Why Email Marketing in 2024 is More Important for Business Growth Than Ever

Why Email Marketing Today is More Important Than Ever - David Lee-Schneider

Recently, I had a conversation with the owner of a beauty salon in Sydney who asked me for the best ways to market her business. But when I mentioned email marketing as a strategy, she looked at me stunned. “Aren’t emails dead?”, she asked.

The answer is, far from it! To this day, email marketing remains one of the most effective (and profitable) ways to reach your target audience. In fact, it’s never been more important for small business owners to focus on building their email marketing list than in 2024. Here are 5 reasons why.

1. You Own The Data And Stay in Control

Many business owners are under the impression that a Facebook or Instagram page is enough nowadays as a marketing strategy. And while I agree that they provide a fantastic opportunity to grow your audience, no business should solely rely on social media.

Facebook has already made drastic changes to the way your content is distributed. Have you noticed that your reach has decreased significantly over the last few years? Even if your page has thousands of followers, that doesn’t mean you can reach them. Only about 5-10% will actually see your posts.

The reason is that Facebook and Instagram are in the business of advertising. So, if you operate a business page, of course they want you to pay for your content to reach more people. That means it’s really out of your control.

As a business owner, you always want to minimise risks and putting too much power in the hand of social media companies is a risky move. Your email list, however, is completely owned by you, not Meta.

2. Email Marketing Delivers Personalised Experiences

One of the biggest benefits of email marketing is that it allows you to create personalised customer journeys. When you send an email to your list, you’re not just reaching out to everyone on that list – you’re targeting each contact personally. This means that you can connect with your customers on a more personal level, creating a stronger connection and building trust.

Think about it this way: If a business sends you an email and all they say is, “Hey, thanks for subscribing!” – chances are that you find it rather impersonal. But if they send you an email that’s personalised and tailored specifically to your interests, then you’re much more likely to read and respond.

Especially in small businesses, this can have a huge effect on how their business is perceived. Making use of email automation is very much like cloning yourself multiple times. You can send all your leads and customers the right message at the right time. And in marketing, timing is everything.

3. Email Marketing Allows You to Build Long-Term Relationships with Customers

Another great benefit of email marketing is that it can be used to establish long-term relationships with your customers. This builds trust and keeps your customers coming back – which is essential for small businesses on a budget.

Email is the ideal medium to onboard new customers using a series of short messages to introduce them to your services, your team and all the other benefits your business provides. It’s also a great way to introduce existing customers to products and services they haven’t tried before. This will also increase your chances of building repeat business and increasing your overall sales.

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4. Email Marketing Can Be Used To Drive Traffic To Your Website (Or Wherever You Want It)

One of the best ways to drive traffic to your website is through email marketing. Having people join your mailing list, means you can reach out to them again and again at virtually no cost. This means that you can send them new content and updates regularly, driving traffic back to your website, to specific offers, to your other social media channels and more.

Moreover, it allows you to invite customers to leave a review for your business on Google and Facebook, which is a fantastic way to enhance your reputation online and improve your Google rankings.

With all these benefits, email marketing should no longer be an option, but an absolute must-have for any small business owner who is serious about growing their business.

5. Your Email Marketing Strategy Can Be Fully Automated

To me, the real benefit of implementing an email marketing strategy is that it can be completely automated. That means it’s not another thing you, as the business owner, have to manage or worry about. It’s something you can set and forget, like we did for V-Hub Dance, a dance studio based in Brisbane, Australia.

Marketing automation is often overlooked and undervalued.

As a marketing consultant, I help business owners all over Australia implement effective, fully automated marketing strategies that free up their time, budget and headspace.

If you would like to have a chat about your business and how we can use email marketing and other automation tools to help you scale, click here to book a free strategy call with me today.

4 Smart (Not So Obvious) Ways To Grow Your Business

Business Growth Hacks, Marketing, Productivity

David Lee-Schneider Marketing

In essence, there are only three ways to grow your business. Increase the number of customers, increase the purchase frequency, and increase your average transaction value. However, there are a number of not so obvious ways to increase sales and make your business more profitable. Here are four of them. Ready? Then let’s go!

1. Automate processes to increase efficiency and reduce cost

Today, there are thousands of tools out there to help you automate repetitive business processes. Simply automating a few things can help you significantly reduce wages and free up valuable time. When looking for ways to grow our business, we often overlook areas that don’t directly contribute to your profit. Here are a few things you can automate quickly and easily that could put money back in your pocket.

Social Media Posts
Invoicing
Email Marketing
Online Advertising
Lead Generation
Sales Processes & Follow Up
Internal Task Management
Review Management

Tools like Zapier and Integromat can help you connect various services and software to make processes even more efficient.

Some examples:

When you have a new lead -> automatically add a contact to a list -> then send a follow-up sequence
After a customer makes a purchase for the second time -> send an invitation to review on Facebook
When a purchase is made on your website -> automatically create an invoice in Xero

2. Launch a re-targeting ad campaign

Many business owners already use ads to attract new customers and generate new business. However, if you only run direct ads, you are missing out on a huge chunk of potential customers by ignoring this simple strategy. Re-targeting ads are a powerful tool that allows you to show specific ads to people who have already interacted with your content in the past, adding continuity to your customer experience and significantly increasing the chances of turning them into customers.

Se if you can offer them something of value in relation to certain pages or blog posts they have visited on your website.

Example: A yoga studio might show a re-targeting ad for a free yoga pass to people in their area who have read blog posts on the benefits of yoga on their website. When people see the ad, they can enter their email address to claim the free yoga pass and automatically be subscribed to an evergreen campaign. (See next point)

3. Stop focusing on one-off promotions and develop an “Evergreen” campaign instead

The majority of business owners think of marketing and promotions in terms of one-off activities. It might look something like this:

January -> Promotion #1
February -> Promotion #2
March -> Promotion #3

While this might work well, it also requires you to continuously come up with new promotions, which can be exhausting and feel like you’re always running behind.

Instead, create an “evergreen” funnel that sends new leads or customers a series of pre-designed offers from the moment they join your list. Then keep adding new offers to that sequence. Over time, this strategy allows you to develop a marketing machine that continuously produces sales without ever having to worry about what your next promotion is going to be. You just need to make sure that offers in that sequence are timeless and not seasonal.

All you need is a good email automation tool, like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, and there are many more options available.

4. Make Partnerships “evergreen”, too

Partnerships and joint ventures with other businesses that complement yours is a powerful strategy. You might have already partnered with another business in the past to run a one-off campaign promoting your products or services. Maybe you’ve asked the other business to hand out vouchers to all their customers.

See if you can turn this strategy into an evergreen campaign, too, like in the previous example. Look for businesses that already have an evergreen funnel and see if they are happy to plug your offer right into it, while you can do the same for them.

Example: One of my clients owns a massage clinic, while another owns a yoga studio. I got both of them to add an email to their existing evergreen sequences promoting the other business. Now, everyone who receives a massage at the massage clinic also receives a complimentary yoga gift card, and everyone who joins the yoga studio receives a discount voucher for a massage a month later.

There you have it. Four (not so obvious) ways to grow your business over the next few months. All four are “set and forget” strategies that you only have to set up once and will benefit from forever.

5 Audiobooks For Business & Personal Growth That Will Change Your Life Forever

Business Growth Hacks, Marketing, Mindset, Personal Development, Productivity

David Lee-Schneider Marketing

If you’re anything like me, you probably love books! A great book can offer us a glimpse into the vast knowledge and experience of an expert in any field we choose to deepen our understanding, and we often learn a lot about ourselves while exploring new topics.

If you’ve met me before, you may have seen me with headphones glued to my ears. I listen to audiobooks pretty much everywhere I go, always looking for little nuggets that have the power to transform my thinking. I firmly believe, when we upgrade our thinking, we also upgrade our lives as a result.

Whatever it is you’re looking to improve – whether it’s your business skills, personal development or increasing your emotional intelligence, this list of timeless must-reads is for you.

So, here they are, my all-time favourite audiobooks (in no particular order) that I personally love and which I have recommended on many occasions. Enjoy!

5 Insanely Valuable Audiobooks For Guaranteed Business & Personal Growth

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

by Timothy Ferriss

This was one of the first-ever self-development books I read in my life. It surely has transformed my thinking and my views on life. I must say, for this particular one, I preferred the hard copy book over the audiobook. It’s got some great tools and exercises to help you redefine your life and to go outside your comfort zone and push your limits. It’s definitely at the top of my personal favourites.

iTunes Description: If your dream is escaping the rat race, high-end world travel, monthly five-figure income with zero management or just living more and working less then this audiobook is the blueprint. Forget your tired, old retirement concepts and throw out that deferred-life plan – there’s no need to wait and every reason not to. You can have it all! This audiobook is the compass for a new and revolutionary world. Start living now!

Download on iTunes

The Richest Man in Babylon & The Magic Story: Two Classic Parables about Achieving Wealth and Personal Success (Unabridged)

by Napoleon Hill Foundation

Beautifully narrated and creatively brought to life, this audiobook is both, informative and entertaining. The information herein will be life-changing if one can grasp the essence of it. I have gifted this book to many people and listen to it again every few months to remind myself about the great lessons in it. Highly recommend this version of the book, as it’s easy to listen to in about an hour without losing its essence (the original version of The Richest Man in Babylon goes for a few hours).

iTunes Description: These two parables – one ancient, one modern – contain time-tested secrets that will put you on the road to happiness and prosperity. They offer simple, yet powerful truths about the challenges we all face, and must overcome on the road to success. The Richest Man in Babylon: George Clason’s motivational classic story of Arkad, a man of humble origins who became the richest man in Babylon. In dialogue with his fellow citizens, he reveals the attitudes and behaviour that brought him wealth and happiness. The Magic Story: What turns a loser into a winner? Jay, a down-on-his-luck writer, sees his once struggling friend Sturtevant transformed into a man of supreme confidence and achievement. How did his friend do it?

Download on iTunes

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

by Dr Joe Dispenza

During a time when I could barely get out of bed in the morning, this book has helped me to redefine my purpose and given me new motivation. It teaches why we feel certain emotions, the biochemical processes behind the reason for why we subconsciously decide to put ourselves into a negative state and how to break this crushing habit of self-sabotage and depression. This is a book I would recommend to everyone, as it deals with the underlying thought processes and behaviours that determine our emotional state, and ultimately our actions.

iTunes Description: You are not doomed by your genes and hardwired to be a certain way for the rest of your life. New science is emerging that empowers all human beings to create the reality they choose. In Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, renowned author, speaker, researcher, and chiropractor Dr Joe Dispenza combines the fields of quantum physics, neuroscience, brain chemistry, biology, and genetics to show you what is truly possible. Not only will you be given the necessary knowledge to change any aspect of yourself, but you will be taught the step-by-step tools to apply what you learn in order to make measurable changes in any area of your life. Dr Joe demystifies ancient understandings and bridges the gap between science and spirituality. Through his powerful workshops and lectures, thousands of people in 24 different countries have used these principles to change from the inside out. Once you break the habit of being yourself and truly change your mind, your life will never be the same! This audiobook comes with bonus downloadable content. Please go to www.drjoedispenza.com/bhby to download this material.

Download on iTunes

The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life – Before 8 AM (Unabridged)

by Hal Elrod

Hal Elrod’s philosophy is simple. The way you start your morning, determines how your day pans out, and ultimately, your life. This might sound overly simplistic, but this book has the power to transform your life into a miracle. It clearly shows how important it is to proactively design your life and create habits and rituals that support us in our journey to fulfilling our true potential. The Miracle Morning gives you a clear road map, as well as the specific tools to do just that.

iTunes Description: What if you could miraculously wake up tomorrow and any – or every area of your life was transformed? What would be different? Would you be happier? Healthier? More successful? In better shape? Would you have more energy? Less Stress? More Money? Better relationships? Which of your problems would be solved? What if I told you that there is a “not-so-obvious” secret that is guaranteed to transform any – or literally every area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible? What if I told you it would only take 6 minutes a day? Enter The Miracle Morning. What’s now being practised by thousands of people around the world could perhaps be the simplest approach to creating the life you’ve always wanted. It’s been right there in front of us, but this audiobook has finally brought it to life. Are you ready? The next chapter of your life – the most extraordinary life you’ve ever imagined – is about to begin. You deserve an extraordinary life. It’s time to wake up to your full potential.

Download on iTunes

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People & The 8th Habit (Special 3-Hour Abridgement)

by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of those books that you can read again and again, and each time learns new things you didn’t pick up previously. This book is full of incredible life lessons that are guaranteed to enrich your personal relationships, in business and personal life. I have read this book four times and will be reading it many more. Highly recommended. This version of the book is a condensed one and also includes the sequel by the same author, The 8th Habit.

iTunes Description: This new audio set is a very special abridgement of two of Stephen R. Covey’s best-selling business books, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 8th Habit, read by Dr Covey himself. We’ve condensed the content of two entire books into just three hours of audio, but you’ll still enjoy Dr Covey’s lessons on powerful personal change and how to incorporate his ideas into your life to fulfil your ultimate potential.

Download on iTunes

What are some of your favourite books when it comes to business and personal development? Let me know in the comments below!

10 Changes You Can Make to Improve Your Business Dramatically

Business Growth Hacks, Mindset, Productivity

David Lee-Schneider Marketing

Every business owner wants their business to thrive. But to Improve your business, you can’t just rely on sheer luck. There are certain fundamentals of running a business that simply can’t be skipped. Here are a few changes you can make to running your business to dramatically improve performance and push you to the top of the pack.

1. Giving Back to Improve Your Business

While this may sound a little counterintuitive, one thing you can do to improve your business is to give back. Ensure you have a life mission reflecting your need to make a difference in the lives of others. Money should not be the main motivation because it’s usually a non-monetary purpose that will help you keep going during challenging times and bring you the self-satisfaction, and happiness that you are looking for. Giving back to your local community will also increase support for your business. What are some ways in which you can give back? Can you contribute to a good cause? Donate products or services? Provide guidance to other local businesses?

2. Practice Physical Activity

This may not seem business-related, however, engaging in physical activity is one of the best ways to improve your quality of sleep, boost brain chemistry, become more creative, and clear your mind. It also helps to boost your longevity, happiness, and health. This will have a direct effect on how you think and operate your business, so you can be more productive in growing your business.

3. Self-coaching

When we think of coaching, we usually think of being coached by someone else. But becoming your own coach and maintaining a positive inner dialogue can be one of the most significant changes you’ll ever make in your life. It’s easy to slip into negative self-talk and go down the slippery slope of self-blame and self-pity. But if we want our business to be successful, then we need to develop a positive outlook on things, become our own best friend and coach ourselves through the tough times.

4. Be Willing to Do What It Takes

True success rarely comes without sacrifices. So, make it a habit to show up every day. Commit to the long haul and be willing to devote your energy and time to work toward your goals. Identify time-consuming distractions that take your focus away from your business and life. Do at least one thing every day to move you closer to your goals. Of course, in order to do so, we need to first get clear on what our goals are. Click here to learn how to write a business vision to gain clarity and motivation.

5. Love What You Do

I’ve found that the most successful business owners I work with have dedicated their lives and businesses to what they do best and love most. As a result, they create wonderful businesses that bring joy and add value to their customers. Are you creating a business that you truly love or are you merely focused on making an income? The good news is, it’s possible to do both!

6. Start a Journal

Another thing you can do to improve your business is to start journaling. Regularly write down your thoughts and ideas, so you can translate them into tangible form. Writing offers us a different perspective on our desires, our current state, our goals and helps us reflect on our mistakes. Don’t just get busy going down the wrong path. Make time to reflect and redirect your efforts to ensure you arrive at a place you actually love.

7. Improve your Business by Making Lists

Lists are amazing. They help us capture goals we want to accomplish and stay on track when we feel a little lost. Learn to work with different lists for the upcoming day, week, month, and year. Be sure to prioritise the items on your lists, so you can allocate your time and effort to what’s most important to you at any given time. When we write down our dreams and desires we turn them into goals, which significantly increases our chances of actually achieving them.

8. Learn to Listen

Listening is an important skill in business. Whether it’s our customers, partners or the people we work with, actively listening will offer us a deeper understanding to ultimately make better decisions. Regularly collect honest customer feedback to truly understand their needs and tweak your business accordingly. Learn to use their language, rather than jargon. No one wants to buy from someone they don’t understand.

9. Practice Clearing Your Mind

As business owners, we often have to wear multiple hats, which can become quite overwhelming at times. It’s important to make time to clear our minds every now and then to stay focused. Learn to make quick decisions that are conclusive to avoid cluttering your mind with unfinished business. The habit of constantly delaying our decision-making can have a huge impact on our well-being. While it may not always possible, try to make it a habit to never leave work without a clear mind. Lots of small unfinished decisions can quickly build up and prevent us from focusing our energy and headspace on the truly important ones.

10. Find Ways to Leverage Your Time

Lastly, find ways to make better use of your own time. Just because you do something better than anyone else, it doesn’t mean that it’s the best use of your time. Today, many business and marketing processes can be completely automated. In his book ‘The Four Hour Work Week‘, Tim Ferris suggests we delegate any tasks we can to free up our own time and headspace. But before delegating any tasks, we should see if it’s possible to automate them instead. Automation allows us to save vast amounts of time and significantly reduce operating costs. Automation not only helps us simplify running our business but also be more profitable.

As a marketing consultant, I help business owners to automate all of their marketing activities, so they can focus on running their business without worrying about where new customers are going to come from. If you would like to have a chat about how you can grow your business faster and more effectively, book a free strategy call with me here.

Seven Things to Emulate from Successful Entrepreneurs

Business Growth Hacks, Mindset, Productivity

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!

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

Business Growth Hacks, Mindset, Productivity

David 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)

Business Growth Hacks, Marketing, Mindset, Productivity

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,

6 TED Talks Every Business Owner Should Watch

Marketing, Mindset, Personal Development, Productivity

David Lee-Schneider Marketing

TED Talks are geared towards spreading ideas using short, powerful talks. The talks last no more than 18 minutes each, are factual and entertaining. Initially, they revolved around Technology, Entertainment, and Design (hence the name TED) when they started out in 1984.

Today, the talks touch on almost all areas of life and business.

As business owners, we can learn a lot from watching many of these talks and gain valuable insights. The good news is, the talks are freely available on TED.com.

TED Talks For Business Owners

Here are my top TED Talks every business owner should watch, in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. Cameron Herold: Let’s Raise Kids To Be Entrepreneurs

Cameron Herold, who founded COO Alliance, gave a TED Talk entitled, “Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs.” In his words, the traditional system of education does not encourage kids to be entrepreneurs. He believes that we should change the system to produce more entrepreneurs.

2. Nirmalya Kumar: India’s Invisible Innovation

Nirmalya Kumar’s TED Talk focuses on the link between business and innovation. As most business owners know, running a business successfully requires a good dose of innovation. A business that constantly develops new products and processes has a higher chance of success.

3. Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Eight years ago, Simon Sinek gave a TED Talk on the role great leaders play in inspiring action. The lessons from that talk are still relevant today. Company leaders call the shots. CEOs determine the direction a company takes.

A leader determines how successful a company’s digital marketing campaign shall be.

4. Regina Hartley: Why The Best Hire Might Not Have The Perfect Resume

What makes Regina Hartley’s TED Talk a must watch for entrepreneurs is the advice she gives on the role of a resume in hiring or not hiring a new employee. Entrepreneurs put too much focus on what is on the resumes.

They forget that the resumes never capture all the important details of a prospective employee.

For example, the resume may not tell an entrepreneur everything the prospective employee did in creating a marketing automation software. A perfect resume may keep us away from one who has overcome great difficulties and challenges to get here.

5. Philip Evans: How Data Will Transform Business

The TED Talk Philip Evans gave in 2014 was designed to help businesses understand the role of data. We have to understand the transformational ability that data has in any business. We can no longer ignore analysing the importance of technology and data for running a business.

After all, marketing automation, like all types of technology, depends on data.

6. Seth Godin: How To Get Your Ideas To Spread

Seth Godin’s TED Talk was titled “How to get your ideas to spread”. In that talk, we understand the importance of using bizarre ideas in marketing. Good and boring ideas are not always productive. Bizarre ones, on the other hand, capture and retain customer’s attention.

These must-watch business TED Talks are a great start for any entrepreneur who is wanting to learn and grow themselves and their business.

What are your favourite TED talks? Please share the link in the comments below.

Four Tragic Mistakes You’re Making with Digital Marketing

Business Growth Hacks, Marketing, Productivity

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

Seven Things Smart Entrepreneurs Do Daily

Business Growth Hacks, Personal Development, Productivity

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!