With the Euro 2020 group stage done and dusted, we asked our writers for their views on some big questions based on what we have seen.
The post Euro 2020 talking points: England underwhelms? France to reach the final? appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.
As the most-viewed site globally, YouTube is a must-visit destination for marketers and content creators looking to increase audience reach.
While it is possible to optimize YouTube SEO to score top results, without an understanding of the YouTube algorithm, SEO alone won’t manifest videos on a potential viewer’s suggested video list.
YouTube’s product chief underlined the reality of the impact of suggested-to-watch videos in an interview, noting 70% of a user’s time spent on the platform was dictated by the company’s suggested video algorithm.
70%. That number is huge.
To truly execute a successful YouTube marketing strategy, improve organic reach, and take advantage of that massive percentage, you need in-depth familiarity with the unique YouTube algorithm. Here are nine ways to increase your organic reach on YouTube.
What began as a venture capital-funded technology startup in 2006 is now our go-to spot for all things video.
Although YouTube itself has undergone significant changes over the past fifteen years, its algorithm has, by far, been its most dynamic feature.
Before 2012, YouTube charted video success by the number of views alone, regardless of the length of viewing. This singular YouTube algorithm led to a profusion of clickbait videos that relied upon misrepresentative headlines and thumbnails to earn views, with most audience members jumping ship immediately.
Later the same year, YouTube began measuring success through view duration, a metric that rewarded longer-viewed videos with increased search promotion.
Today, we still see the roots of the platform’s infancy in the current YouTube algorithm, which draws heavily on view duration as a component of a video’s ranking.
While YouTube’s stated mission is to give everyone a voice and a window to explore the world, one of YouTube’s lower-ranking goals is to engage viewers for extended amounts of time, maximizing the number of advertisement interactions.
Why does this secondary goal matter? Because YouTube suggests videos that satisfy this goal of increased exposure to advertiser content.
YouTube uses an algorithm based on three main qualifiers: relevance, engagement, and quality.
To benchmark relevance, YouTube explores the pairing of title, description, tags, and content with an individualized search query.
Engagement aggregates the number of responses from users, including watch time, engagement, and frequency.
Quality rating is determined by a channel’s ability to demonstrate trustable authority.
In addition to these three qualifiers, YouTube’s algorithm also draws on a user’s historical views and a video-specific assigned score, one that weighs both novelty and frequency of channel uploads, among other attributes.
This combination of statistics allows YouTube to recommend videos that speak directly to a viewer’s interests, continuing a narratively static viewing material chain.
These videos will appear in six different locations on the YouTube platform:
Much like any search algorithm, YouTube’s ranking system is in constant flux, evolving and adapting in an ongoing attempt to better define and satisfy user engagement.
Armed with a concrete understanding of how the YouTube algorithm works, it’s time to break down how you can harness your newfound knowledge to increase your organic reach.
YouTube made it explicitly clear in their algorithm explanation that content-relevant keywords, descriptions, captions, and tags all matter when you’re optimizing videos for search. Make sure you do your keyword researching using a tool like Ubersuggest to make sure you’re mentioning terms users are looking for.
By writing compelling, keyword-rich titles and descriptions, you increase your chances of attracting audience members’ attention and increasing your video’s search visibility.
Check out this post if you need to brush up on SEO basics.
The quote “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” is true of YouTube just as much as life.
Ensure audience engagement by crafting attention-getting copy that not only attracts your potential audience but also harnesses your keywords’ power.
YouTube slants toward the verbose, advocating long descriptions, so don’t be afraid to go the extra wordy mile with them.
Although your prospective viewer will only interact with the first few lines of the description unless they select the “show more” option, those few short lines are valuable real estate when it comes to attracting your audience.
Closed captions not only help those with accessibility needs, but allows users to watch videos in silence.
To make the most of closed captions, upload self-created subtitles. By uploading these yourself, you ensure that, when these captions are indexed for search, they are more accurate than automatically-generated ones, in many cases.
Because YouTube ranks videos by engagement, longer watch times mean more opportunities to earn the coveted suggested video inclusion.
If you’re struggling with viewer attrition rates, you’re going to want to tighten focus on your videos’ first few seconds and ensure you:
Don’t forget to study your audience retention graphs and pay attention to what those metrics are telling you.
These quick fixes help you further engage your audience, extending watch time, and earning your video a higher score via the YouTube algorithm.
Rather than simply ending your video, use various tactics to influence your audience’s next view.
By directing viewers to another video on your channel, you increase interaction and likelihood that they’ll return to interact with future content, both of which satisfy the YouTube algorithm’s engagement portion.
To direct your audience, use watermarks, end screens, and cards, all of which can be clicked and linked to your next video, ensuring continued viewing of your channel and content.
When viewers subscribe to your channel, you automatically increase your organic reach. To increase your number of subscribers, consistently create great content, videos viewers are dying to see.
While consistently creating great content may be easier said than done, it’s essential to building your channel. Create a channel trailer, reach out to influencers, and engage with all comments left on your videos.
If you’re looking for additional strategies to increase your subscribers, check out our YouTube Marketing Guide.
By crafting videos that continue a conversation, viewers are helpless to resist watching the next in the series.
To keep viewers on your channel, you can create playlists of videos with similar content: these are collections that will attract and sustain viewership.
Social channels are free advertising for your YouTube channel. Promote your videos on all your social accounts, website, and in your email marketing—anywhere you have an audience.
You can also publish a blog post with the video and a summary or transcription.
These numbers don’t just exist to make you feel good; they tell you what’s working well and when, and to identify who is watching what and when.
Conversely, these numbers also tell you what isn’t working, which is inarguably the more influential insight. By identifying what isn’t working, you can try new strategies and content, attempting to delight your audience and improve your reach through different approaches.
By digging deep into YouTube analytics, you can unearth realities about your videos and your audience, allowing you to tailor your creation process to suit the needs of the audience you’re trying to reach.
With over one billion hours of video watched per day on YouTube, it’s undeniable content creators and marketers need to take advantage of the platform to curate and grow their audiences.
By understanding how YouTube suggests videos, content creators and marketers can make their videos work harder and use its nuances to your benefit.
How you changed how you upload videos to satisfy the YouTube algorithm?
The post 9 Ways to Improve Organic Reach and Beat the YouTube Algorithm appeared first on Neil Patel.
Is it possible to get business credit cards with bad personal credit? You better believe it is!
We looked at a lot of business credit cards with bad personal credit, and did the research for you. So, here are our favorites.
Per the SBA, small business credit card limits are a whopping 10 ؘ– 100 times that of personal cards!
This shows you can get a lot more money with small business credit. And it also means you can have personal credit cards at stores. So, you would now have an extra card at the same retail stores for your company.
And you will not need collateral, cash flow, or financials to get small business credit.
Benefits can vary. So, make certain to select the perk you would prefer from this variety of alternatives.
For fair credit, we like the Capital One Spark Classic for Business. It has no annual fee. There are cash-back rewards. The card gets an unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases. There is an annual fee of $0.
With this card, you will get benefits including an auto rental collision damage waiver, and purchase security. And you also get extended warranty coverage. And you get travel and emergency assistance services.
But REMEMBER: the ongoing APR is 24.74% variable APR. And the penalty APR is even higher, 31.15%. Also, there is no sign-up bonus.
Get it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-classic/
Be sure to check out the Discover it® Student Cash Back card. It has no annual fee. The credit card also offers a six-month introductory period of 0% APR on purchases. And there is an APR of 14.99 – 23.99% variable on all purchases after that period.
One distinct feature is that it provides an incentive for students to maintain good grades with a $20 statement credit. If students earn a GPA of 3.0 or higher each school year, the card will award the $20 statement credit every year for up to five years.
Use this credit card to build personal credit. While this is a personal credit card versus a business card, for new credit users, their FICO scores will be important. And this card provides an excellent way to raise FICO while also getting rewards.
You can earn 5% cash back at different places each quarter such as grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants or Amazon.com up to the quarterly maximum. After that, this credit card offers unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases.
In the first year, all cash back rewards are matched 100%.
Downsides include a cash advance fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is more. And although they waive the first late payment fee, a fee of up to $37 applies on all other late payments. There is also a returned payment fee of up to $37.
Get it here: https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/cash-back/it-card.html
Have a look at the Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card. It charges a $25 yearly fee per credit card (up to 10 employee cards). It also requires a minimum security deposit of $500 (up to $25,000) and it is designed to help cardholders develop or rebuild their credit.
Pick this card if you wish to get 1.5% per dollar in purchases with no limits or earn one point for every dollar in purchases. You also get 1,000 bonus points for every month your company makes $1,000 in purchases on the card.
Also, you get free FICO scores every month. There are no foreign transaction fees. It is possible to upgrade to unsecured credit. Your account is regularly reviewed. And you may become eligible for an upgrade to an unsecured card with responsible use over time. Approval is not guaranteed and depends on factors including how you manage this and your other accounts.
APR is the current prime rate plus 11.90%. There is no introductory APR period and no sign-up bonus. This is not a card for balance transfers.
Get it here: https://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/business-credit/credit-cards/secured-card/
Look at the Discover it® Cash Back card. There is a 10.99% introductory APR for six months from date of first transfer. So, this is for transfers under this offer which post to your account by January 10, 2019.
After the introductory APR expires, your APR will be 14.99% to 23.99%. So, this is based on your creditworthiness. Your APR will vary with the market, which is based on the Prime Rate.
You can get 5% cash back at different places every quarter. So, these are establishments like gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com, or wholesale clubs. But this is up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate. Also, automatically get unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
You will earn an unlimited dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you have gotten at the end of your first year, automatically.
Get it here: https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/cash-back/it-card.html
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card has no annual fee and comes with a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the initial nine months. Afterwards, the card has a 13.24 – 23.24% variable APR
Earn 3 points/dollar spent when you book travel through the Bank of America Travel Center and 1.5 points/dollar on all other purchases. You can earn unlimited points and points never expire.
There is a 25,000-point sign-up bonus when you spend $1,000 within the first 60 days of opening up the account. Cardholders get travel accident insurance, and lost luggage reimbursement.
They likewise get trip cancellation coverage, trip delay reimbursement and other advantages.
There is no introductory rate for balance transfers. Also, bonus categories are limited.
Get it here: https://www.bankofamerica.com/smallbusiness/credit-cards/products/travel-rewards-business-credit-card/
Check out the JetBlue Plus Card for yet another offer of a 0% introductory APR
Get six points/dollar on JetBlue purchases, two points/dollar at restaurants and grocery stores. And get one point/dollar on all other purchases.
Spend $1,000 in the initial 90 days and pay the yearly fee, and get 40,000 bonus points. New cardholders receive a 12 month, 0% introductory APR on balance transfers made in 45 days of account opening.
After that, the variable APR on purchases and balance transfers is 17.99%, 21.99% or 26.99%, based on creditworthiness. Benefits include a free first checked bag and 50% savings on in-flight purchases.
There is a $99 yearly fee for this card.
Get it here: https://cards.barclaycardus.com/cards/jetblue-card/
Check out the Uber Visa Card. Uber is the very first ride-sharing service to offer a credit card, in a partnership with Visa and Barclays.
The card provides 4% back per dollar spent at restaurants, takeout and bars, including UberEATS. Also, get 3% back on hotel, airfare and vacation home rentals. And get 2% back on online purchases.
So, this includes retailers and subscription services like Uber and Netflix. And get 1% back on all other purchases. Each percent/point has a value of 1 cent. Redeem points for cash back, gift cards or Uber credits directly in the app.
By spending at least $500 in the first 90 days, users can earn a $100 sign-up bonus. Cardholders spending a minimum of $5,000 annually are eligible to receive a $50 credit toward online subscription services.
If you pay your cellphone bill with this card, you are insured up to $600 for cellphone damage or theft.
Cardholders are eligible for exclusive access to specific events and offers. Uber expects the majority of these offers will be available in major cities like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and DC. There is no foreign transaction fee.
But there is no introductory rate. The APR is a variable 16.99%, 22.74% or 25.74%, based on your creditworthiness. Cardholders with less than stellar credit will be on the higher end of the range.
Also, there are restrictions on Uber credits. To redeem points as credits within the Uber app, accumulate a minimum of 500 points, or $5. Cardholders can convert a maximum of 50,000 points, or $500, per day.
Get it here: https://www.uber.com/c/uber-credit-card/
Not taking Uber? Then you’ll want to fill your gas tank someway. Why not do so with the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi?
This card earns cash back with every purchase. Earn 4% cash back on the first $7,000 spent on eligible gas purchases annually (1% after that). Earn 3% cash back at restaurants and on eligible travel purchases. Also, earn 2% cash back at Costco and Costco.com. And earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Keep in mind: the $0 yearly fee is only for Costco members. And an active Costco membership is required. Cardholders will get access to damage and theft purchase protection, extended warranty coverage and travel accident insurance.
Also, there is no sign-up bonus offered with this card.
Get it here: https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/credit-card-details/citi.action?ID=Citi-costco-anywhere-visa-business-credit-card
Establish business credit fast with our research-backed guide to 12 business credit cards and lines.
Consider the Ink Business Cash ℠ Credit Card. Businesses can get cash back with every single purchase. Spend $3,000 in the first three months from account opening. And you’ll get a $500 bonus cash back.
There is a $0 annual fee with a 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. Thereafter, the APR is a 15.24 – 21.24% variable.
The credit card features travel and purchase coverage benefits. So, this includes an auto rental collision damage waiver and extended warranty protection.
Earn extra cash back on business categories. So, these include office supply stores, telecommunications, gas stations and restaurants.
Note: this credit card has a balance transfer fee. Pay 5% of the amount transferred or $5, whichever is greater. Also, there is a foreign transaction fee of 3%.
Get it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/small-business-credit-cards/ink-cash
Get a good look at the United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card.
Get 2 miles/dollar with United and at restaurants, filling stations and office supply stores. All other purchases earn 1 mile/dollar. Earn a 50,000-mile sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 in the initial three months from account opening.
Benefits include priority boarding, a free first checked bag for you and a companion on the same reservation.
Also, get two United Club passes annually. And get hotel and resort perks including upgrades. On top of that, get early check-in and late checkout. And get an auto rental collision damage waiver.
Plus, get baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Finally, get trip delay reimbursement, purchase protection, price protection and concierge service.
After the first year, the card has an annual fee of $95. APR of 17.99% – 24.99%, based on creditworthiness.
Get it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/small-business-credit-cards/united-mileageplus-explorer-business
Another option is the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express.
This card is for those who stay at Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott hotels often. Get six points per dollar of eligible purchases at participating SPG and Marriott Rewards hotels.
And get four points per dollar at American restaurants, US filling stations, and on US purchases for shipping.
Also, earn four points to the dollar on wireless telephone services purchased directly from US service providers. For all other eligible purchases, get two points per dollar.
Get 75,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the initial three months of account opening. Benefits include free in-room premium internet access, Sheraton Club lounge access, and purchase protection.
Plus, you get car rental loss and damage insurance. And you get baggage insurance. There is also a global assistance hotline. And there is a roadside assistance hotline. And get travel accident insurance and extended warranty coverage.
The most significant issue is the annual fee. There is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then it’s $95 thereafter. Plus, there is no 0% introductory APR. Instead, there is a 17.74 – 26.74% variable APR
Get it here: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/business/business-credit-cards/spg-amex-starwood-credit-card
Look at the SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card from American Express. There is a $0 annual fee. And there is a 0% APR on purchases So this is for the initial 15 months an account is open.
But when the introductory period expires, the APR for purchases is 14.24 to 21.24%. So, this is variable and based on creditworthiness.
This credit card has various benefits. These include purchase protection, car rental loss and damage insurance. And they also include a baggage insurance plan, extended warranty coverage and a global assist hotline.
Also, earn 5% cash back at US office supply stores and on wireless phone services. So, these must be purchased from American service providers. But this pertains to the initial $50,000 of annual spending. Then, you get 1% cash back.
You also get 3% cash back on spending category of your choice. So, this is from eight distinct categories. They include airfare, gas, advertising and computer purchases. But it applies to the first $50,000 of annual spending. Then, you get 1% cash back.
Cash-back bonuses are automatically credited to the customer’s billing statement.
Note: you cannot use this credit card for balance transfers. There is a foreign transaction fee of 2.7%. The card charges up to $38 in late fees. And the returned check fee is also $38. The penalty APR is 29.99%.
And, it kicks in if you have two or more late payments within 12 months. It can also apply if you fail to make the minimum payment on time or have a returned payment.
Get it here: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/credit-cards/simply-cash-plus-business-credit-card/44279
Look at the Capital One® Quicksilver® Card. It offers flat-rate rewards of 1.5% on all purchases. There are no limits to the amount of cash back rewards that cardholders can earn. Also, the card has a $0 annual fee.
New cardholders have a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months after opening the account. And after that they have a 14.74 – 24.74% (variable) APR after that.
A cash bonus of $150 is on offer for those who make at least $500 in purchases in 3 months of account opening.
Details
Also, cash back rewards do not expire for the life of the account. And there is no limit to how much you can earn.
This credit card also offers travel accident insurance. And you get an auto rental collision damage waiver. There are no foreign transaction fees. And there is extended warranty coverage.
Downsides are the flat reward rate, not allowing for any more than that. And the higher APR after the first 15 months.
Get it here: https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/quicksilver/
Establish business credit fast with our research-backed guide to 12 business credit cards and lines.
Have a look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for travel points.
You can get two points per dollar spent on travel and dining at restaurants. And you can earn one point per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, or travel.
The card’s benefits include trip cancellation insurance, travel and emergency assistance services. They also include an auto rental collision damage waiver, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.
When you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening, you will get 50,000 bonus points. These points are worth $625 if you redeem them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
You can earn an unlimited two points per dollar for travel and dining at restaurants. And after that earn one point per dollar for all other purchases. Points will transfer equally to 13 leading frequent travel programs with partners. So, these include British Airways, Southwest Airlines, United, and Marriott.
There is no 0% introductory APR on purchases or balance transfers. The card’s standard APR is 17.74 – 24.74% variable. Also, the card has an annual fee of $0 introductory for the first year. And then it skyrockets to $95.
Get it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/rewards-credit-cards/chase-sapphire-preferred
Get a look at the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card from Chase. Cardholders earn 3 points for every dollar spent on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone and qualifying advertising with the card. So, this is up to $150,000 each year. And all other purchases earn an unlimited one point per dollar spent.
This is a Visa credit card.
Cardholders get benefits like purchase protection, trip cancellation or interruption insurance. They also get cellphone protection. And they get extended warranty coverage. And they get an auto rental collision damage waiver.
Earn 80,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. There is an annual fee of $95. You can add employee cards at no additional cost.
This card only offers 3 points per dollar to a limit of $150,000 a year. So, this is for travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone and qualifying advertising. All other purchases get an unlimited flat rate of one point per dollar. And there is no introductory APR
Get it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/small-business-credit-cards/ink-business-preferred
Establish business credit fast with our research-backed guide to 12 business credit cards and lines.
Be sure to check out the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business card. With this card, you can get 2 miles per dollar on all purchases. When you spend $4,500 within the first 3 months of opening an account, you can earn 50,000 miles. So, that is worth $500 in travel.
Benefits for cardholders include an auto rental collision damage waiver, and purchase security. And they also include extended warranty coverage. And you get travel and emergency assistance services.
So cardholders will pay $0 introductory for the first year. But they will pay $95 after that for the annual fee.
There is no 0% APR for purchases or balance transfers with this card. So the APR is 18.74% (variable).
Get it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-miles/
Check out the IHG ® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. it earns hotel rewards worldwide. For each dollar spent at participating IHG hotels, get 10 points. Earn two points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants.
And all, other purchases earn one point. New cardholders can get an 80,000-point sign-up bonus when they spend $2,000 in the first three months of account opening.
This card provides a free one-night hotel stay each year. Plus, there is a wide array of benefits like travel and purchase coverage and an upgrade to Platinum Elite status with the IHG Rewards Club. The club offers complimentary room upgrades when available and guaranteed room availability.
The biggest issue is that the card does not offer a zero percent APR introductory rate. And the standard APR is 17.99 – 24.99% variable. Also, the yearly fee is $89.
Get it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/ihg/premiernaep
This credit card earns six points/dollar spent at participating Marriott and SPG hotels. And get two points/dollar on all other purchases.
Spend $3,000 in the initial three months from account opening and get two free night awards (each valued up to 35,000 points).
Cardholders get access to perks including a free one-night stay yearly after account anniversary. Also get travel and purchase protection. So, this includes free standard in-room Wi-Fi and priority late checkout.
Perks include baggage delay reimbursement, and lost luggage reimbursement. There is also trip delay reimbursement. And there is purchase protection. Plus, there are concierge service and automatic Silver Elite status, which includes a 20% bonus on points.
Spend $35,000 each account year, and be upgraded to Gold Elite status. So, that includes a complimentary room upgrade, free daily breakfast and 4 PM late checkout.
There is an annual fee of $95. The APR is a 17.99– 24.99% variable.
Get it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/marriott/apply
Your absolute best business credit cards with bad personal credit will always hinge on your credit history and scores.
Only you can choose which features you want and need. So, make sure to do your homework. What is excellent for you could be catastrophic for another person.
And, as always, make certain to establish credit in the recommended order for the best, fastest benefits.
The post Business Credit Cards With Bad Personal Credit? They’re Not Out of Reach appeared first on Credit Suite.
Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. You can take that to the bank – these are foolproof! Get to the optimal work time for you and your employees and stop wasting time!
Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.
And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!
Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about sales enablement. Mail Shake says it’s the act of helping someone better reach the objective of making a sale. Here at Credit Suite, those terrific folks are called the Setters Team.
The best thing people in sales enablement do is smooth the way for sales to do its thing. Sales will make more sales and be more successful if they know their prospects better. And they get this knowledge from the people in sales enablement.
But that’s not where sales enablement stops. The sale doesn’t end the relationship.
Your customers won’t like it if they’re buttered up and sold to and promised to and then dropped like yesterday’s news.
So there’s another piece of the sales enablement puzzle. This is maintaining the relationship. The sales enablement team is extraordinarily helpful here as their work frees up the sales team to concentrate on getting new sales.
The sales enablement team is, of course, the perfect group to ask if the customer is happy. Maybe their circumstances have changed and they can benefit from an upsell. Or maybe there’s something which just annoys them about your product or service. Giving your customers empowerment and listening to their concerns is extremely helpful when it comes to retention and renewal.
Your goal should always to be to surprise and delight your customers. A sales enablement team can make it easier to do just that.
The next awesome tip is about Facebook ads. Wordstream notes the main image size for Facebook has been 1200×628 for several years now. But that’s not the only image size you can use on the largest social media platform on the planet.
The article is just fantastic as it goes into exquisite detail on the sizes and where you should use them. It also outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each type.
In fact, this article goes into where in the customer sales journey you should use each type of image. This is an outstanding amount of free information in one short article. We highly recommend bookmarking it and referring back to it frequently.
Yes, it’s that good.
If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Reach your optimal work time today.
Our following life-changing tip concerns customer loyalty programs. Sleek Note lays it all out for us.
You’ve seen these in a thousand places by now. It’s the card your local coffee shop gives you and, once you get the eleventh punch, you get your twelfth latte free. Or maybe you get a muffin. We might be hungry ….
This article adds a few twists to the genre. One is what we all know as Amazon Prime – pay for the privilege of saving money. Which seems weird when we put it that way, eh? But the bottom line with Amazon Prime (and the article’s example, Barnes & Noble) is you are paying for more than a discount. It’s also faster, free delivery and a greater selection.
Say what? The Body Shop ties its loyalty program to charity. They know their clientele cares about the planet and about animal testing. The logical extension of that is animal welfare in general. Hence, beyond offering the usual perks, The Body Shop lets you donate your points to a specific animal welfare charity, Born Free USA.
Plus there’s Sephora. In addition to offering products and discounts, they bring access to an exclusive club of like-minded users. Hence they get a commitment that goes beyond the free makeup samples they provide on your birthday. Pretty cool, huh?
#7. Get a Bigger and Better Email ListSpeaking of loyalty, for our next sensational tip, we looked at growing your email list. WP Beginner says that the tried and true methods can help your business, too.
Make it easier for people to sign up for your emails. Don’t make them hunt for how to do this. In fact, the article gives a number of places on a website or in a blog post or other webpage where you can add a signup form.
Perhaps our favorite tip is to use multiple signup forms. After all, your customers are individuals. Treating them all like one, big monolith isn’t going to get you sales or win you any fans.
Dovetailing with this is the idea to create multiple lead magnet pages. A lead magnet essentially offers added value for your customers and prospects. Hence you’re offering 5% off or the like, most likely clearly on your signup form.
Treating customers and prospects like individuals will go a long way in all aspects of your business.
Then there’s Twitter. Users can even sign up for your mailing list without having to leave Twitter. Now that’s convenient.
This tip is so helpful, and it works! Startup Professionals tells us all about successful business problem solving.
There are a number of actionable tips, including acknowledging a problem exists, and verbalizing the problem.
So we recommend reading the article in its entirety. But first, a real life story.
So.
My darling cousin got married a few years ago, in the western part of Westchester County, New York, near Dobbs Ferry. The venue was beautiful, and it was right at the peak for foliage.
There was just one problem.
Your intrepid blog writer lives in Boston. My brother lives just outside DC. Our elderly parents live pretty far out on Long Island. We were at odds as to how to get there.
Flying was a bad idea as the closest airport was still over a half an hour away, and everyone had so much stuff to take, we’d all be over the weight limits. This was a three-day weekend extravaganza, after all.
This problem was solved by figuring out what worked best for all. This turned out to be a train for my husband and me, and driving for my parents and brother. My parents got us, and I was able to drive the rest of the way and do all of the driving while at the event. Plus I drove back to the Newark train station when it was time to go. So the folks didn’t have to drive quite so much.
And having two cars for the event meant flexibility and comfort.
It all came down to negotiations. And it also came down to recognizing how fulfilling others’ needs also fulfilled our own. It also meant embracing the fact that the solution wasn’t a perfect one. After all, my parents still had a few hours of driving to do after the train station. But at least it was better than without us.
So consider looking outside yourself and your own needs and think about the other person’s. What satisfies them just might help you out, too. But you will never know if you just sweep your company’s problems under the rug all the time.
Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!
Your and your employees’ optimal work time is a vital decision for you to make when hiring.
What do we mean by that? The question is, which is better for your needs: full-time, part-time, or temp?
Effortless HR says there are a number of factors to take into consideration. It’s not just about the money!
How fast are your employees at doing their tasks? If Susan gets the same task done in half the time that Dave does, do you make her a part-timer? Truth is, we think that’s kind of unfair. Is she getting punished for efficiency?
Don’t we all want more efficient employees? So why work with them less?
So, we were happy to see this article didn’t push for that. Rather, the idea is to see how much can get done – but productivity can only be improved so much. Plus, we think you should be concerned with your workers’ health and well-being. Bring a slave driver isn’t good for anyone. All that does is increase absence and turnover.
One exceptional point the article makes about optimal work time is that two part-time workers don’t quite equal one full-timer. Part of this is due to more flexible work schedules which many part-timers get as their due. And another part is double the training, more sick days, more slow days, more ramp-up time, etc. Saving on paying full benefits just might not be worth it.
We see this in retail all the time. As the holidays wind up, more and more people will get a job in malls and stores. Or it might be a second job for them, to pay for gifts or get ready for tax season or whatever.
And then once the holidays are over, those people will experience layoffs.
Er, you didn’t think Santa’s helpers worked in the mall all year ‘round, now, did you?
And of course tax season reminds us of the people with advanced math skills and accounting degrees who can get temp work as tax preparers and reviewers.
If your business is seasonal in nature, temping might be the optimal work time for most of your employees. If you sell swimming pools, you probably aren’t seeing a lot of sales action in November. So why not stay on good terms with those folks and rehire them when the weather gets hot again?
Even non-seasonal businesses might have big projects where they temporarily need more hands on deck. It’s another option for filling your staffing roles and giving your non-temp employees their own optimal work time, too.
If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Reach your optimal work time today.
Check out this spectacular tip, all about combining the power of social and email marketing. The Self Employed notes that the return rates from email marketing are far better than those from social.
And that makes sense, as email is something which goes straight to your customers and prospects, whereas social postings are subject to platform rules and algorithms. Of course your audience won’t necessarily open your emails. They might bin them, or their email programs might. Or they might skim and then hit unsubscribe.
But there is still a better chance of reaching them this way.
Because you can cross platforms, folks!
What this means is, you want to have an email newsletter signup form on your Facebook page. And you want to use snippets from the newsletter on Facebook and Twitter, along with a link to subscribe.
In return, you also want to ask your newsletter subscribers to share your content with their social networks.
But the best part is creating and using a common calendar. Synergize the newsletter and the social media folks so they are quite literally on the same page. That’s where the magic happens.
It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help you better manage your company’s inventory. T Sheets tells us that good inventory management can make for a far better customer experience. After all, if you can’t find what they need, or they can’t, or it takes to long to get to them, guess what?
They’ll go to someone else. Someone who has their inventory act together. Very ouch.
Our fave tip was to embrace dropshipping. The truth is, we think many businesses can benefit from it. Dropshipping is when you pay someone else to deliver your goods for you.
By working directly with a dropshipping company, you are working with a transport specialist. They will have a better idea of when to start the process, which form of transport to take, etc.
Concentrate on selling your widgets and let someone else handle the headaches of maintaining a fleet and all that it entails. Yes, you will have to pay a fee for shipping. But if you get more time to perfect your product and improve your prospects’ customer journey.
Leave the driving to someone else.
Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on holiday shipping. Fundera reveals all about the busiest time of year – it’s coming faster than you think!
Being ready is, of course, far superior to not being ready. So, here’s how.
One of the best tips is to understand just what are the absolute, last days you can ship in order to make an Xmas delivery. These dates differ from FedEx to UPS and the Post Office, so know those days!
FYI this year Chanukah overlaps Xmas, running from December 22 to the 30th so there may be more deliveries right around the 24th and 25th than in most years.
We loved this tip, and we know a lot of people will use it. The idea is to, quite simply, make returns easier and more convenient. And, of course, keep a written return policy if you don’t have one already.
Don’t wait until the last minute, when your staff is up to their elbows in sweaters that people didn’t like. Have a policy so they know it and can wield it. And making the process easier can make new customers. They might decide that your return process is so excellent, they would like to do business with you. It can happen!
We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on gratitude and how to thank your customers. The SBA says thanking your customers may not be 100% altruistic on your part.
But you should do it anyway.
Our favorite tip was the one which is the vaguest – offer a little something extra, and make it clear it’s in thanks for them being your customer. The kicker is for it to be a surprise.
Don’t look now, but here’s an upgrade! Surprise – free shipping! Woot, here’s 10% off, just because! Or maybe a little something comes in the snail mail. A card, a gift card, flowers, a fruit basket? Only you know what your customers want, need, and will appreciate.
As always, the only limits are your budget, your time, and your imagination.
So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?
If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Reach your optimal work time today.
The post Reach Your Optimal Work Time and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.