As Seth Godin explains so entertainingly in his Purple Cow analogy, consumers are attracted to anything that is special and unique. In order to be unique, think about a limited edition of how you present your brand.

Every business owner wants traffic – relevant, targeted traffic that converts. Social media is able to provide that; however, there are some tasks that you will need to complete before you become successful at social media marketing. Here are 6 ways you can double your web traffic and conversions through social media:

 

 

1. Set Goals

To start things of, you need to see conversions on social media differently from other channels. This isn’t the same as your other marketing efforts where you are bound to promote your product non-stop. Instead your goals can be about interacting with customers, creating relationships and getting your name across. So if your social media goals are about interaction and engagement, you will soon have some success to measure.

 

2. Consider Sharing Infographics with Statistics

Even if you are not able to design an engaging infographic about or relevant to your business, you can simply search for good infographics and repost those. All you need to do is promote them in a unique way. You can add some unique content above the infographic and thus tweak it to fit your own business needs.

 

3. Refrain From Spamming

Anything that seems to be spam is not accepted in te world of digital marketing or any form of marketing for that matter. Hence, it’s important to ensure you don’t take any such actions that make your account seem like it’s garbage. If you continue to share or post too much, your target audience will eventually tend to ignore your updates and unfollow or unlike you. Make sure you consider your followers’ tastes and preferences since the posts are meant for them, not for you.

 

4. Use More Videos

Not so long ago, images were king on Facebook. Image-based posts were the best way for brands to reach their fans. They are still the most common type of posts and the most frequently promoted because they were the long-dominated post type. However, the real growth today in organic reach on Facebook is video posts. According to SocialBakers, video posts have an average organic reach of 8.7, while image posts have only 3.7%.

 

5. Link To Other Bloggers

One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is never linking out on their blogs. Link out to others in your posts and they will notice it, most of them will tweet about your post or share it on Facebook. Some of them will even link back to you (ping). This is a easy and free way to bring quality traffic. Just don’t forget about your readers and make sure that the backlinks are relevant.

 

6. Monitor the Results

Just like you do with your other marketing campaigns, you need to monitor the results thoroughly. You should watch out for several factors such as an increase or decrease in the post activities, if there is any negative feedback from your audience, or if your target audience is losing interest in any one piece of content.

 

With all these steps, complemented by sharing interesting, though-provoking content, you are sure to double your traffic from social media. So, what are you waiting for? Jump right in and bring more traffic to your blog or website.

The following social media funnel will help shape and guide how you’re going to bring those qualified leads and sales to your business. Source

 

InfoFlo’s CRM Software Social Media Plugin allows you  to view a live feed of your Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. Now you can post to those accounts and view all of the information with ease. Download free trial today.

If you’re using social media for simply promotional or marketing purposes, you’re not fully taking advantage of all the features it has to offer. In recent years, social media networks have become well-known channels for customer service. Unfortunately, there is still a disconnect between what customers expect and what businesses are actually delivering. Here are 4 important aspects of social media customer service you must not forget to implement into your day to day business operations:

 

1. Don’t Ignore Consumers

Social media customer service matters and should not be ignored. All customer feedback on social media channels is public and visible to anyone and everyone. Your brand’s reputation may take a beating if you let things go without resolution. That said, it’s also important to make it easy for them to reach you. That means having a presence on all social media channels you know your consumers are browsing through.

 

2. Understand Customer Expectations

If someone is complaining about your products or services, most likely they expect you to see it and react to it. Quickly! A recent study done by The Edison Research found that 42% of consumers expect a response within an hour. The sooner, the better!

 

3. Monitor feedback

There are many tools that can help you monitor customer feedback and mentions on social media and search engines. Monitoring feedback will help you react whenever someone asks questions, needs help or leaves concerns. Ignoring your pages or not having them at all will only do more harm than good.

 

4. Have a Protocol in Place for Responding

Not always is there an answer to every mention or feedback. Often it’s better just to listen. Once you’ve made the decision to step in, think of the best way to do so. Should the response be done publicly or privately? I believe that in the majority of the cases, the responses should be done publicly. It allows for other followers to see that you care.

 

InfoFlo Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool lets you view a live feed of your Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. Now you can post to those accounts and view all of the information within InfoFlo. Download your free trial today.

It’s Friday morning. I am looking forward to the weekend, but know I have a busy day ahead of me. I have to produce a blog for our company’s blog page, make some follow up calls and create a marketing plan for the month of March. I always work a month ahead and then monitor and adjust when necessary.

Whilst completing my tasks, I wonder what motivates me to complete those tasks and what role does my company’s resources and managers play in my satisfaction. My curiosity is now the topic of this blog post.

Every organization and its managers knows that the best way to attract and retain the best talents is to ensure employee satisfaction. Unfortunately, offering raises to employees may not be enough to make your best workers stick around. Here are 5 things, other than money, that I believe keeps employees happy.

 

1. Offer Comprehensive Training

Mentorship and training sessions lead to better engagement among staff. Commitment to training and mentorships show employees that you value their skills and contributions. As well, it shows that you put more emphasis on progress rather the end product – both in achievements as well as in the careers of its people.

 

2. Smile

I believe that a smile can go a long way in diffusing tensions in the office. I remember the first time I was told that the company I was working for was hoping to automate their process by investing in a CRM software tool. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that my job was on the line. My manager simply smiled and said that our jobs are safe and the company is simply looking to be more productive and expand their portfolios using the resources they have.

 

3. Give workers balance in life

This may be a challenge for some companies, but it presents an opportunity for you to keep your employees happy. Today, the top employers are the ones who create an environment where staff feel connected to the organization and have a positive work experience that’s part of a rich, fulfilling life. As well, a new study done by American Psychological Association shows that 67% of employees will stay with a company long term if they know that there is a balance between work and life.

 

4. Give Ownership

No one enjoys being micromanaged? People work best — and are happiest — when they have ownership of their tasks, when they can solve problems their way and express their individuality.

 

5. Invest in Technology

According to Dell.com study, 25% of employees around the world say that they are influenced by the technology provided to them at work and would consider taking a new position if provided better technology that helps them be more creative and dynamic. One such tool is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

 

About InfoFlo CRM Tool

Carmel Vision, a Toronto based CRM software development company, is focused on delivering a powerful management infrastructure that is designed to collect, search, and archive all content, contact and communication activities that take place in a typical office. We understand and listen to all of our customers’ needs and strive to give excellent quality at affordable prices.

Our flagship product, InfoFlo – is a central management system specifically designed to combat one of the biggest technical challenges facing any professional organization, how to efficiently organize, archive, filter and search the vital information that bombards our desktops on a daily basis. Our infrastructure allows all office activities to coexist together under one umbrella, making all critical information readily available at your fingertips.

In the video, Kare Anderson helps her listeners think about the ways we collaborate and connect with others both in our personal lives and in the business world. Collaborations, she argues, can come from the most unexpected places! Sometimes it pays to think outside the box…

Anderson’s idea of reimagining the world is one where all human beings become greater opportunity-makers with and for others. She strongly believes that there’s no greater opportunity than to become opportunity-makers, to use the best talents together for the greater good and to accomplish things we couldn’t have done alone. She urges her listeners to not stop after the first opportunity comes knocking. For her, it’s after you’ve had that first experience and you trust each. It’s the unexpected things that you devise together and never could have predicted that matter most in life. And she’s right!

 

 

I can easily relate to Anderson, as I grew up with a stuttering problem. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend one of her conferences and my life changed for the better. I hope yours does to. Enjoy!

InfoFlo is a CRM Software tool that empowers organizations to help their employees make use of their talents for the greater good and accomplish things they couldn’t have done alone. For just $99, InfoFlo is a feature-packed Contact Management System with over 20 built-in components and includes free upgrades for life. Download free trial here.

It’s important that entrepreneurs and c-suite executives keep a keen eye out for long-term trends. The point in doing this allows them to predict the future and grasp potential markets that will keep the business profitable and above water. This is something that many retailers this past decade were not able to do and were forced to make cutbacks and changes; Target and Mexx are perfect examples.

One such trend to look out for is e-commerce- buying and selling products on the internet. It’s a well-recognized revolution. Ecommerce is destined to change the way goods are being bought and sold all over the world. People no longer want to get out of their beds and stand in lines for hours when they could simply make all their purchases online. It’s convenient and hassle free!

What is not certain is how much change there will be.

 

Where Does the Future Lie?

It looks as though the long-range prospect of brick and mortar retailers is death. These businesses are slowly disappearing into oblivion. From Eaton’s to Zellers to Sears to Sony to Mexx to Target, all retailers have closed some or all their stores here in Canada. There are more to come: Jacob, Future Shop….

The ones that we think are doing well are actually in the process of enacting cutbacks because their in store sales are not as successful as those online. Just a year ago, Best Buy Canada announced that it was cutting 950 jobs in an effort to thin management. The cause of cutbacks was the decline in holiday sales.

How To Stay Afloat

As consumers increasingly engage digitally and make fewer trips in store, there are serious concerns about how brick-and-mortar stores that were once the center of attention and thriving will be able to keep up. Certainly retailers may close underperforming stores and merge locations, but more elemental changes also must occur, such as:
• Turning the store(s) into fulfillment center(s).
• Take the in-store experience to a different level.
• Integrate channels relentlessly to the point that channel disappears.

Retailers who understand their customers, leverage technology, such as Contact Management Software, to evolve the customer experience and focus on their differentiators and assets have the opportunity to thrive.

The obituary that speaks about the death of cold calling is written all wrong. While in the perfect world, your phone would be ringing off the hook all day with customers wanting to buy your products or services, the reality is that if you want business, you need to go find it. Cold calling is one effective sales tactic to lead generation if done properly. Here are 5 tips you can implement in order to “warm up” those cold calls.

1. Job Titles:

When you’re on the phone with a prospect, be 100% certain of their job title and responsibilities. Don’t rely on one source to give you accurate information. Many lead generation sites list contacts as managers and administrators, while LinkedIn profiles and websites list them as C-level executives. There’s never any harm in double checking references twice or three times. We have all done this before in our cold calls. “Hi Mark, I had you as the Marketing Manager with ABC Corp?” To their reply of “I’m the CMO” and an almost guaranteed hang up afterwards. The last thing you want to do is undermine their hard work with a junior title.

2. Name Pronunciation:

If you ever have to cold call in the business world, you will quickly realize that not everyone you call has an easy-to-pronounce name like Joe, Bob, Frank or Kelly. On your first day, you will run into names you won’t be able to pronounce. It is vital that when you come across one of these behemoths that you: 1) make note of the pronunciation of the name on the prospect’s voicemail or 2) ask the secretary or operator for the proper pronunciation before you directly reach out to them. I have found in my experience that this can go a long way and help you stand out from the average cold caller who can never do it right.

3. LinkedIn:

Never underestimate the power of social networking. Even if you get contacts or account information handed to you from a site or service that claims to know it all, you should always be verifying your information before picking up the phone. It may sound obvious, but I would say more than half of the time cold callers are calling the wrong person. By verifying that your contact actually works within the department you are selling to, you will be 90% more likely to get a meeting, sale or interest from the prospect.

4. Create a Persuasive Script:

You can’t wing it. Despite how passionate you are about your business, communicating the benefits of your product takes distinct skill. With limited time on the phone, a written script lets you focus on points you want to make. In a few short sentences, you must provide both a description of your services and good reasons why the prospect should buy your product or invest in your services.

5. Attention to Detail:

This is an important aspect to remember if you are sending out emails, meeting requests or any form of communication. You are the luckiest person on earth if you have never received an email with your name misspelled or sentences written in poor English. My name is Alex Noudelman, but I’ve seen Ale, Aleks, Noodleman, Noudleman, Nudelman, you get the point. It’s really not that hard. Again, go back to your friend, LinkedIn, and verify the spelling.

If you have a small office, improving efficiency in the way you manage your files is not as difficult as you may think. You would just have to be more organized and systematic. Do a weekly review of your paper files. Clean up, throw out, prioritize, and plan. Then categorize new tasks needed to be complete. Locate papers that have to be filed and file them, separating them from papers to recycle. Managing your documents this way can reduce clutter and give you a clear picture of what you should do the week ahead.

The right solution to managing your voluminous documentation would be to invest in document scanning and conversion into digital formats that can be conveniently stored on a computer. Let’s examine why.

Increased Productivity with Data Scanning Services

Documents are the starting point for many business processes and any delay in timely access would affect the overall productivity any firm. Overload of files, disorganization, and information mismanagement are some of the common obstacles that firms relying on paper-based documentation face. According to the studies conducted by National Association of Professional Organizers, paper clutter is the foremost issue faced by many businesses. Clutter stands in the way of productivity and profitability.

By opting for professional document scanning services, businesses get all their paper-based documents converted to digital format. InfoFlo is a solution that can assist any business, big or small, with proper document management system. The scanned documents are saved to a database which employees and managers could use. The All folders are also labeled appropriately, arranged in chronological order and the files alphabetized.

Many Business Benefits

Here are the many business benefits that could come your way with thee implementation of a professional document scanning and conversion solutions:

• Time savings in managing day-to-day workload
• More time for core legal tasks
• Easy access to files with everything stored in an organized manner on the office computers
• Speedier workflow with ease of data access
• Easy inputting of new data and document
• Better collaboration among employees with access to shared data
• Reduced costs of handling, storing and copying paper documents
• Elimination of data redundancy
• Need for less physical storage space
• Improved customer service with more efficient document management
• Overall cost savings of 30-40%

Businesses that can manage their cloud-based documents are better positioned to meet the challenges of competition. So make a plan to get organized, cut clutter, and see your productivity and efficiency soar.

What does it mean to be a savvy consumer? A savvy consumer is someone who puts more weight in their friends’ opinions and independent product reviews. Before we buy a new gadget or try a new restaurant, most of us look at the reviews on Yelp, Facebook and Google+ to make sure we’re not wasting our money on something that is useless.

Unfortunately, not all reviews are reliable. Some are useless and anger some, while others are so glowing that they are too good to be true. The best reviews are the ones that walk in between. Regardless of the consumer experience, they offer up the type of information that’s invaluable to those making an informed decision.

This article offers tips on how to write an effective review that will resonate with all readers:

1. Leave out names

One of the biggest criticisms of online reviews is that too many of them are malicious and targeted at specific employees of the company, instead of addressing the actual issue. If the sales rep is there only temporarily, or if the manager quits a year later, your review is already useless and outdated. Instead, discuss the experience you had with the company and how the products and/or services met your needs.

2. Create content that has substance

When writing a good review, it’s important to avoid frills and convoluted sentences. Get to the point as soon as possible. After all, this is why the reader is reading the review in the first place. Think about what you would want to know if you were looking for reviews on that product.

3. Weigh the pros and cons fairly

Avoid generic phrases that praise or criticize the product or service. Write about what is provided by the company and what the product does or does not do. Don’t brag about the pros or criticize the product too much. Have a balance of pros and cons in your review and maintain a decent word length for each.

4. Compare with other products

Compare the product with other products on the market, and tell your readers why the current product is much more or less effective and worth or not worth every penny. Use concrete examples, such as differences in features, to explicate your argument.

5. Re-read the review

Re-reading the review before hitting the publish button will help you clear some of the repetition you had when you first wrote it. You can also get a fresh perspective when you return to the writing piece after a small breather or break.

Writing a review is a big responsibility, especially when your opinion matters to someone reading it. Believe in what you promote and stick with only the facts when criticizing it.