I s s ue25•Nov e mbe r / De c e mbe r2017
bus i ne s spa r t ne r t hema ga z i nef ors ma l l bus i ne s sowne r s
www. bus i ne s s pa r t ne r ma ga z i ne . c om
Cont e nt s 0 2 MessagefromtheEditor a tI sT heF ut ur eF orBus i ne s s e sPl ug g e dI nt o 0 3 Wh T heI nt e r ne tOfT hi ng s Cos t l yL e a dMa na g e me ntMi s t a k e sDe r a i l i ngY ourS a l e s 0 56 E ffor t s
0 9 BenefitsofHiringandWorkingWithaSmallBusinessCoach 1 1 Essen alAdviceforDefiningYourStartupBusinessModel 1 3 3CrucialDifferencesinMarkengB2BversusB2C 1 7 HowtoOvercometheSkillsGap 1 9 RetargetYourCustomersThroughEmailMarkeng
www. bus i ne s s pa r t ne r ma ga z i ne . c om
01
E di t or S a ndr aHi ns he l wood
Me s s a g ef r omt hee di t or We l c omet oI s s ue2 5oft hema g a z i ne . T hi sma r k s4y e a r ss i nc e wes t a r t e d. T he meha sflowna ndi ti sg r e a tt os e eour r e a de r s hi pa ndc ont r i but ornumbe r si nc r e a s ey e a rony e a r . AsI wr i t et hi sI ha v ej us tr e t ur ne df r omat r i pt oI c e l a nd-s uc ha n i nt e r e sngpl a c e !
L a y out&De s i g n S a ndr aHi ns he l wood& J a s mi neHi ns he l wood
Ofl a t e , I c e l a ndha ss e e nahug eg r owt hi nt our i s m, a nda n e c onomyt ha ti sg r owi nga tmor et ha n7 %ay e a r . I ta l s oboa s t s une mpl oy me ntofl e s st ha n3 %. But , ba c ki n2 0 0 8t hepi c t ur e wa snots or os ywhe nI c e l a nd’ st hr e ema j orba nk sc ol l a ps e da t t hehe i g htoft hefina nc i a l c r i s i s . T oa ddt ot hepr obl e mst he r e wa sa l s ot hee r up onoft hev ol c a noE y j aa l l a j ök ul l i n2 0 1 0 , whi c hwa st he ns e e na sdi s a s t r ousf ort our i s m. F a s tf or wa r dt ot oda ya ndy ouwoul dnote v e nbea wa r et ha tt he e c onomyha dbe e nde a l ts uc hde v a s t angbl ows . T heg r owt hi nt our i s ma ndt hee c onomyc a nbea r i but e dt o i nc r e a s e da wa r e ne s sofI c e l a ndf ol l owi ngt hee r up on, a nd s i g ni fic a ntfina nc i a l r e f or ms , r e s t r uc t ur i ng , de btr e l i e fa nd a us t e r i t yme a s ur e sf ol l owi ngt heba nk i ngc r i s i s .
Bus i ne s sPa r t ne rMa g a z i ne i si s s ue dbi mont hl yby S a ndr aHi ns he l wood/ E ffe cv eWe bs i t eMa r k e ng 4 4( 0 ) 7 7 8 23 1 0 0 5 8 Arc l e si nBus i ne s sPa r t ne r Ma g a z i neha v ebe e n r e pr oduc e dwi t ht he pe r mi s s i onoft hea ut hor s . T hev i e wsr e fle c t e ddonot ne c e s s a r i l yr e fle c tt hev i e ws a ndopi ni onsoft hee di t or .
S ome me s , a sbus i ne s sowne r s , i tc a ns e e mt ha tt he r ei sno hopewi t hmov i ngf or wa r dwhe nf a c e dwi t hha r d me s . But , be f or et hr owi ngi nt het owe l , s pe nds ome met ot hi nka bout howy ouc a nr a i s ey ourbr a nda wa r e ne s sa ndputy ourbus i ne s s “ ont hema p” . Whe r ec a ny ouma k ec os ts a v i ng s ?Howc a ny ou r e s t r uc t ur ey ouror g a ni s aon?Wha tc a ny oue l i mi na t e ? Asy our e a dt hea rc l e si nt hi si s s uehol dt he s eque sonsi nmi nd a ndt a k ea wa yaf e wa conpoi nt st ha ty ouc a ni mpl e me nti n y ourbus i ne s st oda yt oe ns ur ei t sl ong e v i t ya ndc on nue d g r owt h. T oy ours uc c e s s , S a ndr a
www. bus i ne s s pa r t ne r ma ga z i ne . c om
02
What Is The Future For Businesses Plugged Into The Internet Of Things
Over the course of the last decade, many aspects of our lives have become more connected than ever before. Most of us have a number of devices that connect to each other – including phones, computers and even other devices like kitchen appliances – and many of us enjoy making the most of these. However, one thing that we might not have thought about is how this shift may have an impact on businesses in the future and it is incredibly important to think about this.
What exactly is the Internet of Things? The Internet of Things is, essentially, where certain items or devices are able to collect data and share it with other devices and help to find solutions to situations that fit directly with the needs of the individual. A good example of this is the way in which Internet of Things is used to improve home security. Motion detectors can be in placed in your home and if they are activated, you can receive an alert on your phone – sometimes even connected to a live stream of what might be happening in your home at the time. This ability to be even more in control than ever is something that is relatively new, but is only set to continue.
How can this be used to improve businesses? Experts have predicted that the Internet of Things will generate a considerable amount of money over the course of the next few years, thanks to the fact that so many people want to make the most of what IoT can do for them. When it comes to the way that businesses work, it is hoped that this technology will allow less important tasks to be carried out by devices, which would leave human members of staff to focus on things that might be more important within the business environment. For example, if you are working in a business that includes stock taking, IoT may be able to take over this role - even ordering new stock - so there is no need to spend a number of man-hours going through the products that are available in the workplace. Another way in which IoT may improve businesses is thanks to the huge amount of information that devices can collect. Even though a lot of the data may seem to be irrelevant, you never know what you might be able to gain from the insights that you can get from your devices and analysis could help
03
you to transform your business in many ways.
behind the wheel of a self-driving car could cause a huge amount of destruction.
One industry that is likely to use this type of technology more frequently in the near future is the pharmaceutical industry.
An issue comes with the sheer number of things that are becoming connected. Although there are security programmes for things like laptops and phones, we are now getting to the stage where we may need anti-virus software for something as previously innocent as a toaster – and that brings with it a whole new demand for research and work into the area.
Here, it is necessary to ensure that things like room temperature are controlled at all times to be at the best possible level for the drugs being dealt with and IoT technology could help to make sure that this is an automatic process, rather than something that would need to be continually measured. This also means that any errors that may occur can be fixed immediately, rather than having to wait for the next time a human was able to check them. There is a lot of potential with this kind of technology, however there are also concerns. It is doubtless that any new invention comes with risk and this is certainly something that it is important to bear in mind.
What are the potential risks of IoT? Despite the fact that being connected at a higher level than ever before is very much the point of IoT, it is this connectivity that brings with it the main concern – hacking. With technology being in control of so many different aspects of our lives, this simply brings an even greater opportunity for hackers than ever before. Although many people have been the victims of bank account hacking before – and it is clearly something that can be incredibly stressful – at least this doesn’t pose an actual, physical risk to their health. If things like self-driving cars or security systems can be hacked using IoT, this brings with it a huge potential for very real threat – as a hacker
How can these threats be addressed? A lot of the threats involving IoT can be addressed by using initiative right from the beginning. Over time, you will come to learn exactly how your devices should be responding in various situations, which gives you the chance to realise when things might not be right with them. If you ever feel that this is the case, you shouldn’t use the device in question until it has been checked. If you are running a business, staff education and training is key in this respect, as it means that they will know what to look out for when it comes to signs that there are issues with the devices that are being used. In the early days of the technology, there is no doubt that there will be issues, but vigilance is the key point here. Over time, technology experts will learn about potential issues and how systems are being hacked, which will give them the chance to address these issues and produce solutions. Until then, we need to stay aware and while we may wish to make the most of what the Internet of Things can bring to our lives, we also need to be alert to the dangers too.
About the Author This article was contributed by Cheeky Munkey, expert providers of IT support services within London and the surrounding areas.
04
6 Costly Lead Management Mistakes Derailing Your Sales Efforts By Brooke Harper How the lead management process is handled influences how sales are made — or even if they are made. An established process should not only increase the company’s bottom line but also produce the most appropriate solutions for a customer’s needs. Without effective lead management processes and practices in place, a company’s ability to increase opportunities for both customers and sales is limited. A sales team can’t simply sit back and wait for prospects to come to them. Their efforts
need to focus on generating leads, qualifying leads, and nurturing them. If leads are handled incorrectly and without an understanding of how the management process works, neither side will get what they want. The lead will most likely seek solutions elsewhere. The sales team will suffer from a lack of leads and low conversion rates. That said, here are six costly lead management mistakes that can be easily avoided.
05
Not having a lead handling process in place
Waiting too long to follow up on a lead
What happens when a lead comes in? What happens after the initial contact?
The chances of making contact with a lead and making the sale increase the sooner someone follows up.
A lack of clarity in the lead management process gives rise to confusion and loses a potential customer in the shuffle. What happens to a lead after initial contact and who handles the lead at different points in the process needs to be established and well-defined. Otherwise, no one will know when to funnel the contact to the proper person or department, and the lead will lose interest and seek solutions elsewhere.
Not prioritizing leads The sales process can be long, but failing to prioritize leads can make it even longer and unfruitful. Although the scenario is not common, some leads know exactly what they need and are ready to buy immediately. More commonly, a lead requires more information on a product before deciding it’s the right solution. A keen understanding of a lead’s needs and where they are in the sales process helps a business determine the most strategic way to deal with them. A lead needing more information should probably be funneled to marketing while more decisive ones can go to sales. Actively trying to sell when a lead is not ready is an inefficient use of time and resources.
A Harvard Business Review study has revealed that responding to leads within an hour generates seven times more conversions. The study audited 2,241 U.S. firms and found that leads lose interest when there is too much time between initial contacts and follow up. Within five minutes of a prospect’s contact is the ideal time to make direct contact and have an impact. A computer telephony interaction–like a CTI integrating MS Dynamics and Avaya–allows a sales team to react to lead interest immediately by using a computer to track inquiries and make return calls in seconds.
Giving up too soon According to Business Insider, a potential customer needs some form of contact at least seven times within a period of 18 months to make an impact. Through time, a business can convert someone with just an interest into a lead and eventually a sale. It starts with advertising, then the marketing and sales process. It would be great to close the sale on the first contact, but this scenario doesn’t often happen because many leads are not ready to buy immediately.
06
Does this mean forget about them? If they are qualified, they will mostly buy at some point. The customer needs to build trust with the business. By nurturing the leads through marketing and periodic contact, the trust will grow over time.
Not creating engaging content Ours is the Internet Age. Many leads will reach a business via the internet. Whether a potential customer heard of the business through word of mouth or a web search, they will perform some internet research to learn more about the company and their products. Quality content — both online and offline — is needed to obtain and nurture leads. This content may consist of web pages, blog posts, eBooks, marketing material, and whitepapers, which speak to the problems potential customers may have. Good content is the difference between engaging a prospect and having them look elsewhere.
Not updating lead databases
Any information obtained on a lead will help in discerning their level of interest and make it easier to sell to them. With the utilization of CRM integration like an MS Dynamics – Avaya CTI integration in the lead management process, it is easy to track if, when, and how many times leads have been contacted. Knowing this vital information gives insight into the best way to address the lead’s needs. Developing a profile of the prospect includes content they have been exposed to or what part of the website prompted the lead to show interest in the company. Whether the lead is funneled to another person or department, the efforts to engage are better targeted.
Final thoughts Leads are crucial to a business’s sales cycle. An efficient handle on lead management brings effective conversion of a prospect to first a lead and then to a customer. Avoiding the mistakes mentioned above will allow a sales team to acquire more qualified leads and create more effective sales opportunities. The result? The business will thrive.
About the Author Brooke Harper is a seasoned writer and sales consultant, and has written hundreds of articles and white papers covering all aspects of B2B sales, phone marketing, and advanced sales strategy. Brooke is one of the top writers on Quora in B2B and her answers get over 100K views a month, and growing.
07
J us twhent he cat er pi l l ar t houghtt he wor l dwas over ,i t becamea but t er f l y. www. bus i nes s br eakt hr ough. co. uk
Benefits of Hiring And Working With A Small Business Coach By Brenda Cagara
When you are working as a small business, suffice it to say that you are going to end up getting quite tired. This is because of the fact that you would have so many different things to deal with, and if you are not careful you might end up getting overwhelmed by just how much you are going to have to accomplish while you are in the midst of your job. This is why you should try your best to hire someone that would help out with that. If you are new to the world of small businesses it is strongly recommended that you go for something like a small business coach. These coaches have a lot of in depth knowledge and would enable you to make the most of your business endeavors to the point where you are going to become far more efficient than ever before. Listed below are three reasons why a business coach is the best investment for you to make. You might think that there are other areas where your money would be better spent, but the fact that there are so many long term benefits definitely has a role to play.
Get Introduced to New Things If there is one thing that you should avoid as much as possible while you are running your small business, it is your comfort zone. If you stick around in your comfort zone chances are that you are not going to make much progress as a businessman. This is because of the fact that you would end up doing the same thing over and over again. You would not be willing to experiment, and since you are the entrepreneur the business is going to be relying on you to give it direction. A small business coach is going to start off by tearing you out of your comfort zone and thrusting you into the real world. He would show you how you can think outside the box and create a situation where your ideas are going to be groundbreaking. There is no harm in trying it out, indeed when you step out of your comfort zone you are going to be absolutely amazed at just how much progress you are making. Your business’s profits are going to drastically increase after a certain period of time.
09
Get Personalized Help
Get a Driving Force
There are a lot of alternatives out there when you are looking at help for your business. You can go to seminars and networking events, and there are a lot of classes that you would be able to take as well if you so choose. However, what you need to realize is that these options might be cheaper, but in exchange for the savings they are going to pass on to you they are also going to make it quite difficult for you to get an education experience that is truly personalized.
When you are the owner and manager of a small business, it is your responsibility to be the controlling force of said business. What this means is that you are going to have to incorporate a variety of different ideas into your business plans in order to ensure that no matter what happens you are going to end up with the best possible outcome. The only problem is that having ideas is one thing, implementing them is another entirely. This is because of the fact that there are certain realities that you are going to have to come to terms with.
Instead, what you would be getting is an experience that is very general. It would not contain any information that would be specifically useful to your particular business. However, when you hire a small business coach you are going to end up getting information and tips that are specifically supposed to cater to what you have to offer, thus ensuring that no matter what happens you are going to be able to expand your business in the most informed manner possible. The extra money you would be spending would be worth it when you look at the personalized service that you are getting.
This is where a business coach can come in. A business coach would not just make it easier for you to think of new ideas, they would also help you implement the ideas. This is because of the fact that they have so much business knowledge, along with the fact that they have distinct information about how you can make the plan a little more feasible for you in the long run. In a Dubai business set up, there can be no better way to ensure that everything goes according to plan than hiring a small business coach to help you out.
About the Author While Brenda Cagara got experience in setting up a business in Dubai with the top business consultants, she managed to flourish her writing career as well. In the past five years, she has emerged as a brilliant writer and writes on nearly every niche.
10
Essential Advice for Defining Your Startup Business Model
The better your business model, the more likely you are to succeed. This is make or break for many startups – so it’s worth getting it right. A well thought out and planned business model will define how you generate revenue and make a profit, laying the foundations for future success and longevity. Here’s Innovate UK’s essential advice for defining your startup business model. Cover All Areas of Your Business “A shared vision will strengthen your company and inspire your team. But make sure they have the resources they need to thrive in their roles” – Richard Bradshaw, Head of Operations at Foodit. You should already have a USP, your business model will focus on how to create, deliver and capture value from the USP. It should also paint a clear definition of your market.
By Innovate UK
Here’s what you need to include/consider:
Value propositions
Target customer segments
Distribution channels
Customer relationships
Value configuration
Revenue model
Core capabilities
Commercial network
Partner network
Use Templates “Look for strategic frameworks and guiding templates. They ask you fundamental questions about your business goals and brand vision. Most importantly, they help you get started” – Asli Sonceley, Co-Founder of Xtensio. If you’ve not written a business plan before, using a template could be a great way of
11
ensuring you’re covering all the vital information. There are plenty of online resources that can help you with this. Templates will give you a structured walkthough of your business to help you refine your model. Don’t overlook the importance of
online advice on business plans – there’s plenty of vital information that can help. Validate Early “Offer your product to an impartial group of target users before going to market to spare guesswork and discover common pain points” – Thomas Smale, Founder of FE International. It’s vitally important to validate your business early. Before you reach the stage of launch, get your product in front of target consumers and get their opinion. Use genuine consumers at this stage – market research on friends and family isn’t effective. Ask your target consumers whether they’d actually buy your product/service, what their biggest issue or obstacle is and of course how much they’d pay for it.
Continuously Refine Your Model “Reviewing and adapting your business model is crucial to surviving and thriving as a company” – David Bennison, Director at HBD Associates Ltd. Your business model is never finished. You should always see it as a work in progress. Continually work on it and refine it using the knowledge you’ve gained. There are a few factors which are likely to affect your business plan:
Cost pressure
Price pressure
Competition
Innovation
Environment
Legislation
Your business plan should be as strong as possible to give you the best opportunity for success. Don’t skip over this.
Once you launch your product, build milestones into your business plan, these should include:
User base
Registrations
Installs/downloads
Conversions
Revenue
About the Author If you’re interested in finding more videos like this, you can subscribe to Innovate UK’s YouTube channel here. Additionally, you can follow @InnovateUK on Twitter here.
12
and create advertisements geared towards more specific target demographics. For example, marketing automation allows you to track the results of past campaigns and highlight when and where results are most successful, notes Forbes.
3 Crucial Differences In Marketing B2B versus B2C
In today’s digital world, targeted marketing is absolutely essential if you want your ads to be seen, and that starts with understanding your customer thoroughly. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three crucial differences in marketing B2B versus B2C.
Matthew Crescent In order to advertise your business properly, you need to be hyper-aware of your customer. Marketing to other businesses and marketing to consumers require different approaches. While there may be some crossover for businesses that sell to both markets, those companies still need to recognize their audience and cater to them specifically. The first step in creating a successful longterm, evolving campaign is to establish a marketing strategy that’s proven to work for your product or service. In order to do that, you need to understand the key differences between B2B and B2C marketing before you even think about promoting your company through social media or brick-and-mortar outlets. Once you’ve established a formula that works, you can elaborate on those methods
1. Emotion versus Logic Individual consumers are much more likely to buy something based on emotion — just consider any jewelry company’s ad campaigns between the holiday season and Valentine’s Day. Because customers are more impulsive than business purchasers, when marketing to customers, it’s important to clearly highlight the direct benefits that they can expect when utilizing your product or service. This creates a sense of urgency that makes the consumer feel like they must make the purchase.
13
On the other hand, businesses are much more careful with how they make purchases. They’re not going to buy something simply because it sounds good on paper. A business purchaser is going to look at the cold, hard facts and make an informed decision. Remember: a company’s primary concern is its bottom line. In order to market to a business effectively, you need to highlight the benefits they get through purchasing your product – not using it. Take a mid-size business like Revgear, for example, that sells martial arts supplies could stress that using reputable gear makes your martial arts academy more respectable, which would lead to an increase in students. On the other hand, if the same company was selling to individual consumers, it would make more sense to talk about how using pro -quality gear improves performance. While a B2B marketing campaign should certainly mention the performance benefits, the costto-value ratio and wholesale purchasing options are usually going to be more interesting to a potential buyer. Using the same example, there are also features that would appeal to both businesses and consumers. In both campaigns, the company could talk about how buying quality martial arts gear now saves you money in replacement costs in the long run. After all, neither a dojo owner nor a martial arts practitioner is going to be happy if they have to repurchase worn equipment a few months later.
2. Jargon versus Relatability
This is one of the most drastic differences between B2B and B2C marketing. In a B2B setting, business jargon and technical language can be quite effective. After all, you’re going to have qualified professionals who are going to analyze all of the available data to make an informed, well-thought-out purchase. In short, business buyers are driven by logic. Customers, however, tend to prefer direct, succinct sales copy. Use simpler language and a friendly tone. In this way, you’re appealing to their emotions, as mentioned earlier. It’s important that your product or service is portrayed as something that would fit into the customer’s lifestyle. Most consumers don’t spend time comparing and contrasting data – they’re more likely to look at your advertisement briefly, and then make a quick decision as to whether to keep looking or pull the trigger.
3. Long-Term Relationships versus Quick Sales In a B2B setting, it’s so important that you
14
often have to get approval from higherranking employees. With that in mind, make sure you market your company to the type of people who make the big decisions. To put it simply, B2B marketing requires more handholding and support, and B2C marketing requires more appealing to immediate needs and desires. make it clear to the business that your company will be used as a long-term resource – not just a one-stop-shop. While acquiring B2B customers is generally more expensive, retaining them is the key to longterm profitability, notes Forbes. Offering wholesale purchase options is one effective way to get companies to give you their business. Your marketing materials should show that your company is reliable and stable, and that your products or services are consistent. Time is money, and businesses are always looking to streamline operations. When a business buyer makes a purchase, there’s a strong chance that they’re going to be a repeat buyer, as long as they’re happy with the transaction. Conversely, many consumers will buy your product and you’ll never hear from them again. While you should certainly do your best to retain customers, sometimes people just want to buy your product once. You still want to portray your company in the same way, but it’s not quite as critical. Focus on making the sale in that moment, and then the customer will return if they need to. Business buyers have a much longer chain of command that they need to go through. They
Be Prepared to Change Your Approach By now, you should have a better idea on how to market your business, depending on whether you’re B2B or B2C. At the same time, there are no hard rules in the world of marketing. Instead of taking a one-size-fitsall approach, be prepared to shift your strategies as needed. When a method is successful, stick with it and do it harder. When something isn’t working, drop it. Finally, make sure you take advantage of marketing technology to find your target audience and analyze your campaigns. You may be surprised by how your assumptions differ from the data. Sometimes a B2B approach might work better than a B2C one, and vice-versa. There are many factors at play, so keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
About the Author Matthew Crescent is a freelance blogger who has been writing about marketing strategies for small businesses for nearly 10 years. When he’s not brushing up against a deadline, he enjoys hiking in the trails near his home in North Carolina.
15
Whati ft hechange you’ r eavoi di ngi st he onet ogi veyouwi ngs ? Embr aceeachchal l enge i nyourl i f easan oppor t uni t yf or s el f t r ans f or mat i on. www. bus i nes s br eakt hr ough. co. uk
How to Overcome the Skills Gap
A skills gap is the metaphorical gap between the skillsets the company needs, and the one its workforce currently possesses. This is not an uncommon sight, as it becomes natural for a business to grow and evolve, and with it, the demands of its projects or clients. Of course, this only becomes noticeable when projects take too long, end up being of lesser quality, or when you’re interviewing new employees. All of this can be anticipated and sanitized in time, without having to employ drastic measures. We offer several useful pieces of advice that will make your workforce stronger and more versatile.
Monitor the requirements Stay on top of not only your own company’s requirements for the said position but also of those other companies expect. Perhaps the skills that job position demanded were far less versatile than now. Expansions in manpower and client base
create a new kind of demand for people who can perform tasks in the field relative to the one they are in now. Find out which sets of skills your current projects need and whether or not your employees have them. Aside from those currently working, keep this in mind when looking for new employees.
Who are you attracting? For this part, you’ll have to look at what “you” bring to the table. Perhaps the payroll is too low, or there aren’t enough opportunities for currently employed to improve and advance. Do some research into the salaries and benefits rival companies are offering for the same position. One of the key sentences applicants are looking for in an ad is “competitive salary”, which means you are willing to pay the average or even more in your particular industry. Skilled and confident applicants know what they are looking for, and it’s more than having a job.
17
Spice up your offers with something they will find hard to refuse: competitive salary, holiday benefits, chances to improve in their field and progress.
Improve your screening process On the same note, it is always good to strengthen your screening process. Train yourself and your interviewers to find holes in resumes or weak spots that might have been concealed by the applicant. It is not uncommon for an employer to find out they hired someone unqualified only when it was too late. The screening process can be improved by updating your applicant questions, a more detailed observation of the resume and asking for credentials and certificates where it is needed. This step could save you a lot of headache in the long run.
Educate Not all focus should be on new job applicants alone. To avoid losing good, hardworking people to the skills gap, educate your current workers. There are countless organizations like SCE where your employees can be certified in just a few months. It costs much more to have a new employee learn the ways of the company than to tweak the qualifications of the old one. Furthermore, it will improve the overall atmosphere in the company, seeing how your desire to keep everyone their jobs will become apparent. And when there is no shame and fear among them for lacking a certain skill, the workflow and enthusiasm will increase.
Reward learning Most of all, reward your employees for learning new skills. Reward them for the sets of skills they display regularly, without that being asked of them. Nurture a healthy, accepting environment where a lack of skill is seen as something to build upon, not dismiss. Also try to conduct questionnaires every once in a while, to feel how the company “beats”. Are people growing stagnant, do they feel like they haven’t moved much? Chances are that you have a skill gap incoming, and you will know how to deal with the issue before it becomes a much bigger, more expensive problem.
Conclusion The issue lies not in that the skill gap exists, but in the way we perceive it and ultimately, how we deal with it. The skill gap is an opportunity to strengthen your workforce. It creates a healthy learning environment where employees mutually support each other. They can attend courses together, learn from each other and overall improve the quality of their work and office atmosphere. Additionally, enhance your screening process for future employees to ensure you won’t realize you have an underqualified worker until it’s too late.
About the Author Hannah Thomas is a freelance web developer based in Australia. Besides coding, she love’s writing, movies and spending time outdoors.
18
Retarget Your Customers Through Email Marketing If you’re looking for a marketing tactic with
Link retargeting in email makes it easy for
the best ROI, look no further than email
you to understand what matters to your
marketing. It may not be a new method, but
customers. You can then start showing
it works. In fact, it’s considered the most
them relevant banner ads as they move on
effective way to engage and convert
to browse the web.
prospects into customers. This is because your audience has actively opted in to
If this concept appeals to you, read on.
receive your emails, making it among the
You’ll learn about link retargeting and why
least intrusive marketing methods.
you need it in your email marketing to increase sales and keep your customers
But it’s also a great way to start offering
happy.
personalized ad content to your audience. Thought this wasn’t possible? Think again!
19
Why retargeting is important
website visits altogether. Instead, readers are “cookied” as soon as they click on a link
It often takes multiple interactions with
you’ve shared (a specialized retargeting
your brand before a customer makes a
link).
purchase. A customer may come to your site several times and never actually buy
Spoiler alert: that link can be nuzzled
anything.
comfortably right within your email campaigns!
Retargeting makes it possible for you to stay top of mind with your customer once they
This means you can share multiple articles
leave your site. After all, you know they
or links within email. For anyone who is
were interested in your brand at some
interested in those topics and clicks on the
point. Your ads will remind them of that as
links, you can start to show them relevant
they consider different options or delay
banner ads as they go on to surf the web.
their purchase to a later stage. This achieved by placing “cookies,” or small
Link retargeting in email – an example
data files, on your customers’ devices. These data files recognize when they’ve
For example, Pampers has a massive
visited your site. Then, when your
database of readers that receive their
customers leave your site, your banner ads
newsletters. Even within the “new mom”
will start to appear as they continue to
category, they likely have “expecting
browse the web. Essentially, you get a
mothers,” “new mothers,” “mothers with
second chance to convert your audience
one-year-olds,” and that’s just to name a
while you enjoy a click-through rate that’s
few.
often as much as 10 times higher than average.
Pampers also has multiple products that are relevant to each of these subgroups.
Link retargeting – making
But how does the brand know who is who?
retargeting in email possible
An expectant mom won’t want to read
Link retargeting takes retargeting to new
with a two-year-old won’t want to read
heights – by bypassing the need to rely on
about diapers for newborns.
about baby-proofing her home. And a mom
20
Enter link retargeting. Pampers can easily implement link retargeting in their email marketing campaigns to better segment its audience by including specialized links for each of the different articles in their mailers.
Pampers can use retargeting links to identify what matters most to readers. Then, once a reader clicks on a link, they’ll be “cookied.� Pampers can then show them tailored ads based on what matters most to them. For example, Pampers is able to show a Pampers Cruisers ad to moms who click on the article about babies learning to walk, as these diapers are meant for babies who are becoming mobile.
Pampers uses link retargeting to show Cruisers ads to moms who have shown an interest in content about babies that are ready to walk. On the other hand, Pampers can use a specialized link to an article about saving money on diapers. Readers who click the link would see Pampers ads that focus on what a good deal its economy packs are. Allowing the audience to self-select is an easy way to identify what consumers care about, and therefore tailor subsequent advertising.
21
Pampers is able to show economy saving ads to those moms that clicked to read more about how to save money on diapers. Key takeaway: link retargeting in email marketing is a must! When your audience sees ads that directly relate to what they need, they’re more likely to make a purchase. Use link retargeting to ensure that your advertising dollars go toward qualified leads, not a larger audience that might not be very interested in your business right now. It’s no wonder some brands have achieved an ROI of 200 percent or more through retargeting. And when you use link retargeting to segment your email list in your email marketing campaigns, you have a good chance of improving your own ROI while keeping customers more engaged with your ads. Article by RetargetLinks
22
Cont r i but e I fy ouwoul dl i k et oc ont r i but et of ut ur ee dionsofBus i ne s sPa r t ne rMa g a z i neďŹ nd outmor ehe r e .
Ge ti nT ouc h Wewe l c omey ourf e e dba c k , c omme nt sa ndque sons . Pl e a s es e nda ne ma i l t oi nf o@bus i ne s s pa r t ne r ma g a z i ne . c om
Phot oCr e di t : Phot ok a nokwww. f r e e di gi t a l phot os . ne t