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How to Utilize Questions in PPC Ads to Get More Engagement

How often do you see ads asking a question?

Whether you notice or not, plenty of PPC ads utilize questions to get more engagement. The questions can be literal or rhetorical, but either way, they’re trying to get you to click so you can learn the answer.

Does this method work for PPC campaigns?

In this article, we’ll discuss why you should consider asking questions in your PPC ads and provide tips about best practices in doing so.

Why Should You Use Questions in Your PPC Ads?

Questions are how people show interest in each other’s lives, and they’re a regular part of our everyday lives to boot. When ads use questions effectively, potential customers may feel like the brand cares about them and isn’t simply trying to sell them something.

That said, marketers can’t measure how customers feel. But, you can measure data to see if your questions in PPC ads are driving people to your page. Here are some reasons marketers have discovered questions in PPC ads work:

1. Get People’s Attention

A question can easily pique people’s interest, especially if it’s about a relatable struggle.

Let’s say you’re a marketing agency.

Try starting your PPC ads with statements like, “Do you want to increase your conversion rate?” or “Do you want to boost marketing results?”

The answers to these questions may seem like no-brainers. Yet, they can easily attract the attention of business owners who are desperately looking for ways to improve their sales results, as they want you to answer these questions for them without having to dig further.

2. Questions Can Boost Engagement

Engaging your audience is essential. If they feel like you’re talking at them, not with them, they have no reason to click, like, share, or comment.

So, if you ask a question they want an answer to or want to answer, you’re inviting them into the conversation, not giving them the hard sell.

Your ultimate goal is to convert people into paying customers, but engaging with them via questions could get them to want to purchase from you instead of the person who simply said: “buy our product.”

3. More Clicks on PPC Ads with Questions

Not only can questions pique interest, but they can tap into a feeling of social obligation. When you ask someone a question in “real life,” they often feel obligated to answer. While your PPC ad isn’t staring at a user anticipating an answer, the reader could feel like they need to respond.

Or, they could have that question themselves—maybe they even typed in that exact question, and that’s why they see your ad. It could feel like they asked you the question and are now the ones waiting for your answer!

Asking a question you want them to answer, like “Are you ready to take the leap?” or a question they may have asked, like “Why should I travel to Iceland?” could make them click.

Note: Be sure your PPC ad’s link actually answers the question, provides relevant information before they provide contact information, or is directly related to the query in another way. Don’t just send them to your homepage unless the answer is there.

4. Showcase Brand Personality

The questions you ask will give customers an idea about your brand identity or personality.

Let’s take a look at the difference between these two questions:

“What’s your next six-figure move?”

“If you could travel anywhere for free, where would it be?”

The first question will likely give the impression that a business-savvy financial advisor or entrepreneur wrote the ad. It may even attract like-minded individuals who want to learn about generating passive income or building their own business.

The second question could let viewers see you as a company with a genuine interest in their dreams and futures. The “if you could” portion may also trigger viewers to share the dream destinations they’ve been saving up for, which could increase visibility if your PPC ad is on social media and not a search engine.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression, so be sure your question does that for you.

5 Times You Should Use Questions in PPC Ads

How can you utilize questions when making your PPC ads? Here are five ways you can use them to yield the results you want.

1. Use Questions to Make a Tough Sell

There are brand messages which are easy to communicate, like “Buy now to get 70 percent off your first order,” or “Sign up to get free access to our course.” These statements answer a question that didn’t even need to be asked: “Do you want something for cheap or free?” So, questions aren’t needed.

However, when you’re making a tough sell, peppering your ad with a few questions can help readers ease into the idea of consuming your content or opting into your business.

Let’s say you’re a blogger in the finance industry who wants to talk about the perks of investing. Money can be a touchy subject—even an intimidating one—for many. Using questions focusing on the perks of investing or reflecting things readers may already be wondering could draw them in.

You could write something like, “Do you want to abandon the 9-to-5 grind and be your own boss?” or “Do you want to retire in your 50s?”

These inquiries can get people to notice your ads because they’re exciting and relatable.

2. Use Questions as Conversation Starters

Think about the last time you approached a stranger in a social situation.

To avoid being awkward, you probably introduced yourself with your name and a brief statement, then asked a question like, “How do you know [insert mutual friend’s name]?”

It’s the same way for PPC ads.

Questions are a good starting point to introducing your business and the services you offer without putting on too much pressure.

For example, Ready Set Food’s PPC ads introduce the company by name and give some basic information. First-time parents who are concerned about their baby’s diets may already be interested in the topic, but the CTA “How Does It Work?” truly gets the conversation started.

When You Should Use Questions in PPC Ads - Use Questions as Conversation Starters

3. Use Questions to Encourage Readers to Click the CTA

Asking a question reflecting the reader’s thoughts or addressing a pain point could lead them to click the call-to-action (CTA). The CTA could be the question itself, or the question could lead to the CTA.

A question that could be the CTA is reflected in the Ready, Set, Food ad above: How does it work?

Regent Atlantic’s PPC ad uses a question to lead readers to the CTA by asking, “Do you have a financial plan that works for you?” They then encourage people to click their ad to get the financial help they need.

When You Should Use Questions in PPC Ads - Use Questions to Encourage the Readers to Click the CTA

4. Use Questions to Introduce Your Business

Including a question related to your businesses’ niche is a good starting point to establishing a relationship with your customers.

SEO agency Pushfire starts with the question, “Tired of SEO services that take shortcuts or attempt to game the latest algorithm?” Since SEO is a broad and complicated topic, the loaded question helps give a brief introduction of what their agency offers and how hard they’re willing to work for you.

When You Should Use Questions in PPC Ads - Use Questions to Introduce Your Business

5. Use a Question to Introduce a Solution

PPC ads can have questions that introduce problems the audience may already have.

Your products or services should provide the solution, immediately answering the question in a way that lets the audience know this. People are looking for solutions, not problems.

For example, Bookakery Boxes’ PPC ad starts with, “Looking for a gift that will last beyond Christmas?” Their answer is their subscription box program, which lets people give books to their loved ones throughout the year.

When You Should Use Questions in PPC Ads - Use a Question to Introduce Solution

6 Tips for Using PPC Ad Questions Successfully

It’s not just what you say; it’s how you say it. When it comes to questions in PPC ads, you need to know not just when to ask them but how and why you’re doing so.

1. Understand Your Message

What does your company stand for, and what does it offer? You need to answer these questions for yourself before you ask your audience anything.

The questions you ask readers should help them relate to your message.

For instance, if you run a travel agency focusing on affordability, you could ask, “Are you dreaming of a vacation but worried about the cost?”

Or, if you run a clothing store that donates a portion of all proceeds, you could ask, “Do you want to look great while helping others?”

In both of these, the audience knows what your company is all about from one simple question.

2. Keep Them to a Minimum

Chances are, we’ve all met someone who just constantly asks question after question, and eventually, they become background noise at best.

Questions are more effective when they are utilized infrequently.

Plus, asking too many questions could make your copy seem deceitful and spammy, like you’re trying to get answers out of them, not help them solve a problem. Not surprisingly, no one wants to see too many questions because we prefer to get answers or solutions.

Just include one question to maximize the impact of your ads.

3. Make the Questions Seem Natural

Questions are natural parts of human conversation, and copy should reflect that—and no more than that.

These days, it’s not uncommon for keywords to be questions. Historically, it was best to have your long-tail keywords be verbatim in your copy; now, search engines are smart enough to understand context. Don’t wedge those questions in, especially repeatedly, just to fit your keywords.

There’s nothing wrong with adding questions every now and then. You want to make your PPC ad copy seem like you’re encouraging a friend to make it more engaging and enticing. Just don’t overdo it.

4. Understand Your Audience

Picking the right question involves understanding your audience.

What are the most common dilemmas of your target audience? Why would they need your products or services? Formulating questions along these lines will help you create copy that resonates with your intended viewers.

5. Keep Questions Positive

Your questions should make people excited, not scared or unhappy. A question that only has a negative response could lead to a negative perception of your brand.

For example, the question “Do you want a house infested with rats?” could make readers uncomfortable and respond strongly with “no,” or even, “how dare you assume I would?” After all, it conjures an image of a house with a rat infestation and implies someone, somewhere, may say, “why yes, yes I do!”

In contrast, the question “Do you have rats and want them gone?” makes your intended message more concise and clear. Readers know you’re offering products and services designed to take care of a rat infestation without assuming they do have a house full of rats.

Plus, people want solutions to their problems, and positively phrased questions and responses offer those.

6. Only Ask When You Know What the Answer Will Be

When you ask someone to become engaged to be married, you’re likely already pretty sure they’ll say “yes.” The same goes when asking a reader to engage with your content—you need to be pretty sure the answer will be “yes.”

In other words, the “yes” should be so expected that the question is rhetorical.

For example, Plato’s Closet has a PPC ad with the words, “Ready to upgrade your closet?”

plato's closet ppc ad with question

In this situation, people who read the copy are more likely to stop and stare because of the free shipping option. The question just drove the message home.

Getting readers to respond “yes” to this early on, to the point where they click on the CTA, may make them more likely to answer “yes” once they’ve reached your product page. They’re already pretty excited about the questions they’ve already responded affirmatively to.

Conclusion

Questions in PPC ads could help you engage with your readers in various ways.

They can introduce your business, engage your audience at a human level, or make them excited to learn more. It can also be used to bring up a solution to a problem, which may encourage your audience to respond to your CTA.

Ask questions aligned with your main message. Make sure they seem natural and show you understand your target audience.

As long as you keep these tips in mind, you could create PPC ads that produce excellent results.

How will you use questions to get more engagement with your PPC ads?

How to Optimize Microsoft AdCenter for More Effective Paid Campaigns

Gaining paid search footholds can be challenging, and once you’ve built a successful Google Ads campaign and watched it perform, it can be disheartening to reach the end of that campaign’s lifespan.

However, it doesn’t have to end there.

An excellent strategy for expanding the success of your PPC campaigns is to look beyond Google Ads to other platforms like Microsoft AdCenter, which allows you to advertise on Bing, Yahoo!, and other affiliate platforms.

It’s simple to translate your Google Ads campaign to the Microsoft platform because they have similar functionality. Using the same fundamental best practices, you can create more leads through PPC on an entirely new platform.

What Is Microsoft AdCenter?

Microsoft AdCenter is the centralized hub where advertisers go to buy sponsored ads on Bing or Yahoo!

Previously Bing Ads, the platform underwent a rebrand after combining forces with Yahoo!

While it’s safe to say that the majority of internet search traffic comes through Google, that doesn’t mean digital marketers should be sleeping on Microsoft AdCenter.

In fact, with a combined 30 percent market share of the internet’s search function, you’re going to want to add a visit to Microsoft AdCenter to your digital marketing itinerary.

Benefits of Optimizing Microsoft AdCenter for Your Ad Campaigns

Whenever you’re running a PPC campaign, you want to be constantly optimizing.

Why?

When you recalibrate through optimization, you increase your chances of reaching your target audience. This practice will not only increase your overall revenue but will also decrease your ad spend.

Microsoft AdCenter is no different. You want to continuously optimize your campaigns for success. While there’s much work to be done before launching a campaign, it’s arguable that the most valuable work is done post-launch.

With 1.03 billion unique users each month, Bing offers advertisers extensive reach.

However, without optimizing your campaigns, how can you ensure you’re reaching the right audience members?

Short answer: You can’t, which is why understanding how to optimize in Microsoft AdCenter is vitally important to your success on the platform.

Difference Between Microsoft AdCenter and Google Ads

As mentioned above, Microsoft AdCenter has similar functionality to Google Ads. However, the two PPC platforms differ greatly in five key areas: campaign-level control, closed variants, engagement rates, search partner targeting options, and ad scheduling.

Campaign-Level Control

Google Ads requires users to set the language, ad rotation, network, ad scheduling, and location settings at the campaign level. Groups are then restricted to these settings.

On the other hand, Microsoft AdCenter opens these options at the ad group level, permitting users to easily make change settings at any time, rather than having to build an entirely new campaign.

Closed Variants

After eliminating exact and phrase match keywords by enforcing a “close variant” target within Google Ads, the reach of exact and phrase keywords extended by 7 percent, including misspellings, pluralized terms, and grammatical iterations.

While Microsoft AdCenter does have an option to use the close variant query, it is just that: optional.

Increased Engagement and Conversion Rates

Users who engage with Microsoft AdCenter PPC ads have increased engagement with the selected sites and landing pages.

In fact, studies found that automotive search users who interacted with Microsoft AdCenter content had conversation rates 10-56 percent higher than Google Ads.

While this is clearly a particular audience subset, it is still indicative of increased interaction overall.

In addition to these factors, another difference emerges between Google Ads and Microsoft AdCenter.

As we discussed above, it’s simple to import your Google Ads campaign into Microsoft AdCenter. Despite this ease, there are considerable differences to keep in mind as you optimize your campaigns on each respective platform, including:

  • search partner targeting options
  • ad scheduling

While both Google Ads and Microsoft Ads have search partner networks (external sites that permit advertisers to expand reach on their platforms), the networks are notably different.

Search Partner Targeting Options

Unsurprisingly, Google boasts hundreds of sites in their search partner network. If you’re not seeing big returns on including this extended network in your targeted campaign, you can remove the function. Unfortunately, that removal is all or nothing—you can’t cherry-pick which partners you’d like to reach.

With Microsoft Ads, however, you can select which partners to reach, a key difference as you optimize your campaigns.

Ad Scheduling

While ad scheduling is a key component of any PPC campaign, different parameters for setting ad schedules apply when transitioning your Google Ads strategy to Microsoft.

With Google Ads, dashboard time is automatically set to the time selected upon account creation, so users need to update scheduled times depending on the time zone they’re trying to reach.

Microsoft Ads, however, allows users to set schedules based on the location of the target, making scheduling infinitely easier.

While these differences may not seem huge, they’re important to note as you begin your Microsoft AdCenter campaign.

Tips for Optimizing Microsoft AdCenter

We’ve already highlighted the importance of optimization; now it’s time to break down exactly how to optimize your Microsoft AdCenter campaigns.

1. Perform Keyword Research

If you don’t have a solid grasp on your keywords, now’s the time to start. By researching what terms apply to your purpose and audience, you can incorporate that language into your campaigns to ensure you’re reaching your desired audience.

2. Use Negative Keywords

When you include negative keywords in your campaign, you can exclude confusing or irrelevant terms from your strategy. This allows more accurate audience reach as well as reduced ad spend due to more precise matching.

3. Segment Your Campaigns

For data-driven PPC advertisers, segmenting campaigns into ad groups will allow you to make more intelligent optimization decisions. Segmentation lets marketers focus their message on different groups, which enables the collection of targeted metrics. Through a more segmented audience, you can tailor the message and receiver.

4. Use Ad Extensions

With ad extensions, you can add additional pieces of information about your business, including phone number, address, or a particular link. These free-to-add options can increase the visibility and utility of your ads.

5. Follow Ad Writing Best Practices

Strong, relevant copy is vital to the success of any PPC campaign. As you optimize your Microsoft AdCenter content, keep these best practices in mind:

  • Underscore the audience’s primary pain point: By speaking toward your audience’s primary pain point, you not only establish how you can solve their pain; you also establish that you understand their pain. This builds trust and connection between the advertiser and consumer.
  • Incorporate numbers or statistics: Historically, numbers work to grab reader attention. This was true long before the internet and will continue to be true as the internet evolves.
  • Utilize emotional triggers: It’s no secret that people react to emotional triggers. When you harness the power of emotion in your ads, you can almost guarantee a reaction from your audience. Check out how this law firm used emotion to advertise its services:
microsoft adcenter emotional ppc ad

6. Adjust Audience Type

Microsoft Ads provides users with several different types of audiences to use to ensure your ads reach the right group. You can adjust the type of audience to optimize your campaign and improve your reach.

7. Experiment With Dynamic Search Ads

These ads will automatically target relevant search queries formed from your website content. The ads are then dynamically created to react to those custom queries, reducing workload and increasing audience reach.

8. Use the Microsoft Audience Network

This audience marketing solution draws on Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) to better target your ideal audience. Be sure to take advantage of this Microsoft-exclusive offering, as it can drastically boost ad performance.

9. Use Universal Event Tracking (UET)

Yet another Microsoft-exclusive solution, you can use UET to view customer behavior after they interact with your ad. By placing a UET tag across your website, Microsoft gathers data that tracks goals and audiences with remarketing lists.

10. Set up Conversion Tracking

By setting up conversion tracking in Microsoft AdCenter, the platform matches you with relevant searchers across the Microsoft network. Conversion tracking also provides tools to optimize your campaigns for success.

Measuring the Success of Your Microsoft AdCenter Campaign

You’ve optimized your campaign throughout its lifespan, and now you want to know if it should be deemed a success or a failure.

Below, we break down three key metrics that will highlight your campaign’s overall performance.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

This metric is key to understanding whether your ads are relevant to your customers. CTR is determined by dividing the number of clicks your ad receives by the number of times your ad is shown.

Conversion Rate

Strong conversion rates indicate that what you spend on clicks is returning to you in profits. This metric is calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the number of total ad interactions tracked to a conversion in a given time period.

Cost Per Conversion

If you’re overpaying for conversions, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. This metric is determined by dividing the total cost for clicks by the number of conversions.

These three metrics provide a strong, foundational assessment of your campaign’s performance. While you can get lost in the intricacies of data, these figures always provide a clear result.

Examples of Great Microsoft AdCenter Campaigns

Although Microsoft AdCenter is filled with examples of great PPC advertising, here are three excellent PPC ads that used a unique feature of the platform for a successful campaign.

Maybelline

Maybelline uses a detailed breakdown in their paid listing to allow searchers to find exactly what they need. By segmenting by eyes, lips, mascara, and face makeup, the beauty company increases the likelihood that the searcher with clear intent will readily find what they need.

microsoft ad center - maybelline search

From You Flowers

These product ads rely on visuals to interest the searcher. By placing product images, pricing, and information along the side of the page, searchers have all the information they need instantly.

microsoft adcenter - from you flowers grid ad

Papa John’s

Ad extensions can go a long way for PPC ads. Pizza vendor Papa John’s made their listing as informative as possible, while also touting their success and visibility by sharing the number of monthly site visitors. This strategy not only provides helpful information like deals and pizza type options, but it also increases consumer trust through the sheer number of social visitors.

microsoft adcenter - papa john's visitor extension

While all three of these ads use extensions in very different ways, they bring more texture to the search engine results page (SERP), engaging the audience through images, increasing the immediacy of search success, and building consumer trust.

Conclusion

While both Google Ads and Microsoft AdCenter offer similar functionality, the options to optimize in Microsoft AdCenter are completely different.

Be sure to take advantage of Microsoft’s unique offerings and optimize your content and strategy through the Microsoft lens, ensuring that you get the most bang out of your advertising buck.

As you become more familiar with Microsoft AdCenter’s features, you could see your success rate rise as you optimize for target audience reach.

If you’re ready to find an agency partner to help you kickstart your paid campaign on Microsoft’s ad platform, let us know!

What’s the best Microsoft AdCenter campaign you’ve ever seen?

Setting up a Business Email and Website to be More Fundable

When You’re Setting Up a Business, Did You Know You Need to Pay Attention to Your Company Email and Website?

Setting up a business means attending to what seems like a million little details. Your corporate email and website are two of those details. Don’t drop the ball on them!

But let’s start with business credit.

Business Credit

This is credit in a corporation’s name. It is not tied to the owner’s creditworthiness. Instead, biz credit scores depend on how well a company can pay its bills. Hence consumer and corporation credit scores can vary dramatically.

The Benefits

There are no demands for a personal guarantee. You can quickly get business credit regardless of personal credit quality. And there is no personal credit reporting of company accounts. Biz credit utilization won’t affect your consumer FICO score. Plus the owner isn’t personally liable for the debt the corporation incurs.

The Details

Getting corporate credit is not automatic. Building it requires some work. Some of the steps are intuitive, and some of them are not.

Fundability

Fundability is the current ability of a firm to get funding. Some factors are within your control. Others (like your time in business) aren’t. Your online presence and data are one area which is at or close to 100% with your control.

Business Credit, Fundability, and Business Funding Applications

The better your business credit and fundability are, the more likely you will get approval for financing. Today, let’s concentrate on your online presence, that is, your email address and your website.

Lenders Use Data to Decide on Your Application

They check information from a variety of sources, and they don’t tell you about any of them. Knowing what these secret sources measure can only help you. Understanding what matters the most makes getting a loan A LOT easier, because you know what to improve first. This information is the difference between getting an approval and getting a denial.

Lenders Use LexisNexis Information

LexisNexis is one source where many of the lenders reviewing loan applications get their information from. They offer information regarding likelihood to pay, or not. Lenders compare LexisNexis information to what you put on your loan application. If the application and LexisNexis don’t match, then, the loan providers will deny you a loan. They will see the inconsistency as fraud.

LexisNexis connects all of the data that pertains to you, both positive and negative. They have access to

  • criminal records
  • every email address you’ve ever used (these are your professional and personal email addresses)
  • your speeding tickets
  • any mortgage you have ever held

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Lenders Use Online Information Including Your Business Email and Website

One place where lenders and vendors will be looking for your company is online. Even if they’re not specifically checking out your online presence, they may still need to know how to order your product or service, or where to send praise or complaints. Your online presence is where they will find that information, or not.

Your Business Email and Website: Your Website

What happens if your family member or a friend built your website? Maybe that person is talented, but corporate websites differ from personal ones. A business website needs to be easy to navigate. It needs to answer customers’ questions.

Styles differ. Wedding photographers and construction companies differ. They have dissimilar sites and design sensibilities, but they both have Contact and About pages, and information about what they do.

Make sure you own your domain, and not just your domain at Wix or WordPress or the like. You can do this by buying hosting. This is through hosting companies like GoDaddy or HostGator.

Your Business Email and Website: Your Email Address

Given that so much more of lending decisions is going on online these days, then your email address is an opportunity for your firm to puts its best foot forward. Don’t squander this easy and free opportunity! General email addresses like admin@yoursite.com tend to be best.

With a general email address, if someone leaves your employ, another employee can seamlessly take over that email address. A username like admin, webmaster, or even hello is far, far better than cutiepie or the like, even if you’re in a playful industry that caters to kids. After all, your bank and banker aren’t.

Your Business Email and Website: Records Congruency

Keep your records consistent! This includes your online records. LexisNexis and the SBFE (Small Business Financial Exchange) are looking at everything, so it had better match.

Inconsistent records will lead to a denial due to fraud because that’s how lenders interpret inconsistencies. This is a cause of denials which is in the owner’s hands. You have the ability to change and correct this.

This means your corporate name, address, phone number – everything! – must look the same in these places and more:

  • Every place you have an online presence (your website, Yelp, SoTellUs, etc.)
  • IRS records
  • Company records with Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax
  • All licenses needed to run your business
  • Incorporation documents

Copy/paste this information; don’t chance it with retyping.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Build Fundability on Business Credit Applications to Avoid Denials

Keep your firm looking fundable (legit) with:

  • A professional website and email address
  • A toll-free phone number
  • List your phone number with 411
  • A business address (not a PO box or a UPS box)
  • Get all necessary licenses

Your Business Email and Website: Online Fundability

There are some aspects of fundability where you should pay particular attention to what’s going on online. They include:

  • Firm owners listed and listed ownership uniformity
  • Company name and address uniformity
  • Industry aligned
  • Company domain
  • Information uniform on all records

Online Fundability: Business Ownership Listings

Records consistency matters here, too. Your website should show who owns your company. And that information needs to be consistent. So if the owner is named Susan Johnson on your website’s About page, then she can’t be listed as Sue Johnson on your Contact page. If your ownership changes, you need to show that here.

Business Name and Address Uniformity

Abbreviations can be your downfall here, as can punctuation like hyphens, commas, and colons. If your Contact page says your main office is on Main Street, then your About page can’t say it’s on Main St.

If you move, or you add subsidiaries and other locations, then you need to update that information everywhere. This even means whether you use your 5-digit ZIP code, or a ZIP plus 4 code (9 digits).

Fundability: Industry Alignment

If your industry is over the road trucking, then it needs to be listed that way. Pro tip: when your industry can be called several different names, like long distance trucking, mention those other phrases on your website.

Your Business Email and Website: Company Domain

When your company domain matches your company name, it helps with fundability. Pro tip: try to match what people will be searching for online, so if (for example) the word ‘brothers’ is in your company name, then determine if ‘brothers’ or ‘bros’ will be used by people searching for your company and its goods and services online.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Bonus: What Your Website Needs

Good websites can help you get funding and convert prospects to customers. While websites differ, there are some things they all need. Such as:

  • Easy to use navigation – hiding important information won’t help
  • Speed – if visitors have to hang around and wait for pages to load, they’ll go elsewhere
  • Intuitive organization – keep your address and phone numbers on your About and Contact pages because people expect that data to be there

Your website also needs:

  • Branding – if your company is known for the color green, but it’s nowhere to be found on your website, you’re losing an opportunity for connection
  • Visual design – ugly websites, and those which haven’t had a design update in a decade are not conducive to enhancing your reputation or making sales
  • SEO – search engine optimization means making your site easier to find. Stuffing in keywords doesn’t help with this, but writing honestly about your biz and using the kinds of terms people search for? That does

One of the more vital items your website needs is content. This can mean blogging, and it certainly means creating pages which explain what you do and what sets your biz apart from its competition. It also means a page devoted to each product you sell or service you provide. Again, you’re making it easier for your prospects to find you.

Setting Up a Business Email and Website: Takeaways

More fundable companies can get more money, and they tend to get more prospects who decide to become customers. One area of fundability you have total or near total control over is your corporate online presence. Keep it professional, uniform. and appealing, and easy to use. We can help you with even more aspects of fundability.

The post Setting up a Business Email and Website to be More Fundable appeared first on Credit Suite.

Blog Posts That Get 1000 Visits or More Target 76 Keywords

Blogging is a pain.

Not because content is hard to write (worse case you can just hire a writer or agency), but due to the fact that no one can guarantee that your blog post gets read or not.

Just think about it… you spend all this time writing content, but no one can guarantee that it gets seen, shared, or even linked to.

So, I thought it would be fun to analyze popular blog posts and see what common characteristics that they have.

That way you can replicate what they are doing and increase the likelihood that your post gets read.

Now for this study, we deemed a popular blog post as anything that generates at least 1,000 visitors a month from Google organic search (this was based on Ubersuggest data).

We also didn’t exclude any countries and looked at the data from a global level.

Here’s what we learned.

A popular post tends to rank for at least 38 keywords

A big thing in common was that popular blog posts rank for at least 38 keywords.

What’s interesting though is posts that generate at least 5,000 visits a month from Google rank for 51 or more keywords.

But the big difference between posts that generate at least 1,000 visitors versus 5,000 wasn’t the number of keywords that they were targeting, it was more so that they were ranking for keywords that were searched on average 984 times a month.

Now granted they didn’t get 984 clicks for each keyword that they ranked for, as no site really gets all the clicks, and there is no guarantee that they were in the number 1 spot.

When looking at this data we decided to dig in a bit more and we randomly picked 300 blog posts that generate at least 1,000 visits a month from Google to see how many keywords they mentioned on their page that contained at least 50 searches a month.

Can you guess what the number was?

Well, after we removed generic one-word terms that aren’t really considered keywords (such as how I mentioned words like “analyze, month, generate, data” within this post but I am not really targeting those keywords), the number comes out to a staggering 76 keywords.

But wait, how do you come up with 76 keywords for every blog post you write?

Before I break down how you can come up with a laundry list of keywords to include in every blog post you write, keep this in mind…

  1. You should never stuff keywords in a blog post for the sake of getting SEO traffic. Your post should flow and adding the keywords should feel natural. (If you are hiring a writer, a good writer shouldn’t struggle with this.)
  2. There are outliers and some blog posts generate a lot of traffic without targeting dozens of keywords within their content.
  3. You shouldn’t write blog posts just for “Google traffic”. If the content doesn’t provide value to the user, it is going to hurt your website rankings in the long run as you can get hit by Google algorithm update if your site is deemed to have low-quality content.

Now that we got that out of the way, you can head to Ubersuggest and follow the steps in the video below to come up with blog post ideas as well as 76 plus keywords per post.

The average blog post that is popular contains 1839 words

Over the years the SEO game has changed. Generally, the longer your content, the more traffic you can get. But there are a lot of edge cases to that rule.

And Google doesn’t really care about word count these days as much as they do for user experience.

See, a user doesn’t really care if a blog post is short or long, they just want to be satisfied with what they have just read.

Nonetheless, we looked at the word count to see what the average post length was for a popular post.

What’s interesting is that posts that generated over 5,000 visitors a month on average weren’t that much longer than posts that generated 1,000 visitors.

The biggest difference was they included more popular keywords within their content. They didn’t necessarily rank for each of those terms, but this gives a post more opportunity to potentially rank and be found.

As I mentioned though, there are always exceptions to the rule. For example, there are popular topics like “how to tie a tie” and you don’t really need tons of words to explain how to tie a tie. You more so need images or even video.

Blog posts that are popular are somewhat new

When we looked at every popular blog in our database, we noticed that a lot of sites didn’t include a publish date or an updated date (updated date is used for content that was originally published years ago but was more recently updated).

But for the posts that did contain a date, whether it was the publication date or when the content was updated, we did notice something interesting.

Content that generates 1,000 visitors or more a month on average tends to be 388 days old.

And content that generates less than 1,000 visitors tends to be 593 days old.

This doesn’t mean that Google doesn’t want to rank new, fresh content as in both categories there was fresh, new content that did generate traffic. But a lot of the ranking blog posts were a bit old (but not too old).

Again, keep in mind there are always exceptions to the rule. Going back to the how to tie a tie example, even if that article was 3 years old, it probably would still be relevant as much hasn’t changed when it comes to ties.

But with over 1 billion blogs on the web, it seems like Google prefers newish content over outdated content.

If you have older content, don’t worry, you can always update it to ensure that it continually gets more traffic.

The way you would do this is by following these steps:

It’s so effective that I have a team of people who just update my old content.

Conclusion

Whether you like it or not, if you are going to write content you should do keyword research first.

Picking the right keywords versus the wrong ones can mean that your content doesn’t get traffic or gets thousands of visitors a month.

Now of course there are other elements to your SEO like links and on-page SEO, but for this analysis, we wanted to focus on the characteristics (ones that you can easily control) that make a popular post.

Out of curiosity, do you do keyword research before you write content?

How to Optimize Google My Business and Leverage It for More Sales

One of the simplest ways to gain traffic and customers is claiming and optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) listing. Google My Business (GMB), is a listing of your business’ operating information, reviews, posts, and so much more.

To that end, there are a few things you should consider before diving into how to claim your business on Google.

For example:

  • What are your customers finding when they search for your business online?
  • If they need to know your phone number, how quickly can they access it?
  • If they want to know if you have parking available, how will they find out?

You need to make sure this information is available to consumers before they even reach your website.

Although most of this information can likely be found on your website, Google My Business indexes the content you provide for consistency across Google Search and Maps (Google Local Guides can also review and edit your listings for consistency).

Example business who has claimed of google my business

But it’s not just a place to find basic information about your business.

When used correctly, Google My Business is a powerful tool that can increase your revenue and provide valuable insights about your customers.

I’m going to explain its importance and how you can optimize it to generate more sales.

The Number One Mistake Business Owners Make with Google My Business

Let’s face it. Google dominates search.

According to Net Marketshare, approximately 80% of all searches happen on Google.

graph showing the segments of the google my business traffic

To put things into perspective, there are 3.5 billion searches per day.

The kicker? Most people don’t get past Google’s first page of search results.

A study examined the number of click-throughs for each Google search result, and they exponentially decreased on page two.

Table showing how to claim a business on google my business

In other words, your customers are finding what they need on Google’s first page.

Although there are other ways to get your business to show up on the first page of Google, Google My Business is an incredibly valuable (and easy) tool to use that helps you:

  • Control, index, and display pertinent business information
  • Interact with potential customers and manage your online review reputation
  • Curate customer photos, videos, and other user-generated content
  • Gather insights regarding how your customers are arriving on your site

The signals sent from Google My Business even play a role in local SEO strategy.

Google my Business showing pie chart affects local SEO

56% of local retailers haven’t claimed their free Google My Business account.

percent of businesses that have claimed their business listing

This is surprising because a Google study found that “50% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day.”

There is an enormous upside for using Google My Business, and the process to claim your business only takes a few steps.

To start, visit https://www.google.com/business.

making the most of your free Google My Business account

Next, input the basic information (name, address, phone number, website) about your business.

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Then, you’ll be required to verify your account by submitting a code that is mailed to your business address. This step is necessary to unlock all GMB features.

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After your company information is added, you can access your dashboard to start personalizing your listing.

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But don’t stop there. You’re not done!

Most companies make this mistake. They claim their Google My Business account, add the bare minimum details, and abandon it.

They’re leaving money on the table.

You need to optimize it.

Claiming the account is just the start. There are so many ways you can use it.

When leveraged correctly, Google My Business can lead to increased sales and improved customer loyalty.

How to Claim a Business on Google

Claiming your business on Google is one of the easiest ways to reach new customers–but you need to make sure you follow some best practices in order to get the most out of your listing.

1. Ensure Your Information Is Accurate, Comprehensive, and Up-to-Date

There are many different parts of your Google My Business listing, so let’s start with your core business information:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone Number
  • Website
  • Description
  • Category
  • Attributes

Google My Business requests your name, address and phone number (otherwise known as NAP) to begin the listing.

This information will be indexed by Google Search, Maps and Google+, providing a foundation for your local SEO.

Your information should be consistent with what is currently listed on your website.

Actually, you need to ensure the information is exactly the same.

Inconsistencies in the information will negatively impact your search ranking.

bar graph showing common ranking issues that may come up when you claim a business on Google

When inputting your address, make sure it matches with the correct coordinates on the map and include the same zip code (5-digit vs. hyphenated 9-digit code) provided on your website.

Additionally, it’s better to have a local number as opposed to a national or call center option.

Using Google Maps to optimize your Google My Business page.

After you’ve provided NAP, you can focus on two very important pieces of your listing: your business category and your company attributes.

These areas require you to be specific in regards to what type of business you operate.

You should consider your keyword strategy when adding your business category and attributes.

Be careful, though.

I don’t recommend you stuff your listing with keywords.

Google My Business prohibits that type of behavior. In 2016, they eliminated users’ ability to edit GMB descriptions and introduced attributes to provide a more accurate listing.

example of introducing attributes in your Google My Business account.

While your category is meant to be very specific, attributes can paint a clearer picture of your business and the experience you provide.

It is beneficial to browse the complete list of 2,395 business categories to make sure you’re capturing the correct classification of your company.

Remember to be specific. Don’t put “Cosmetology” if you run a “Nail Salon.”

Example business categories for your google my business account

Attributes allow business owners to expandtheir business’ capabilities in ways that might not be apparent from the business category they have selected.

Does your restaurant have a patio or bar seating? Is it kid-friendly?

What are the amenities in your apartment complex? Tennis courts? Indoor pool?

Does your coffee shop offer free wifi? Public restrooms?

These attributes can be added to answer questions your customers will likely have and provide a better understanding of the business’ capabilities and offerings.

example attributes for your google my business account

After your basic information is complete, you can move on and personalize the visual aspect of your listing.

The first thing your customers will notice when searching for your business?

Your profile picture.

No listing is complete without a photo.

A Synup study found, “Listings with photos are 2x as likely to be considered reputable and get 35% more clicks.”

Google My Business encourages you to upload a profile photo, cover photo, and video to showcase your business. Each has their own purpose shown below:

Example profile photos for your google my business account

Not only can you upload your own high-quality content, but you can also feature user-generated content too.

Someone snapped and posted a great pic of your flagship entrée?

Use it as your profile picture by selecting it under the “Photos tagged of your business” option.

"photo tagged of your business" to add to your Google My Business profile.

Encouraging your customers to add photos of their interactions with your business can lead to a plentiful gallery of user-generated content on your listing.

But they don’t have to just share their experiences in photos.

They can write about their experience too.

2. Ask for Reviews (and Respond to Them)

Reviews are the lifeblood of local search.

It’s a really simple equation:

Good reviews = sales. More good reviews = more sales.

Bad reviews can also present you with an opportunity.

Almost everyone likes a second opinion. That’s why 90% of people read reviews before purchasing.

The frequency of searches for reviews is increasing too. A 2016 study found, “53% of consumers search for local businesses at least one time per month.”

That’s a 10% increase over 2015.

bar graph showing how many people use the internet to find local businesses, emphasizing the importance of your Google My Business account/page

How do you get reviews from your customers, though?

It’s simple. You ask them!

Some sites discourage this, but Google My Business actively encourages it. You can send a link to your customers in a few easy steps.

Open www.google.com/maps in a new web browser.

How to claim a business on Google using google maps

In the top left corner, search the name of your company. (This is also a great opportunity to check if your address is correct on your Google My Business dashboard.)

How to claim a business on Google using google maps (step 2)

After selecting your business, click the menu option in the top-left corner.

"menu option" (step 3) businesses on Google My Business

Click “Share or Embed Map.”

share/imbed map stage of claiming a business on Google

Click “Copy Link.”

how to claim a business on google - "copy link"

Share with all your previous customers by sending the link via email or text.

After you start to gather reviews on your listing, you need to respond to them.

All of them.

Every last one of them.

The good. The bad. The neutral.

Take time to write a message to each reviewer using the Google My Business dashboard.

53% of people expect responses to negative reviews.

bargraph showing how much more likely you are to visit a local business if the owner responds badly to negative reviews on their Google My Business account

If your reviews are arriving with a perfect 5-star rating, this is your opportunity to turn a customer into a passionate supporter of your business.

Whether you’re a national company or a local flower shop (as shown below), it is important to reach out and acknowledge the experiences your customers have with your brand.

example review to use in your Google My Business Account

If things are bad, this is your opportunity to make things right. Donatos Pizza monitored their reviews in Columbus, Ohio and leaped at the chance to enhance a customer’s experience.

Upon receiving a neutral 3-star review, the owner actively reached out to see how he could “raise that 3-star review to a 5-star review.”

example 2 of responding to bad reviews on their Google My Business account

Now, that’s customer service.

3. Speak Directly to Your Customers through Google My Business Messages

What if your customers can’t find something on your listing or website?

They aregoing to want to contact you. But how?

You might be thinking, “Simple. My phone number is included in my Google My Business listing.”

But actually, sometimes your customers don’t want to callyou.

In fact, a study found “90% of business leads would rather receive a text message than a phone call.”

That’s why mobile messaging can be a highly effective part of your marketing strategy.

It can lead to increased customer engagement and can help close the sale.

Studies show direct SMS messaging even has a higher conversion rate than mobile advertising.

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That’s why Google introduced its messaging feature as a solution.

Now, you can activate this feature and communicate one-on-one with your customers, answering questions, fielding comments, and increasing loyalty.

By activating the Google My Business messaging feature, you unlock the option for customers to ask you a question via SMS text straight from your GMB listing.

with the messaging feature on Google my Business, you can exchange texts sent straight from your listing

You can turn this feature on by clicking the “Turn On Messaging” button in your Google My Business dashboard.

how to claim a business on google and use the messaging feature

Next, you will be asked to input a phone number you’ll want to use to chat.

It’s important to note that this phone number will not be shared publicly since your customers will be clicking the “Message” button.

If you don’t want to use a personal number, there are a number of alternative options.

Once you add your number, you will be required to verify it with a code you receive on your phone.

Chat with your customers via your Google My Business page

You’ll have complete control to turn this feature on and off and can update the number as needed.

Google also calculates a response time for you that will be shown on your listing. This is averaged from the length of time it takes you to respond to inquiries.

Finally, you can add a “Welcome Message.” This is what users will receive when they start a message to you.

A sample message could read, “Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate the ability to serve you and will respond to your request momentarily.”

Settings in your Google My Business Account

Now that the feature is activated and ready to go, you will receive an SMS text message any time someone asks a question via the message button on your listing.

You can then directly respond in the form of a text message.

This feature fosters a closer connection between your business and customers. Your business can be perceived as more transparent, which can lead to increased credibility and sales.

But this service is only effective in sharing information with customers who activelyinquire.

Google also created an option to share news and updates right on your listing for those who may be passivelybrowsing.

Let’s take a look at how Google Posts can optimize your listing.

4. Add Posts to Share Business Updates

Now that I’ve shown you how to manage user-generated content on your Google My Business listing, let’s focus on the content you create.

This is where Google Posts come in.

Google opened its post feature it to all businesses in 2017. This feature allows you to share content about your business in a variety of ways. Some examples include:

  • Highlighting a new line of fall clothing with various product images
  • Showcasing an upcoming event you are trying to promote
  • Using a gif to relive a game-winning shot with your audience
  • Sharing a text update on a recent company advancement

The Seattle Mariners are a great example of how a brand is using Google Posts to promote highlights of their games.

google my business idea - business page for the Seattle Mariners

Google Posts allows you to add text, photos, gifs, and even call-to-action buttons including:

  • Buy
  • Sign up
  • Learn more
  • Reserve
  • Get Offer

You can begin creating posts after you have verified your Google My Business account. Once the verification is complete, your “Posts” option will appear on the left-hand menu.

After clicking “create post,” you can add text and visuals.

create posts for your Google My Business account

When creating your post, you should consider:

  • Google allows a maximum of 300 words per single post but only 60-70 characters will show up on the mobile and desktop display if you use a CTA button.
  • The entire text post will show on mobile if no CTA button is used.
  • The image you select should be a high-quality representation of your business. Google uses a 4:3 ratio, so the minimum dimension required is 400×300 pixels.
  • Speak directly to your audience. Don’t use industry jargon, but rather focus on sharing content that will move your audience to engage with the post.
  • Google provides insights (more on that in a bit) and engagement metrics for each post, but it’s also a good idea to set up UTM parameters for links as well.

After clicking “publish,” you can check out your post on your listing.

Now, it is ready and waiting for view by all those searching for your business. Make sure you review it within a week of publishing it since Google Posts disappear in a week.

example of google my business account

Google Posts disappear after seven days unless you set a shorter time frame. That’s why it’s important to be timely and hyper-specific when crafting your posts.

Consider having a strategy in place and drafting an editorial calendar designated for your Google Post content.

That way, you can better integrate posts into your marketing plan and examine their impact on your business.

5. Track Customer Paths Through Google My Business Insights

As with any marketing tactic, it’s important to measure the impact of your Google My Business listing.

Google has built-in tools to help with that.

Google My Business Insights can tell you:

  • How customers are finding your business (direct vs. discovery searches)
  • Where on Google your customers are finding your listing (Search vs. Maps)
  • The actions your customers are taking on your listing (Visiting your site, clicking on directions, browsing the photo gallery, calling you)
  • Areas that your customers are living (based on direction queries)
  • Total phone calls and time when customers are calling

Let’s start with the most important question: How your customers are finding you?

They are using two types of searches: direct and discovery.

Direct searches show that your customers know about your company and are using your business name or address to find you.

Discovery searches involve searching for the business type or category—not necessarily the business’ name. This is common for people who aren’t familiar with your company.

pie chart of how customers reach businesses using google my business

Once you figure out how they are finding your listing, you’ll want to understand what they are doing with it.

Are they visiting your website?

Requesting directions?

Calling you?

Browsing through your photos?

While it is important to set up UTM parameters for links, Google My Business also provides an in-depth look at your customers’ actions in your listing.

Google My Business tracks user actions in their insights dashboard, which can help you understand what your customers find valuable in your listing.

Chart showing customer actions. Google my business tracks your data for you.

Google also enables you to benchmark your user-generated content (specifically your photo gallery) against your competitors.

You can analyze your gallery’s photo views and compare them to other businesses similar to yours.

tracking photos used in google my business

All of this information can be used to track your customers’ conversion path and provide a comprehensive understanding of your customers’ actions prior to reaching your website.

Conclusion

There are many ways customers can find your business. Google My Business positions your important business information in front of the eyes of potential customers who are looking for your product, service, or experience.

GMB helps with local SEO, offers a chance to engage with your customers via reviews or posts, and provides useful insights on your customers’ purchasing paths. On top of everything else, it is a free and valuable tool.

Not claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing is like saying, “No thanks” to someone offering you a free digital sign for your restaurant right off a highway exit.

If you want help setting up your Google My Business account, or with your digital strategy in general, we are here for you!

How will you optimize your Google My Business listing to generate additional revenue for your business?

30 Ways to Become a More Successful Entrepreneur

Whether you’re just starting out or are an old pro, who doesn’t want to be a more successful entrepreneur?

Owning a business gives you a sense of freedom and empowerment. You can build things and watch them grow.

Entrepreneurs make decisions for themselves, realize their creative visions, and develop lasting relationships with other entrepreneurs, customers, and vendors.

It’s a great way to live. That’s why I’ve founded so many companies — I can’t get enough.

I’ve put together these tips to help you to become more successful, too.

1. Get Gritty

Grit is perseverance. Grit is the go-get-’em attitude that we expect of entrepreneurs. Grit is the ability to keep working when everyone tells you that you should give up.

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be gritty.

Honestly, without hard work and perseverance, you’re not going anywhere in the entrepreneurial world.

image of key skills need to become a successful entrepreneur

2. To Become a Successful Entrepreneur, You Must Challenge Yourself

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to challenge yourself. No one else is going to push you, so it’s up to you to do it.

Challenges keep entrepreneurs nimble and on their toes. If you’re constantly looking for the next challenge, you’ll always be prepared for what comes your way.

Challenges you may face to become a successful entrepreneur

Consider this example:

You’re going to the gym to build your upper body strength. You start doing bicep curls with a 10-pound weight. It feels pretty heavy at first. As you build up your strength, it gets easier.

Would you stop there? No!

Then it’s time to do bicep curls with a 20-pound weight. Once you’ve done bicep curls with a 20-pound weight, going back to a 10-pound weight will feel easy.

Challenging yourself with new and difficult tasks will make your other tasks seem even simpler. As an entrepreneur, you always have to be looking for the next big challenge.

3. Successful Entrepreneurs Are Passionate about Their Work

If you don’t love what you do, don’t do it. I truly believe it’s as simple as that.

As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to put in long hours and make sacrifices for your business.

When you’re passionate about what you do, putting in the long hours won’t feel like a sacrifice anymore.

If you’re not passionate about what you do, you’re not going to have the motivation to keep going when you’re stressed and tired.

Have you ever noticed those entrepreneurs who never seem to get tired? Those entrepreneurs who get that gleam in their eye when they talk about what they do? That’s passion.

why people choose to try to become successful entrepreneurs

If you’re passionate about what you do, being an entrepreneur gets just a little bit easier.

4. To Become a Successful Entrepreneur, You Must Take Risks

Humans are generally risk-averse, but part of being an entrepreneur is recognizing the risks that you should take.

Successful entrepreneurs take risks. It’s part of the job.

Successful entrepreneurs also know which risks to take and which they shouldn’t. Learn to recognize the risks that will benefit your business and take them.

Taking risks has a dangerous side, but the opportunities they present often far outweigh the potential dangers.

Learn how to identify which risks are worth taking and you’ll likely become a more successful entrepreneur.

5. Trust Yourself

If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

Being a successful entrepreneur means that you’ve learned to listen to your intuition and rely on your wisdom when making decisions.

Your ability to trust and believe in yourself will show your confidence. People are more likely to follow and trust confident leaders.

Trusting in your own skills will also take some of the pain of uncertainty out of being an entrepreneur.

When you feel uncertain, remember how much experience and knowledge you have. Most entrepreneurs start their business after years of experience working for someone else.

how much experience entrepreneurs have before they become successful entrepreneurs

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it or turning to a mentor for advice, but you also have to learn to trust yourself and your own judgment without input from others.

Learn to trust yourself and you’re already starting down the path of entrepreneurial success.

6. Reduce Fear

Fear stops action. Entrepreneurs have to be able to pivot and quickly take action when they see an opportunity or recognize a mistake.

With fear riding on your shoulder, you won’t be a successful entrepreneur.

As an entrepreneur, if you let fear be your guide, you won’t be able to listen to your intuition, you’ll be afraid to take the necessary risks, and your judgment will be clouded by emotion.

If you can find ways to reduce and manage your fear and you’ll be a much more successful entrepreneur.

Keep in mind that fear has to do with your perspective. For example, studies have shown that the more true crime you consume, the more scared you are of crime.

Successful entrepreneurs can manage their fears a few ways.

My favorite tip for managing fear as an entrepreneur is to do confidence-building exercises.

For me, I like to take a few moments at night to think of the decisions I made that day that had a successful outcome.

Thinking each day about the decisions that you made that benefited you, others, or your business will help you to quickly build your confidence and reduce fear.

7. Successful Entrepreneurs Visualize their Goals

This tip is less abstract than you might think, so bear with me.

When I recommend that entrepreneurs visualize their goals, I don’t intend for them to close their eyes and see the goal in front of them.

What I want you to do to visualize your goal is to define it so clearly that it’s real and tangible.

For example, which of these is a more accomplishable:

  1. I want to become a successful entrepreneur.
  2. I will become a successful entrepreneur by starting a business that solves a problem for this specific niche of my audience.

The second one, right?

When you can clearly articulate and visualize your goal, it becomes more achievable.

There are many ways to visualize your goal if you aren’t sure how to start. You can write it down or draw it out.

Visualizing business goals to become a successful entrepreneur

You can tell someone, such as a friend or business partner, or take photographs that represent your goal. Go with your strengths.

When you ask a successful entrepreneur what their goal is, they can tell you in great detail what it is that they’re working to achieve.

8. Hire Great Partners to Help You Become a Successful Entrepreneur

I’ll admit that this one might be a little bit obvious.

Successful entrepreneurs aren’t successful within a vacuum. We all have a great team and support network behind us.

When I recommend hiring great partners, I don’t just mean someone who can do the job you’re hiring them for. You should seek partners who have great character and whom you like and respect.

You and your partners will be working long hours together and making stressful decisions. If you don’t respect your partner(s), your team won’t last long.

Fill your team with people who have great character and you’re well on your way to success.

When choosing your partners and team members, always remember that you can teach skills, but you can’t teach character.

9. To Become a Successful Entrepreneur, You Must Act Fast

Talk only delays action.

Successful entrepreneurs act.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in planning, considering potential failures, discussing funding, and talking in meetings with board members. If all you do is talk, you’ll get nothing done.

At some point, you have to halt the talking and make something happen.

10. Successful Entrepreneurs Spend Time on Important Tasks and Are Patient to See Results

Do you think that there’s such a thing as an overnight success? I recommend that you take a closer look.

Upon examination, the people and businesses that became “overnight sensations and successes” actually worked really hard and long for their achievements.

When you think you’ve found an overnight success, check again and examine closely the hours, days, and years that went into their success.

Take a look at their life, the things they learned, and how many times they failed.

Successful entrepreneurs take the time that’s required to reach success. And many of them have failures along the way.

If you think it’s taking too long to find success, give yourself a break.

Keep plugging along, putting in the hours, and before long, you’ll be a successful entrepreneur.

Just imagine looking back at all the hard work and knowing it paid off. Keep that image in your head to motivate you forward through the long, slogging hours.

11. Plan Your Finances

Startups and entrepreneurial businesses need money. It’s just a part of the lifestyle.

Many entrepreneurs spend too much time looking for money and not enough acting, but that doesn’t mean that you can leap into the abyss without a plan.

There are a few ways you can fund your business.

Decide which is best for you, and plan out your finances in the beginning. Try to stick to your budget, but know that the plan will have to be adapted along the way.

12. Who’s Your Customer? Successful Entrepreneurs Know the Answer

One of the most common reasons that entrepreneurial businesses fail is that there isn’t a customer.

If you start a business or make a product but don’t know who will buy it, that person might not actually exist.

Before you make a financial plan, raise capital, or even choose a name, make sure that there’s a customer who would buy your product or use your services.

Without a customer, you don’t have a business.

Successful entrepreneurs know who their customers and target market are.

13. Successful Entrepreneurs Listen to Complaints

This is one of the tips that I think is the most important for entrepreneurs to learn.

Your customer’s complaints are how you identify your business’s weaknesses.

Similarly to the last tip, without customers, you can’t have a successful business. There’s another possible scenario, though.

You might have customers who are interested in your product or service, but if you don’t listen to their complaints, you soon will have no customers.

Take your customers seriously, treat their complaints with respect, and listen.

You might think you’re giving them value, but they may not agree.

successful entrepreneurs listen to customer complaints

Your customers know what they want, and they’re going to tell you what they think.

A smart and successful entrepreneur listens to those complaints and uses that information to fix the business’s weaknesses.

14. Exceed Everyone’s Expectations

If you deliver more than you promised, you’re sure to have satisfied customers, investors, and business partners.

Making promises and not delivering is a quick way to lose your business.

In contrast, successful entrepreneurs exceed expectations.

15. Manage Risks to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

Remember when I said that you should take risks? You should, though you shouldn’t take every risk that presents itself. Instead, manage your risks.

As a successful entrepreneur, you need to learn how to identify which risks to take but also when to take these risks.

Be sure to recognize where you are in the entrepreneurial cycle when calculating which risks to take.

16. Read Case Studies

As an entrepreneur, you’ll be inundated with your business, needing to take care of it all the time. When you get home and have some leisure time, you might be tempted to read fiction or books for entertainment.

Instead, I encourage you to read case studies. Read biographies of successful entrepreneurs. Read everything you can get your hands on about those who have already been successful.

There’s always something to learn from those who have already done it.

I especially think it’s important to learn from the mistakes of others. If you learn from their mistakes, you won’t have to make those mistakes yourself.

And if you do make mistakes yourself, definitely learn from those.

The more you learn from their mistakes and successes, the faster you can grow your business and become a successful entrepreneur.

17. Successful Entrepreneurs Self-Promote

Many people don’t want to self-promote or talk about their business too much for fear of sounding like an egomaniac; but if you don’t promote your business, who will?

Egotistical self-promotion and self-promotion can be differentiated.

Know your business, know some key stats, and have your 15-second elevator pitch polished and ready to go. Then, when someone asks you about your business, you can promote it factually and quickly.

Another way to self-promote without sounding cocky is to know what your customers say about your business. When someone asks how your business is going, you can tell them your customer feedback.

Don’t forget to provide some of the bad as well as the good.

18. Successful Entrepreneurs Set and Oversee a Positive Company Culture

There may have been a time when company culture wasn’t important, but with social media and the 24-hour news cycle, your company and employees are always under scrutiny.

Set a positive company culture from day one and you’ll be more likely to work with people you enjoy and who inspire you as well as attract great customers.

Many entrepreneurs are working with family, from home, and even across borders. It’s important to set and know what you want your company culture to look like.

importance of company culture to become a successful entrepreneur

19. Network, Network, Network

There is no such thing as too much networking (well unless it’s getting in the way of building your business, of course).

What I mean to say is that you shouldn’t ever stop networking because you never know where your next lead will come from.

Chances are, if you network with enough people, you’ll bump into another entrepreneur who might have the ideas and connections you need.

You might find a new connection while grabbing a beer at the airport bar, you might meet your next business partner in an elevator on your way to a meeting, and you just never know who’s sitting next to you on the bus.

Meet everyone you come into contact with and have a short chat. You never know who you’re sitting next to and what connections or resources they might be able to offer you.

20. Learn and Create

The successful entrepreneur mindset is that of learning and creation. As an entrepreneur, you always want to be taking in new information and creating.

This type of mindset can be draining and tiring, but without it, you’re not going anywhere.

a growth mindset is crucial if you want to be come a successful entrepreneur

To stay in the learner and creator mindset, stay away from TV, social media, and movies. These types of entertainment cause us to be passive and just take in information.

Pursue everything in moderation, but in general, these activities are time-wasters for entrepreneurs. Limiting your entertainment time is a sacrifice that must be made to become a successful entrepreneur.

Instead of watching TV and movies, read case studies and meditate. Take care of your mind and body in constructive, healing ways.

It may “feel good” to watch TV, but it’s not actually a rejuvenating way to relax.

To be a successful entrepreneur, find relaxing activities that help to restore your learner and creator mindset.

21. Successful Entrepreneurs Deliver, Not Sell

Honestly, no one likes to be sold to. I mean seriously, who enjoys going to the car lot and buying a new car? We all know what we’re getting ourselves into and dread it.

Instead of selling to your potential customers, deliver. Offer them a free trial and deliver a great product.

When your company delivers a great product or service, you’ll build customer loyalty faster than you can say, “successful entrepreneur.”

22. Take Baby Steps to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

Building a successful entrepreneurial business can seem daunting, and that’s okay. Building a business from the ground up is a massive undertaking.

Luckily I have a foolproof tactic: break it down.

Any problem that seems insurmountable, break it down into baby steps.

Once you’ve broken it down into baby steps, take them one at a time. Before you know it, just by placing one foot in front of the other, you’ll be halfway up the mountain.

With grit and perseverance, baby steps will get you far toward becoming a successful entrepreneur.

23. Put Everything on Your Calendar

You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. Put every single thing on your calendar.

Think something doesn’t need to be on your calendar? It does.

Put your meetings, quiet work periods, time with friends, happy-hour business meetings, kids’ soccer games, workouts, meal times, and anything else that you do on your calendar.

Once something is on your calendar, then everyone who needs to meet with you knows that time isn’t available.

An additional benefit is that once everything is on your calendar, there aren’t excuses for not getting things done.

I want to also draw your attention to one of the items I included: quiet work time. That is time when you can work, solve problems, or think creatively without being interrupted.

Everyone needs these periods of time. To be a successful entrepreneur, guard your quiet work times with your life. The success of your business may depend upon them.

24. Exercise to Become a More Successful Entrepreneur

Did you know that sitting down all day long is bad for your health? It is.

Being a successful entrepreneur doesn’t just mean running a profitable business. Run yourself too ragged managing that business and you might not be around to enjoy its success.

You must take care of yourself as well as your business. One of the many self-care tasks that I recommend is exercise.

taking care of yourself and getting exercise is important for successful entrepreneurs

Make sure to book time in your calendar to get in some exercise and get out of your chair.

Maybe you go to yoga, walking meetings, climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or simply go to the gym.

Build time into your calendar every week (dare I hope for every day?) to be physically active and take care of your body as well as your business.

A sick or unhealthy entrepreneur isn’t a successful entrepreneur.

25. Successful Entrepreneurs Stay Focused

The life of a successful entrepreneur can feel scattered and disjointed, but it’s important to limit your time spent multitasking.

Research has shown time and time again that multitasking doesn’t work. Humans aren’t capable of it.

And yes, multitasking includes being distracted by your phone and email tabs. Close them and put them away.

Learn to focus and take time to do just one task. Giving one task your full attention will mean that you’re more likely to get it done and do it well.

It’s also important to know that too many tasks on your to-do list can make you ineffective and distracted.

Learn to focus your to-do list on the tasks that you’re capable of finishing in the amount of time you’ve allotted for them.

For example, each night, set the three tasks that you’ll complete the following day. Each month, set the overarching goal for your company that you want to achieve in the next 30 days.

These techniques can help you to learn how to focus and more effectively manage your business.

26. Take Time Off

We finally made it to the tip that I think it the toughest for successful entrepreneurs to put into practice.

I really mean that you need to take time off. Americans don’t do it enough.

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You might not need time off every day or every week, but you do need to take time off. If all you do is work, you’ll burn out. Fast.

I think this is the most challenging for entrepreneurs because they often see themselves as invincible or believe that they must be invincible. This just isn’t true; we’re all humans and we need time off.

Time off allows your brain to roam, to rest, and to think. Ever wonder why you think of so many ideas in the shower? It’s because your brain has free range to just think and roam.

Even the most successful entrepreneurs don’t work all the time. Everyone needs time off, so don’t shame yourself for being human and normal.

When you do take time off, notify your staff ahead of time and let them know why it’s important to you.

Teaching your staff the importance of time off will help them to respect your time away and to recognize when they need time off.

By the way, you should allow your staff time off too. They also are human and will occasional breaks.

Take time off before you need it and recognize that it’s important for healing, creating, and becoming a more successful entrepreneur.

27. Successful Entrepreneurs Ask Questions

You don’t know everything. No one does.

You should ask for help, advice, mentors, and everything else you need as you get your business set up and running. Asking questions is a valuable skill to have as an entrepreneur.

The more information you have, the more you will know and be able to take into consideration.

Asking questions also helps you to remain in a learner mindset, ready to accept advice and information.

Learners and those who ask questions are more likely to become successful entrepreneurs.

28. Learn From Your Failures

Failure is an option.

Better to accept it now then later. You will fail at some point. It’s how you adjust to these failures that will make or break your business.

Failure is an aspect of becoming a successful entrepreneur, so you’d better get used to it now.

If your first business does fail, keep in mind that you can create another with the lessons you learned from your first.

29. Get Inspired

Being an entrepreneur is a creative pursuit. As an entrepreneur, you have to make connections, solve problems, and create new things that no one has thought of before.

Creators and creatives need to be inspired.

Successful entrepreneurs take time for the things that inspire them.

traits of a successful entrepreneur

Maybe your inspiration comes from being in an art museum, maybe it’s reading books, maybe it’s doodling —whatever it is that inspires you, do it. It’s good for your business.

Successful entrepreneurs are inspired. Don’t let that magic slip for too long. Whenever you can, and definitely when you’re feeling burned out, get out there and get inspired.

Inspiration is the spark for ideas. Ideas make successful entrepreneurs.

30. Successful Entrepreneurs Lend a Helping Hand

Entrepreneurs are busy, so this tip sometimes trips them up. It’s easy to think, “I don’t have time to help anyone else! I’m so busy already!”

However, helping others can be inspiring and massively beneficial. It makes you feel good.

Furthermore, as an entrepreneur, you have a network with whom you can share your expertise and jobs you can hire people for. Why wouldn’t you help out when you can?

When you help someone, they will likely find a way to help you. It might not be today or tomorrow, but somewhere in the future, they will be there to help you when you need it.

Helping others is also a great way to build a loyal and supportive network around you.

Conclusion

Succeeding in business doesn’t come overnight. It takes a lot of planning, preparation, creativity, grit, and patience to become a successful entrepreneur.

The 30 tips I provided in this guide will help you with a long-term strategy and build it in baby steps until your business becomes a success.

If you need help defining and implementing a digital strategy as you start to build your business, let us know if we can assist you. We even offer custom packages for businesses on a strict budget!

What makes you a successful entrepreneur?

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