Category: SEO

SEO

Compelling Reasons To Start A Business Today (So You…

Our brains remind us all the time about the negatives of starting a business. They say things like “it’s a lot of work” or “it will probably fail.” Thus, we know all the reasons why we shouldn’t start a business. 

But what are the reasons that we should? That’s the topic of this post. We take a positive angle on some of the things that you could achieve if you took the risk and simply explored the possibilities open to you. Perhaps it won’t work – that’s okay. But how would you feel if you never tried? What would it be like if you never explored opportunities and tested your potential?

It Makes Work Motivating

How many people shuffle into the office on a Monday morning and wish that they weren’t there? Almost all workers find themselves in that position at some point in their lives. It’s such a drag going to work for a business that you don’t care about. 

Think about how much better it would be if you were directing your own decisions and making your own choices about how and where to work. It would be a totally different ball game. You’d be able to create something you truly believe is valuable and meet the needs of your customers. You would feel so different. 

It Lets You Follow Your Passion

Following your passions can be dangerous, but also rewarding. Practically all top business people are doing what they love. They aren’t getting out of bed in the morning because they have to go to work to earn another dollar. Instead, they are doing it because they love the thrill and the challenge. They have a mission and they want to change the world in some way. 

Just look at Richard Branson. He doesn’t need to work another day in his life, and yet he is still pursuing projects and growing as a person. It’s his passion and it keeps him going, even when he doesn’t have to. 

It’s Not As Hard As You Think

Many people imagine that starting a business is ridiculously challenging and only works in a small fraction of cases. But it turns out that it is easier than that. Franchise Direct, for instance, introduces budding business leaders to the franchising concept. Instead of starting your own business, you just plug into an existing brand and learn the ropes that way. Once you have a good idea how to run a business, you then branch out into other areas.

It Gives You Real Financial Independence

Imagine not having to rely on an employer for financial security. It would be amazing, wouldn’t it? 

Well, that’s the reality behind starting a business. Once you are up and running, the business will often take care of itself. Furthermore, if you manage to scale it, you can earn way more money than would be possible through a conventional salary. Employees earn tens of thousands per year, but people who own businesses can earn tens of millions in the same amount of time. 

SEO

What Are Those Extra Remote Hours Really Costing Your…

With savings possible at around $500 per employee per month, and with companies potentially saving as much as $11,000 per employee per year, remote setups have largely been the silver lining of the pandemic. This is especially the case as six out of ten remote workers report increased productivity as a direct result of this change. However, for employers and employees hoping to traverse this new work terrain in the long term, it’s essential to note that these productivity increases have, in some instances, come at a cost. 

That’s because, to achieve those productivity increases, as many as 52% of workers report working up to 10 extra hours per week. This has been made possible through both a lack of workplace limitations and tools like Microsoft 365 Cloud that ensure anytime access to files/sharing/etc and, on the surface, it looks like an undeniable benefit. But, once we take a deep dive, it becomes clear that these increasing hour-based pressures are also a driving force for a wide range of issues that still stand in the way of remote success. Of course, that’s not to say that any-time access and the ability to choose their own hours shouldn’t still be at the forefront of flexible working, but rather that you may want to begin tracking and capping employee hours with the following overwork pitfalls in mind. 

# 1 – Increased dissatisfaction

While remote working and flexible arrangements have enabled a more balanced work-life equation, extra hours are also playing a major role in the fact that 27% of employees report feeling discouraged by remote work. In large part, this comes down to a lack of clear boundaries, and increasing expectations that see countless employees having to answer emails during evenings and weekends. 

This is especially worrying considering that as many as 40% of employees are currently considering quitting their jobs. At a time when operations are still largely in the air, the costs of onboarding and the disruption of new training could especially prove problematic. Not to mention that retaining loyal talent will still be unlikely until steps are taken to ensure reasonable hours, justified work rewards, and the support, rather than increasing pressure, that employees need to stay happy. 

# 2 – The rising risk of burnout

Despite being recognised as an occupational health issue by the World Health Organization in 2019, as many as 69% of remote employees are now struggling with burnout behind closed doors. For obvious reasons, extra hours are largely to blame, even if employees choose to increase the time they spend at their desk without any prompting. As well as leaving employees at increased risk of having to take time off while they recover from this potentially devastating problem, this increases the dissatisfaction mentioned, as well as irritability, fatigue, and distraction, all of which can impact work quality overall. 

Obviously, checking in with employees regularly, either through video or phone calls, is the best way for employers to recognise and address this issue early on. That said, preventing burnout in the first place relies on an employer’s ability to ensure that even remote employees are staying within the realm of reasonable workplace hours (e.g. 8 hours tracked through a clocking-in/clocking-out system), and also that they’re booking ample amounts of leave that are too often forgotten when it comes to already home-based remote arrangements. 

# 3 – Overall reduced efficiency

While longer hours might seem like great news in terms of business output, it’s also worth noting that working for too long can have a detrimental impact on efficiency, especially as studies reveal that overworking significantly hinders our ability to communicate, make decisions, and generally concentrate. Further to this, only 1-3% of the population can adequately perform after just 5-6 hours of sleep, meaning that evening work can prevent even the slightest chance of efficiency the next day. 

This is the opposite of what employers, and their employees, likely hope from the so-called benefit of increased remote hours, and is yet another pressing reason why steps should be taken to keep a standard eight-hour workday, complete with regular breaks (preferably taken as a group for encouragement), to ensure outputs that remain at a reasonable standard, even when employees aren’t close by to keep an eye on.

Remote work has worked wonders for countless companies these past two years, but it hasn’t been without its downsides. Make sure you turn even those negatives into plus points by taking steps to prevent your employees from overdoing it with their extra hours. 

SEO

4 Specific Practices to Working With Niche Brands

When we start to work with clients, one of the biggest mistakes we can make is taking a very generalized approach. Thinking that we can operate in one specific manner to every client is a bit foolish because every client is looking to push a unique image for their business, it’s important that we learn how to work with niche brands. It’s about thinking outside the box and not using regular tactics. When it comes to niche products and services, you will need some specific marketing approaches, including the following: 

Choosing the Right Advertising Platforms

Promoting businesses on social media is big business these days, but they may not be the best approach for attracting target audiences due to oversaturation. Case in point, a company like GFF Power. They work with leading manufacturers in the power transmission and distribution field to provide specialised equipment, so, therefore, Twitter or Facebook is not an ideal platform. Additionally, if you went via social media, you would expose the business to a lot of noise from internet trolls and competitors. Instead, you need to limit your visibility and put it on more relevant platforms. 

Incorporate User-Generated Content

This is ideal for jewellery providers or sports items. Showing off merchandise without making it look promotional is a great way to showcase a product. User-generated content through Instagram posts is a very common example, however, it is one of the best marketing tricks to use because it works as free advertising for a business and it allows the company to create a better connection with people who already like their products. 

Add Partnerships

The topic of customer satisfaction can encompass a wide variety of disciplines, but the one thing that fuels satisfaction is the experience. Working with any niche business, especially those of a small scale, can find themselves overworked, so they do not necessarily focus on the marketing. So if a company wants to keep their costs low, you can partner up with experts to showcase your business’s USP and spread awareness. 

Use Sustainable Mediums

Sustainable marketing is so important, and one great example of sustainable marketing is the medium of video. Utilising video as a force to be reckoned with through regular content uploaded by the company, and is also a way for customers to reignite their interest, especially if the product is more left field. 

The modern world of marketing is no holds barred. It is important to be unique, and when we are catering our services to a niche business, the modern strategies are not solely reliant on the rules. As long as the client is willing, we can push the boundaries even further. Just because the client is selling something that seems “strange” doesn’t mean it is going to go down like a lead balloon. This is why marketing is one of the most creative ways to allow a business to speak its mind. Every company needs a solid foundation, and marketing will provide that, no matter how unique the brand is.

Book your free 15 minutes consultancy call

Contact