Priority Mail usually takes up to three days to ship, but also a great thing about the United States. Postal Service is that you have tracking, so you can provide your customers with tracking options so once your business does grow like I said you, you can get an account manager, and not only can you do that with the US Postal Service, but FedEx and FedEx and Ups and DHL all have that option where they will also advocate for you to get the best pricing the thing of the thing about using those companies as opposed to the United States Postal Service is, unfortunately, they do not offer these great shipping boxes.
The United States Postal Service has so many different options for a boxing. That’s why I do like that. So yes, so there are also other services that you can use in addition to having an Account Manager, there’s sites, there’s different sites like Stan’s, comm, ship station and sites, like that, where all of your orders will come into one. It’s called the API it’ll come in two there and then it’ll upload all of your shipments at one time.
So you can kind of print out all your labels at one time. So if you’re a business and you’re you’re, you have like 30, you have like 30 orders a week. I definitely would not recommend using a service like that one because you do have to pay a monthly fee and that might cut into that might cut into the monthly fees. So when I was operating on a very small level with my business, what I would do is I would go into the United States, Postal Service website and I would manually type up each and every each and every label.
I would already know my weights and things like that, and I would print out my labels, one by one PayPal does offer this as well. If you have you have, if your payment method is PayPal, PayPal does also offer where you can print out multiple labels at one time. So just kind of check on your website see what options you have for having labels and if you are a small business, it’s really great to understand your pricing on how much you are going to spend on each thing rather than kind of winging it.
As you go along, I would definitely recommend if you are starting out or if you already start out order, every single or every single free priority mail box that they have going USPS. You can’t go wrong because it’s free and packaged your stuff in the boxes and see which one is going to be the lowest for you to ship and once you the good thing about that, is anything that you don’t need. You can always just go to the post office and leave it there for somebody else who may need it.
So I definitely recommend that when your business starts, operating and business is really booming, then that’s when I recommend to use the third-party websites like stamps.Com substation and things like that, because using those webs using those websites will help, will save you a lot of time. But you know there are fees that come along with that. So make sure your business is ready for something like that.
But, like I said the more you start, shipping out, you can get an account manager to help advocate for you to really make sure you’re getting the best price on shipping as possible. So I hope this article was helpful for you guys. I hope I was able to explain that very well. A few hot guys have any questions. Leave me some questions in the comments below I’ll leave. The link to the scale that I like to use, as well as everything that was mentioned in this article.
So I’ll see you guys in my next entrepreneurship series make sure if you have any requests, you guys leave them down below and thank you so much for reading.
Is you just try it you jump off the ledge and you hope that there’s like a tiny net at the bottom, when we started wicker goddess it kind of fell into our laps. We didn’t really know that we were building a business. Wicker, goddess is vintage home goods and furniture hand drawn greeting cards and art prints. I started making cards and started selling them online and people were buying them.
I mean it feels good, I’m in alignment of what I want to be doing, but I’m just like assessing the business, and it is growing really fast like faster than I thought it would taking risks changes who you are. I know that when I put my all into something it will be great. This past year has been the most earth-shaking year. We’ve experienced you
So, first of all expertise matters in general when you are marketing a product or service. However, with your affluent clients, it is absolutely essential and the reason for that is because they are limited on time.
They want results, they’re looking for performance and they want to work with the best of the best right because they don’t want their time and money wasted. So I want to talk to you a little bit about how to establish this credibility, because here’s what we do know they will research you before they buy from you. Okay, so we’re not going to talk in this article about how you’re marketing to them and how they got to you.
I’ve talked about that in a lot of my other articles, but once they do find out about you and they are looking for you, I want to talk about a few ways that you can establish credibility. Okay, number one! You need to make sure that you are properly positioned and that you are positioned as the expert in your field right. So that is number one you you want to make sure that your positioning and your messaging is absolutely clear as to why you are the obvious choice for them to work with number two.
You need to have really tight branding branding matters because, what’s going to happen is – and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gone to look for a service provider online and literally clicked away from them – they could have been the best expert in the world. But I clicked away from working with them, because when I went to their website it was old, it was outdated, they didn’t have professional, headshots and look.
My feeling is, if you’re not going to invest that much into your business, then you’re probably not going to invest that much into mine. So you need to make sure that your branding is tight and one of the ways that you can do that. Especially if you are are newer to business is to really have like a one page website. I’d rather, you have a one page. Beautiful website then have a really old, older one.
Okay, the third way that you are going to be able to establish your credibility is with the use of social proof, so social proof goes way beyond testimonials and again we know that this is essential, so it goes way beyond testimonials. It could also look like endorsements on LinkedIn. It could look like peer endorsements. You know, I know that some of you know that Seth Godin, you know I won the Purple Cow award and that has been a award.
That has really served me over the length of my career where he nominated our business as one of the most innovative companies in the United States. That’s a big endorsement right so endorsements from well-known people, but also from your clients and from your peers, Awards also exceptional for credibility builders as well as legitimate media appearances, where they can see that you are an authority matter expert on the subject.
Finally, customer service. So your credibility starts with the first interaction that you or your team have with the affluent clientele. So you want to make sure that you are responding quickly to your messages that you’re responding quickly to voice messages and that your team is, you know, understands that they need to provide, and all of you need to provide exceptional service from the moment that the person Comes in contact with you and part of that is to really design the customer experience.
You want to not leave that to chance. You want to have that designed before you even start marketing, so that the minute that they contact you they have a that. You’ve got an automated and personalized way to be able to get them in touch with you in a highly professional manner, alright guys. So those are my tips for you to be able to establish some credibility with your affluent market if you’d, like more tips like this, you and connect with me on social media, I’ve got a group on Facebook called the marketing Millionaire success circle as well as a Group on LinkedIn called marketing the millionaire’s.
I hope to talk to you soon and until next time have a great day.
Who is helping with your digital business footprint?
Fundamentally, isn’t it Because, when you’re looking for something What do you do You go online? Don’t you and have a look And if you see a crappy Old website that looks like it hasn’t been updated ever since Adam was A boy: what do you think about the business? It’s pretty clear.
We all think The same it can’t be much good, they can’t even get keep their website up to Speed, So these things aren’t an option any longer. A really great example do any You use Birdsnest as a website. If not, could you all Particularly the women, but the blokes can do it too. Have a look at birdsnest.Com.Au. Birdsnest is a frock shop, It’s not really a frock shop, but it used To be a frock shop in Cooma in the main street, classic regional Australia, frock Shop, that’s going broke like regional, Australian frock shops are Family business.
One of the kids in the business was doing entrepreneurial. Studies at the University of New South Wales and Decided that she’d get the frock shop humming. The frock shop now takes up three Blocks in Cooma So next time, you’re driving through Cooma have a look on the Left-Hand side and there’s this big huge operation, They Employ a hundred people in Cooma and are now a multinational business providing Not just frocks but actually style, So what they do is they give you advice on What your style should be, You could say things like.
I’ve got a Big arse I’ve got flabby arms. You can do all that sort of stuff and This is the sort of look I like and they’ll give you advice. They still sell frocks, but when we think about digitalisation, we’re not talking About smart, IT companies only. We certainly talk about them as well, But we’re talking about Business more broadly, This sector is the future of our country, So you are The future – and it’s really important you do what you do.
And taking another step to be a great business, Owner or operator, so thanks very much for having me today.
Who is helping with your digital business footprint?
It is there’s a Monday right, ha ha ha wherever you are, but it was promoted. Rowing and my mission is to actually help entrepreneurs like yourself to actually set up reliable and lucrative businesses that are profitable and enjoyable. If you’re reading this segment of the article you’re actually reading a article, that’s been recorded, live on Facebook.
So essentially I want you to type in the number 2 so that we actually know you know the people that are tuning in right now. So, if you’re in Melbourne right now, it should be past your lunchtime, so that should be right. I see Nicole, has just tuned in Anna or sheriff has just joined in Anna. You are seen reading this life. I do that right from the start, so that people get to understand, I mean so that I get to understand what time people are reading.
You know the article right so for those that are tuning in. Thank you so much for your time. I’m hoping that you’re! Well rested and it’s a good week for you. I really wish you a wealthy week ahead. Basically, my job is really simple. I help people like yourself start scale and grow a business, that’s profitable and enjoyable, and the reason why we stick around here every day. At 2 p.M. A est is so that I can help you navigate.
You know your online strategy, I’m using my four-step system, alright, so for those that are not well-versed with the four-step system, it is the online prosperity blueprint that would help you capture the right kind of clients, create the right kind of content and convert that audience and Also connect, you know with the audience that you want to be demanding money off of my seat, Nicole Saunders, you’re reading this live my life.
I hope you’ve been fantastic and you’re roaring. Like a tiger. I like that about your own blueprint, and I see Dean. Sprog has just tuned and thank you so much my man for tuning in all right. So you know right now. A lot of people are really being confused about this whole digital marketing lens. You know when Facebook yanked the you know the chain and then they stopped. You know they stopped. What do you call it? They stopped the reach of pages in our newsfeed that that you sort of disorientated a lot of businesses and Dean.
Yes, you’re reading this live. I am line all right so that disorientated, a lot of businesses and so many people are still confused. I know some of my clients, the crying foul, is because most of their online strategy was based on them being present on Facebook. But that’s the reason why we’re here so that we can help you. You know navigate the whole online space and also just to really really ask does any of you guys have a social media strategy if you’ve got one, can you type in the number one if you’ve got a source of media strategy? If you don’t, if you’re working on one, can you type in the number two if you need help working on one, can you type in the number three that would just give me an understanding of who is actually you know reading this show right now and what Do they possess come on guys, it’s 2018 tonight I mean and if you’re a small business doesn’t yet have a digital marketing strategy or a social media strategy by now, you’re, actually, being you know, you are already behind the competition? Alright, you are way beyond the competition Dean.
Can you also just type in the comments? What is it that you actually do so that I understand, maybe you need one or maybe you don’t need one all right. So that’s the reason why I’ve put together this article. It’s got at least off. You know some of the digital marketing strategies that I actually use that will get your business headed in the right direction, all right. So I want you to keep reading this so that you can learn more of some of the essential online marketing strategies that will actually put your business ahead off the competition, because, if you’re not doing this guess what your competition is actually doing it.
And if you don’t believe me tag your competitor in this article and then you’ll see why I’m talking about that? Alright, because, at the end of the day, what’s actually happening on, the market is if your competition is giving your audience or the people that you’re trying to reach out to a certain service or a certain way of dealing with them. Guess what happens? Guess what happens? Your audience and automatically anticipates that you they can also get it from you now.
If you are not giving it out, it’s going to be a problem now Dean says neither strategy mate. We can chat later absolutely and you can see what I’ve created here. I created a four-step system that you can literally plug and play into whatever it is that you’re doing, because everyone is out there. Looking for the right kind of client everybody out, there is looking to engage that audience and once you’ve engaged that audience, you want to convert them into lasting customers and then from there you’re going to need referrals from them and also ambassadors and advocates for your work.
So you know just type in the word blueprint, then Dean, so that I can actually shoot you through this blueprint. It all happens automatically. Don’t ask me how it all works out. Okay, so the first thing that you really need to do. I know every one of you guys is small to medium. No one is grossing anything above three million a year, so I can say you literally need to engage in what is called local search marketing all right.
So when people are around the corner from you all, they’re looking for yoga instructor near them or they’re looking for personal trainer near them, they’re looking for you know a marketing or a VA near them, you need to be found way. Audience is actually searching all right. You need to be seen way. Audience is actually searching because right about now nothing rivals a solid local search, marketing strategy for your small business.
Guess how I know that, because every time you’re out and about you just go Siri. What’s the nearest restaurant Siri? What’s the nearest ice-cream parlor Siri, what’s the nearest whatever shop you’re looking for that is all local search marketing and when you are driving around you just type into Google, maybe ice cream shop near me, Google generates you to the one that is closest within your vicinity.
Now can imagine if your business could be found by people that are lingering around your area of business right there, because all of that food traffic or all of those people that are within a hundred sort of meter or like a five kilometer radius. They could be people that are actually actively searching for your kind of core or your kind of product or service, but they won’t be able to see you in the newsfeed.
So local search marketing is where it’s at all right. How many of you guys are practicing any local search marketing tactics if you’re doing that, can you type in the number one? If you are thinking about it, can you type in the number two? If you have no idea what I just say, can you type in the number three cuz? I really want to make sure that we’re understanding this, because let me tell you something: at the end of the day, people are getting bombarded and they’re getting very confused as to how to actually proceed.
What strategy to use – and I see Anna – is actively doing local search marketing. So that’s that’s pretty good for you there, because nothing rivals local search if you’ve got a solid local search, marketing strategy for your small business, and I see for you you’re running and is it a co-op place for people to work in that people can come in? So that also really needs local search, because what what local search really is is its marketing that consists of you claiming and optimizing your business online listings and it actually shows up in relevant searches.
So if you’ve got Google my business, if it’s actually clearly, you know labeled what your work hours are, what you actually do, who you do it for people will come around to you. Let’s say you own, a local barber shop and somebody really needs desperately needs. A haircut or needs to get their hair done or they’re going to do is hair salon near me, and if your business is listed on Google or is listed on all the other search engines locally, you will be found there.
Do you not? I mean so. Those aren’t really relevant local searches that you don’t want to miss out on okay. So there’s a lot of elements that come around with you know: local search engine optimization, but when it’s done right it can actually put your business on the on the local map and its local branding that you’re also taking advantage of there. So it is one thing that you can actually start utilizing and doing right now, because your local customers are the people that are going to be loyal, they’re, the ones that can actually peddle.
What do you call it word-of-mouth, etc, etc. So you need to make sure they know of your own existence within their neighborhood. You know I mean, because they are also going to be made me searching for your your products and services all right and once you’ve branded with the people that are around you know. It’s it’s now easier for you to branch out, because now you have ambassadors so for a lot of people, local search is complicated.
You know the results won’t happen overnight or you know you can’t just do it once and then forget about it. It is best left to people that are actually actively involved with search engine optimization, which is what I do every single day of my life. So if it is something that you need help with, can you type in the number too so that I can help you optimize your business for local search engines and also, you know local directories all of those things you know that would help you get found by Our audience well, one when they’re, you know actively searching right, then, and then how many of you guys have optimized your website for mobile.
Can you type in the number one if your website is optimized for mobile the number two? If you are almost about to do it, the number three, if you need help with optimizing your your website for mobile, I just really need to see the level of you know intensity that you, you guys really have when it comes to marketing and branding your businesses. Now, if your optimized for mobile, please type in the number one, if you’re thinking about it, please type in the number two, if you need help with it type in the number three all right, because everyone else right now, you’re probably reading this article on mobile right Now almost 90 percent – I’m not quite sure, don’t quote me on this, but 90 % of the people that I see personally out.
They are utilizing a mobile phone, which means the accessing internet. You know using a mobile phone, so if your website has got all the bells and whistles for a desktop, not a lot of people are really using. You know the desktop or the laptop while they’re out of the back. So if your phone is your website is not, you know, optimized for mobile you’re missing out on a lot of traffic right there so have a look and see if it is something that you need help with, and if you really really need help with optimizing.
Your website for mobile typing, the number three and I’ll shoot you through something that you can look at right now to diagnose, to see if people can actually view your page okay for forum, while they’re searching you know, while they’re on their own on their mobile phone. You should also one other thing that a lot of people don’t realize is Google is a search engine, so you should, you know, optimize your website, first of all, for humans and also for search engines all right, so you should optimize your yoyo your website in a Way that people can actually read it and also that the the web crawlers on Google can also read it.
You know some people’s websites that I talk to right now. They still have a website that was created in 1997 between 1997 and 2017. There has been almost three changes with the Google algorithm, so if your website has not been changed in the last three years, you really need to take a look at that all right or if you created it within the last two years, then you should be fine. All right, so I mean, if you you haven’t created it, you know who you haven’t, changed it in the last three years.
It’s time to fix it, man and it’s time to fix it. I mean it’s 2018, you know for all we know we could actually be having phones that I just you know genetically owned. I don’t know modified to just stick in our ears and we don’t have to worry about even carrying a piece. It’s all coming. Have you seen apples, you know all you know earphones that you carry around all the time that are cordless. What is stopping them from on TV, something that he can insert into your ear that stays there and you don’t have to worry about it because right about now look at this.
If your website is not optimized for humans or for search engines, customers are getting impatient. You know we always talk about you know. The attention span is getting lower and lower and lower right. People now want instant results. So if they load up your website – and it takes more than three to four seconds – they’re already swiping right looking for something else – that loads up a bit faster – we now have so much shorter attention span.
So if your website is first of all clunky or an attractive, slow to load, it’s confusing to use people are just going to leave it, and then they take up what your competition has to offer. You know so you want to make sure that, first of all, it’s mobile-friendly, it’s easy to use, it’s easy to read and people can easily navigate it. The one thing that a lot of people have as a big big problem is, we are constantly as business people we’re constantly looking at our website.
We constantly know what it is that we are supposed to be doing. We constantly know what the website does what to press, but if somebody has only three seconds to look at it and then make a decision, are you giving them the opportunity, the right kind of information or the right going to you know buttons to press in order For them to go further either to book a call with you or to do whatever transaction you want off of them when they land on your website, so make sure that your website is loading quickly and because you not I mean customers will abandon the site, especially If you’ve got a shopping, cart, unday customers will live it if they have to go through hoops, and you know in order for them to to make a purchase, make it as easy and as seamless for them as possible and make sure that your site is really Really easy to navigate.
You know, because we’re dealing with a really small screen, so if you’ve got words that are spanning you know across the page, and you’ve got really big pictures that take up the whole screen. Guess what people don’t want to see that and don’t also forget to to end really really clean call to actions. Do not I mean and then tell your customer exactly what to do. This is what I have. This is what I want you to do, and this is why it’s safe to do it with me other than my competition.
You know, for example, you you, you can put a button at the head of your main page that says get directions or call today. That’s an instant call to action, because people are on their mobile phones. They will just easily click that button and then talk to somebody and make sure, on the other end of the line. There’s somebody like yourself who really knows what they’re talking about or not somebody who’s, just woken up.
People have no patience for you to get yourself together. You always got ta, be ready. That’s why I like what Will Smith says? Don’t try and say you need to be prepared. You always got ta, be ready so that you don’t have to get ready. You know you always got to be ready. Cuz. Now we live in a 24-hour global village. You know you need to stop thinking out of the 24-hour box. You never know where you’re you know, clients are going to be searching you from and what time they find you and what time they need to sprechen zie with you, so mobile optimization is also very important, like I said right now, if you’re on a computer or If you’re, looking at a computer or facing a computer press the button f12 alright, and then it will shrink your website so that you can see how it looks like online.
Alright, you’re right Anna says, love the point about why it’s safe to do so. Oh absolutely, Anna, look at this. Anyone with the t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants can start a business these days. You’re not I mean so. Your man worked so hard to get to where we at right now, and you know, we want to make sure that our clients know that we’ve got the social proof. We’ve got the goods and they are not just going to be throwing money.
You know into something: that’s not going to work for them and they’re not going to get value so yeah. You need to show the customer that, yes, it is safe to actually do business with me and that’s why you need to have SSL Certificates. All of that stuff, we could always talk about. If you book a coal with me, and then you know, we can figure out how we can actually help you by actively helping you.
The reason for this show today is to just show you all expand your mind. A little bit of what is possible and what you can actually do in order for you to actually be seen by our audience, since Facebook has sort of stopped them that the reach of pages. You know you know business pages in the newsfeed, alright, so about the mobile, optimization and stuff like that. Google will actually penalize a website if it’s not optimized for mobile.
You know, and the penalty is you’re not going to show up in the search engines, because they know that at least ninety two percent of their traffic is coming in from a mobile phone, and I just want to indulge you right now. Can you type in the number one if you’re reading this show on a mobile phone type in the number two, if you’re, using an iPad and type in the number three, if you’re, reading this on a laptop or type in the number? Four, if you’ve put me onto a big screen cuz, you can do that.
You know that right, if you’re in front of a smart TV right now, you can actually stop reading this show on a big screen. That’s pretty cool Julian Bundy Vidal. Has he got my man hope you had a fantastic weekend right there right see it’s mobile okay, so that’s where your your audience is also viewing from from the mobile phone all right. So also, once you you, your aesthetics, your website is looking cool.
It’s looking all mobile-friendly take advantage of what is called link building all right link building is is something that a lot of people don’t understand. Take it as if you’re going to be the president of your state all right, and then you have a lot of people. Voting for you, so every link that is coming from a credible site is like a vote for you. So the more you get votes from people that are from credible sites the higher the ranking you get when it comes to ranking your page.
All right is that is that an easy, I understand, um, you know um explanation to link building, because people forget or people are tricked into getting links from dubious sites which are not going to help them at all. You need very strong links that are coming from dot edu sites, dot, gough, dot, au. All of those credible sites are from University. You know sort of websites. That actually say. Yes, I think Julian’s website is credible.
I think look Maroni’s website is credible. Then you can show it to the rest of the people, because Google, if you want to understand it, it’s like a library every time somebody knocks on Google’s door through a search and is asking for a website or is searching for something. Google has to present that person with content that comes in to cinder in the way you know of a website, in the same way that a librarian gives you a book.
So they want to make sure that the book that they’re giving to you is a good book. It’s going to you know satisfy whatever questions you might have and that’s what Google also does. So you need to engage in really legitimate, whitehat link, building all right, um Nico says: have you got time to chat about public figure Facebook profile? Absolutely we can have a chat I’ll, send you through a link to my calendar, so that we can quickly have a chance and find out what it is that you are asking regarding that.
Okay. So what I’m talking about link building? These are the thoughts that your website is getting from other web sites. So you get these through blogging. You get these through guest blogging. Every time somebody mentions your website on their own website or when you, when, when you or your website, is mentioned by credible sites like Facebook et Cie, Google uses that as credibility, all right, so link building is a great way to actually show your search engines or Google or Bing or Yahoo that your website is actually popular, every link that you is like a vote.
So if you build links the right way, you know you getting very high quality links rather than a bunch of low quality spam links, because a lot of people just get spam links from India and most of them are linking to like porn sites. Those are not going to help you at all. You need relevant blogs and you need relevant links that are building. You know your the credibility of your own website and he will actually prove to Google that your small business website is relevant and is of high quality.
So so, whatever you’re doing right now, if you have been doing stuff with links and linking please find out from your web developer or web designer, are they using black hat tricks or are they using white hat? You know tricks right there and you can get your links from local news sites. They might run an article about you the moment they mention your your sites there. That’s a so find local business owners or bloggers that are willing to to link to your website as well, and you can also return the favor by writing blogs about them.
You know on your website so that you can, you know, share the juice links or you can do interviews with people and every time you put their website on there. They will also, you know, reciprocate by mentioning your website, which is also yet another vote for you Ray now Nichols under says people think they they don’t need a website. Well, those people – I don’t know what what worlds they live in because right now, if you really really look at it, Facebook has sort of cut the reach of you know the profile pages.
If that’s what you’re asking and you’re thinking you don’t need a website, then I also think that if you’re dealing with websites as your full marketing strategy, it’s like building a house on quicksand. You know during the summer all right when it starts raining. It’s going to it’s going to sink in. You know why, because Facebook is bourret, audience bourret, ground, burrowed territory. So if you don’t have your own platform to bring go back, how are you going to have credibility? How are you going to? How are you going to have anything to show that who are you as a person, because the one thing about Facebook is, you have to continuously repeat yourself for people to understand who you are look at what the Facebook newsfeed is like.
Nikhil you’ve got your ante. You’ve got your partner, you’ve got, you know somebody who is putting on an Advent and then you’ve got your profile or whatever. You know, profile page that you have. People are not coming to the Internet to see what you’re up to they’re coming to see what Sally or what auntie Sally’s cats are up to people that they actually know, and Facebook has caught on to that. So if you, unless maybe the your audience is people that live within your household, nobody cares all right.
So you should actually I mean, make people see things differently, but I feel like. If you don’t have a website, you actually don’t have a business. You actually don’t have a platform, because that’s what your you’re supposed to be having as a business, a platform that gives you the authority to sell. How do you sell to people if you don’t have your own website? Okay, one other thing that people should really look at is: do you know the keywords that people type into search for your kind of work? Can you just type in one keyword that you think people are using? You know to type your to find you maybe on Google, Bing or Yahoo can, or even if people are using to ask Siri to get to your business, what would they have typed in the search engine in order to get you know to where you are because Keyword research should actually be a mandatory part of every small business.
You know in your digital marketing strategy, because the way you’re going to write your contents the way you’re going to reach out to your audience. If you don’t know what they say about your business or how they find you or what words they use about your business, then you’ve lost them. I keep talking about this story about a about a dentist in manda. I think by now he’s read the message. Oh every time I walk past, there’s a sign outside that says: new patients.
Welcome, guess what I am NOT a patient. He might call me that, but I don’t identify myself as a patient. All right are you walking around saying? Oh, my god, I’m a patient! I’m looking for a dentist, no I’m a human being that has a sawtooth all right. So if you’re, not speaking to your audience in the language that they actually understand or in the way they see the world or in the way, they actually viewed themselves as you’ve lost them, trying to say what I mean.
So you need to really know what key words are your audience using to get to find you even on Facebook, even on whatever social media? What hashtags are they using to reach you? Because if you don’t know that, then you might as well close shop. You know cuz, you can use this business key words for so many things. You know because, right now you might be spraying and praying to your audience. If you don’t know the keywords that they use to find you, I suggest that you stop whatever you’re doing and actually go and use tools that will help you find out.
What are people saying about the business that we are presenting to them? You know and a great way to find out exactly what terms people are using to search you know for your services or your business products or or whatever it is that you do. There’s a there’s tools like you know, AdWords key planner. All right, you need to get on top of that Google Trends what people are actually typing into the search engines.
You can also use that to create content. That’s relevant, there’s also a tool called keyword, tool, dot IO. That will also show you what people are actually typing into the search engines so that they can find the type of work that you’re doing or even some such recommendations. Every time you you, you, you you, you read, you hit a block, find out if you’re a dentist find out what people are typing into Google and then use that to create your content.
You know every time Google tries to complete a search for you and Google. That means somebody has tried to type that into Google. You know all people are searching for all of those boxes. Those things help you figure out. What else are people looking for that? I can be of service to my audience, you know, and then you can insert those keywords into the pages of your website, just try and make it as natural as possible so that it makes sense within the content that you’re putting out in your blog posts.
You know, and one other thing that I don’t see a lot of people doing is actually asking for email addresses. You know as soon as somebody lands on that page. Can you tell me how many people have an email strategy within their business type in the number? One is you’ve got an email strategy type in the number two. If twenty eighteen is the year that you’re going to think about it type in the number three, if you need help with an email marketing strategy, you see because I can’t remember the last time I went through and lying in, a retail store or something like that, And the cashier didn’t even ask me for my email address: it’s become so natural now, if that people are coming to your website, maybe people are busy.
Maybe somebody is you know, fixing dinner or they’re trying to wipe their daughter’s bottle or whatever. It is because I’m talking about myself or they’re in public transport get their email address so that you can always send them relevant information. Depending on what landing page, they landed on your on your site because people just coming to your website and you’re not doing anything about them or retargeting them or trying to get them to get back to you.
That’s a waste of advertising money. If you’re advertising to get those leads, you know so yeah. That’s easy. It’s like a check-in checkout ask your customers for their email address and once you have your customers, email address, respect that don’t just spray and pray just because you know they’ve, given you the the email address, you now have to seek permission from them by being relevant By engaging them by actually educating them and inspiring them, while providing value and positioning yourself as a person that can serve them with whatever product you’ve got on them, because if you don’t there’s always online reviews, you know and online reviews, you can’t you can’t change them.
So don’t spam people but make sure you’re being relevant and that’s where it helps you actually own a space within the online space, because if you have people’s email addresses, you have given you permission to sell to them. You know, and then one other thing if you still are adamant that Facebook is the thing for you just give Facebook live and try. You know, try and if you’re doing it maybe twice a week, try and increase your life articles.
You know what, because people really now want to communicate. People really now need to see if you’re, the right kind of person who can sort out their needs, they need you to help them by actually helping them. So it can be a great way to actually add that human element to your small business marketing strategy. In any case, what are you too busy doing chasing shiny objects instead of creating and relating to your audience? You know so all of those people that you know one one thing that I want to advise you to do is when you are at a live event or at a geek, try not to get too excited and go alive, because people are expecting to see you And one thing happens is I’m talking about me personally and then they don’t see you.
They see other people then automatically you’ve. Given that person they’re reading all the credibility and that’s it you’ve lost that person only try and go live when it’s you or it’s something to do with you tonight I mean because that person also has people that can take a live article off of them. So you know it’s just an option that enables you to connect with your customers in a more personal level.
So don’t abuse it do not. I mean just like right now, I’m really being considerate of what people are saying and also engaging them in a certain way. You know – and this is a bonus if you go like on Facebook or maybe on Instagram, your followers would actually start getting notifications that tell them that your life, so don’t take advantage of that. If people notice that your colleague real content is not valuable, then they’re just going to skip and the more your articles don’t get seen the more Facebook puts them down the you know the the the ranking order so yeah, it’s just one of those things.
I really hope this article is going to help you, because a lot of people really are lost right now as to what to do how else to reach out to their audience. And I really want to help you by actually helping you, because all these strategies that I’m talking about this is just top off the cuff type. I’m you know stuff that you know when we sit down. I really want to personalize it, and you know with you.
So that we can actually help you be, do and have a business, that’s profitable and enjoyable type in the number three, if you’ve readed it up until now, and you really have questions that you want me to personally answer pertaining to your business in the meantime. Thank you so much for tuning in and enjoy the ratio that
Who is helping with your digital business footprint?
But there are just little things that you can do that are very simple. That will help get you to number one, and one of those things is: did you know that Google, your address on Google, is kept in an area called Google, my business? So if you just search your own business on Google, you’ll see it and make sure you claim it.
But if you I’m going to assume you’ve already done that because that’s the right thing to do and when you do that when you change your address or change any hours or anything about your business, keep it up to date. And that is one more easy thing. You can do one more nudge to number one.
So first thing’s! First I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess:…. I know what you’re going to say: get organized Yes, But before we really jump in, I wan na say huge. Congratulations to you at home, you’re wanting to start a business! That’s why you’re reading this article? It’s a scary first step, but we’ve got your back Now with starting that business.
You wan na get organized and first thing’s, first figuring out what your business name is. We have a super cool article. We’ll have the link right up here for ya. You can check it out Where we go into how to figure out what your name should be and some tips on pickin’ the right name. It’s a good one Yeah. So what was your name from that brainstorming session? What’d? You come up with Coffee and Kickflips.
I love it Dig it So now, once you have that name, you really wan na figure out. And create your business plan, This is just a simple document: that’s going to go over! What your business is, what you do, who your market is, who your customers are everything that you need to Potentially show to investors to give you money right, You wan na get that bread Yeah. You got ta have a clear action plan with all the details, Plus it’ll help you to really flush out what you need and the goals You should keep top of mind in order to succeed And commit to those Right, And it keeps you kinda.
Grounded so you’re not going in a million different places as we all do. I know I do it a lot. I do it a lot. If I don’t have that plan written out, I’m everywhere and nowhere Same After you get organized and you’ve committed to what you wan na do with your business. What comes next I’ve seen my entrepreneurial friends and I went through it myself. With Coffee and Kickflips is determining, do I do an LLC? Do I not, Can you elaborate on that Yeah, so you definitely have To register your business in some shape or fashion right, What most people do is the LLC, but there’s also sole proprietorship, there’s partnership, there’s corporation but again the most common one is LLC.
Why is that? Well, it helps you Really protect yourself from your business, So if your business was ever sued, they can’t come after your Personal stash of pizza, It’s going to keep that separated, Hands off Hands off All right and then once you have that you can go ahead and get your federal tax identification number or known as the employee. Identification number EIN: That’s really going to help You, when it comes time to creating a business bank account All right so next up, you need to get your business license, Which you can contact.
Your Secretary of State to get more info about that. But this does vary by state and also depending on what Type of business you have, this will mix it up as well So check out the description. Below to get more info All right So now, the next thing you need to do with starting your business is figuring out where you wan na work. Now with your Coffee and Kickflips, I know that you can’t Really do that at home you have a brick and mortar store, but maybe you can do it at home or you can do a coworking space, which is super popular.
If you don’t know what A coworking space is you essentially rent Out part of a building or you rent out a desk and there’s tons of other Entrepreneurs, just like you doing the same thing, So it’s cool to get that Same little, brain trust and people, just like you, workin’ and you’re out of the house. I know I love workin’ from home, but I need to kinda mix It up every now and then So it’s that or coffee shops Yeah same.
I get it And also it’s cool about The coworking space think about it you’re in such an exciting time, you’re starting a business. You might meet someone that Could help you network or help you with that next step, because there’s a lot of like Nealey, said like-minded people hanging out there doing productive things like you Absolutely, And I have a really good buddy that works at a coworking Space called Galvanized in downtown Phoenix and they have a shared slack blog of all the entrepreneurs.
In that coworking space And there’s nothing Gold mine, but leads all day so he gets most of his work. He doesn’t have to go to The coworking space most of the time, it’s just in that slack blog and he’s getting business All right. So one thing I thought about: With Coffee and Kickflips you mentioned, I have a Brick and mortar location, yes, but I had to think about okay. Well, do I wan na rent a space? Do I wan na buy property? How does that look? I need money, ( laughing ).
So how do you go about that? We got ta talk about the hard stuff. Yeah money is important right, So first thing’s, first get a business bank account, don’t use your personal account, especially when you’re Paying your employees and everything else it’s going to get real, just jumbled up between all your pizza expenses and your business expenses, And then with that open up a line of credit. Just In case something happens, you have those quick funds And then possibly talk to a tax attorney or an accountant to help you Keep everything organized That’s been very helpful for my other local heroes out there.
My friends recommend that All right, another big topic insurance. This was a huge topic of discussion at Coffee and Kickflips because well, there’s ramps in the back, so you’ve got kiddos on their skateboards Little Billy Tryin’ to turn into A Tony Hawk overnight and let me tell ya, you need to cover your Business with insurance And also your employees, a helmet, isn’t just going to keep you safe Right.
Your insurance Shouldn’t just be a helmet Everyone coming into your shop, Here’s a helmet, you’re, good, You’re, good ( whistling ) Good luck on the half pipe Yeah, So yeah check out just Different insurances and do your research to make Sure you’re fully covered,’cause, you never know what might happen. Someone might hurt. Themselves at your location, or just who knows All right Nealey. Now I wan na talk about Branding your business, The fun stuff, It’s a fun stuff.
Your email address your logo. I know we have a article on that There’s also social media, all the marketing. What are you going to do with your website..? Let’s jump in So branding. We were talking about All the not so fun stuff, but those are pretty Important essential things Branding’s also super important and essential. We have a article on the basics of branding, But let’s kinda jump into a couple of the different sections to give you just an overview.
Of what these look like, So, let’s start with a domain. Name and your email address, So your domain name that’s going to get people to your website. You don’t wan na have some random URL. You want it to be your business, So Coffee and Kickflips… [ Emma ], Coffee and Kickflips coffeeandkickflips.Com right! That’s the address! That’s the URL. People are going to Type to get to your website And with that you’ll have that professional email, so you can have Emma @ coffeeandkickflips.
Com versus coffeeandkickflips @ gmail.Com, If you have the ending Not be your domain name, it doesn’t look as professional. I love Gmail, but as a business have it your domain name, You can still do Gmail for business. There’s Office 365. Lots of email providers that you can use to really make your Business look professional and credible And then jumping into your website. That’s the whole point of Having an online presence, It’s something that you control Is have some type of website, even if it’s just basic Information on what you do, or some articles of your kickflips And coffee in the back, Yeah Yeah Put the merch on there Maybe an option for people to Spend money on your website, Yes Get those helmets’cause That’s your insurance right, (, laughing ) And then social media Tell us about social media.
And really the basics of it with branding their business? Yes, that’s where you wan na, go and really take the logo that you have be consistent with it across All of your platforms, so Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and then from there definitely identify the Voice of your brand and be consistent with that As you’re creating content day in and day out, Because you wan na be consistent And make sure those are business pages, not personal pages Very important, Can you elaborate a little bit on what the voice means Totally People throw it around a lot and it’s hard to Understand What does that mean with Having a consistent voice, Okay, Very good topic, One thing that comes to mind right away from being in the coffee: Business for years before I decided hey, I wan na Have Coffee and Kickflips I worked for a variety of coffee business And they did have their own voice Like there was one coffee spot that was just very upscale and very fancy.
I spent a lot of money there as a customer before I worked there, So their voice was a little bit more…. I don’t know just very classy. And true to the art of coffee, Whereas when I worked at a Spot that really inspired me to open my own. It was a little bit more divey. It was in Long Beach, California, we would say things like rad dope, sick. This coffee is awesome, as we were doing captioning and creating our social media content.
It was just a little bit: More loose and chill Different vibe Different voice, So whatever your voice is identify that before Going and creating content across your social media pages And finally policy. What are your policies? I know. I saw this a lot when Speaking to retail businesses, and when I would consult them, it’s like okay. So what are your policies? What are your return policies? I know I personally love when I shop when the return policy Is a little lenient,’cause, I lose receipts all the time, ( laughing ), But the tag’s on it, But the tag — I swear.
But so what are your policies? In place for your business, All right now with almost Any type of business you need a terms of service Now you should probably consult some legal council with this. If you’re, not a lawyer, you Shouldn’t just make up stuff, But you should have something Like what is your return? Policy, like you said: what’s your privacy policy, do you keep customer information? What does all this look like? Have some type of terms of service to help protect you and your business, and it’s absolutely important And then have a copy of that For all of your employees and have that there readily Available for them to review Yeah, most companies will Usually have it on their website, usually down at the bottom, there’s a little link.
To the terms and service and the privacy policy, Speaking of your website, another important thing to bring up make sure you have contact info, Be accessible, Yes And also have some social proof. That is definitely today’s word of mouth So be easily accessible. Easy for me to contact you and definitely make sure I can find you readily easily available on Facebook. Twitter and Instagram All the things And that social proof, that’s basically just testimonials reviews of other customers that they say: hey, Emma’s, pizza’s, awesome or Emma’s.
Coffee shop is awesome, or whatever that looks like it really helps people identify with you and trust you and a pro tip for you all, do not be just a cave. Dweller go out into the open and be social Talk to people on social media. Talk to people in real life and really put your business And yourself out there.’Cause, you can’t expect them. All just to come to you,’cause. That will not happen. I know that it’s a famous quote “.
If you build it, they will come”, they won’t. You have to go to them and show Them what you’re all about Be proactive And add the human element? To your online presence, All right, That’s a wrap! If you liked this article make sure to give this A like at the bottom and while you’re there leave a comment on what You’ve learned today And be sure to subscribe and ring that bell. So You’re the first to know when we come out with another article.
This is The Journey. We’ll see you next time.
Who is helping with your digital business footprint?
Jimmy's Internet Marketing Business Blog 