Category: Business

It’s a beautiful and proud moment when your baby business idea turns into a legitimate company. You filed the paperwork, decided on a name, registered it, set up the website, and now set out to print business cards. But what do you need to know about marketing business cards and how to create the perfect card that reflects you and your business?

Marketing Business Cards: Pay Attention to Design and Content

Contrary to common belief, business cards are still considered important when getting the word out and building contacts. It’s a traditional means of passing down information about your business physically and tangibly. Business cards assist in creating and building your company’s professional image. They make your business seem legitimate and credible. Also, remember, not everyone has a smartphone or easy access to the internet. Here is where sharing information through a business card comes handy.

However, people can go overboard sometimes when marketing business cards. A crowded and shabby card can push customers away instead of enticing them towards your business. So what can you do to design the perfect business card?

Stick to the Basics: Keep Only Necessary Information

Keep your business card simple. Include the name, your name, phone number, email address, and 1-2 important social media links. It may seem like a good idea to mention all your social media accounts and multiple points of contact information in small font sizes, just to have it all there. However, believe us, it is not. Don’t make it harder for potential customers to read and decode content in small fonts. Even the description of the business shouldn’t be longer than a few words. If you have a tagline or slogan, that’s the way to go.

Make it Clear and Legible

You may be tempted to experiment with various fancy fonts to make your card stand out. But overdoing it can backfire. Pick a font, size, and color that is legible and not too loud. And one that is in line with your logo’s font would be a good option, too.

Market Your Contact Information

Most importantly, you want to ensure that they know exactly how to contact you. And so, include your email address and virtual or business phone number on your business cards with your email address. Since this is the way customers are going to interact with you, make the number and email address simple and not too complicated or confusing.

Place Your Logo Strategically

Your logo represents your business and potential clients will associate the logo with your company. So, it is important to place your logo on the card. It shouldn’t be too jarring. Instead, it should create the right impression. You can situate it on the top corners or the center of your card. Either way, make sure it is visible.

Utilize White Space

People often underestimate the power of white space. White space, from a design perspective, draws more attention to spaces including the text and logo. And you want potential clients to focus on these elements. So, avoid making your card too crowded. Allow white space for recipients who’d like to jot information down or make quick notes.

Design Differently for Each Profession

Now, if you’re a freelancer with different skills or have various side or part-time jobs, then you need to create different cards. Don’t advertise all your skills, jobs, qualifications on one small card. Instead, design for different audiences and highlight your skillset accordingly.

Include a Call to Action

Another thing that you may want to consider is encouraging the recipients to do something after receiving your card. You can do this by incorporating a QR code that they can scan to learn more about your company or enter some kind of promotion. Research and use the best QR code generator available in the market to create such codes. Or, you could include a coupon or discount on it as well. Basically, give them incentives to participate in your business.

Add a Link to Reviews

A simple but often overlooked tip when designing your business card is to include a link or QR code that directs prospects to your online customer reviews. This is an excellent way to build social proof and manage your reputation. When prospects see that others have had a positive experience with your business, they’re more likely to trust and reach out to your business. You can use a short, memorable URL that takes users directly to your Google reviews, Yelp page, or another third-party review platform. Even better, if you regularly hand out business cards to satisfied customers (especially after service calls or consultations), you can use this as a subtle yet effective way to request a review.

Don’t Forget The Back!

A lot of people intentionally or unintentionally leave the backside of the business card blank. However, this is a missed opportunity. When marketing business cards, be as creative as you can to support your company. And the back of your business card is one space where you can showcase your talent or quirkiness. For instance, if you are a photographer, you can choose to display one of your best photographs. A content or creative writer, on the other, can display their talent with words. The back should reflect what you do, who you are, and showcase your skills, if applicable.

Check out the following creative routes you can take:

• Blow up your logo and include a tag line
• Photographs
• Creative content
• Graphics for graphic designers
• QR codes that recipients can “scan for news and special offers”
• Social media links
• Maps or directions to your business
• Using a professional picture of you
• Promotions, discounts, coupons to draw attention
• Loyalty card like a stamp card where they “Buy 9, and get the 10th free”
• Add a magnet at the back so you can find a spot on their fridge!

Don’t Cheap Out on Marketing for Your Business

Marketing is essential for any business because it is the main way to let target audiences know that your business exists. Furthermore, your product or service is what they need. Putting effort into marketing business cards is a good way to get started. Use the cards to not only spread the word but make contacts and create networks with others in your industry or related fields. Have your name physically attached to your business and watch it grow!

With the growth of digital commerce, many companies and entrepreneurs are looking to go digital. A lot of consumers are going online not only for their shopping needs but also to research and find quality services. So, growing your business online can help you gain access to a wider audience for your product or service. However, if you are not taking advantage of everything the online world has to offer, then your business probably isn’t reaching its full potential.

Your Business isn’t Growing Online Because . . .

Growing a company online can be difficult and competitive. However, with the right resources, tools, and decisions, it is not an impossible task. Here are 10 reasons why your business isn’t expanding:

1) Are You on the Right Platform?

Choosing the right online platform to situate and promote your website depends on the type of business you have. Consider what elements can boost your image. For example, do you need a platform that highlights visual media or one that highlights content? Writers looking to promote their writing skills won’t find much success on a social media platform like Instagram. Photographers and other visual artists, on the other hand, can use Instagram to showcase their talents and skills. Similarly, for a business providing complicated services, a website producing informative content can be very useful to potential clients. Keeping these in mind, research to identify where your online company belongs and can gain traction.

2) Targeting the Wrong Crowd

It is crucial to identify the right customers for your business. If you are focusing on the wrong crowd, you will be missing valuable sales. Determine your ideal customer and then also consider other potential client profiles. Keep an open mind so that you can target different types of customers and use that to your advantage.

3) Complicated and Slow Web Design

If you’ve gone the website route, then reevaluate your web design. Is there too much happening? Is important content ― like information about services or products offered ― difficult to locate? Or are there many stops between finding a product and the checkout page, allowing customers opportunities to reconsider and drop the item? Is your website slow? These are important questions to consider. Since most users are going to find your website on their phones, you want your website to be mobile-friendly and quick to load.

4) Bad Website Rankings in Search Results

Next, check if you are ranking well in search results. If you are on the second or third page (or further behind), then there’s a good chance that customers are not aware your company exists. And of course, this does not help with growing your business online. Optimizing the website should be a priority. Invest in search engine optimization (SEO) tools that will help you appear higher in search results. Identify relevant keywords for your product and target them in posts. Publish educational and informative content that focuses on your services and the industry in general. This will show users that you have expertise and experience. You can also use an AI SEO content generator to build SEO-optimized articles with focus keywords in bulk

5) Not Providing Multi-channel Communication

Don’t limit communication to just phone or email. Provide your customers with different ways to get in touch with you and interact with your service. Phone and email are the basic means of contact. However, you should also use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Build your profile on career sites like LinkedIn so that customers can look up your credentials and references. SMS and chat services are growing popular as customers are increasingly choosing text over phone calls. Callback services could be another way to connect with customers. United World Telecom offers a CallMe-Click button for your website. Visitors can click on this button and enter contact information to immediately receive a call from you. Multiple channels give customers more opportunities to interact with your brand.

6) Ignoring the Importance of Email Lists

Email lists are important for growing your business online. Don’t just rely on people coming to your website or social media channel and then making a purchase. Customers need to be nudged with offers, reminders, and more incentives. And email lists is one way to do that. And a personal one too because you can personally respond and interact with them. Use pop-up sign-up forms. Offer “subscribers only” incentives. Make your email easily accessible and shareable.

7) Limiting Your Marketing to One Platform Only

Next, use all these communication platforms to market your services. Consider paid and social media ads. Create email campaigns and send out newsletters updating customers on new products or features, upcoming promotions, membership opportunities, etc. Use these tools to stay on your target customers’ radar and encourage them to use your product or service.

8) Staying Local

Get a virtual number and open an “online office.” Virtual numbers can be local, international, or toll free numbers and United World Telecom offers these numbers in more than 160 countries. This way, you can get local numbers in different states or countries and expand your business there as well. And so, you are not limited to your city or state and can start attracting an international clientele. Local numbers will put your business in local directories. Also, customers recognize local numbers and are more likely to call an area or country code they know.

9) Not Tracking Your Progress

Use tools like Google Analytics to see how much traffic your website or social media is getting. These tools will show you how many users are visiting your site and where they are coming from. This way, you can identify which strategies are working and drawing more customers. You can use this information to improve other platforms or update your marketing strategy.

10) Not Considering Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Another way to grow your business online is by executing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Pay-per-click ads are sponsored ads on the top of a search result. These ads charge you only when someone clicks on the sponsored ad. You can easily run PPC campaigns on a small budget through Google Adwords or Facebook Ads. You can also insert your phone number in the ad, making it easier for customers to call you from search results.

Learn and Improve

With these tips in mind, start growing your business online by fixing current mistakes and opening new channels of interaction. As they say, change is the only constant, and the digital world is constantly changing. And so, you have to keep up with the demands of the digital world. Stay up to date, improve, adapt, and soar higher!

Looking for more information about virtual phone numbers and how they can boost your online business’ growth? Contact United World Telecom at 1-(877)-898-8646 or sign up for a number today!

Business owners need to do everything in their power to pull customers towards their products and brand. And the best way to do so is advertising and marketing what your company stands for. Effective advertising techniques can change the way potential customers interact with your brand and increase its presence in the market.

Make Your Business Visible: Effective and Creative Advertising Techniques To Try

Marketing your product and business includes creating a company profile and informing potential customers that you exist. It involves showcasing your talents or services and how they are useful and resourceful. From creating a logo to investing in social media marketing, there is a range of advertising techniques you can experiment with to see which grabs the most attention.

1. Create a Business Profile and Brand it

Just having a name and website or storefront is not going to work. You need to create a brand, a story, a connection. Think: logo, tag line, backstory, images, merchandise, etc. Hire a graphic designer to help you out with designing a logo that represents what your company stands for. Additionally, write up a story that emphasizes how and why you started this business. Customers who can relate to your story or idea or struggle are already one step closer. Use compelling images to get the message across. Then, capitalize on all of these elements and advertise everywhere.

2. Develop Your Website

In this digital age, having a website for your company is a must. Yes, word-of-mouth advertising works, but there’s no harm in doing more. Most customers will first Google a service or product they need before deciding on where to get it. A simple website that only highlights the service or product won’t be enough. Showcase your brand, include old and current portfolio, maintain a blog with educational and informational articles that show your expertise. Let people know that you are legit and understand your industry. And so, if you have a website and are actively posting on it, there’s a good chance that these customers will come across it and open it. And based on your experience, skillset, and expertise may choose your services over others.

3. Get Social (with Social Media)

Similar to the need for websites, social media is a must for enticing digital shoppers. Post, tag, comment, interact with your target client base. Here too, you can demonstrate your experience, improve customer service, and draw attention with promotions or discounts. Active social media posting reaches customers much faster than any other means. You can also invest in social media marketing so that your ads and posts can be displayed as sponsored ads on target clients’ feeds.

4. Design for the Smartphone

This, too, is to satisfy your tech-savvy clients. Mobile-friendly websites or apps are easy and fun to use. If your website or app is lagging and not user-friendly, it could cause frustration and customers may head elsewhere for their needs. Make sure your website is responsive and not slow. Make information easy to locate. Buttons should be large enough to work on the phone without issues. And so on.

5. Include Humor: Be Funny

A little humor never hurt anyone. Don’t be afraid to lighten the tone by including various humorous elements such as funny graphics, GIFs, memes, puns, etc. Something that sticks out and is funny stays with people. And if you stay on their minds long enough, they’ll consider investing in your company. In other cases, a funny caption can attract attention for customers who weren’t even looking for your product. As a result, you can increase brand visibility this way too.

6. Swag Hurrah!

Everybody loves free stuff; that’s no surprise. So, swag is a great way to get the word out and to promote different products you offer. You can do this in a couple of different ways: offer free samples, free swag, merchandise, or swag at a discounted rate. The point is to get customers excited and curious about your service. So giving them a sneak peek along with goodies will definitely pique their interest.

7. Creative Business Cards

One of the most popular advertising techniques is designing and marketing digital business cards. It’s hard to imagine that a tiny business card can do so much. But, if designed well, you can increase your email and call list quickly. When creating your card, ensure you include your logo and tagline, use a legible font, and provide contact information (business number and email). Leave enough white space so that attention is drawn towards the brand. Additionally, the back of the card is also an opportunity to advertise your product or service. For example, if you are a photographer, include one of your best photos. Let’s them see what you are capable of.

8. Consider Advertising with an Annoying Jingle

We all hate those annoying commercials with jingles that stay ringing in our ears forever, and ever, and ever! But those are the brands you remember. You can have a jingle with words or taglines highlighting your product. Or, you can capitalize on holiday music or popular music that customers enjoy and relate to. For example, a lot of ads have separate commercials for the Christmas season with Christmas visuals and music. Some even change the words to popular Christmas songs. These are some ways you can customize your ad with music.

9. Visuals in Commercials

Depending on the size of your business and budget, you may also want to consider making a commercial. You can use this to provide information about your service or create an emotional appeal by sharing your company story and vision. Or, you could use humor and misdirection to surprise viewers. For example, you could have a commercial showing polar bears sweating to talk about climate change. Or, have a commercial filled with tens of cats running around to promote the need for a lint remover.

10. Emotional Appeal

Emotional appeal is also one of the most important advertising techniques. This is because most customers will look for a good reason to purchase your product. So, you need to give them as many reasons as you can. For example, a commercial about quitting smoking that shows lung cancer or the debilitating effects of emphysema is much stronger than a commercial that simply says “Don’t Smoke.” Similarly, an ad that establishes and discusses a problem and then offers a solution makes for an effective marketing technique.

11. Bribe Them (with Promotions and Discounts)

Give customers that extra push or nudge towards purchasing your service by offering promotions and discounts. First-time customers appreciate a “first-time user” discount so that they can test the service out. You could also have a loyalty program where customers who recommend your service to others get extra points or credit. Similarly, you could implement a membership program for returning customers to get more discounts on bigger purchases.

12. Highlight Facts, Statistics, and Customer Reviews

Prove that your service, system, or product works. Include statistics, facts, product reviews, customer reviews, and testimonials. Use evidence as well as customer opinions to drive your sales. Respond to bad reviews to show that you are open to feedback and criticism that will improve the service.

13. Consider Color Psychology

Effective visual advertising techniques boost the way viewers and recipients perceive and interact with your business. An important factor in visual advertising is color. Pay attention to the colors you use for your logo, text, photographs, and the background. The colors should blend together and not appear jarring or loud. Think about the color palette when designing your flyers, business cards, etc. Something as simple as choosing a bold or dark color on a call-to-action button like “Submit” or “Click here” can influence click-through-rates.

14. Balance the Composition

Similar to color, notice how you organize and compose your copy or advertisement. You can arrange items to draw attention to specific areas or elements Or you can just arrange them in the most eye-pleasing way keeping Gestalt principles like simplicity and synchrony in mind. These principles focus on perception and how we perceive and absorb information.

15. Track Eye Movement and Create Visual Paths

A visual path is a design technique used on the journey of the content, pulling attention to specific elements. In other words, it is how a person moves along the content on your page. For example, left to right, top to bottom, and so on. You can estimate the visual path to highlight elements that you want them to focus on more.

16. Appeal to the Search Engines

Optimize your website content by adopting search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to rank higher in search results. This way, when people search for services related to yours or include certain keywords that relate to your business, they will be able to find your website quickly. You can also look into Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. These are sponsored ads that appear on top of search results. And you only pay for them when a viewer clicks on the ad. These are some advertising techniques that have proven to be successful for many marketing campaigns.

Increase Familiarity and Comfort Through Effective Advertising

Advertising techniques that are transparent and don’t try to trick customers are highly appreciated. Customers don’t want to be bullied or manipulated, but they do want to be informed and surprised. Keep your marketing efforts simple, educational, and supportive. And soon, you’ll drive your sales higher!

With a rise in globalization and growing economies, tax environments are becoming more and more complicated. And because of this, accounting services are in higher demand. This is why your accountants office should be doing everything it can to promote your services and garner customer attention.

Marketing for an Accountants Office: 5 Things You Need to Do

Marketing is absolutely essential for any firm or organization. Marketing allows businesses to present their services to the public. It is a way of showcasing what you have to offer and why target customers should come to your business over competitors. Let’s look at 5 marketing tips that are a must for any accountants office looking to stand out among the crowd.

Make a Plan: Establish Goals

It is important for everyone to be on the same page when it comes to determining how to market your company and services. Promoting, if done right, is the best way to create and maintain a business’ professional image. And so, make a plan and, together with your team, set goals and milestones to achieve. This way, every member of your team is working towards the same objectives.

Research the Market: Identify Targets

With any business or service, conducting market research is significant. You need to know what other similar services exist and how they are succeeding or failing. Learn from their achievements and failures and model your office accordingly. This way, you can also identify what services are lacking and choose to offer those, making you appear as the only office offering something different. Additionally, research target customers to determine how to market to them. If you don’t know who needs your services, you will not know how to get their attention. Marketing strategies will differ for various target groups. And so, it helps to be specific when identifying your accountants office’s ideal customer.

Draw a Budget: A Reasonable One

If not careful, marketing expenses can sneak up on you. Set aside specific budgets by the month or each quarter and keep tracking it. Often times, people overdo their marketing budgets. So, create one that is practical and won’t make a large dent in the office’s overall expenses. This way, you can measure and consider increasing or decreasing the amount based on return on investment (ROI).

Market Everywhere: Content, Social Media, and Email Marketing

It is alright to start by experimenting with any one form of marketing such as content marketing, social media marketing, or email marketing. However, over time, tapping into every form of marketing will be more effective. Content marketing focuses on developing the business’ website by improving information and content published on it. It’s necessary to establish expertise, explain difficult concepts, and demonstrate processes. Potential customers need to know that your accountants office knows its stuff and can actually help them. And content marketing can help you achieve this image.

Additionally, social media is also an effective way to get on target customers’ radar. Use paid social media ads to your advantage and keep your social media accounts up to date and informative. Also, use social media to provide promotions and other incentives to get clients. Email marketing can be used for the same: promotions, offers, membership discounts, newsletters, and more. These are some good methods of staying on customers’ phones and inboxes.

Let Them Reach You: Provide Different Communication Channels

Business numbers: they are a necessity. Get a business phone number and advertise it everywhere: website, emails, business cards, billboards, social media, and more. A virtual number from a reliable service provider can ensure you are always accessible by routing your calls over the internet. This way, wherever you are and whatever device you are using, clients can reach you. And customers will appreciate that.

You can also get local numbers in different states and countries and expand your business there. Local numbers make it easier for international clients to contact you as they don’t have to pay long-distance charges. The same goes for toll free numbers: they charge the receiver instead of the caller. All of this makes calling your accountants office attractive as customers don’t have to pay extra.

Customize your business number by getting a vanity number from United World Telecom. Personalize it by adding memorable patterns or letters. For example, 1800-432-4322 or 1-866-ACCTNTS. This makes your number easier to recognize and remember.

Measure, Track, Improve, Repeat

Finally, measure your success by tracking metrics and watching incoming profits. Identify areas that are successful and ones that can use tweaks or improvements. The most important aspect of effective marketing is to maintain strategies and stay up to date. Invest in a marketing team that looks over strategies and ensures they are continuously running. And before you know it, you will have customers seeking your services.

Are you looking to improve the quality of support calls for your business? If so, we’ll cover a number of topics to do so in this article, including:

• The difference between quality assurance and quality control
• Using quality assurance to improve support calls in business
• Using quality control to improve support calls in business

The Difference Between Quality Assurance vs Quality Control

First, there’s a big distinction when it comes to the definitions of Quality Assurance Vs Quality Control in support calls. Quality assurance is process-oriented, which focuses on preventing defects and errors in support calls. Quality control, on the other hand, is product-oriented and focuses on identifying defects.

Still confused? If so, the easier distinction between the two is that quality assurance is what happens before rolling out your customer support. This includes training programs and equipping your staff with functional hardware/software. Quality control is a way of refining your process. This includes debugging and streamlining how your staff delegates problems to different technicians. As a result, you can see that they’re both related to providing support to your customers.

Of course, this begs the question: How do you improve support calls specifically?

Quality Assurance Vs Quality Control: Using Quality Assurance to Improve Support Calls in Business

As mentioned, training goes a long way in improving support calls. Those in charge of training employees and new hires must thoroughly understand company policies and protocols. If, for example, a customer calls needing support for their non-functioning device, is there a strategy for handling the call? During the call, your staff discovers the reason for the malfunction is that service was cut off due to non-payment. The phone support staff must know these calls require forwarding to the billing department, not the IT department. This can make your phone communication more optimized, as there’s less time spent transferring calls. This, in turn, is the epitome of quality assurance. All measures of support are in place before the calls come in, ensuring they are handled appropriately.

United World Telecom makes this easy by providing a number of functionalities to upgrade support calls. By setting up a PBX directory (short for Private Branch Exchange), inbound callers can self-select which department they need to contact. Or, inbound calls can automatically reroute to the appropriate department based on their phone number and/or customer identification numbers.

Quality Assurance Vs Quality Control: Using Quality Control to Improve Support Calls in Business

Similarly, when it comes to improving quality control for direct support calls, United World Telecom offers “call recording.” As the name implies, inbound calls are recorded and stored for later use. During the training process, your business can use examples of successful calls and error-laden ones to educate your trainees on what they should do when in the field.

Also, call recording can improve quality control by verifying the service of a particular employee. Suppose your managers review an employee’s support call, only to find out that they were giving redundant information, easily accessible online or through your directory system. By learning from these calls, you can improve the quality of inbound calls, redirecting callers immediately to information by using another popular add-on from United World Telecom called IVR.

Short for Interactive Voice Response, IVR enables callers to use voice commands to access staff, departments, and information. As an example, suppose that you automate a greeting: “Please state why you are calling today. For instance, for access to tech support, say ‘tech support’.” You can then automatically redirect callers to the appropriate department, reducing call times for efficiency and causing less frustration all around.

In Closing

As you can see, we are just scratching the surface when it comes to improving quality assurance and quality control in your business. Above all, these measures should be in place to ensure your phone staff offers the highest level of customer service. With the right tools, your business will have no problems ensuring optimal communication. Contact United World Telecom today to speak with a telecom expert to optimize your business’ support calls today.

Social media networks can be for work or play, and some can be great for finding new business contacts. There are many big-named business social networks like LinkedIn, but have you ever heard of Sportifico? Depending on your business, you can find a social networking tool that fits just what you’re looking for. Whether that is for networking opportunities, jobs, or learning about an entirely new industry, meeting the right people can be done using the right platform. Check out these business-focused social media networks that are tailored to specific industries to expand your company’s reach.

AngelList

The AngelList was created to help startups find investors, or “angels.” To get started, you or your company must apply and be accepted first, which is no easy task. (Less than 2 percent of startup companies are allowed onto the site.) Once you have been approved, however, like several other matchmaking apps, you can swipe left or right on investment opportunities or investors! You can also filter based on things such as market and location.

Spiceworks

If you’re into IT or digital marketing, then Spiceworks is the social media network for you. Spiceworks is dedicated to connecting these professionals with each other, and the site offers project management and planning apps as well as academic content. Tech companies can join in on the fun, too, and create content like tips and advice for the Spiceworks users. Anyone can join, so even if you’re not an IT professional and you’re only looking to learn more about it, you will still be accepted to the site.

Mixer

Attention creatives! This app is for you. Mixer was created with one thing in mind: to provide creative professionals with the opportunity to network with other creative professionals in entertainment, fashion, art, and music. Mixer users pay a monthly subscription fee, and in return they receive the opportunity to network, to import their work into an online portfolio, and post and apply for jobs with other creatives.

MeetUp

Meetup has a little something for everyone. Whether you are looking to connect professionally or personally, you can find a group to do so here. It is a popular and well-known platform, but it is a straightforward tool to use to find things that you are interested in and to connect with other people. There are plenty of writer meetups, professional happy hour meetups, and even meetups for people who just want to enjoy brunch. If you don’t find any meetups you are interested in joining, don’t worry, you can always start your own group.

ResearchGate

ResearchGate is a strict social networking site for researchers and scientists. There are more than 15 million users worldwide, but the vetting process for making it into the networking site is scrupulous. For example, if you do not have an institutional email address, you might not get admitted. But once you are accepted, you have the opportunity to connect with scientists worldwide and collaborate on projects as well as share research findings.

Sermo

Like ResearchGate, Mixer, and Spiceworks – Sermo is a networking site catering to one group of individuals. Doctors around the world can connect on SERMO once their medical credentials have been verified. Once verified, doctors can ask questions, converse on different topics, and they can even discuss confidential information anonymously.

Opportunity

Opportunity is a social networking site for nearly all professionals and can be used to find employment or professional contacts. Opportunity allows users with a LinkedIn account to integrate both sites, and with all of its information, Opportunity uses an algorithm to find you new opportunities.

Sportifico

Another niche networking site is Sportifico. This one is strictly for soccer athletes and coaches. Whether you want to build your own team or start a career in coaching or playing soccer, Sportifico can connect you with the people that can make your dream a reality. Once you have applied and are accepted, Sportifico offers a place to show off your resume, your skills, stats, and a way to send messages and search for connections and opportunities.

Most people spend more time at work than they do at home, so it’s natural that you could become so comfortable in your workplace that you begin to let your guard down. But, it is important to remember that it is still a place where you must maintain a professional demeanor. Whether you are expressing yourself to your boss or your coworkers, you should be careful in choosing your words. Don’t let anything pass your lips that could be considered harmful or demeaning towards the business or anyone in the company.

Here are a few phrases to avoid that could potentially hurt your career or even end it.

1. “We’ve always done it this way.”

Regardless of whether that is true or not, what other people here is that you are resisting change. When you resist change, you cannot progress in your position, and you will remain stagnant. That isn’t a good look for an employee in front of their boss. Usually, things change for the better, or they are temporary for the situation at hand. If things didn’t change, you would still be waiting for dial-up internet or calling handwritten numbers from your Rolodex. If you are hesitant to a new way of doing things, try asking questions about it and learning the benefits. Once you are more aware of the new method, you will be more likely to trust it.

2. “That’s not my job.”

Many bosses will ask their employees to carry out tasks that go outside of your comfort level or that you may consider beneath you. It happens from time-to-time in any business, but instead of looking at it as an annoying extra task, think of it as a chance to show how versatile of an employee you are. Besides, saying that something isn’t your job, comes across as you saying that you won’t take one for the team. If you really cannot find the time to carry out these unrelated tasks, inform the asker that you have several other projects to finish first, but when those are completed, you would be delighted to help out. If you truly are busy, they should realize that and may ask someone else.

3. “You’re dressed up today. Do you have an interview somewhere?”

Some people feel like getting a little extra dressed up on certain days. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are trying to leave the company. By phrasing, this question in this way what you are genuinely portraying is that they don’t usually dress nice or maybe that they don’t like their job and could be exploring options. So what if they have an interview somewhere else? You will find out in due time if they leave the company anyway. Instead of asking them questions that they would like to keep private, say that they look nice or you like their shoes and move on. If you do decide to compliment them, be sure that the compliment is workplace-appropriate and you have a comfortable relationship with that other person, too.

4. “I don’t know.”

Sometimes you don’t know the right answer. That’s fine, but try to avoid saying this particular phrase. Instead reply, “I will find out for you” if the question was asked in person. If the person asks you over email or GChat, you can do a quick Google search or ask a more informed co-worker before replying.

5. “You’re how old?!”

You might not think that this question is a big deal, but it doesn’t work out in any situation. If you are incredulous that a person is so young in such a position of power you are making the accusation that they look older for their age. If it is vice versa, then you are conveying that they aren’t where they should be professionally at that time in their life. Simply, steer clear of age-guessing or any questions that may be related.

6. “I don’t enjoy working with this person.”

This is another response that makes you look like you are not a team player. Just because you do not like someone does not mean that should hinder you from maintaining a professional relationship with them. Sometimes working with people who have a different style than your own can be useful for growth.

7. “This task is not possible.”

Instead of saying this, try working out the issues. How can you be sure if you haven’t laid out the problem in front of you and contemplated all of the possible outcomes? Avoid being negative all the time when you’re in the office. Otherwise, your co-workers won’t want to work with you.

Congratulations! You’ve founded your very own start-up! That’s a dream that only the best entrepreneurs can turn into a reality. While there is no shortage of information out there for startups, here’s some advice that you MUST have to lead your business to success. Read on for five tips that your startup needs.

1. Find Your Fans

This is true for any business that is successful. When you find your loyal customers and the people who truly trust and believe in your product(s), then you can have great success if you focus on pleasing them. Take time to thank your loyal customers and to listen to them. Find out what they expect and need out of your product. Your products and services should always be changing and getting better when you’re a start-up. All new startups should invest in a virtual phone number for their customer service line. It takes up minimal start-up cost, and you can find a plan that fits your specific needs and budget very quickly. Plus, with a virtual phone number, you can create a top-notch customer service line that will allow you and your customers to stay in touch, enabling you to nurture a prosperous, mutually-beneficial business relationship.

2. Create Your Own Product Category

When you don’t have any competition, it’s easy to be number 1. Take Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram for example. They all began as social media sites whose biggest comparison was to that of Facebook. But what actually made them so strong and so unique was that they were nothing like Facebook. Twitter offers an outlet to find news and express your opinions on current events and pop culture topics, or even share what you had for lunch that day. As long as it was stated in 140 characters, or now 280 or less, you could write it and post it up for all to see.

3. Efficiency is Key

It is better to start out with a smaller staff, especially, if your start-up is on a budget. It might seem like you need to begin hiring people right away as your business starts to grow, but sometimes it’s better to look inward and find out what is working within your industry and what isn’t. Instead of expanding right away, think about dispersing the people you have onto projects that are pressing right away. Eventually, you will have to hire as your business grows, but in the first year or so, it is better to get a flow for what works for your company and what doesn’t before adding on additional people just to have to let them go when you can’t find the funding.

4. Offer a Better Product, and Price it That Way

A great thing about having a start-up business and working on one great product or a core-set of great products means that you can price your product above that of your competition. That might not sound like the best idea right off the bat, but think about it; bigger businesses can slash their prices more easily to compete with the smaller guys with no problem. When you dedicate your business solely to creating the best, for example, soap, you can market it and price it as a handmade and one-of-a-kind product that is good for you, the environment, pets, whatever. Use your niche to your advantage.

5. Marketing

Impress your customers with an eye-catching logo, an easy-to-navigate homepage, and a thorough and professional website. All of your marketing pieces should be the highest quality so you can make a great first impression. If you can’t afford an in-house graphic designer, try to hire a freelancer, or if you are really low on cash, you can check out Canva, where anyone can create beautiful visual design pieces from professional templates.

Once you have created your perfect website, built a winning team, put your best product forward with the right price, and raised your customer service game, you will be well on your way to having a successful startup.