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Guest Post: 4 Winning CRM Strategies to Improve Customer Acquisition

July 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Acquiring customers is a prerequisite for business success. How efficiently you do it can make or break your business. In fact, customer acquisition cost is one of the metrics that can determine whether your business succeeds or fails, says KISSmetrics cofounder Neil Patel. Essentially, how much you spend on acquiring customers through marketing compared to the lifetime value of your customers determines whether or not your business stays profitable, as well as how profitable your business is. The lower your customer acquisition cost, the more profit you retain per customer.

One way to improve your bottom line is to automate you customer acquisition process through strategic use of customer relationship management (CRM) software. Here are four CRM strategies you can use to improve your customer acquisition efficiency and grow your profit margin.

One way CRM tools can improve your customer acquisition efficiency is by helping you focus your marketing. A robust customer relationship management tool with flexible functionality can help you gather information to more accurately pinpoint your target market so you can fine-tune your marketing and sales efforts. For instance, you can use CRM analytics tools to identify your best customers so you can analyze their demographic characteristics and buying patterns.

You can then share this information with your marketing team so they can fine-tune their campaigns to attract prospects who are more likely to buy. This will increase your conversion rate, helping you get a better return on investment for your marketing spend. CRM training can help your marketing and sales representatives learn how to use the nuances of CRM software and analytics for this type of advanced application.

Priority Prospecting

You can further leverage targeted marketing by focusing your sales efforts on your hottest prospects. An efficient way to do this is to use your CRM system to create a lead scoring system. A lead scoring system assigns each of the leads in your database a score that represents their potential value to your business. This score represents factors such as how likely they are to buy from you, how soon they are likely to buy from you, and how much they are likely to spend. This enables you to prioritize your leads so you can assign leads to your sales team accordingly.

You can also use a lead scoring system to nurture prospects who are not ready to buy yet but may do so in the future after some follow-up targeted marketing. You can set up your CRM system to automate your lead scoring process and notify your sales managers and representatives when a hot lead comes in.

Optimized Sales Presentations

A CRM system can also help you acquire customers by optimizing your sales presentation. By analyzing the demographic profile and buying history of prospects in your database, your CRM analytics tools can determine what type of products an individual prospect is likely to buy, what types of benefits are most likely to appeal to them, and how far along they are in the sales cycle. Your sales representatives can then put this information to use by making a sales presentation customized for the individual prospect, increasing their odds of closing a sale or at least advancing a prospect to the next stage in the sales process.

Follow-up Closing

On average, it takes over half a dozen touches to close a sale, according to the Direct Marketing Association. This implies that an efficient customer acquisition process depends heavily on the effectiveness of your follow-up procedures. A CRM solution can help you streamline your follow-up procedures through automation. You can use your CRM tool to track your contacts with your prospects so your sales representatives know how many times they’ve been contacted and what was discussed on the previous call. You can set a timetable for follow-up contacts and schedule automatic notifications to your prospects or sales representatives to ensure that your follow-up procedures are implemented. This will improve your customer acquisition rate as well as boost your repeat sales rate.

CRM software can help you focus marketing efforts on ideal prospects, prioritize the hottest sales leads, optimize sales presentations, and automate your follow-up process. Implementing these CRM strategies will help to attract more prospects, close more deals, acquire more customers, and earn more profit.

 

About the Author

Roy Rasmussen, coauthor of Publishing for Publicity, is a freelance writer who helps select clients write quality content to reach business and technology audiences. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies and bestselling authors. His most recent projects include books on cloud computing, small business management, sales, business coaching, social media marketing, and career planning.

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Filed Under: CRM, Customer Success Management Tagged With: , , , ,

Guest Post: Get to Know Your Customers Better with This All-In-One Tool

February 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Whether you’re a business owner or marketing expert, you understand the importance of knowing your audience inside and out is key to attracting prospects and retaining existing customers. Fortunately, there are a number of tools on the market that can help you do just that.

Through cloud call center software available from companies like Aspect, you’re able to get a more complete picture and understanding of your customers, from their search behavior and purchase patterns to their history of interactions with your company.

Here are several ways this tool can help you achieve that highly-desired, 360-degree view of your customers.

Personalization

Aspect’s cloud call center allows for businesses to get a more personalized look at each and every customer. In particular, the software can provide insights into customers’ purchase and spending history, as well as the frequency with which they do business with your company. Indeed, gaining these insights will allow you to retarget specific customers — based on their specific desires — with similar products or must-have accessories, which will keep them coming back time and time again.

Furthermore, call center software in the cloud gives you the ability to recall every customer’s recent interaction history with your company. For example, when a specific customer calls your support line more than once, your live agents will already have a number of tools at their fingertips — this may include who the customer initially spoke with and the details of their previous conversations — to more seamlessly resolve any outstanding issues.

Based on this information, your live agents will be able to determine the customer’s needs and anticipate any problems or questions they may have.

Convenience

Another great customer-focused aspect of cloud call center software is its omnichannel capabilities. Of course, not all customers prefer the same methods of communication. But by providing omnichannel options, customers can reach your live agents through a number of different mediums, including voice, email, text messaging, live chat and social media.

For example, if a customer prefers to be contacted via text and requests a status update on their most recent purchase, your live agents can text them in real time with the requested information, allowing the customer to respond when it’s most convenient for them.

But perhaps one reason why employing omnichannel options can be valuable to your company is the ability for customers to reach support agents 24/7. No matter the time of day, employing a cloud contact center gives you the ability to offer live chat support via your website, where customers can ask questions at any time from virtually anywhere.

Ultimately, this allows your company to fit the individual needs of a variety of different customers around the clock, even outside of normal business hours.

Satisfaction

Last but not least, cloud call center software allows your company to track customer satisfaction scores by deploying surveys to gather important feedback. Simply tailor your questions to your liking and specific needs in order to gain crucial customer insights and gauge which areas of your business need some fine-tuning.

Cloud call center software can help you achieve this through both stand-alone and post-call surveys that can be deployed after a voice call or via text message. For example, you can deploy a post-call survey to use for training purposes or to simply gain additional feedback from your customers.

You can also deploy an in-app survey to gauge user experience, mobile-friendliness and overall satisfaction with your company. Gaining these types of insights are valuable, as the feedback comes directly from the customer, which can then help you make the best business decisions with their interests in mind.

Capturing a More Complete Picture

By using cloud call center software to aggregate customer data, your company will be able to gather a more complete picture of each and every customer. In the end, better understanding your customers’ desires will help your company in future retargeting strategies and, in turn, help retain this clientele.

 

About the Author

Andrea Rodriguez is a freelance writer and digital marketing expert

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Filed Under: Cloud Technology, Contact Centers, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Customer Success Management, CX, Dr. Natalie's Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Guest Post: How to Protect Your Business from Ransomware Threats

January 23, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Security experts say ransomware looms as one of the top cybersecurity threats in 2018 — and for good reason. Last year, these incidents accelerated exponentially, with mobile ransomware attacks rising 250 percent during the first quarter of 2017 compared to quarter four of 2016.

This trend will continue to gain steam in 2018, with MIT forecasting that hackers will target cloud providers such as Amazon. But while large companies like Amazon have greater resources to defend themselves, smaller businesses without such deep pockets will face the greatest risks. In particular, cybercriminals are broadening their attacks from Windows computers to other devices so that no platform is safe from ransomware threats.

While anyone can be targeted by a ransomware attack, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk. Here’s a look at how ransomware attacks work, how you can protect your business and what you can do to recover in the event you are attacked.

Explaining How Ransomware Attacks Work

So how do ransomware attacks occur? Experts say it’s similar to the way malware can infiltrate systems, but with a twist that hijacks your computer and holds it hostage. Like other malware, ransomware gets on your computer by tricking you into accepting an infected file and then runs in the background without your knowledge. But unlike other malware that steals information, ransomware executes a code that locks your machine so that you can’t use it and then posts a message demanding payment to unlock your system.

Ransomware can get on your system through three main attack methods. The most common is sending you an email with an infected attachment and tricking you into opening the email and attachment. Another method is tricking you into clicking on a link to an infected website or popup ad. A third, less common method involves unscrupulous people leaving an infected USB stick near a business center parking lot in the hopes an employee will pick it up and start using it.

The worst forms of ransomware encrypt your data so that you can’t use your computer unless you pay the ransom to get an unlock code. Typically, if you don’t pay for the unlock code within a set period of time, the ransom fee doubles; then, if you still haven’t paid before the deadline expires, your data gets deleted. Other forms of ransomware, known as scareware, don’t actually encrypt your data, but rather attempt to scare you into thinking they do so that you pay the attacker anyway.

Ransomware attackers usually demand payment in untraceable electronic forms of currency, such as Bitcoin. Paying these fees is no guarantee you’ll regain access to your data. In fact, once you pay, criminals may regard you as an easy victim and target you again in the future.

Preventing Ransomware Hacks

To protect your business against ransomware hacks, there are some essential steps you should take immediately. Your first line of defense is installing an up-to-date antivirus program that runs in real-time on your computer in order to immediately detect and neutralize known ransomware threats. It’s also important to educate yourself and your employees to avoid opening suspicious emails, visiting unsecure websites, or using discarded USB sticks that may contain ransomware.

In the event ransomware does get on your system, another important step to follow is to keep your operating systems and apps updated. Most successful ransomware attacks target vulnerabilities in outdated software, so keeping your software current can thwart many attacks.

Finally, as insurance against a successful ransomware attack, it’s vital to keep your data backed up so that you can recover it without having to pay the ransom. The best way to do this is to schedule automated cloud backups with a secure provider like Mozy, which uses military-grade encryption to protect your backups from hackers.

Recovering from Ransomware Incidents

If, despite your precautions, your business does fall victim to a ransomware attack, don’t pay the ransom; after all, you may not get your data restored — and you’ll only invite future repeat attacks.

Instead, restore your data from your backups, which is the fastest way to recover from a ransomware attack. In most cases, you should be able to restore your data and get up and running again within 33 hours, according to Vanson Bourne. This isn’t nearly as much of a hassle as being down for weeks or not being able to recover your data at all because you didn’t back it up.

Now, if you got hit before you had a chance to back up your data, all is not necessarily lost. In some cases, companies have been able to successfully recover their data due to flaws in the hacker’s attack method. But your best bet is to have backups available in the event you can’t recover your data.

Bear in mind that just because you take preventive measures against a ransomware attack now, it doesn’t guarantee you’re immune to potential attacks in the future. Staying secure against ransomware threats requires ongoing attention to detail and running continuous backups.

Conclusion

Ransomware attacks can easily worm their way into your system by tricking you into opening a suspicious email, clicking on an infected link, or using an infected USB stick. Fortunately, you can prevent ransomware attacks by avoiding these sources of infection, running an up-to-date real-time antivirus program, keeping your operating systems and apps updated, and backing up your data. Scheduling automated data backups is the best way to recover your data if you do fall victim to an attack.

 

About the Author:

Roy Rasmussen, coauthor of Publishing for Publicity, is a freelance writer who helps select clients write quality content to reach business and technology audiences. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies and bestselling authors. His most recent projects include books on cloud computing, small business management, sales, business coaching, social media marketing, and career planning.

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Guest Post: Why Businesses Can’t Strive Without Social Media

January 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Few years back, businesses had to seek the assistance of external agencies such as marketing and advertising research firms in order to promote the business. However, the increasing popularity of social media networks has changed the trend. Almost all the businesses nowadays prefer to use social media networks in order to engage with their marketing campaigns. The benefits delivered by social media marketing have contributed a lot towards the above mentioned fact.

Social media marketing goes hand in hand with social media optimization. That’s because it can assist a business to achieve website optimization in a convenient manner. In other words, social media marketing can increase the visibility of a specific business website on the internet. Plenty of social media channels, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube are available for the marketers to engage with their marketing campaigns. People who belong to different age categories use these social media networks on a daily basis. As a result, the businesses find it as an easy task to run targeted marketing campaigns without any frustration.

Marketers will get the opportunity to increase the sales volume at the end of the day through viral marketing. It can also be used to increase brand awareness in a convenient manner. This method of marketing is known as viral because it is passed down from one person to another with the help of social media networks. The structure of social media network creates an ideal platform for viral marketing as well. Games, video clips, images and text messages are some of the tools that are being used in viral marketing campaigns. The success of a viral marketing campaign depends on the focus group. That’s the main reason why most of the companies prefer to hire social media marketing specialists in order to run the campaigns. The amount they spend on hiring experts can be considered as an excellent investment done towards the future.

Most of the business owners prefer to integrate social media marketing into their traditional marketing campaigns. This can assist them to develop the business in a convenient manner. From the recent studies, it has been identified that a business that spends around 6 hours a week on social media marketing will be able to get 50% more exposure at the end of the day. If they can spend more time, they will end up getting a lot more benefits. Apart from this, the business owners will be able to gain more traffic towards the website, increase the number of leads and create new business partnerships.

On top of everything, the business owners do not need to spend a fortune in order to run an effective social media marketing campaign. In fact, it can be considered as the least cost-effective marketing method available for the business owners. The benefits delivered by social media marketing are definitely worth when compared to the results that can be experienced in the long run. Therefore, any business can think about running a social media marketing campaign without a doubt on mind.

With the development of technology, social media has obtained a prominent place in the lives of people. Small business owners can obtain the maximum benefits out of this platform in order to enhance their business opportunities. This article will provide four such tricks, which any small business owner can use to take their business to the next level.

Use the correct social media account: All the social media networks have opened their doors for the young entrepreneurs. Therefore, you need to create a business account instead of a personal account. When the customers look for your company on social media networks, they use your business name, not your personal name. If you have more than one business, you can maintain separate pages for each business.

Keep all the posts on topic: All the posts, photos or tweets you update from your account should be related to your business and it is recommended to stay away from posting unprofessional content. Even though it is fun to post random stuff that you see on the Internet, it can harm your brand customers will not have a great feeling towards it. It is essential to use your creativity when posting from your social media accounts. For instance, you should think from the point of customer and compile the post according to their requirements.

Use interaction in all your campaigns: If customers have the chance to interact with your business, they will tend to use your products or services occasionally and they will even recommend your business to their friends. Since social media networks are the best place to interact with others, you should take the maximum advantage out of it and take necessary measures to talk with them. For example, you can ask questions from them related to a specific part of your business.

Put a stop to controversy: Regardless of what you post from the social media profile, make sure you stay away from controversy. It is a popular topic among savvy entrepreneurs that nothing will kill your campaign, more than posting on controversial topics. You need to stay unbiased at all the times and win the hearts of customers.

The effectiveness of these four tips are proven and many small business owners have used them to make a positive impact on their business. Therefore, all the young entrepreneurs can try them without any hesitation.

Now you have a clear understanding about the role that social media networks play on businesses that exist out there in the world. All you have to do is to start looking for all possible options that are available for you to promote the business through social media. Then you will be able to figure out all the paths that are available for you to take your business to the next level, along with the assistance of social media. The time and effort you spend on it will be totally worth when compared to the benefits you can receive at the end of the day.

 

Author Bio:

Ray Sherlock is the owner of Engage Hub, a Social Media Agency in Manchester, UK. We are a social media and influencer agency who have a passion for video, engaging content and disruptive campaigns.

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Filed Under: Social Business and Social Media Case Studies, Social PR, Marketing and Advertising Tagged With: , ,

Guest Post: 3 Ways CRM Predictive Analytics Can Give You a Competitive Edge

September 12, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Customer relationship management software has emerged as one of the most crucial tools for doing business successfully today, and the power of big data predictive analytics is making CRM more powerful than ever. The CRM predictive analytics market, valued at $4.18 billion in 2014, is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 12.83 percent, on track to be worth $7.65 billion by 2019, Markets and Markets projects. CRM analytics tools are in demand because they help companies predict market behavior, understand their buyers and make more sales.

Companies that know how to use CRM predictive analytics effectively have a major marketing and sales advantage over rivals who aren’t taking advantage of this revolutionary technology. Here’s a look at three ways CRM predictive analytics can help you gain an edge over your competition and take the lead in your market.

Predicting Customer Demand Surges

CRM lets you make predictions about future marketing and sales trends based on historic data. One important application of this is predicting what your customers will want and when they will want it. This can help you ensure that the products and services you’re selling are what your customer base wants and that you’ll have your inventory and staff prepared to meet peak demand times.

One of the most valuable uses of this approach is predicting holiday sales trends. For instance, most retailers center their annual sales around certain key sales days such as Black Friday, but a review of the actual data shows that seasonal sales peaks over the Christmas shopping season can last anywhere from 38 to 88 days depending on the market sector, explains Marketing Week writer Mindi Chahal. Knowing when your holiday sales peak begins and when it ends can make you better prepared to have sufficient staff on hand and sufficient items in stock to meet the surge in demand.

Understanding Your Target Market

Another valuable application of predictive CRM analytics is helping you narrow your target market. Traditional market research methods are effective as far as they go, but the amount of data they can manage is limited. Big data analytics can provide a more complete analysis of your market by integrating data from many sources, including customer purchase history, social media profiles and emails. This enables you to spot characteristics of your target market that you might otherwise overlook.

A good illustration of how this can be applied effectively is the type of recommendation engine used by companies such as Amazon and Netflix. By analyzing buyer behavior and demographic characteristics, these companies generate repeat business by making recommendations designed to appeal to customers’ buyer profiles.

Helping Your Staff to Make Data-based Sales Decisions

Just as recommendation engines can help your website optimize automated sales efforts to online buyers, CRM predictive analytics can also help your sales team make data-driven sales decisions when interacting with prospective buyers. Your sales managers can see who your hottest prospects are, as well as which of your top sales representatives are available for deployment. Your sales representatives can see data about customers’ purchase history, demographic characteristics and buying preferences, enabling them to make more effective sales presentations.

In order to use CRM tools effectively for these types of applications, your staff will need specialized training. Customer FX provides Infor CRM training to help companies make the most of CRM tools. Scheduling this type of training can empower your marketing and sales teams to put CRM predictive analytics tools to optimal use in order to boost your sales performance, grow your profits and gain an edge on your competition.

 

About the Author

Roy Rasmussen, coauthor of Publishing for Publicity, is a freelance writer who helps select clients write quality content to reach business and technology audiences. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies and bestselling authors. His most recent projects include books on cloud computing, small business management, sales, business coaching, social media marketing, and career planning.

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Filed Under: Analytics of Everything, CRM Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Guest Post: How to Run Your Business Exclusively in the Cloud

March 29, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Choosing to move your business exclusively to the cloud isn’t just a matter of being in good company, as a majority of organizations start making the shift. Working in the cloud, though, will also become the norm for your clients, who are accustomed to doing everything from holding meetings to managing projects with cloud-based tools. Now, moving to the cloud doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are five ways to leverage the cloud to benefit your business.

Back Up Your Data

Data loss due to hardware failure, hacking or human error are pervasive threats for any small business. Don’t leave yourself open to data vulnerabilities and profit loss. Set the standard for safety and organization by creating a data backup policy. Instead of relying on your own team to back up data and perform test restorations, outsource it to a third-party cloud provider.

A service like Mozy offers varied pricing for small businesses and enterprise companies alike to protect valuable workplace data, while helping to grow their business. Mozy also allows users to create an automated backup schedule to keep their data safe and ready to restore when needed.

Dominate Your Marketing Game

Marketers have long used the cloud to create and schedule social media posts with tools like Buffer. But creating podcasts in the cloud can also raise awareness for your business and attract new customers. According to a survey from Edison Research, fans of podcasts listen to an average of five on-demand presentations per week. As podcasts grow in popularity, they represent untapped opportunity to market to new audiences who are looking for business advice, insights and non-traditional entertainment.

Small-business owners can use podcasts with tools like Skype to interview guests and Audacity to edit their audio. These podcasts can be used to promote your products and/or interview delighted customers. Speaking directly to your target market every week can also quickly build credibility and trust to expand your marketing efforts.

Onboard Virtual Employees

Finding employees on sites like UpWork and Guru.com is the easy part. Figuring out how to onboard and train employees so they can immediately jump into their new roles isn’t always an intuitive process. Give new hires a face-to-face welcome with cloud-based tools through video chat or a group meeting with services like Redbooth.

Next, give your new employees access to online project management tools like Google Docs and Asana to help outline their responsibilities. But, unlike employees who physically work in the office, virtual employers tend to miss out on the social aspects that a traditional workplace affords. Looking for ways to make these employees feel like a bigger part of the team? Combat the negative side effects of isolation with weekly checkins to keep your employees engaged with your business and their work.

Collaborate Online

Cut down time spent on project management and collaborate online instead. There’s no need to schedule in-person or video meetings with employees and freelancers. Instead, use a cloud-based collaborative tool like Trello to set up a visual dashboard that will help to better manage your projects. Assign teams to specific tasks, upload images and videos, and stay in touch on project deadlines without leaving the Trello system.

Meantime, Slack offers users the ability to conduct real-time messaging and upload projects as well as stay on task and maintain their productivity. Through Slack, workplace teams get a completely transparent view of a project from start to finish and can make calls right from the platform to ask questions or follow up on a task.

Let Clients Find You

Working exclusively in the cloud makes it easier to find clients and start earning revenue immediately. Creating a company profile on LinkedIn is just the first step. Next, use LinkedIn’s publishing platform as another avenue to post your company’s content marketing pieces in order to directly target your next dream client.

Optimize your website to attract clients with videos explaining your services and products, offer unique content to prospects in exchange for their contact information, and routinely host an industry podcast. But there are other ways to find clients when they need you most. For example, expanding your reach by signing up as a consultant on a site like Guru.com can also help put you in front of clients who need you most.

Deciding whether to run your business in the cloud shouldn’t even be a debate. But finding the right tools and processes to help run your business can overwhelm even the best of decision-makers. Start by focusing on the tools you need most and expand as your company grows.

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Filed Under: Cloud Technology, Internet Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Guest Post: How to Land That Promotion at Work

March 4, 2017 By Leave a Comment

2017 is here and you’ve made a promise to make this your best year yet. This is the year that you’ve decided to leave all of your fears behind, and totally go for it. You want to live the life of your dreams, and the best way to start is by getting promoted at work. You already understand that as a woman, moving up the corporate ladder can be hard, but you must realize that it’s not impossible. Here are a few tips to guide you along the way!

 

Develop the mindset

Going for a promotion in a male-dominated work force is no walk in the park. There are going to be days when you feel like throwing in the towel, but you must develop a “can’t stop, won’t stop” attitude. A positive mindset is the only thing that’s going to pull you out of the gutter on those rough days. Get into the habit of using mantras or daily affirmations to reassure yourself. When you affirm something, you are declaring it to be true. Repeatedly stating phrases like “I am enough” or “I possess the qualities needed to be extremely successful” will definitely give your confidence a boost when you need it. Put these and other mentally stimulating phrases on post-it notes around your office and home to constantly remind yourself how awesome you are!

 

Be visible

No one will know that you want to move up in the company unless you say it. Don’t make the assumption that your hard work will be noticed and you will be automatically granted clearance to move up. Let your boss know that you are seeking to be promoted, then get to work. Uncover your weaknesses, then start to look for ways to improve. Broaden your horizons by taking on more projects. Establish yourself as a leader by working on your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Remember to showcase what sets you apart, but always remain a team player by keeping the interests of the company first. You may need to get comfortable with being the first one on the job in the morning and the last one to leave at night. Simply put, it’s time to hustle. When you make your intentions known to your boss, then back it up with action it’s nearly impossible to go unnoticed!

 

Stand in your truth

More often than not, women tend to play the background in their career. While men bask in recognition, warranted or not, women seem to take a more modest position, even  if they did the bulk of the work. If you want to be taken seriously and move up in the company, you must be vocal! Do not dull your light in fear of what others might say or think about you. Take pride in your accomplishments and accept all the accolades that come with it. You earned it! Not only is playing small the fastest way to get looked over, it’s absolutely soul crushing. To quote Marianne Williamson, “There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure about you”. You are great. The effort you put into your career is phenomenal. Own it.

 

You’ve made it clear to yourself that you really want to make 2017 different from the rest. Now it’s time to let others in on your goal. Allow yourself to shine so brightly that no one can deny your light. That promotion is already yours, it’s just up to you to go get it. Be fearless, and if you get knocked down on the climb, just get up, shake it off, and keep on moving.

 

About the Author

Gloria Martinez is a college professor turned business owner who created WomenLed.org to educate people about the many women-led achievements that have shaped our world.

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Filed Under: Leadership, Women Tagged With: , ,

Guest Post: Increase Your Social Media Engagement with These Proven Strategies

February 24, 2017 By Leave a Comment

How-to-Create-a-Brand-Identity-Using-Social-Media-04

There is no question that social media has earned its spot in every business’ digital marketing strategy. The rise of social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have forever shaped the way users express themselves online.

Nowadays, almost every business has some type of social media account. 83% of fortune 500 companies have a presence on Twitter and over 3 million companies have LinkedIn profiles. However, simply having a social media account and posting content is not enough. What makes the difference between good brands and great brands on social is not only the quality of content, but also the level of interaction and engagement they devote to their audience. Are you replying back to users who comment on your photos? Do you regularly like trending posts within your industry? Have you developed an online personality for your brand?

Follow these guaranteed strategies and you’ll be well on your way to connecting with your target audience and increasing engagement on all of your social media platforms.

Facebook

4 million likes are generated by Facebook users every minute.

Liking is one of the most important aspects of social media. So hop on the bandwagon and click the thumbs up button! It’s important to like something when you see that it pertains to your business because you’re not only engaging with your industry, but you’re also connecting with accounts who share similar interests. Over time, social media platforms will start to see patterns in the content you’re liking and expose you to more related items. The great thing about Facebook is that if you have a particular reaction to a post, you can choose that instead of just thumbs up. Choose the laughing emoji when something is funny or the angry face when you’re upset. The important thing is when you react to a post, you begin to get filtered into a particular niche. What you discover in that niche is other users who belong there as well.

Those users are your target audience. So be friendly and say hi! Put a huge emphasis on liking content in your social media marketing strategy. Give users a like on their posts and explore what you have in common. These users will start to recognize your name and become familiar with your online presence. With one click and some curiosity, they could end up on your page! Don’t be stingy with likes, spread the love and watch it return back to you.

Instagram

Instagram generates over 3.5 billion likes a day and its usage has doubled in the last two years.

Much like Facebook, the way you’re able to connect with people through Instagram is by liking photos. Some users will exercise proper etiquette and like one of your photos in return for your like, but other times it just might not happen. That’s okay though, there’s no limit on the amount of posts you can like, so go ahead and double tap on posts that are relevant to your industry!

YouTube

100 million people take social action on YouTube every week in the form of likes, shares, or comments.

Commenting is just as important as liking for the same reason that you get to interact with your target audience and engage in your community. The difference with a comment versus a like is that you have the opportunity to communicate your unique perspective on a topic.

You can answer questions on trending posts, offer insight, or type something reactionary. This will help increase your engagement because users can actually see what you’re thinking.  They can go off on your ideas or like your comment in agreement with what you’ve said. Comments provide another opportunity for users to engage with your brand. Be social and leave a comment!

Twitter

500 million Tweets are sent every day, which translates, to 6,000 Tweets a second.

Twitter is all about the short and the sweet. Essentially, Twitter is a string of comments. The way you get your brand to increase engagement on Twitter is by participating in the never-ending dialogue. You can do this by liking, commenting, and most importantly, retweeting.

Twitter is a little different from other social platforms because it has a higher frequency of posts. According to Neil Patel (social media marketing maven and co-founder of KISSmetrics) the optimal amount to post on Twitter to increase engagement is 1 – 5 posts a day. Plan your posts beforehand or retweet other authorities within your industry. Keep up with the pace of Twitter so users can recognize your effort.

LinkedIn

The 14 most popular posts on LinkedIn are all about advice in the workplace.

LinkedIn is the platform business professionals go to in order to apply for an internship, look for a job, or expand the range of their professional network. What users are looking for on LinkedIn is the means to gain a better standing in their career. This can be in the form of acquiring a job or the knowledge to gain better skills. Your posts on LinkedIn should be about interesting water cooler topics professionals can read in their downtime. It’s perfectly acceptable to be on LinkedIn during work, so keep your content related to the workplace if you want to see engagement from this audience!

A Quick Recap

Social media marketing is genuinely about being social on the screen. If your brand is

participating in the social aspect of each platform, you will begin to see engagement rise because your account is active. It’s important to keep that part of social media in mind because it shows your followers you understand how to use their media! Let’s Recap:

  • Facebook – Like posts that are related to your industry
  • Instagram – Double tap appropriate photos in your niche
  • YouTube – Provide insight, leave a comment
  • Twitter – Keep up with the pace of tweets
  • LinkedIn – Make it about the workplace

 

About Author:

therese

Therese Palmere is a passionate content writer at Aumcore. Aumcore is a New York based digital marketing agency offering solutions from creative social media campaigns to SEO and web design driven by results.

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Filed Under: Customer Experience, Customer Service, CX, Digital Marketing, Facebook, Internet, Social Networks, Social PR, Marketing and Advertising Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Guest Post: 5 Tech Solutions That Will Help You Exceed Customer Expectations

January 2, 2017 By Leave a Comment

In a time where the world is more connected through technology and social media, providing excellent customer service is crucial. The reputation of your business is built on its effectiveness, including the customer experience.

Exceeding customer expectations creates loyal customers and it differentiates you from the competition. In addition, word of mouth is now more powerful than ever, as customers can easily share both positive and negative opinions online.

Here are 5 powerful tech solutions that will help you exceed customer expectations and provide exceptional customer service:

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  1. Vision Helpdesk 

Serving businesses of all sizes and levels, Vision Helpdesk is a leading customer support software that comes in 3 different products. There’s the Helpdesk software, which enables customer support agents to receive, process, and respond to service requests. On the other hand, the Satellite Helpdesk software provides a multi-company customer support management solutions.

Additionally, all features from Helpdesk and Satellite Helpdesk combined are provided by the Service Desk software which follows the discipline of IT service management.

Unique features of these software include task management, ticket billing, asset management, and release management. Vision Helpdesk allows you to stay on track as you serve clients, creating a client portal that is convenient for both customer and company.

There are multiple pricing plans offered, varying by the specific software and the hosting plan. Pricing starts at $7 per month to host Helpdesk on your server with a recurring license, or a one-time license for $150.

  1. TeamSupport

This customer support program allows teams to collaborate better by eliminating miscommunications and quickly addressing customer issues. Improving customer communication helps teams handle the customer service process better.

The program has some key unique features that help with the delivery of cohesive customer support. There is ticket automation, which allows support staff to flag messages by word or type. For example, a staff could add a flag for any support request that contains the word “upset” or “frustrated.” This allows the team to prioritize the more urgent requests that need attention.

Another key feature is the Knowledge Base tool. This allows clients to try to solve their own minor issues, which enables support staff to handle bigger challenges that may arise. With TeamSupport, customers can have their needs prioritized and met with efficient responses. Pricing starts from $40 per month.

  1. Office 365 

Another top solution that will help you exceed customer expectations is Office 365. This cloud-based service features a number of different tools that can be beneficial. One of the newly debuted services is Bookings, which allows customers to schedule appointments with a company using online software. This makes a convenient process for customers as it eliminates the need for a phone call.

Dynamics is another Office 365 software tool. The CRM package brings a line of integrated business management solutions that allow your staff to make important business decisions with a greater sense of confidence. Key features of Dynamics include lead management, contact management, and territory management.

Pricing for Office 365 starts from $5/month per user, for the Business Essentials plan. Microsoft Dynamics pricing plans start at $4 per user/month.

  1. Samanage

If your company is seeking a more advanced, user-friendly help desk solution then Samanage is the option for you. Making life easier for both your team and the customer, Samanage has comprehensive functionality that allows you to quickly respond to service requests. This results in improved support for your customers.

The intuitive service desk ensures that your team will deliver exemplary support. Clients use their email or the powerful self-service portal to submit service tickets. Users can even search for a solution independently by using the system’s Knowledge Base.

In addition to submitting a new service ticket, your customers can easily track the status of a pending issue.

Samanage allows for a desk data integration and can be used on the go from any smartphone or tablet with web browsing capabilities. You can experience the convenience and up-to-date reliability of Samanage for an affordable annual subscription based on your software needs.

  1. AmoCRM

AmoCRM allows you to manage your pipeline and sales team. The sales management service is a web-based platform enables businesses to manage customer relationships more effectively. You can directly link platforms such as Facebook, Dropbox, Xero, and Zendesk to AmoCRM.

Valuable features include sales analytics, lead scoring, and email integration. The software supports custom field creation and provides a user-friendly approach to managing your company’ interactions with current and potential customers.

AmoCrm allows you to upload existing customers from contact databases such as Gmail and Outlook. There are also follow-up tasks to keep you up-to-date on meetings and calls, and these are attached to the contact or lead cards.

AmoCRM is free to try and plans start from $15/month.

There are many excellent technological solutions available that help businesses thrive in managing their customer service by maximizing efficiency and enhancing communication. However, technology can only take you so far. In order to provide a stellar customer service, your entire business should be customer-service oriented. Strive to exceed customer expectations whenever you can and this will definitely take your business a long way in terms of longevity and reputation.

 

About the Author:

heather

Heather Redding is an avid reader, freelance writer, coffee snob and a tech enthusiast from Aurora, Illinois. When she is not working, Heather enjoys swimming and hanging out with her friends. You can reach Heather via Twitter.

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Filed Under: Customer Experience, Customer Service, Customer Success Management, CX, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guest Post: Prospering in the E-Commerce Market

December 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment

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There are many e-commerce stores popping up right, left and center. The online market is like “Perfect Competition” described in economic studies; in perfect competition, there are no barriers toand exit and no single player can influence price. It is very easy to set-up an e-commerce store but with thin margins and cut-throat margins it is very difficult to survive and prosper in this segment. Many e-commerce stores are closing down, and yet at the same time, new big players like Walmart are entering into the market by purchasing websites like Jet.com in multi-dollar deals! Amazon is continuously expanding and is now currently pushing to capture a greater market share in India. The market has potential but only for the most determined. For the small players right now, it is especially a daunting challenge, as the market is in consolidation stage and most of the big players are combing and pushing slower businesses out or buying them out.

So the point comes what can you do for success in the e-commerce world?

  • Digital advertising is the key to success

You need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in online advertising, for it may look easy but it is actually quite challenging. Thanks to the advent of traditional Google ads will no longer cut it. Also charging your credit card on Facebook is also quite the expensive option and you cannot just rely on Facebook alone. So what do you do? You keep abreast of latest trends, for example right now Video ads are one way of getting around ad blockers.

Besides ad-blockers, video ads make more sense. Video consumption across devices has increased thanks to falling data charges in most countries and increasing smartphone and internet penetration.

  • Look inwards

Right now the e-commerce market is cut-throat. You can only maximize margins to a certain level. To stay competitive against giants you need to cut every possible cost. You need to look inwards and see where you can save money. Find a cheaper toll-free number, a cheaper shipping service or find ways to save on packaging. Negotiate better credit periods and see your bank charges and negotiate for each and every cent you can. It is difficult but every cent saved helps to add towards the bottom line.

This is especially a must for start-ups, often being helmed by fresh graduates who also have to worry about paying off their student loans. Every strive and profit you make out of your business not only helps you scale but also helps to get your personal finances in order avoid problems like delayed student loans.

  • Keep track of customer satisfaction rates

Customer satisfaction rates are often treated like a fire putting exercise. They often come into the limelight once sales start to fall. By then, restoring customer satisfaction and restoring goodwill lost becomes an uphill task. All businesses heavily rely on customer satisfaction thus one should keep a constant track it. Monitor your total sales and then draw up a meaningful sample that represents the whole population. Follow up with this sample and understand the customer satisfaction levels. Also keep a good track on customer reviews. Pacify disgruntled customers fast because they are the ones who are more active at commenting on public pages.

 

About the Author

Rachael Everly is an undergraduate student who loves to write on the topics related business, finance, technology and education. Follow @RachaelEverly for further updates

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