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  • Business

    5 Things To Stop Doing In Business Now That It’s 2022

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    Whenever a new year comes, we always like to remind ourselves of starting anew—finding new hobbies, creating habits, exploring the wilderness. A brand new year initiates a better version of us. And it extends to everything we do.

    Business owners know how tedious the new year can be for their hustle. Recent trends, challenges, and tactics need to be addressed. But businesses are supposed to adapt. And it gives you a chance to jump-start for a new beginning.

    But we’re doing it every year—we plan for new things to do, and it builds up over time. You may not notice them initially, but some habits block growth. To seize 2022 for the best version of your biz, here’s a guide on the things you should ditch this year.

    1. Letting Chaos Reign

    The last two years took a toll on the economy. Businesses were affected; while some had to close down permanently, others survived. We have been adapting to the new way of hustle for a while now, and businesses developed certain habits that keep them thriving. However, there are instances that we are getting used to the “survival mode.”

    Companies faced a lot of difficulties from the pandemic. And a part of survival is the acceptance of defeat and, sometimes, using the situation as an excuse. Taking it as a part of your new routine is unacceptable. Instead, you should take responsibility for what happened and turn them into something more beneficial. While you cannot control the world, you can choose how you react.

    You cannot always choose your battles. But you are responsible for making something out of the unexpected. 

    2. Doing the Same Routine & Getting By 

    2022 is not the time to claim that ‘it is what it is.’ Your business survived difficult times, and it can do so much more. You may have realized that some parts of your routine didn’t work well with the situation by this time. Your old habits got you through the challenges of the past, but you have to move on. 

    The world’s current situation shifted, and so your business should be. Settling for your old routine may only get you through. But a new year means new possibilities. 

    Instead of settling for mediocrity, learn from your experiences. It’s time to cultivate the knowledge you’ve acquired from the ‘survival mode,’ assess the pros and cons of your situation and turn it into a new habit. Give credit for your past for making this far and provide more space for improvement.

    Adapt, innovate, and rise above the challenges that brought you where you are right now.

    3. Micromanaging

    Taking control when in distress is normal. You want to lessen the damage and make sure you can get through it all. And as entrepreneurs, you only want the best for your biz and team. However, it can cause a lot of problems over time. 

    It’s understandable for you to set standards for your team. But hovering over everything they do is damaging. Not only can it display your lack of trust, but it also causes you inefficiency in your role. Micromanaging harms you and your team’s performance. It destroys your focus on the greater work you should be doing because of worrying about the bits you already handed down. Or would you prefer to do everything?

    Instead, lead by example and build trust. Show your team you are focused on your role. And not only through management, but in doing your part in the business. Also, build trust among your employees, especially in the work that they should do. Stop micromanaging– you hired them for a reason, and you should cultivate that.

    4. Underestimating Automation

    At this time, do you still believe that things are better done manually?

    Sure, there are a lot of things that should be manually operated. But when it comes to businesses, shifts happen. The digital age provides a lot of opportunities for automation. It is a fast-paced industry that continues to develop, and it’s time to take advantage of that. 

    The pandemic may have caused you to work remotely. Now, you’re a pro when it comes to Zoom meetings. But it doesn’t stop there. Parts of your operations should be automated, such as engagement, leads, sales, and even simple office tasks. Not only does it minimize your need to hire employees, but it can also optimize your time and budget for these specific processes. 

    According to CRMSide, “88% of Small and Midsize Businesses (SMBs) say automation allows them to move faster, close leads quickly, spend less time on busywork, reduce errors, and offer better customer service.” Automation reduces dread from certain activities to focus on more important work.

    5. Worrying About the Future

    We can never be particular about many things, especially in the future. It’s normal to worry about what we don’t want to lose. But that alone cannot solve anything. One thing the pandemic all taught us is preparedness is key to everything. According to a study from the  International Business Machines (IBM), businesses in the pre-pandemic era didn’t value crisis management, workforce resiliency, cost management, enterprise agility, etc. But today, it is part of the most critical business aspects. 

    The prioritization shift has become a way to prepare businesses to survive in a post-pandemic world. Along with these is the emergence of digitalization which can cause cybersecurity issues. The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022 suggests cyber resilience, especially SMBs. 

    Your business’ future is uncertain. But preparation can always help ease your worries while securing your safety in the coming days.  

    Final Words

    The past year’s theme was ‘unexpected,’ use this to your advantage. You have learned a lot before. It’s time to turn those lessons into action today. There is always room for improvement, but it only happens when you let it.

    In the words of Michael Altshuler, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Take charge of your actions and always thrive for the better. Outside factors may hinder you from success, but how you take it determines your resilience. And that’s what’s more important. 

    Stop trying to do things that don’t serve you well. Maximize your business potential– you survived and now have a better understanding of what’s to come this year. Why would you want to settle for mediocre habits when you can do better?

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  • Social Media

    Why Being Too Salesy In Social Media Sucks

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    It’s easy to promote a product on social media. You can post a picture, write a few words about it, and post. There’s no rule when it comes to posting content—your brand, your choice. Seizing free exposure and possible brand visibility, you can just spam your followers to buy your product.

    But you can also maximize this opportunity and curate an effective marketing strategy. Businesses today are constantly finding ways to improve their social media presence because of its huge potential. According to the State of Social Media Report, 55% of consumers learn about brands on social media. By 2025, it is also expected that social network users in the USA alone will reach over 243 million. The numbers display potential.

    It’s quite tempting to put your product on display 24/7 with a big BUY ME sign while bombarding your audience with product menus. But we all know that sucks.

    Social Media Marketing

    Businesses are on social media for a reason. While it’s essential to have an online presence, social media marketing is vital to create a closer relationship with their clients and attract potential customers. Along with this, it is intended to promote your brand and drive sales.

    One thing to keep in mind in creating a marketing strategy is consumer behavior. According to the Sprout Social Index, in introducing your brand, only 57% of consumers will follow and try to know your product. If you manage to break the barrier and have them follow your account, 89% of the consumers will buy from your brand. However, you have to keep them well to generate those gains.

    49% of consumers will unfollow a brand’s account if they find poor customer service and product quality. But what if you’re confident about your offers? Is there anything that could go wrong?

    Being Hard Sell

    Some people consider being salesy as pushy or desperate to sell a product; some try to enumerate the products’ advantages as if it’s a dream come true. Urban Dictionary describes it as a cheesy, aggressive, and superficial salesperson who makes people uncomfortable at some point. At this moment, it’s impossible to gain potential customers.

    This kind of approach doesn’t work well. It usually ruins customer experience, and that can have a huge impact on your brand.

    Why it sucks

    Being salesy is already bad, and doing it on social media marketing will make it worse.

    Social media is a platform for engagement, even for businesses. If your brand is here to promote and interact with customers, these people are here for socialization. While no one will stop you if you choose to spam your followers with sales offers, it’s a big turn-off for them. 45% of consumers will unfollow because of irrelevant content and having too many ads (Sprout Social Index). Your goal may be established already, and your product may be the best, but how you will build your image and sell yourself matters.

    What can you do about it

    Be authentic. Engage. Monitor Trends.

    Use the essence of social media to your advantage and personalize it with your brand. Your personality will be to your advantage, and people want to see that. Sure, you want to show the world how amazing your product is, but it needs supporting details.

    The social media industry has an 80/20 rule. Your followers would like to see more of the brand as a whole than mere product offers. Thus, 80% of your content needs to be about educating and interacting with your followers. This can include the behind-the-business, tips, shareable content, and even your market analysis. This can be personalized and a great opportunity to show expertise in your field.

    Offering valuable content and willingness to educate can subconsciously build trust among your followers. More often than not, your followers already know what you offer. Posting your product menu all the time can be redundant and boring, hence, the remaining 20%. It can include your promotions, brand news, media coverage, etc. This is enough self-promotion on social media because people stay to interact, and you have to give them that.

    The 80/20 Rule of Social Media

    The rule doesn’t have to be precisely divided, it can vary among platforms. Aside from being updated on social trends, creating a brand account and exploring on your own can help. An example can be marketing on TikTok. It is the top social media platform that marketers are eyeing today. We may have mastered the content game with Facebook and Instagram, but the approach on TikTok is different.

    TikTok demands creativity, authenticity, and engagement. A common denominator in their videos is also having fun. It may show you a lot of dance challenges or Vine-like skits (depending on what TikTok side are you in). You don’t have to engage in these if you want to. But it’s important to know your target audience and learn what they’re interested in.

    Similar to FB and Gram, TikTok also has hashtags that you need to take advantage of; engaging in the current trend will boost your visibility as much. May it be a new song that everybody’s using or an inside joke within your target audience, it’s important to have your brand be involved. Also, remember to turn on your stitches, duets, comments section, and create your challenge (if you can) to show that you’re more than welcome to connect with your audience personally. With this, you can gain their attention and trust, with a higher possibility of turning them into potential customers.

    Constant experiments and research about your target market are important. How they interact and respond to your strategy may vary among social platforms. However, it will not deliver instant results. Instead, consistency is needed to establish a strong connection with your followers.

    Final Words

    Consumer behavior is constantly changing. Your brand’s marketing strategy needs to keep up with it. Selling your products doesn’t work anymore, and being pushy about it can make you annoying. In the high times of social media, offering value is key.

    There is a lot of competition on the platform. By being too technical, you can lose. By being too salesy, you can be canceled. 

    In social media marketing, having the proper knowledge and personality works just fine. It’s an organic way of creating an audience willing to stay and can drive your sales up. In these times, brand trust and loyalty go a long way. Let your customers see your account and be educated while enjoying your content. And you might find yourself enjoying curating your social media presence as well.

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  • Blog, Content Marketing

    Don’t Skip the Edit

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    Here’s the truth: editing isn’t really fun. Sometimes, it’s the worst part of the writing routine. Bloggers spend a lot of time reading about editing tips and hacks and little time actually doing the work.

    But here’s another (bitter) truth: Every written word needs to be edited.

    Let’s start with the Why

    Your blog could be a travel blog, food blog, fashion blog, or one filled with movie reviews or book reviews, or music. Whatever your niche is, your blog reflects your personality or your business. After all, blogging is a form of content marketing that is critical for growing your business. You wouldn’t want your readers to lose confidence in you or your brand because of errors in your blog post. Even an itsy-bitsy typo can affect your entire blog and your brand along with it. So no matter how tedious it is, you must always, always, always edit before you hit publish!

    Read, edit, repeat

    You’ve got the idea, you’ve thought of a catchy title, now let’s work on making your readers give a damn. If you’re doing the editing on your own, you can do this: once you’ve finished your draft, read it like a reader and not as a writer. Does the post sound interesting? Do the words go well together? Is the writing style consistent?

    Fixing typos and spelling mistakes is just the beginning. Editing goes way beyond proofreading. It’s about making sure that your written word is readable, relatable, and engaging. Even if your post is of perfect grammar and free of any spelling mistakes and typo errors, your readers will still lose interest if you can’t get your point across clearly and briefly. So, clarify and condense. Make life easy and keep everything simple.

    Editing also means fact-checking. Your reputation as a writer can be damaged in a snap because of fake news. Get your facts straight before writing them down.

    So typos, spelling, grammar, facts. These are just a few of the things you need to check while editing. The list goes on and on and on.

    Feeling the pressure yet?

    A Fresh Perspective

    Editing may be done by the writer or by an outsider. Having someone else do it for you is often more valuable, even if you’re a good editor yourself. You see, when you’re editing your own work, it’s easy to overlook errors because your brain automatically fills in the blanks of what you meant to say. If you want higher-quality content, get an editor. Editors will check everything, down to the last detail, and revise your post so that your message gets across clearly.

    You’re probably thinking, “Why can’t I just use an editing software?” Communication. A human editor can get a sense of your meaning more so than any software. You need to communicate with your editor to express your thoughts and put them on paper. Real editors, better results.

    Since we’ve already established that editing is more complicated than it seems, getting an editor means saving a lot of time and allowing you to focus on other responsibilities.

    Final Say

    If you want to improve your content, don’t skip the edit! And while you know about your topic or your brand more than anyone in the world, you might still need help getting your point across. Sometimes, it takes an outsider to make your post remarkably readable. Don’t let lousy writing wreck your reputation and that of your brand!

    “To write is human, to edit is divine.” — Stephen King, On Writing

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  • SEO

    A Beginner’s Complete Guide to SEO

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    Have you ever wondered how many blog posts are published every day for SEO purposes?

    In WordPress alone, there are millions of articles posted a day, which means a couple of blog posts go out every second, with the many users WordPress has. And that’s only for WordPress. If we include other platforms, there will be way more than that.

    So, why is blogging utilized by businesses for their websites or online platforms? It’s
    because ranking on the front page of Google search is one of the deciding
    factors for business success.

    Showing up on the front page of the search engine proves that your website or page is getting more traffic than the rest of your competitors in your niche.

    This marketing technique is what we call Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

    What is SEO?

    By definition, SEO stands for search engine optimization, which we can put as the art of ranking high in a particular search engine through organic traffic.

    It is the process of optimizing your online content, such as the design and writing, so
    that Google and other search engines will show your content at the top result of searches of a specific keyword.

    To explain it further, there are three elements to it: first is your content, second is
    the search engine, and third will be the searcher.

    Let’s say you have an article about Scandinavian home décor, and you want the search engine to show it at the top result to people who would search for the phrase ‘Scandinavian décor’. Manipulating the SEO is the magic that will make your content move to the top of Google’s front page. So you should consider using keywords that are possible search terms by someone who might be interested in your content.

    Sounds easy, right? But that’s not all that there is.

    SEO Strategies

    For some, SEO sounds like something you can do in a blink of an eye – because it’s known as the magic that ranks pages high on Google search. But it is way more than that.

    It’s a long-term commitment to work on your platform’s SEO game before you can rank
    high on search engines.

    There are two ways you can work on SEO, one is a white hat or SEO for the long haul,
    while the other one is black hat or something like a get-rich-quick scheme.

    Getting traffic may not be that easy without the help of SEO, but it’s possible with Black Hat techniques.

    Black Hat Techniques

    With this type of SEO, content marketers only focus on optimizing content for the sake of
    ranking in search engines, not considering the target audience at all. In other
    words, we break the rules to rank high in search engines to get fast cash.

    However, this approach is frowned upon as it often results in spammy pages that can be
    banned fast. Or worse, it can lead to a punishment that takes away the chance
    to scale your online platform.

    Some of the ways content marketers use to dodge rules through Black Hat SEO are stated
    below:

    • Redirecting the user to another site
    • Including Duplicate Content
    • Inserting Invisible Content
    • Linking to Sites with Non-Relevant Content
    • Stuff Content with Keywords

    White Hat Techniques

    If you want to start with a clean slate and you don’t mind dedicating some time to build a
    sustainable online business, then White Hat SEO is for you. Doing this requires
    content marketers to focus on what their target audience really needs.

    Google has its own algorithm and using white hat techniques is playing by the rules of
    the search engine. Here are some of the ways you can produce the best possible
    content for SEO:

    • Create Relevant Content
    • Include Relevant Links and References
    • Label Images Properly
    • Write Complete Sentences with Good Grammar and Spelling
    • Write Unique and Relevant Page Titles

    Finally…

    This is what makes digital marketing, SEO to be exact, so fun and interesting. It’s a
    competition. And it’s a matter of which technique you use to rank high on Google’s front page.

    However, SEO is also unpredictable as search engine rules and algorithms change all the
    time. That’s why there are other techniques that resurface aside from Black Hat and White Hat, including guest posting. But ultimately, what matters is that marketing tactics must be scalable to generate ROI for your business.

    Previously published on The Smitten Wordsmith.

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