Essential Social Media Tips for Entrepreneurs

In today’s market, social media marketing is a must if you want to grow your business and your brand. It's also one of the least expensive ways to promote your business. When executed well, social media can go a long way toward putting a business on the map.

Mastering social media, overall, isn’t rocket science: A combination of common sense and fundamentals goes a long way. Here are four ways entrepreneurs can win at social media.

(Curated from Inc.)

1. Be an Active Listener

If you want to understand what consumers want, you have to listen to what they're saying. Monitor consumers' online opinions by simply “listening.” Your business can gain valuable marketing insights from this feedback.

"The goal is to listen for relevant conversations, discerning who the applicable influencers are in your specific field," says Shonali Burke, president and CEO of social public relations consulting firm Shonali Burke Consulting. "Once you know who the influencers are, you can influence them, which then spreads your message to others of the same ilk."

2. Make a Plan

Similarly to the way you do everything else in the world of business, you must make a plan before executing. Same goes for social media. An editorial calendar provides a smart way for entrepreneurial businesses to manage multiple social media marketing strategies, which can get complicated otherwise.

"An editorial calendar helps you thematically recognize the social media content you have planned over the next few weeks," Burke says. "It helps organize your schedule so the whole process is a lot less challenging."

3. Amplify

Rather than just churning out social media content and calling it a day, make sure you also help customers so that they amplify their positive experiences in their social media conversations. In order to do this, you must be sensitive to a customer's lifestyle and personal needs.

"You can't help the audience if you don't know their pain points, which means they don't have anything positive to amplify to others," says Andrew Moravick, a research analyst in Aberdeen Group's marketing and sales effectiveness practice. "The solution is not to ask questions of current customers such as, 'How do you like our brand?' but rather to engage in a personal relationship. Ask them what their struggles are. Social media is about life."

4. Understand Your Analytics

Resources like Facebook Page Insights and Twitter analytics provide you with all the information you need to see what is working and what isn’t. Check these daily and stay on top of your campaigns.

"You need objective-based benchmarks and clear measurements for success that you can track on a systematic basis to ensure the messaging is working and is repeatable," says Moravick. "This requires that you first define what it is you're looking to achieve, such as the number of people talking about your business in their social media conversations."

Have any great social media tips of your own? Share them in the comments below!

How Millennials Will Change the Workplace in 2017

The millennial generation, born between 1980 and 2000, is now the largest generation at work and will continue to shape the world of work for years to come -- but what’s in store for us in 2017? Studies show the Millennial generation is more collaborative than others and has a strong preference for remote work options. Additionally, Millennial workers prefer to use technology to interact and get work done.

With that in mind, here are three ways the workplace will change in 2017 and beyond, as younger generations begin to dominate the workforce:

(Curated from Inc.)

1. Instant Messaging Will Become the Primary Internal Communication Tool

While email is typically used as the primary form of communication among employees, many businesses are slowly trying to adopt more efficient forms of internal communication tools, such as instant messaging, project management platforms, and collaboration technology.

“One French IT company, for example, recently tried to eradicate email entirely. According to the company's CEO, only 10 percent of the 200 messages employees received each day were deemed useful, and 18 percent were considered spam. He challenged his 74,000-person company to eliminate internal emails and communicate instead via instant messaging and live chat tools.”

2. Traditional Workspace Designs Will Be Eliminated

Millennial leaders are changing the way workspaces are designed by knocking down the cubicles and replacing them with open, community-driven office spaces.

“Modern business leaders are adopting similar approaches to workplace design by eliminating cubicles and divided departments, and allowing for open meeting spaces and seating areas. Open offices better facilitate communication and encourage more in-person interaction. This leads to better problem solving, more rapid collaboration, and community development.”

3.  The 9-to-5 Schedule Will No Longer Exist

Millennials are reimagining the 40-hour work week. They want to work when they want and where they want.

“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than 20 million Americans actively choose part-time work to deliberately secure work-life balance and gain more flexible work hours. Technology also makes it possible for businesses to eliminate the traditional 9-to-5 schedule.”

Millennial business leaders are creating work environments that give employees more flexibility over their schedules, using technology to allow people to work when and where it works best for them.

With constant technological developments, rapidly shifting economies, and increased desire for freedom and meaning, the workplace is evolving. As you go into the new year, keeping these three workplace trends in mind will help you prepare for 2017 and beyond.

How Your Startup Can Master the Art of Emailing

With the amount of emails flooding in every day, it can be difficult to stand out, especially for a new business. Whether your startup needs more clients, partners, customers, or publicity, it’s important to create high quality content for your email campaigns. Here are three ways to get your startup’s email marketing campaign off on the right foot:

(Curated from Entrepreneur)

Get Personal

If copy writing isn’t really your thing, don’t sweat it -- this will probably make your emails sound like they’re from an actual person instead of a sales robot.

“Let your personality show. It will make your message more engaging for readers -- unless that message is self-centered, long-winded or confusing. Your emails should be clear, concise and focused on your audience’s needs.”

Think Small

Rather than treating email like a dating app and taking the “swipe right on everyone” approach, focus on sending the right content to the right people.

“Even though we’ve compiled a big media list, we spend most of our time researching the right journalists to pitch to for each new study we publish. We don’t automatically email everyone in our database just because we have their contact info or we’ve emailed them before. Instead, the story has to be a relevant and potentially valuable resource for the reporter(s) targeted. Creating small, targeted email lists has helped increase our open and response rates, as well as build relationships and credibility with our audience.”

Analyze Your Data

Looking at your email data and making some adjustments to your next campaign is easy, but what about comparing multiple campaigns or targeting high-priority people over time? One way to keep improving results is to manually track key data. If you don’t use email software, you may already do this. If not, then consider creating a simple Excel spreadsheet or another format for record keeping.

“Decide what info is most useful to you and how much detail to include. Having your data in one place will save you time by making it easier to collaborate, analyze behavior and ensure appropriate follow-ups. Ideally, you’ll begin to notice patterns and gaps beyond the typically reported stats, and you can continuously optimize your email strategy.”

Have any great email marketing tips of your own? Share them in the comments below!

How Entrepreneurs Can Rediscover Their Motivation

As an entrepreneur, you’re often faced with difficult challenges on a day-to-day basis, and it can be easy to lose the motivation to keep going. If you feel like you’re losing your drive, here are some easy ways to keep yourself motivated, even when you’ve got other things on your mind:

(Curated from Tech.Co)

Focus on One Task at a Time

When your to-do list has been building up for a while, it can be difficult knowing where to begin and how to get started. The key is to just sit down and focus on one task at a time.

“Telling yourself that you have to sit down and accomplish an hour or two of work is much easier than chaining yourself to a desk for the entire day. You’ll probably find that when you view your tasks individually, you’re able to effectively push yourself through the day without breaking a sweat.”

Don’t Forget Your Goals

What’s the big-picture strategy for your company? What exactly did you set out to accomplish? Are you trying to get a foothold in a competitive market, or were you seeking financial freedom?

“Motivation comes from an emotional desire for something. If you can reconnect with the reason you undertook your responsibilities, you can often find the inner drive to push yourself.”

Surround Yourself with Supportive People

If you’re a one man or woman show, it may be helpful to surround yourself with like minded people while you work to accomplish your goals. Surrounding yourself with negative people will make doing so much more difficult.

“Consider heading down to a coworking space. These places are often full of other freelancers and entrepreneurs who live a very similar lifestyle to you. It can be inspiring to be surrounded by people who have accomplished your goals, or who are starting out just like you once did. If you prefer to work in a solitary environment, you can always spruce up your desk a little bit. De-cluttering your workspace can be almost like de-cluttering your mind, creating room for you to focus on your responsibilities.”

Push Yourself, but Not Too Hard

Setting big goals is important when running a business, but you can’t build a successful career if you’re constantly demanding too much from yourself. If you don’t feel like accomplishing much, you’ll want to set the bar a little lower.

“Try pushing yourself to complete two hours of uninterrupted work. Anyone can find the motivation to push themselves when it’s only for an hour or two. When you’re having a better day, you can stretch yourself a little more. Remember, it’s not always about being the best. Sometimes, it’s just about being a little better than you were the day before.”

What are your tips for staying motivated? Share them in the comments below!

6 Major Branding Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Branding, a commonly used term throughout the business world, essentially means to create an identifiable entity that makes a promise of value. While branding is not an easy task, it’s one that should be taken very seriously. Numerous startups try, but many fail at creating a successful brand. Here’s how to avoid some common pitfalls and branding mistakes.

(Curated from Tech.Co)

1. Don’t Forget to Trademark

Have you registered your brand’s trademark yet? If not, you’re not alone -- many brand owners fail to do so. However, as soon as you create a brand, it’s important to file a record of the trademark itself under your name with the right government offices.

“Deal with every single infraction of your brand use guidelines and any possible violation of your trademark. If you don’t, you may lose the chance to take any action at all. The point of your trademark is to protect your brand reputation, and keep the competition from copying your work or diluting your brand value. Make sure it does that by addressing infractions.”

2. Do Your Research

Before you choose a name, logo, look, and voice for your brand, do thorough research online. Not only will this help you make the right choices, it could also help protect you against infringing on the intellectual property rights of others.

“Use Google for your research, and when it comes to choosing names, domains, and other branding elements, also search visitcopyright.gov before you make permanent branding decisions.”

3. Choose a Good Domain Name

One of the most important elements of your branding is the right choice of domain name. You want something that reflects your company’s name, but nothing that’s too long, too confusing, or too irrelevant.

“First, make sure you get a good domain name extension. The most popular right now are “.com” and “.co” for general business. But there are many new options out there. There is nothing wrong with picking an industry-specific or even country-specific domain. In general, avoid dashes or numbers in your domain name, and make sure it’s easy to spell. You can also check for similar social media profile URLs.”

4. Pick a Unique Name

Choosing the right name for your business seems simple enough, but before you even start brainstorming names, you need figure out what your company is really about. Also, be careful not to pick a name that’s already popular or has some seriously negative online history.

“Don’t forget, a name that’s too close for comfort may be infringing. Imagine building up your business for 10 years only to find out that you are no longer able to use that name.”

5. Carefully Choose Style Features

Before choosing your brand’s colors, it’s a good idea to know the meaning of them. Have a consistent visual picture and logo that comes to represent your company. The graphics and visuals that represent your brand evoke an emotional response in clients and potential customers.

“Choosing colors, images and other visuals that just don’t work with what you’re doing can dead-end your branding strategy. For example, pink may be your favorite color, but it may work against your new software brand.”

6. Check Cultural Significance of the Name

Your name says a lot about your startup. Be sure to check every reiteration, reference, stigma, or foreign swear word that could be associated with your name, or else you could end up in hot water with another country.

“Content can go viral in hours, so don’t set yourself up for an embarrassing failure in the cultural awareness department. Make sure to review how your name is interpreted in all the major countries you will be doing business in.”

What are some of your top branding tips for startups? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Know If Entrepreneurship Is Right for You

Many people dream of opening their own business, but not everyone has what it takes. How do you know if you’re cut out for the job? While there is no simple way of gauging whether you are or not, there are certain traits and characteristics that come as red flags for someone looking to start a business. Here are some signs that you are not cut out for the entrepreneurial life:

(Curated from Tech.Co)

You Get Along with Everyone

People-pleasers make great salesmen and customer service reps because they are empathetic and shy away from confrontation; however, these are not good traits to have as an aspiring entrepreneur.

“Startup founders and business owners need to be able to put their foot down and demand the things they need. Whether it’s funding, employees, or the right influencer, an entrepreneurs need to be able to stake their claim, regardless of the people that need pleasing.”

You Follow Orders

The world is made of followers and leaders. Which one are you? If you’re comfortable with being an order-taker for the rest of your life, perhaps entrepreneurship is not for you. If, on the other hand, you thrive at making tough decisions and giving some orders, that may be the spark of entrepreneurship.

“Entrepreneurs don’t follow orders. They make their own path and create the circumstances needed to succeed. Even if experts advise otherwise, an entrepreneur acts on well-informed instinct, and those instincts are usually right. Following orders gets in the way of the creative process, and an entrepreneur without creativity might as well start greeting people at Walmart.”

You Love the Status Quo

The status quo helps regulate the business world in many ways -- It lets potential candidates know what it takes to get hired, it keeps employees informed on how to keep their jobs, and it makes it easier for managers to keep track of their team. However, true entrepreneurs are always challenging the status quo.

“Entrepreneurs have no business in the status quo. They’re all about mixing things up, innovating new technologies, and revolutionizing the standard way things get done. As far as entrepreneurs are concerned, “status quo” is a curse word that should never leave their lips. Unless, of course it’s in the sentence, “to hell with the status quo!”

So, based on the above: are you cut out for the entrepreneurial life?

Major Challenges Startups Face and How to Overcome Them

Startups deal with a number of growing pains, but knowing and anticipating the roadblocks you may encounter in your startup journey could help you prepare beforehand, and possibly avoid common pitfalls. Here are four major challenges startups face and how to overcome them:

(Curated from Tech.Co)

1. Rapid Growth

It may seem like a dream come true to see your startup grow at an enormous rate; however, many startups fail because their owners aren’t prepared for rapid growth and don’t know how to handle it.

“Experienced entrepreneurs consider this kind of phase to be one of the best opportunities for their startup, though, and not an obstacle. By realizing that this is the right time to move out of the startup mode and leap into the scale-up mode, startup owners can start hiring the right kind of talent and carry out the organizational changes that are required to handle this massive shift in their paradigm.”

2. Financial Management

What exactly goes wrong to cause a startup to run out of money? Often, it’s because they fail to achieve the next set milestone before they run out of funds.

“The real issue is that it becomes tough to secure more funding in such a scenario since the results don’t match the expected growth. Even though it’s still possible for startups to raise more funds and keep the ball rolling, the valuation would be much lower.”

3. Competition

Competition is fierce and poses as one of the biggest challenges for the survival of startup businesses, especially if your business operates online. The competitive environment keeps startups on their toes, as there is no margin of error available. But if startups can find a niche market and differentiate themselves from their competitors, the reward is great.

“Though many businesses can choose to offer rock bottom prices for specific products or services to lure in potential customers, implementing this could be tricky if the associated industry or manufacturer has specified a MAP Policy,” says Daniel Relich, CEO and co-founder of Tradevitality, a MAP monitoring software.”

4. Tough Market

The current market is always changing, which can make it difficult for startups to keep up.

“Although a vast majority of startups across the globe strive for innovation, they are highly likely to get easily distracted by starting multiple projects, trying to penetrate new markets or adopting latest technologies. This often makes them lose sight of their niche market and core projects.”

Another reason why startups fail is because they don’t create a product or service that meets the market’s current needs. This could either point towards an issue with basic execution or a bigger strategic problem. The solution is to build something which truly adds value to the market and has a large audience that needs it.

What are some of your suggestions and ideas for startups to find success? Let us know!