3 Ways to Grow Your Business By Focusing on the Customer

Every business in this generation is being hit with a variety of challenges. It would be easy to just roll over and sink. Sadly many companies are even getting to the point where simply surviving has become their daily mode of operation. They’re cutting their marketing budget, laying off people and, unfortunately, worrying about their bottom line more than they do the customer.

But the customer matters more than anything, and, believe it or not, customers and clients aren't as hard to reach as you might think.

You just have to focus on the customer, and the customer only. It isn't new advice, but it resonates now more than ever. Good old fashioned business works online and in social media because it revolves around people more than anything. It doesn’t depend on pictures, links or making sure your advertisement is mentioned 87 times in a week. It puts the customer at the focus of things and makes serving them the number one priority in the company.

As a small business owner or even a corporation that is looking for some ‘revival’ to take place in your culture, take a look at how you got to where you are. Never forget what initially made the customer feel the most important, don’t forget the long nights of coming up with unique ways to stand out so people felt special. These strategies last even as everyone else rolls over and cries, “Economic crisis!”

Has the going gotten rough? Try these three strategies for growing your business instantly, but putting your focus back on the customer.

Have a conversation. Use social media to stretch your ad dollars by engaging directly with your clients. Don’t depend on automated tools to do the work for you. You want ROI? Then have a relationship with your customers, just like the merchants of old did many years ago over a countertop.

Talk back. That’s an ingenious idea. Stop tweeting and posting and sending out your sales message 800 times a week. Care about people. Talk back to them! Real engagement is not how often your link gets clicked or your picture gets liked, it’s about people caring enough to verbally answer, engage and have relationship with you.

Hit the stationery store. Want to increase customer loyalty and your email open rates? Then send out a handwritten thank you card to every single person who buys something from you, even if it’s a digital product. What you do daily with your clients influences your email campaigns.

It’s important to be the one sender that they LOVE to receive mail from. Be the one they can’t wait to hear from, just like a good friend. Your company's emails should be a favorite. We want to hear customers say things like, “I have a special folder for your emails so I don’t miss a thing!” This means you won, and your open rates will tell the rest.

Obsess about them. Want to blow the socks off of your competitors and increase your sales? Then start obsessing about your customers and quit worrying about your bottom line all day. Your customers are your bottom line. Ignore them and you have a beautiful recipe for failure.

This whole “be less and don’t compete and just be content with where you are” is a pathetic scheme to disable the entrepreneurial spirit from our world. You were created to fight.

Life is not a playground. It is a battlefield. Inside every entrepreneur is a dream that if pursued and won, and I believe with all of my heart, the entire world benefits from this. This is about more than just dollars and ROI, it’s about economic change, creating jobs and creating a better world. The wealth will follow the entrepreneurs who resist the status quo and do everything they can to serve well.

Be more as a company. Your customers deserve it.

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7 Stupid Branding Mistakes Your Small Business is Making

When you think about great branding, Coca Cola’s distinctive red and white lettering, Nike’s swoosh and Adidas’s three stripes likely come to mind.  But as a small business, imagining the level of investment that’s gone into these iconic images can make the thought of undertaking your own branding initiative seem overwhelming.

It’s actually easier to do than most imagine. Just make sure to avoid some common pitfalls and branding mistakes.

1. Not understanding the power of a brand. From a customer-relationship perspective, having a strong brand is obviously advantageous.  For instance, when people think of online shoe purchases, they think of Zappos. You want to have that kind of immediate, definitive relationship with your buyers as well.

Defining your brand is also valuable from an SEO perspective.  It’s something of an open secret that Google likes to prioritize branded listings in its organic search results, since visitors are more likely to click on them.  More clicks tends to equal happier customers, which means that focusing on brand building could lead to unexpected website traffic and awareness benefits.

2. Forgetting to establish defined brand guidelines. So you know that your company may to develop a brand, but what exactly does that mean?  When creating a brand identity, you’ll want to establish defined guidelines that cover all of the following elements (as well as any others that are relevant to your field). Here are a few points to consider.

• Logo (both an overarching logo and any logo lockups your company uses for individual product lines)

• Brand colors

• Taglines

• Fonts and typography

• The “voice” used in your branded materials

• Imagery

• Mascots and spokespeople

Clearly, this list isn’t comprehensive.  If there’s some other branding characteristic you feel is necessary to define your business, go ahead and add it to your brand guidelines documentation.  The worst thing you could do is to avoid creating these important documents altogether.  Without them, your branding efforts will lack the consistency and direction needed for success.

3. Overcomplicating your brand. Take a look at how Coca Cola’s classic script logo has changed since its first usage in 1887.  While the fonts used have varied slightly, the original look is still largely intact after more than 127 years of service.

Small businesses can learn a lesson from this beverage industry giant.  When initiating the branding process, it can be tempting to add more variables than you truly need.  But your logo doesn’t need to involve six different colors, and it doesn’t need to have six individual graphic elements to represent the different arms of your company.  Clean, simple elements are more likely to be recognized and remembered by consumers, so steer clear of overcomplicating your company’s branded elements.

Related: 

4. Falling into the vague branding trap. But then again, don’t go the opposite direction and develop brand guidelines and elements that reveal nothing about your company and its value proposition.  Chances are you’ve seen this before in generic logos or in marketing language that’s downright repetitive. For example “best-selling” books, “championship” golf courses and “award-winning” ad agencies really don't mean anything.

Daniel Burstein, director of editorial content for MECLABS calls this type of lazy branding “wallpaper copywriting” or the use of vague, catch-all nonsense that’s been repeated so often it’s lost all meaning. 

So what’s the solution?  Clear language, logos and imagery.  For a great example, take a look at the following screenshot of mobile-payment processor Square’s landing page.  Not only does the company’s logo mimic the product in a way that’s unmistakable, the value proposition stated in the company’s tagline “Start accepting credit cards today” is clear.  

5. "Cheating” on your brand guidelines. So you’ve sat down, crafted careful brand guidelines and begun implementing them across all of your company’s marketing materials and online properties.  But two months down the road, you need to create a new ad for a product line you’re launching, and it’d be really great if you could use a few colors outside of the palette you specified out in your branding documentation.

Can you do it?  Of course you can. But keep in mind, every time you deviate from your stated brand guidelines, you dilute their power by some small amount.  By doing so, you’re essentially introducing a new brand image to your customers, diminishing the strength of the association they’d have to a more unified branding campaign. 

6. Not policing your brand’s usage. Developing and implementing your small business’s brand guidelines is only half the battle.  In addition, you’ve got to be proactive about monitoring where and how others are using your branded elements on your behalf. If not, you could have competitors creating a logo that looks similar, a review website using your logo and not linking back or a partner publishing an ad featuring your logo but with the wrong colors.

Some of these issues may be minor, but in other situations, it may be necessary to pursue legal action if you feel your branded elements are being infringed upon. 

7. Rolling out brand changes poorly. There’s nothing wrong with rebranding. That is, unless you approach it poorly.  Bear in mind any changes you make to your established brand reduces the connection you’ve built with your customers.  Therefore, it’s important to only make changes when the benefits truly outweigh the risks of losing business. If you do decide to make an alteration, you need to clearly educate your followers on the changes you’re making.

While branding is certainly a marketing discipline in its own right, it doesn’t need to be overcomplicated.  Good intentions -- and avoidance of the mistakes described above -- will go a long way towards helping your small business form vital connections with your target customers.

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Lacking Motivation? Follow These Steps to Get Back on Track.

Not long ago, a business owner who reads my column asked me this question:

I was wondering what do you do when your motivation level is lacking, as well as your self esteem? What do you do to regain the motivation needed to move on with your plans and pursue your networking endeavors?

This is a great question, and here’s my answer:

First of all, let me say that I am as certain of what I’m about to say as anything in my life: Motivation comes from within you, not from outside you. No one can motivate you but yourself. I’m speaking long-term motivation. Many years ago, author Frederick Herzberg wrote about motivation in the Harvard Business Review, where he said that others can motivate you but only in the short term. He called that KITA (Kick in the… Anatomy – that’s really what he called it).

On the other hand, long-term motivation comes from within. So, that begs the question: As a business person, how do you motivate yourself when your motivation is low?

First, you should understand that virtually all people have to deal with this at some point throughout their professional lives. I’ve never met anyone who was immune to this (I certainly am not). So, what do I do as an entrepreneur and businessman when I feel down?

Here are some of the things that have helped me:

1. Minimize contact with negative people. This isn’t always completely possible but do it as much as you can.  At least do this for a short while. I really believe that some people complain as though it were an Olympic event! Keep clear of them while you are trying to get your mojo back.

2. Maximize time with people that refuel your energy. You become the five or six people with whom you hang out the most. Hang out with people who make you want to “do” and “be” better.  Set some meetings with them.  Go to some business events together – anything that puts positive people around you.

3. Read/listen/watch positive things. If you are feeling down, read a positive book. Listen to an audiobook or podcast with a positive message. Watch something that makes you laugh. Surround yourself with some things you love to be influenced by. Let that in to your life as much as possible.

4. Prioritize the things you want to do and must do. Make a list. As a businessman, I live by lists. The more I can get a handle on the things I need and want to do – the easier it is to tackle them.

5. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Take that list you’ve created and tackle some of that list EVERY DAY. If you really do this, you will be amazed at how much you get accomplished. The more you accomplish, the better you will feel. They feed each other.

There’s plenty more we can do to generate motivation, but I believe the list above is a good start. Also, keep this in mind: If your motivation is low it helps to step out of the small picture (the day-to-day) and remember the big picture (why are you doing what you do?). Allow yourself to be motivated by your bigger vision, and let goals drive you. Remembering why you are doing what you do in business can most certainly help you find some new energy to keep going.

If you’re still struggling with motivation after reading and trying the above, one of my friends had a great suggestion: Let your to-do list (suggestion no. 4) be driven by a short-term goal: What would you like to achieve in the next week or -- at most -- next month, that inspires you to act today? A small “win” can be very motivating.

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How to Make It as a Freelance Entrepreneur

When people think of an entrepreneur, often they conjure up a founder of a newly launched startup, a veteran business owner or someone running a franchise. But the term includes so many other folks, one being the freelancer.

Many entrepreneurs have found success as a freelancer providing various services including data mining, designing, producing and writing, among others. But to build a successful, prolific freelance career, you need more than luck and access to clients online.

Here are five key skills that will go a long way in helping you find success:

1. Market yourself. You might have rock-star design skills, a knack for storytelling or coveted coding chops, but without a personal marketing strategy, no one will know you are open for business. All good freelancers should have a robust online presence -- everything from public social media accounts (keep it professional, please) to a personal website and a digital portfolio. Having a well-defined personal brand can go a long way towards boosting your professionalism for both current and future clients.

Tools: Social media management applications such as HootSuite and Buffer help keep your online presence organized and up to date. Custom-built websites are always best for showing yourself off in a unique way, but LinkedIn, Wix, WordPress, and About.me enable you to create a professional online presence in minutes.

2. Set a schedule, goals and expectations. Whether you're working on a last-minute project or have all the time in the world, it is important for freelancers to establish deadlines and manage expectations with clients. Determining what the final product will look like, when it will be delivered and how it will be done helps freelancers stay on track and allows clients to know what they're getting.

Tools: Visually's Project Center incorporates a custom timeline for each project, clearly establishing deadlines and deliverables. There is also Podio and Asana, both of which provide management tools for collaborating with a team and staying on top of project goals.

3. Keep track of all your great ideas. At any given point, you might be working on a number of different projects at various stages of completion. Keeping track of all of the ideas and inspirations associated with each one can be tough and top-notch organization skills are a must for any freelancer's arsenal.

Tools: The gold standard for organization tools and apps is Evernote. No other tool has as many features, as simple of an interface,or is as easy to use as Evernote. With full-featured integration across a variety of desktop and mobile platforms, the tool can be accessed virtually anywhere inspiration strikes.

4. Communicate effectively. It sounds like a no-brainer but effective communication builds a foundation for business success. This is even more applicable for freelancers. Going the extra mile to stay on top of communication can help eliminate the physical distance between you and your client. Being available via email, over phone and on video chat is a must, but don't be afraid to also check out screen sharing apps too, as these can be helpful for walking clients through more intricate and detailed work.

Tools: The go-to app for communication is Skype. Its simplicity is unmatched and universally adored. While Skype offers basic screen sharing, dedicated tools such as Screenhero and join.me are best for power users.

5. Follow up, build a network and grow your freelance business. You've finished a project and sent your invoice to the client. This might seem like the end of you and your client's working relationship, but it's not. Follow up with the client a week or two after the project has been delivered, and ask for feedback. If it's positive, ask for them to recommend your work to others, endorse you on LinkedIn or provide a short testimonial for your website or portfolio.

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