Seven Things to Emulate from Successful Entrepreneurs

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Have you ever wondered how some entrepreneurs get so much work done in a single day? It can even leave you wondering what it is you are doing wrong when apparently we all have the same 24 hours as Richard Branson or Oprah. For starters, working smarter and harder may not be the formula for success after all, which leaves you wondering what is. Here are 7 ways in which successful entrepreneurs do so well to make sure they get to the top.

1. Successful Entrepreneurs Love Their Work

A smart and successful entrepreneur is in his or her element when doing work they are passionate about. Inspiration and passion are very powerful when combined and the only way you can do excellent work is if you love what you do. Find something you are passionate about and stick with it regardless of distractions or being sidetracked.

2. Successful Entrepreneurs are Focused

Smart entrepreneurs know to stay focused and have a clear vision of what they want, which helps to actualize this vision. Visualization is quite powerful because it is not simply about seeing what you want but also about feeling them. Smart entrepreneurs feel what it is like to be at the top and not the journey it will take to reach there. They view their journey as one that embodies greatness while transporting them towards their destiny. Smart entrepreneurs connect with their visions daily through meditation, quiet walks, mantras, or vision boards, whatever works.

3. Successful Entrepreneurs Set Realistic Goals

It is great to have big goals but they can be harder to achieve. Smart and successful entrepreneurs accept their current position and start with smaller steps while maintaining focus on the ultimate vision. It is easier to achieve your goals when they are broken down into workable phases such as weekly goals or 3-month challenges. Establish daily activities that are relevant to taking you closer to your goals.

4. Successful Entrepreneurs Have a Deep Desire to Succeed

Smart entrepreneurs have the drive to achieve their goals and succeed at what they do. It is what sets successful entrepreneurs apart from the rest of the crowd. This hunger fuels them and keeps them energized to push their businesses to the top.

5. Successful Entrepreneurs Keep Learning

Successful entrepreneurs rarely stay the same as they were when they started out. It is important to invest in developing your business and yourself so you can become a successful entrepreneur. Their passion to grow, expand their businesses, and learn, is naturally in their blood. You can learn through seminars, summits, coaching, books, programs, or furthering your education. You can also learn from entrepreneurs who have gone before you on ways to develop and grow your business to help you also become a source of inspiration.

6. Successful Entrepreneurs Have Mastered Their Minds

Mastering your mind is perhaps the most important way to keep growing. You will not be able to flourish and expand until you become comfortable doing things that challenge you. Your thoughts have the power to become a reality as long as you gain some perspective on them and speak positively to yourself. Face your fears head on so you can move on to greater things.

7. Successful Entrepreneurs Network with Like-Minded People

Smart entrepreneurs choose their company very carefully and they have great support from like-minded people who offer inspiration and keep them accountable. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals is a surefire way to drive your business towards greater heights.

If you are looking to join a network of like-minded entrepreneurs, check out Entrepreneur Network Australia – a website that features hundreds of helpful articles with tips on how to better grow and operate your business. Be sure to join their Facebook group to join the conversation! 

Seven Marketing Assumptions That Can Hurt Your Business

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In order for your business to succeed, you need a clever marketing strategy. Unfortunately, most companies hold some marketing assumptions that can restrict their ability to promote their services and products in a cutthroat marketplace. The idea of marketing is quite obscure because marketing is the base for various methods of business promotion. Therefore, it is easy to confuse the real purpose of marketing with the concept of it. There are many reasons why companies seem to think marketing is not the right move for them. If you do not work in the profession, marketing can seem expensive and exotic, with creatives whose aim seems to be to throw money at different projects. Marketing is actually crucial to a number of strategic initiatives. If you have growth goals for your business, be it for market expansion, an extension of your product line, or diversification, then you need to have a proper understanding of what marketing can do for you.

7  Common Marketing Assumptions:

Listed below are the assumptions that can restrict the efficiency of your market plan causing you to miss out on sales opportunities.

1. Small Businesses Do Not Require a Marketing Plan

A marketing plan gives you a master plan for how you will introduce your business to the market. It helps you outline your target audience, budget, offers, tactics, channels, and messages. If you do not have a cohesive, integrated plan, you may be wasting your prospects money if not confusing them. Any business, no matter how big or small, should plan its marketing to ensure the best return on investment.

2. Running Ads is the Only Marketing Plan You Need

Even though an advertising campaign can be relevant as a marketing tactic, it is only but a tactic. Ads are just one of the various ways you can convey your message to your target audience. You should have an integrated plan spelling out different tactics and how they will work harmoniously to help you achieve, sales, lead generation, and awareness.

3. You Already Know What Your Customers Think

People similar to your current customers are your ideal prospects so you need to understand the customer completely. You can gain insight on your customers by conducting customer research courtesy of a professional, independent resource.

4. There is No Need to Market to Your Customers

You should never assume that just because you have customers they are yours for the keeping. Your customers need to be reminded constantly of why they should keep buying from you and not your competitors. Promote to your customers and your prospects too.

5. That Marketing Channel is Too Costly for You

Marketers usually make wrong assumptions about the cost of marketing avenues like direct mail or advertising. You should not cross out a channel because you assume it is too costly. Explore all your options intensively and you might discover that you can access channels that you thought were unaffordable.

6. You Do Not Need Social Media

Regardless of what you sell, the one thing you can be sure of is that your competitors, prospects, and customers are using social media actively. If you do not participate, you will be left out of conversations that could be shaping your marketplace.

7. You Need to Cut Your Marketing Budget because Sales are Down

This is one of the marketing assumptions business owners usually do. They say tough times call for tough decisions but cutting your marketing budget should not be one of these tough decisions. Effective marketing may actually help you come out of a slump with your sales so if you do not continue engaging with prospects and customers, one of your competitors will be ready to take your place.

Nine Things Successful Business Owners (Who Are Actually Happy) Do Differently

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Things Successful Business Owners Do Differently - David Lee-Schneider MarketingDavid Lee-Schneider Marketing

While some business owners struggle to keep their businesses afloat, others appear to flourish even in the most difficult times.

For some, a common complaint seems to be that referrals simply aren’t enough to drum up business anymore. The interesting thing is that most of these same business owners are not trying anything different to market their businesses even though the market clearly seems to have changed. On the other hand, there are business owners who have seen exceptional business growth all through the year and not just any kind of growth either; I am talking about stellar growth.

So what are the things that set successful business owners apart? Here are nine things successful business owners do differently.

1. They Don’t Focus on the State of the Economy

Instead, they focus on how it alters buying behaviours exhibited by their customers without letting the despondency of it depress them. If your services or products are genuinely useful or helpful, then you will definitely find people who are willing to buy from you regardless of the economic conditions.

2. They Offer their Customers Something New

If you find that people aren’t buying what you’re selling, even though they used to, this could be an indication that you need to change things up. The obvious reaction would be to cut your prices, but this will devalue what you are offering. Instead, try adding value by developing new packages out of services and products you already own or updating your current offerings. You could go as far as to offer something entirely new such as training programs, new product bundles or products, an eBook, or even a workshop. Be creative and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. All successful business owners do.

3. They Don’t Just Guess

Successful business owners don’t guess. Conduct a survey and collect customer feedback to discover what they want, so you can offer products and services that are in high demand. You can use free or low-cost online surveys or provide your customers with an in-person questionnaire. Honest customer feedback will help you make better decisions in your business and reassure you when you are on the right track. Be sure to always rely on facts and numbers and stop guessing.

4. They Take Advantage of New Technology

The digital space has grown rapidly in recent years and I am sure you have used one tool or another in your own business. So why not use it to improve your online presence? The social networking tools at your disposal also make it cheaper for you to effectively market your business. Social media allows you to expand your reach and maybe even have fun in the process. However, it is crucial that you actually have a game plan. Download your free social media blueprint to put your entire content strategy on autopilot.

5. They Constantly Grow Their List

Ensure you have a list of your current and previous customers that you keep in touch with, not to mention new prospects. This will help them remember and get to know your business better. Of course, you can collect contact information in your office or over the phone and send out print materials. But to truly leverage your time and tap into your list’s full potential, you should have an offer and sign-up system on your website as part of your marketing strategy and then keep in touch using smart email automation. Why restrict yourself? You can even use both methods to supercharge your list growth.

6. They Offer Value

People expect more value for their money and time today than ever before, so focus less on selling your services and products and more on offering helpful solutions in your marketing strategy for better results. The more value you give, the more people will want to buy from you.

7. They Do Mixed Media Marketing

Develop a marketing plan and strategy that allows you to use multiple tactics or media channels to reach your target audience instead of focusing on just one. Ask yourself where your ideal customers hang out and how to best engage with them on their preferred platform. Then develop a strategy to direct them onto your own list.

8. They Never Stop Learning

Times are changing and you need to stay updated on what is new and working currently but you cannot do this if you are always busy in your business. Successful business owners understand the importance of taking time out of their business to learn and grow. Network, take part in seminars or read new material to meet new people and learn new things about the industry. Check out this list of 6 TED Talks every business owner must watch.

9. They Don’t Do It All Themselves

And finally, you probably don’t have time to learn about everything it takes to run, grow, and promote your business, particularly online. You may end up hitting a wall whereby your business will cease to grow; you will burn out, and feel exhausted. Hire an employee or virtual assistant to help you with repetitive tasks. Engage a professional marketing consultant or digital agency to help you develop and implement a sound marketing strategy that will save you time and headspace. If you’d like to have a chat about how to best grow your business, you can book a free strategy call here.

There you have it. Nine things that will not only help you become more successful in your business but happier as well.

Five Things That Your Business is Overspending on (and How to Fix It)

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Every coin you waste in your business is precious and can be directed towards improving services and products, or reaching more customers. Most companies face the problem of funneling their money towards irrelevant expenses and often it is because they do not take time to reassess their way of “doing things”. If you keep doing the same things over time simply because you have been doing them this way, you could be wasting a significant amount of money. Here are some of the areas in which businesses spend too much money and how you can fix it.

1.  Hiring More Employees than Necessary

Today’s era is one of independent contractors and virtual assistants, so businesses do not need to hire salaried full-time staff to deal with daily tasks. Businesses can outsource these duties to freelancers who can work on a per-project or hourly basis. Your business needs to monitor their salaried workers constantly to make sure their positions genuinely require a full-time employee and only add new positions when the workload calls for it.

2. Indirect Marketing Campaigns

Data analytics have come to play a significant role in everything that businesses do and any company that fails to measure its marketing efforts can find itself left behind. Before purchasing paid advertising or posting on social media, ensure you monitor how your efforts are faring on first. The results of your current email blast could affect your decisions on future marketing campaigns for a long time so it may be worth it. Each dollar you spend could bring in more money for your business.

3. Failing to Monitor Business Expenses

Wining and dining your prospects or clients can be essential for a growing business but you should watch out for those fancy eateries (yep, I know). You could be spending more money than you need to in this area if you do not pay close attention to things. There are various expense- monitoring apps available to help you keep track of your business expenditure. If you are using professional accounting software, like Xero, you can also pull reports at different intervals to show you where exactly your money goes.

4. Is Your Business Overpaying?

If you do not hone your negotiation skills, you may end up spending more money than is required on equipment, supplies, office space leases, manufacturing, and other resources you use to run your business. Learn how to negotiate with your vendors so that you can save money which can be directed toward business growth. You probably spend a lot of time negotiating with your clients to make sure you get the best prices for your services or products, so why not use the same skills on your budget expenditure? Use the 80/20 rule to identify which 20% of your business expenses have the biggest impact on your overall expenditure.

5. New Technology

Businesses usually feel that they should invest in the most up-to-date technology, be it operation management software or devices to help them utilize this software. In addition to spending too much money on software and devices, you could also be investing in building a better marketing foundation and building systems that will allow you to scale your business.

As an independent marketing consultant, I help business owners to design and implement cost-effective marketing strategies that more than pay for themselves. If you are looking for a way to scale your business reliably, using proven strategies, I look forward to having a chat.

To your success,

 

5 Common Reasons Why Your Marketing isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)

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3 Simple Metrics with the Power to Transform Your Business - David Lee-Schneider MarketingDavid Lee-Schneider Marketing

Some common reasons why your marketing isn’t working are probably less obvious than you might think. Marketing, when not done right, can easily fail to produce the desired results. Many times, I have seen business owners sit down to come up with their own marketing strategy, only to end up with great disappointment. However, this is all part of being in business. When we fail, we pick ourselves up and go again.

Nevertheless, I have identified a few common mistakes when it comes to marketing and outlined some strategies for how to fix these problems.

Here are 5 common reasons why your marketing isn’t working

 

1. Trying to be everything to everyone

Many businesses fail to send out a clear message that is targeted at their ideal customer (Avatar). Instead they try to keep their message as broad as possible. This approach results in generic messaging that doesn’t work. Instead, be very clear about your purpose, what your product or service is about and who exactly it is for. Identify who your ideal customers are and craft copy that speaks directly to them. The clearer your message and targeting, the better your sales will be.

2. Competing on price

One approach many businesses take when competition moves in is to lower their price. In some industries, this has led to a war on price between competitors leaving little to none for anyone. Rather than lowering your prices, try to find ways to add more value to your customers. This won’t just leave you better off financially, but also position you as the expert amongst your competitors. Ever seen Apple run a sale?

3. Limiting Marketing to Just One Platform

Businesses have to consider more than one marketing platform. Digital marketing offers countless tools to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your campaigns and proactively increase your sales when you choose to. Social media is just one platform. Email marketing is another. Traditional forms of marketing are also worth testing, especially when targeting customers who are yet to embrace the digital era. Muti-channel marketing also allows you to identify where your best customers are coming from and where to spend most of your budget in order to get the best return.

4. Lack of Strategy

Without a strategy, marketing fails. This is one of the most common reasons why your marketing isn’t working. In marketing, strategy is everything. In fact, the right strategy produces stunning, hitherto unimagined results. Develop a marketing plan and stick to it. Test what’s working, repeat what does, discard what doesn’t. Numbers don’t lie.

5. Dead Techniques

Dead marketing techniques kill businesses faster than ever before. Don’t get stuck in the old ways. If it’s not working, change it. Replace it with something that works. Tweak it if necessary. There’s no need of staying loyal to ideas that cost a lot of money yet have nothing to show for all that investment. Even if it once was your best strategy.

Do you currently have a strategy that allows you to get new customers “on tap”? If not, I might be able to help. As an independent marketing consultant, I help business owners in the retail and hospitality industries to design and implement automated marketing strategies that take their business to a whole new level. When you’re ready, let’s have a chat about your business.

 

6 Lessons About Growing Your Business You’ll Learn From Superheroes

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Can superheroes really teach you any valuable lessons about growing your business?

The world has been blessed with a stream of several top superheroes over the years. From Wonder Woman to Iron Man, Firestorm, Superman, Spiderman, and Thor, there is a long list of superheroes to choose from. There are many lessons we can learn from your childhood idols

They entertain us. They also help us to understand more about ourselves. They remind us of some wonderful lessons regarding humanity that we may have forgotten due to the pressures of life.

However, superheroes can also teach us some valuable lessons about growing our businesses.

Here are 6 lessons about growing your business you can learn from superheroes

 

1. Staying true to our aspirations and beliefs

We are likely to forget or abandon our aspirations and beliefs from time to time. However, a close look at these superheroes shows us that we don’t have to go down that route. Pursue what is right for the business until the end, even if nobody else has the same belief in it.

2. Take your power seriously

Superheroes have a lot of power. They also have a lot of responsibilities hanging over their shoulders. Remarkably, they show an uncanny ability to use their power well. They take what they do seriously and so should we while running and growing our businesses.

3. Be ready to make difficult decisions

A close look at any superhero shows that they struggle to make decisions. The weigh each decision’s pros and cons. Sometimes they fail and other times they succeed. What they are very good at though is the ability and willingness to make difficult decisions.

Any person who desires to run a business needs to be prepared to make some uncomfortable decisions, too.

More importantly, making difficult decisions helps us to know our values better! We can all learn from this Harvard Business Review article about making tough decisions.

4. Never be afraid of asking for what you want

Anyone who runs a business also does a lot of asking. We ask for information. We ask for data. We ask clients to give us feedback. We ask clients to buy our products and services. Superheroes are never afraid of asking.

Never be afraid to use marketing automation apps to help the business expand.

We can’t grow any business if we are afraid of asking for help or stating what we want.

5. Stay focused on the most important tasks

Superheroes assume a new aura when pursuing specific goals. They allow nothing to distract them. Entrepreneurs also have to develop such an attitude. It’s important that we stay focused on the areas of our businesses that perform exceedingly well while ignoring distractions. This is just one of the lessons about growing your business you can learn from them.

6. Don’t wait until you feel ready, start now

It’s normal for us to wait until we feel ready to do what we ought to do. That may not be an effective way of growing a business. Superheroes never wait until all conditions are perfect to do something. They get up and do whatever is required now.

There’s no perfect time. Do whatever has to be done NOW!

If it’s digital marketing, embark on it right away! I’ll help you. Let’s have a chat to find out where you’re at and what you need to transform your marketing.

What lessons about growing your business have you learned? Let me know in the comments below.

To your success,

References

Four Tragic Mistakes You’re Making with Digital Marketing

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You might or might not be aware of the mistakes you’re making with digital marketing. It takes a lot of effort and time to make digital marketing produce the desired results. It is not limited to marketing automation software or apps. Digital marketing comes with a unique set of technologies and, most importantly, a great strategy. When you are lacking the right strategy, however, it has several pitfalls and it’s easy to make fatal mistakes that can cost you your business.

Here are four of the most common mistakes business owners are making with digital marketing.

1. Failure to identify a target audience

My business cannot prosper if I fail to identify the customers I wish to target with my products and services. Marketing must always take place with the customer in mind. I must identify and define my customers. I must know who they are. The advice I give to my fellow business owners is to put all digital marketing campaigns on hold until we have a clear idea of the type of customer we want to serve.

Start by studying the audience before formulating a campaign based on their behavior.

2. Lack of marketing strategy

Nothing ever happens consistently and successfully without a strategy in place. Marketing, whether digital or traditional, needs good strategies in place to produce the results the business owner or marketer envisions. In my time, I have seen several tactics and techniques used instead of the solid and reliable strategies. A strategy should come before any tactic or technique. Strategy always shines the light on the path threatened by “darkness” and “uncertainties.”

3. Ignoring mobile

Any form of marketing carried out in the 21st Century that doesn’t consider mobile is set to be a massive flop. Marketing that does not take a mobile-first strategy cannot go far. Ignoring mobile means discriminating against possibly 50% of the customers who keep the business running. Mobile optimization is essential for marketing. Ignore mobile and forget about conversions. Neglect mobile and even great content will not help.

Use this guide to develop a mobile digital marketing campaign.

4. Saying No to SEO

One of the mistakes you’re making with digital marketing is saying no to SEO.It is here to stay. Search engines still believe in SEO and so should we. Digital marketing requires the use of tools such as websites. E-commerce would not happen without websites. A business needs a solid and competitive online presence to be successful. That presence is impossible to create while ignoring SEO and thinking that it is dead. SEO is essential for building and maintaining a healthy presence online.

Avoid ignoring conversion optimisation either.

Avoid implementing too many tactics. Instead, use 1-2 tactics at a time and ensure you can track your results.

Know what your target audience wants.

Know where you can find you target audience.

Adopt strategies for reaching your ideal customers by delivering value.

I hope these points will help you avoid some of the mistakes you’re making with your digital marketing. Have you learned any other valuable lessons in the process of running your business? Let me know in the comments below.

To your success,

 

Reference

6 Common Misconceptions about Digital Marketing

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Digital marketing has helped entrepreneurs and business owners to take their business to the next level. It offers more advantages than other forms of marketing. Digital marketing doesn’t remain dormant for any length of time. It constantly changes and evolves. Along with that rapid change come a number of misconceptions about digital marketing that many believe to be true.

Not enough business owners have a broad enough understanding of what digital marketing can and cannot do and how to harness its true power.

Here are six of the most common misconceptions about digital marketing that I often here when talking to business owners in Australia.

6 Misconceptions about Digital Marketing

1. Digital marketing is for small businesses only

Digital marketing enables all businesses – whether small or large – to identify ways of communicating and engaging with their ideal customers or clients. It offers businesses several benefits, including faster turnaround time when testing campaigns, low cost and much more targeted advertising. It works for small and large businesses alike. No matter your budget or size of your company.

2. Digital marketing doesn’t contribute significantly to any company’s business strategy

This represents yet another misconception that mostly emanates from marketers who believe in traditional forms of marketing alone. Today’s customers are more likely to search for whatever they need on the Internet first thus making digital marketing essential to them.

Modern businesses and companies need websites.

3. It only succeeds with extremely large website traffic

The effectiveness of digital marketing is tied down to quality rather than quantity. For this reason, heavy or tiny traffic doesn’t matter! In our experience, quality will always attract and bring in the numbers that any business needs.

4. A website is all that a business needs for digital marketing

A website plays a crucial part in any successful digital marketing campaign. However, by no means is it the only requirement or ingredient! The website needs fresh content. The content has to be a mix of texts and videos.

Static content will not help the website.

Forbes offers a few ideas on what to do when content grows static and stale.

Static content harms digital marketing even if it’s posted on the most beautiful website.

5. Only worthwhile if my competition use it

Businesses need all the advantages they can get to stay ahead. In my line of work, I’ve realized that I don’t have to embrace digital marketing only because my competition uses it. If I take that path, I will always be behind and that would probably kill my business.

6. It’s not the answer for my industry

One of the misconceptions of digital marketing is that it doesn’t work well in all industries. The truth is it basically works well for all types of industries. It is not limited to a few industries. Any business that applies the principles of digital marketing will reap its fruits the industry notwithstanding. Digital marketing works for all industries whose clients search for products and services online.

Lastly, remember that SEO isn’t dead.

Embrace digital marketing as its results benefit all businesses in all industries.

 

References

5 Little Tweaks That’ll Transform Your Digital Marketing

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Why would you want to transform your digital marketing? Digital marketing is a super dynamic field. It changes at a meteoric pace. Many businesses struggle to keep up with and adapt to these fast changes. It is important, especially for marketers, to always be on the lookout for the next wave of changes and not settle for old ways of doing business.

Your current strategy may require a few tweaks from time to time to improve the results it offers. A few tweaks rather than a massive overhaul is often all it takes to take your campaign to whole new level. Here is a list of five tweaks worth implementing to transform your digital marketing.

1. Integrating Data Into All Your Marketing Decisions

Stop all digital marketing (and any other form of marketing) that is not data-driven. Business owners who continue marketing while ignoring data stand a high chance of heading into a storm of failure. Any content that you develop devoid of data will not produce the desired results either. Make sure you know exactly how much of your budget you are putting into a campaign and what you get out. Track everything!

2. SEO Should Remain a Priority

You will hear all manner of things regarding SEO. For example, some will tell you it’s dying, if not dead already. Well, you have a choice to make here. Either you believe them or you don’t. We would rather you continue prioritizing SEO though. Learn to prioritize SEO.

SEO isn’t a new concept. It’s critical to developing a highly effective digital marketing strategy. Good SEO helps ensures all your content is getting the attention it deserves. More quality traffic will result in more business.

3. Personalising Your Customer Experience

In many industries today, customers are demonstrating a bias towards companies that offer them personalised experiences. It’s not surprising that our lifestyle and interests often determine the choices we make. A highly intuitive group of marketers is necessary to map out and develop this kind of customer experience. Use tools like email automation, Messenger Marketing and other platforms that allow for action-based communication to create a personalised buying journey for each of your customers.

4. Making The Most of Your Website

Your website, if done well, can be one of the biggest assets in your business. Make sure the content on your website is of high quality, engaging and current, so visitors spend more time engaging with it. Make it easy for people to share your ideas using social sharing tools.

Ensure your website is capable of capturing leads by providing additional value to people who opt-in. Opt-in popups are a great way to capture engaged visitors.

Make your website responsive! In 2018, more than 80% of people visit a website on a mobile device. Failing to have a responsive website will not only result in lost visitors, but in lost business opportunities, too.

5. Improve Your Email Campaigns

A well-designed digital marketing strategy always incorporates email campaigns. Emails are not new tools in marketing. Since we already established that the world has moved on, we also have to change how we carry out our email campaigns.

How To Improve Your Email Campaigns:

  1. provide your customers with more value and content they will actually love
  2. being concise by passing the right message at the right time
  3. making the Calls to Action clear while creating a sense of urgency
  4. be consistent with your sending frequency, tone of voice, design and core message

Embrace segmentation and personalisation when developing your email marketing campaigns.

In fact, marketing automation often results in a drastic improvement of the email campaigns I run for my clients.

What are some tweaks that you have used in the past to improve the results and transform your digital marketing campaigns? Let me know in the comments below!

 

References

Seven Things Smart Entrepreneurs Do Daily

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If you pay attention to entrepreneurial culture, you may start to notice a few daily trends among successful entrepreneurs. You may not be the ‘waking up at 4 a.m.’ type of entrepreneur but you may learn a thing or two from them. Below are some things smart entrepreneurs do on a daily basis.

1. They Plan Their Day

When you venture into the entrepreneurial life after working a 9 to 5, you will have so much time on your hands that you will not know what to do with it, literally. Instead of spending your newfound free time on Netflix, you should be growing your business. Successful entrepreneurs plan their days out so they know what needs to be done at what time to optimize their time. This is considered as the top thing smart entrepreneurs do on a daily basis.

2. They Take Time Off To Recharge

You may think that as an entrepreneur, there is no time to waste on rest but you need to know when to take a break. There is a difference between working effectively and working. Successful entrepreneurs usually have a strict work schedule, but they also have time off from their work and it does not eat into their work. You can switch off from work to help you find happiness in other things aside from work. Also, ensure you get enough rest or take time from work so you can recharge and get a new perspective on things. 

3. Smart Entrepreneurs Focus On Self-Development

Successful, smart entrepreneurs also use methods like coaching, mentoring, workshops, courses, audiobooks, and podcasts to enhance self-development. You need to keep learning in order to continue growing. Once you become an entrepreneur, invest in self-development and your own education. It helps you learn more about business and become more self-aware so you can grow professionally and personally. 

The fastest way to learn is to connect with other entrepreneurs who have already done what you are trying to achieve. Join a network of like-minded business owners to connect with and learn from others.

3. Smart Entrepreneurs Outsource 

You will get to a point in your business where you will feel the need to start outsourcing tasks because you are tired and cannot grow, but worried about making enough money to cover outsourcing. This is the ideal time to start. Successful entrepreneurs have admitted that outsourcing to experts was a turning point for their business allowing faster growth and bringing in more income than before.

4. They Have A Way Of Keeping Up with Their Inbox 

Outsource your inbox or schedule time to check emails and respond to them to avoid becoming a slave to it. Smart entrepreneurs turn off email notifications to resist the urge to keep checking each one as it comes in. 

5. Healthy Entrepreneurs Maintain Proper Nutrition

You can easily slip in this department as an entrepreneur because you may become caught up in your daily activities and end up eating a couple of snacks throughout the day. This also boils down to planning your day; schedule eating times and go as far as planning your meals and preparing them in advance.

6. They Take Time for Themselves

Everyone needs to take time for themselves regardless of how many hours he or she works or sleeps. Successful entrepreneurs schedule time for themselves for quiet time to meditate or read a book. You may also need to be away physically once in a while for a holiday; make sure you schedule it in so it does not clash with your business activities. 

7. They Use Time Chunking To Be More Productive

The idea here is that a task can take as long as the amount of time you have allocated to complete it. Schedule a specific amount of time to complete a specific task and you will be able to complete multiple tasks without procrastinating and with laser focus. Successful entrepreneurs have attributed this method to their increased productivity.

What’s something that you do regularly to stay on track and up your productivity? Let me know in the comments below!