Incentive Programs: What do Employees Need to Stay Motivated?

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What are incentive programs?

pirate beating

Would this motivate your team?

Too many companies are ignoring the fact that incentive programs are crucial to maintaining employees, especially millennials. Contrary to previous generations’ beliefs, the job itself is not enough motivation to keep an employee at the desk. Here are a couple of tips to help you get started in building a successful incentive program. 

Never underestimate the power of verbal and public recognition.

Remember that gold star chart in your kindergarten classroom? The same principle applies to employees today, though probably with less stickers. Recognizing an employee publically and verbally will not only make your employee a star for the day or week in the books, it will build self-esteem and acknowledgement from their peers.

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Marketing Strategies for Small Business

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How do you decide which marketing strategies to employ for your business?

How do you decide which marketing strategies to employ for your business?

It’s not uncommon for friends and family to ask for my advice when it comes to marketing or public relations; after all, it’s what I do. But not everyone has someone to turn to when they’re not quite sure how to get the word out about their company. How do you decide which marketing strategies to employ for your business?

The first step is determining your marketing and PR goals. What are you hoping to achieve through your marketing activities? Write down a few measurable goals, including when you plan to achieve them, so you know if your tactics are working or if you should try something new. Also, remember to be realistic. A marketing goal of a thousand plus new Facebook fans by the end of the month probably isn’t going to happen.

Once you have your goals, think about what marketing strategies and tactics might get you there. For example, if your goal is a certain number of new Facebook fans, you might want to consider a Facebook ad campaign. Or, if you’re trying to increase your search engine optimization (SEO), you might consider blogging on a weekly basis. Continue reading →

Banner Ad: The Marketing Advantages

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A banner ad may not be the first marketing tactic that comes to mind, but this post will discuss why they are actually quite effective. Online advertising is not a new concept. Neither is the idea of using a banner ad. Both methods took off in the 1990s and have been used to grow companies ever since.

Has your business used a banner ad before?

Has your business used a banner ad before?

There are a few components to a banner ad that businesses need to know. First, it can come in a variety of sizes ranging from long and horizontal to thin and vertical. There are actually 8 different banner sizes that the IBA has designated for businesses to use. When choosing to use a banner ad, it is important to recognize this. If companies are not aware of even the smallest aspect of a banner ad like size, it can have an effect on how effective the ad is. The honest truth is that the majority of banner ads are not successful. They work by providing a direct link to a company’s website if clicked on, but the average banner ad only gets a click through rate  of 1 out of every 1000. For this reason, it is crucial to make your banner ad stand out Continue reading →

Twitter Use Optimization and Getting Targeted Twitter Followers for Your Business

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Social media can be tricky, and it’s no secret that Twitter can be one of the more difficult microblogging sites to figure out. Though it’s been around for several years now and has already been integrated into the daily lifestyle of Gen Y, Twitter has still not become

A man browses Twitter on his iPhone.

A man browses Twitter on his iPhone.

nearly as prominent for business use as contemporaries such as Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn have. This is for a few reasons, primarily because it is very difficult for inexperienced business owners, many coming from a different generation, to not only familiarize themselves with the technology and compose a tweet in the first place, but also to attract targeted Twitter followers once they do. However, Twitter has over a half-billion registered users, and marketing professionals agree that it’s vital to incorporate it into a social media plan. Continue reading →

Business Strategy: The 5 W’s – Part 1

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The 5 W’s are essential to relaying concise information to your audience.

The 5 W’s are essential to relaying concise information to your audience.

We’ve all heard of the 5 W’s for journalism: who, what, when, where and why. They are the elements of information gathering needed to get the full story. But the 5 W’s don’t just apply to journalism; they can also apply to your business strategy in marketing. Whether it’s a customer service representative trying to resolve a customer complaint, or it’s your marketing team trying to come up with a new business strategy, the 5 W’s are essential to relaying concise information to your audience. In developing a sound business strategy for your content marketing efforts, here are a few tips to follow. Continue reading →