8 Tips For Creating a More Effective Case Study – With Examples

Case studies go beyond simple testimonials by providing real-life examples of how your brand satisfied your customer’s needs and helped them accomplish their goals.

An in-depth case study helps you highlight your successes in a way that will help your ideal potential customer become your next customer. They help you show rather than tell prospective customers how you can help them reach their goals.

But, creating a solid case study can be a challenge. Today, I’ll provide actionable tips to help you write a case study, provide background information, and identify key metrics that will help your case study drive conversions.

1. Write About Someone Your Ideal Customer Can Relate To

Do you know who your ideal customer is? If it’s someone in the education industry, then make your case studies about your university customers. If it’s someone in the automobile industry, then make your case studies about auto parts and accessories manufacturers.

The goal is to ensure that your case study will show prospective customers that you are:

Comfortable in their industry.
Undertand their industry’s specific needs.
Know how to give their industry targeted results.

Think about it on a smaller level, such as when you’re reading a how-to blog post. Most of of these posts are geared toward average readers.

But when you come across a post designed specifically for your needs (such as online marketing for the healthcare industry), you are more likely to understand and apply the information.

The same goes with case studies – people who read about results in their industry will feel like the same approach will work for them.

2. Tell the Story from Start to Finish

Storytelling is a powerful marketing strategy. A great case study will allow someone to really get to know the customer in the case study including:

Who is the sample customer and what do they do?
What were the customer’s goals?
What were the customer’s needs?
How did you satisfy those needs and help the customer meet their goals?

But don’t stop a month or two out. Follow up with the customer in the case study and update your case study a few months down the road to show how your solutions continue to provide long term benefits.

This gives readers the opportunity to see that your goal is not only to help with immediate needs, but also to ensure long term results.

3. Make Your Case Study Easy to Read

No one likes to read one huge chunk of text, no matter how interesting and informative it might be. Case studies, like blog posts, should be scannable and easy to read.

Be sure to use good content formatting elements as you would with articles, blog posts, and copywriting on your website, including:

Headers
Images
Bulleted lists
Bolded & italicized text

In addition to providing great SEO value for your case studies page, these formatting elements will help your readers (especially those that like to skim) find the most important parts of your case study and get a great impression about what your business could do for them.

Consider adding multi-media elements in addition to written content, such as videos, PDFs, and images to mix it up and make the content more engaging.

4. Include Real Numbers

Have you ever read case studies where a business states they “doubled traffic” for the customer in their case study and wondered if that meant they went from 100 to 200 visits or 10,000 to 20,000 visits?

Avoid using broad statements by using clear, direct numbers. This makes your case study more believable and helps build trust in your brand.

You want your case study to be as precise as possible. Instead of saying you doubled their traffic, provide specific, accurate numbers and (if possible) real proof in the form of charts, graphs, or analytics data.

better case studies include graphs and charts

Remember that not everyone is as familiar with analtyics technology as you are, so highlight the most importnat pieces of data and provide context to why it matters.

This way, the reader can see where the customer began and where the customer ended up with your help.

Plus having the picture proof can help the reader envision exactly what you might do for them, making your case study that much more powerful.

5. Talk About Specific Strategies in Your Case Study

So you doubled a website’s traffic or sales, right? How did you do it? This is where you sell your products or services simply by saying which ones you used and how they led to the desired result.

Don’t just say “our online marketing services led to these results.” Instead, say something like, ” A three-month social media campaign focusing on Facebook & YouTube and five-month of link building campaign led to an increase in rankings, plus brand exposure led to these results.”

Don’t worry about giving away your secrets — the goal is to establish your brand as an industry leader and you need to show you know your stuff.

6. Try Different Content Formats

Case studies do not have to be fit into a story form every time. Try different types of case studies, such as an interview format where you have your clients answer the same questions mentioned earlier about what they do, their needs, their goals, and how you met them.

Quoting your customer in their own words will make the case study even more relatable to your ideal customer than you telling the story.

Infographics, webinars, and even podcasts can also be used to highlight case studies. Don’t get stuck in the same old text-only format — get creative and see what type of content your users respond to.

Here’s a case study example from Venngage that uses a brochure-style case study to highlight how Vortex was able to grow conversion. (Notice the results section that highlights specific gains.)

7. Appeal to Different Types of Learners

While some people enjoy reading, others may prefer audio, video, or visual representation of your case study. So consider taking your text-based case studies and re-purposing the content as:

A podcast
A YouTube video
An engaging infographic (such as the one below)

The bonus with YouTube videos and infographics is that they are easy to share. This means that your case study may go further than just your own site, leading to more of your potential customers finding out how they could benefit from your products or services.

Case studies can also be embeded in other types of content — such as an ebook, how-to blog post, or resource guide.

8. Make Your Case Studies Easy to Find

What’s the point of having great case studies if no one will ever read them? Be sure that your case studies are organized and easy to find.

Here’s a few examples of good case studies that are easy to find — and therefore, much more powerful.

Amazon Web Services

AWS provides case studies right on their homepage. They also make it easy to look for an-industry specific case study in manufacturing, financial services, fitness, and more.

Drupal

Drupal provides case studies right in their hero image. Users considering using their solution don’t have to look far at all to see how other brands are finding success with Drupal.

Conclusion

A great case study starts with case study research. Ask your customers to fill out a short form that highlights how you helped them reach their goals — be sure to ask for specific results.

Explain how the case study will help them by increasing brand awareness and link opportunities. Remember, a highly effective case study helps both you and your client build trust and reach a wider audience.

Have any case study best practice tips or examples of case studies you have enjoyed? Please share them in the comments!

The post 8 Tips For Creating a More Effective Case Study – With Examples appeared first on Neil Patel.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Tips for Long Haul Truckers

Given how the world has changed due to the novel coronavirus, you might be busier than ever. Trucking and deliveries are essential services, no matter what. The US is sliding into what is looking a lot like an inevitable recession. So you could be sitting in the veritable catbird seat. This could be the perfect time to build business credit quickly in a recession.

Long Haul Truckers: Here’s How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession

Who needs business credit for trucking? We can help you get it. Here’s how to build business credit quickly in a recession.

Why, exactly, do you need business credit for trucking? We’ve got the answers here – business credit works for all business and not just traditional companies!

Business Credit for Trucking: Why get Business Credit in the First Place?

If you’ve got an EIN, then the IRS says you’ve got a business. But if you only have personal credit, then you’ve got a problem. And you’ll be accountable for your business’s debts, its tax bills, and its bankruptcy, if that happens. You don’t want this. Separate business from personal credit and it won’t.

And specifically, fleet credit will precisely help your trucking business. And gasoline credit cards will, too. We all know how pricey it is to fill up these days.

Building Business Credit for Long Haul Trucking: The Benefits

Business Credit is credit obtained in a business’s name. With business credit the firm builds its own credit profile and credit score. With an established credit profile and score, the company will then qualify for credit.

Since the business gets approval for the credit, in some cases, there is no personal credit check necessary. The business can use its credit to get approval for retail credit cards.

These come from places like BP, Sunoco, Exxon, Shell, Ford, RGS Fleets, Walmart, even MasterCard, Visa, and AMEX. Additionally the company can use its credit to get approval for fleet credit for repair and maintenance of business vehicles including semis. And the firm can also qualify for lines of credit and loans.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Start With Business Credit Profiles

A credit profile can be created for a business which is utterly independent from the firm owner’s personal credit profile. This offers firm owners two times the borrowing power as they have both personal and business credit profiles.

A business owner can get credit much more quickly using their business credit profile rather than their personal credit profile. Approval limits are much higher on business accounts as opposed to personal accounts. According to the SBA, credit limits on business cards are usually 10 – 100 times higher than for consumer credit.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Get a PAYDEX Score

Dun & Bradstreet’s Business PAYDEX scores come from payment history.

But personal credit scores come from 5 factors:

payment history (35%)
utilization (30%)
length of credit history (15%)
accumulation of new credit (10%)
and credit mix (10%)

When done right, business credit can be established without a personal credit check and irrespective of personal credit quality, without any personal credit reporting of business accounts. Most business credit may be obtained without having the owner assuming personal liability, or a personal guarantee.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Defend Your Assets

Hence in the event of default, the company owner’s private assets can’t be attached. When a business owner applies for financing, their business credit is under review. Not having business credit built will get an owner declined for funding. There are no regulations requiring lenders to notify the business owner for their reason for rejection, so many never know.

Virtually any company can get business credit so long as it has an EIN number and entity set up. You do not need to have collateral or financials. Your firm can be a startup company. You simply need to understand the proper building steps. All highly-successful firms have business credit; it’s a “rite of passage” to ever attain real success.

A firm starts developing a brand new credit profile almost the same as a consumer does. The business starts off with no credit profile. The company gets approval for new credit which reports to the business CRAs. Then the company uses the credit and pays the bill promptly. A favorable business credit profile is established.

As the business continues using credit and covers bills promptly it will get approval for more credit.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Developing Business Fundability

The understanding lending institutions, retail merchants, and creditors have of your company is important to your ability to establish strong business credit. Before making an application for business credit a firm must properly insure it meets or surpasses all lender credibility specifications. There are over 20 credibility points that are needed for your business to have a solid, reputable foundation.

It is essential that you use your exact business legal name. Your full firm name should include any recorded DBA filing you are using. Make sure your company name is precisely the same on your corporation papers, licenses, and bank statements.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Corporate Entities and EINs

You can build business credit with virtually any type of corporate entity. If you truly wish to separate business credit from personal credit your business must be a separate legal entity. Hence it cannot be a sole proprietor or partnership.

Unless you have a separate business entity (Corporation or LLC) you might be ‘doing business’ but not truly ‘a business’. You need to be a Corporation or an LLC to differentiate personal from business.

Whether you have employees, your business entity must have an EIN. Your EIN is used to open your bank account and to establish your business credit profile. So take the time to verify that all agencies, banks, and trade credit vendors have your business on file with the exact same EIN.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Business Addresses, Phone, and Fax Numbers

Your firm address must be a genuine brick-and-mortar location, with a deliverable physical address. It cannot be a home address, a PO Box, or a UPS address. Some lending institutions will not approve and fund unless these requirements are met.

Virtual Addresses

However, virtual addresses are terrific business address solutions. For address only, you will receive mail and packages at a dedicated business address. For a virtual office, you get a professional business address, and dedicated phone and fax numbers. And you also get receptionist services and part-time use of fully furnished offices and conference rooms.

And for a genuine office, you’ll have your own full-time private office with receptionist services, dedicated phone and fax, internet, full furnishings, conference rooms, and more.

Phone Numbers

You must have a dedicated firm phone number listed with 411 directory assistance, under the company name. Lenders, vendors, creditors, and even insurance providers will validate your business is listed with 411. A toll-free telephone number will give your company credibility. But you need to have a local business number for a listing with 411 directory assistance.

Lenders view 800 number or toll-free phone numbers as proof of business credibility. Even if you’re a solitary owner with a home-based business, a toll-free number makes you seem like an even bigger business. It’s very easy and affordable to set up a virtual local telephone number or a toll free 800 number.

A cell or home telephone number as your main business line could get you flagged as a non-established firm. And this is too high of a risk. Do not give a personal cell phone or home phone as the company phone number! You can forward a virtual number to any cell or land line number.

Fax Numbers

Lenders also feel a firm is more legitimate if it has a fax number. As a business you will need a fax number to receive important documents. You will also need it to fax in some of your credit applications. You can set up an e-fax going directly to your email.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Business Websites

You will also need a business website. Credit providers will research your business on the net. It is best if they discovered everything directly from your business website. Not having a website will significantly damage your chances of getting business credit.

There are many places on the internet offering inexpensive company websites. That way, you can have an internet presence displaying an overview of your firm’s services and contact information.

Plus, it is critical to get a company email address for your company. It’s not only professional, but significantly helps your chances of getting an approval from a credit provider.

Setting up a business email address is just too simple and inexpensive to overlook. When it concerns your business email, never use free email services like Yahoo and Hotmail. The email address should be at yourcompany.com.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Business Banking and Licensing

Your company banking history is important to long term success in getting more substantial business loans. The date you establish your business bank account is the day loan providers consider your company start date. So this is no matter when you incorporated or hit any other business milestone. The longer your business banking history, the better your borrowing potential is.

Having a high account balance is crucial in obtaining an excellent Bank Rating. And a good Bank Rating is essential for loan approval later on. Try to keep a bank balance of $10,000 or more for a 5 Bank Rating. In that way, you are more likely to get approval for loans eventually.

State Licensing

A common mistake when developing credit for a firm is non-matching business addresses on the business licenses. Even worse is not having the licenses necessary for a trucking company to operate legally.

Contact the State, County, and City Government offices. And see if there are any requisite licenses and permits to operate your trucking business. This includes your commercial driver’s license. Your business filings must be correct at state, county, and city levels. Plus your IRS filings must have correct listings.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Company Listings

Also confirm main agencies (State, IRS, Bank, and the 411 national directory) list your company the same way. And with your precise legal name. Also make certain every single bill you get lists your business name correctly and comes to your company address.

Hit the jackpot with our best webinar and its trustworthy list of seven vendors who can help you build business credit even in a recession.

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Get a D-U-N-S Number

Make sure your firm is listed with Dun and Bradstreet. If it isn’t, then get a D-U-N-S Number. This number starts the process of developing your business credit profile with them. Your D-U-N-S number will also play an important role in allowing your company to borrow without a personal guarantor. You can get your D-U-N-S number here: dnb.com. And you can also enroll for the DNBi SelfMonitor to monitor your credit. A subscription is $39-99/ month.

And check out the lowest-price monitoring – we can save you 90%!

How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Get Your Other Business Credit Reports

Our business finance suite includes monitoring.

Don’t want to take the plunge yet? Then visit smartbusinessreports.com for a copy of your Experian Smart Business report. Learn how many trade lines are reporting and see if you have a business credit score assigned. See if you have an active Experian Business Profile and check on recent inquiries.

Buy a copy of your Equifax Small Business Credit Report here: https://www.equifax.com/business/business-credit-reports-small-business.

Business Credit for Trucking: Start with Vendor Credit

This is the beginning of business credit for trucking companies.

It is when a vendor extends a line of credit to your company on ‘Net 15, 30, 60 or 90’ day terms. This means you can buy their products or services up to a maximum dollar amount. And then you have 15, 30, 60 or 90 days to pay the bill fully.

So if you have Net 30 terms and buy goods today, then repayment is due in the next 30 days. Get products for your business needs. Then postpone payment on those for 30 days, thereby easing cash flow. Some merchants will approve a firm for Net 30 payment terms upon verification of as little as an EIN and a 411 listing.

True Starter Vendors

We have a great list of starter vendors here: https://www.creditsuite.com/blog/5-vendor-accounts-that-build-your-business-credit/

Be sure to apply first without using your Social Security Number. Some vendors will request it and may even tell you on the phone they need to have it. But submit first without it. Keep in mind: A Social Security Number is required for business loans but not for initial vendor credit building.

Some vendors require an initial prepaid order before they can authorize your firm for terms. Your first Net 30 account will report your trade line to Dun and Bradstreet. Then the D-U-N-S system will automatically activate your file if it isn’t already. This is also true for Experian and Equifax.

Uline

Uline is a true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.uline.com. They offer truck stops and ramps and more. And they report to Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. You MUST have a D-U-N-S number and an EIN before starting with them. They will ask for your corporate bank information. Your business address must be uniform everywhere. You need for an order to be $50 or more before they’ll report it. Your first few orders might need to be prepaid initially so your company can get approval for Net 30 terms.

Crown Office Supplies

Crown Office Supplies is an additional true starter vendor. You can find them online at https://crownofficesupplies.com. They sell a variety of office supplies, so be sure to use them for the inevitable paperwork you’ll need to generate. And they report to Dun and Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax.

There is a $99.00 yearly fee, though they do report that fee to the business credit reporting bureaus. For other purchases to report, the purchase needs to be at least $30.00. Terms are Net 30.

Grainger Industrial Supply

Grainger Industrial Supply is also a true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.grainger.com. They sell hardware, power tools, pumps and more. They also do fleet maintenance. And they report to D&B. You need to have a business license, EIN, and a D-U-N-S number.

Your business entity must be in good standing with the applicable Secretary of State. If your company does not have established credit, they will require additional documents. So, these are items like accounts payable, income statement, balance sheets, and the like.

Apply online or over the phone.

Help Yourself with On-Time Payments

Repay all Net 30 vendor accounts in full and promptly. Be patient and allow time for the vendors’ reporting cycles to get into the reporting systems.

It commonly takes 3 cycles of Net accounts reporting to develop credit scores. Most merchants and major retailers offer business credit, but don’t publicize it. But there is no benefit to the merchant to promote credit without personal liability. So this is, if a business owner agrees to take on that liability. So they do not promote their business credit cards and frequently demand an SSN.

You must have a total of at least 3 Net 30 day pay accounts reporting, to move onto more credit.

Business Credit for Trucking: Get Store Credit

Store credit comes from a variety of retail service providers.

You must use your SSN and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use the business’s EIN on these credit applications.

Hit the jackpot with our best webinar and its trustworthy list of seven vendors who can help you build business credit even in a recession.

Business Credit for Trucking: Getting Fleet Credit

Fleet credit is from companies where you can buy fuel, and repair and take care of vehicles. You must use your Social Security Number and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, make certain to apply using the business’s EIN.

Business Credit for Trucking: Going Beyond Fleet Credit

As you keep building more business credit, you’ll get approval for more high-limit accounts. Many loans will ask for a personal guarantee and credit check for approval. Being responsible with fleet credit will lead straight to getting vehicle financing and more universal cash credit.

These are businesses such as Visa and MasterCard. You must use your SSN and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use your EIN instead.

These are commonly MasterCard credit cards.

Business Credit for Trucking: Our Credit Line Hybrid

This is one more practical option. Unsecured credit is not secured with collateral. Good personal credit gets you unsecured credit cards with a personal guarantee; this normally means a 685 score or better. Good business credit gets you unsecured credit cards without any personal guarantee. The amount you can finance is often remarkably high. As in $10,000 – 50,000. And you can get it in 1 – 4 weeks.

You can also get cash flow-based lending; these are short term loans of 6 – 18 months, with amounts as much as $1 million. The loan amounts are equal to 8 – 12% of annual revenue, with rates of 10 – 45%. A 520 credit score is accepted, but good bank statements are required.

Our hybrid credit line could be perfect for you.

Business Credit for Trucking: Revenue Loans and Lines

A revenue loan (or revenue-based loan) is an alternative kind of loan. In contrast to a bank loan, it doesn’t require collateral or substantial assets. And unlike angel investing or venture capital, the money isn’t turned over for a portion of the business. Rather, the loan (or credit line) is repaid as a percent of incoming revenue. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue-based_financing.

Revenue-Based Financing Details

The lender (investors, really) will take an equity warrant. So this means they have a fixed price if they want to buy stock in the business. And that goes until an expiration date. And the business owner does not need to back the loan with their own personal assets. There is no valuation on the company’s assets.

All that is needed:

The company needs to be producing revenue
It needs to have good gross margins to be able to afford the payments

One way to get revenue-based financing is via crowdfunding platforms. The interest you pay is often a tax deduction for the firm. Costs tend to be more than for traditional bank loans. It’s not for early stage startups, by definition. But it may be a decent choice for a firm about 2 – 4 years old. So this is one with revenue coming in but banks still aren’t providing loans.

Hit the jackpot with our best webinar and its trustworthy list of seven vendors who can help you build business credit even in a recession.

Fundbox

So our preferred provider is Fundbox. It’s a suitable option for short-term financing. The gist is you borrow on a line of credit to be repaid every week for up to 12 weeks. This is done via automatic deductions from your business bank account. $1,000 – $100,000 is available. There are no minimum credit score requirements.

Requirements:

Six or more months in business
Yearly revenue of $25,000 or greater
The company must have business checking account

Find them online at: https://fundbox.com/lines-credit.

Business Credit for Trucking: Takeaways

You have a lot of options when it comes to getting business credit for trucking companies. The recession cannot last forever. And in the meantime, you can be helping yourself and your business right now.

The post How to Build Business Credit Quickly in a Recession: Tips for Long Haul Truckers appeared first on Credit Suite.

10 Tips For Writing a Winning LinkedIn Headline

LinkedIn’s 690 million members include 180 million senior-level influencers, 63 million decision-makers and 10 million C-level executives.

Hence, there are a lot of influential people on LinkedIn that have hiring power and purchase power. Whatever you hope to achieve from using the network, you’ll want to make a good impression.

Your headline is the first thing that people see aside from your profile picture. It’s how decision-makers will find you. It’s how you get people to notice you and what will make them want to visit your profile to learn more. Thus, it’s safe to say your headline is pretty important.

So, I thought I’d share my top tips for creating an effective headline with you. But, first, let’s look at the basics:

What is Your LinkedIn Headline?

Your headline is the tagline that appears under your name on LinkedIn and at the top of your profile page. The headline used to be limited to 120 characters. But, here’s some good news, LinkedIn extended the headline to 220 characters in 2020. So, you have a little more space to sell yourself, share your vision or whatever it is you’d like to express via your headline.

What Makes a Winning LinkedIn Headline

There are some important criteria for creating an impactful headline. The best LinkedIn headlines do the following:

Make Use of Keywords

Keywords aren’t the only thing your headline should include. But they are key to helping the right people find your profile. Keywords can include your job title, skills and areas you specialize in. Place keywords towards the beginning of your headline and then expand with further information.

Express Your Value

Expressing you or your company’s value means sharing more than the tasks you carry out. Your headline should be driven by the benefits of the services you provide and the kind of results you achieve. For example, rather than saying you do tax planning, you’d say you help businesses to save money.

Are Unique

A winning LinkedIn headline is one that stands out from the crowd. Think about how many people do the exact same job as you or offer similar services. You can give yourself a competitive edge and encourage more people to visit your profile by making your headline different.

Help You Meet Your Goals

You need to think carefully about why you’re on LinkedIn and what you hope to achieve. This should inform what you include in your headline (and the rest of your profile). If you’re not sure about what you can accomplish on LinkedIn or how to go about it, you may wish to speak with a social media consultant.

Now let’s look in more detail at exactly how you can create a winning headline:

1. Get Inspiration

By default, LinkedIn uses your job title and employer as your headline. What a snooze fest. If you want to do better, the first step is to get inspired.

Search for people in your field or who have similar roles to you. Take a look at how they’ve formulated their headlines. See what appeals to you and what doesn’t. Of course, you shouldn’t just nab somebody else’s headline. But, doing this will help you come up with ideas for how you want your headline to appear.

Also, pay attention to those who appear at the top of the search results for your industry. What keywords do they use? Note these keywords as they likely contribute to why these pros are doing so well in the search results.

2. Ask Yourself These Questions

When you decide to upgrade your LinkedIn headline to maximize its impact, it’s a good idea to have a little brainstorming sesh. Here are some questions that will guide you when you’re coming up with ideas:

How would you describe yourself to a new colleague if you only had five seconds?
What makes you different from others with the same job title?
Why should users click on your profile?
What are your most in-demand skills?
What are your biggest accomplishments?
What makes you unique?

3. Choose the Right Keywords

Include relevant keywords in your headline so that you appear in more search results.

To do this, you’ll first need to think about who you want to find your profile on LinkedIn. A recruiter? A potential lead? Influencers you hope to connect with? And so on…

This will guide you in figuring out the right keywords to use. For example, you may include your specific skills or specialisms to get found by recruiters with the most relevant job opportunities.

In this example, we don’t just have a “developer”, nor do we just have a “chatbot developer”, the user goes even more specific with the terms “Facebook Messenger Marketing” and “Automation Practitioner”:

Whereas, if you’re using LinkedIn to network and boost your authority, you may want to use broader terms. Your job role might be “Artworker” but in order to be found by more people, it’d be a very good idea to include the term “Graphic Design”.

4. Include Your Unique Selling Proposition

Keywords alone aren’t enticing enough to get users to visit your profile. State the value that you provide by doing what you do, in particular something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

There’s a simple formula you can use to express this: I help X do Y by doing Z. Here’s an example from an accounting consultant:

When she says “I help women build profitable businesses”, she outlines the beneficial results of her work, not just the tasks that she performs. You should do something similar.

You can also use data to drive your point home. Here an email marketer shares the average results he achieves:

There are tons of relevant data points you could include to prove your value, such as the number of customers you’ve helped achieve a particular outcome or the results of an impressive case study.

5. Share Your Achievements/Credentials

When you make self-aggrandizing claims on LinkedIn, people will either think you’re arrogant or full of it. Instead, you should go by the old adage, “Show don’t tell”. Show that you’re great at what you do via your achievements or credentials.

What’s your most impressive achievement? Have you won an award perhaps? Been featured on top media outlets? Sold a bunch of books? Grew a well-known company? Those are the kind of things you’ll want to share.

This professional shares the fact that he’s been a LinkedIn Top Voice honoree four times and sprinkles in some serious social proof by mentioning his work with Mark Cuban:

Furthermore, certain credentials that are recognized by people in your industry will give you clout. For example, in the marketing world it’s good to be Google-certified, like this pro:

Share credentials relevant to your position to show that you’re not just messing around, you really know what you’re doing.

6. Use Natural Language

Keep your headline free of jargon, particularly if you’re using LinkedIn for sales or lead generation. If a prospect doesn’t understand what you’re selling, you won’t have much luck.

Similarly, make your job title clear and simple unless you’re seeking a specific job role. Again, users you want to connect with may not understand what you do. Even if you think the term “Business Development Manager” is clear, trust me, simplifying it to “Sales Manager” is much more transparent.

Also, avoid buzzwords. After a time, every Tom, Dick and Harry will be using the same trendy terminology to describe their services. Thus, your words become meaningless.

And saying that you’re a “Guru”, “Ninja” or “Wizard” is a bit cheesy and old-fashioned. It won’t help you in the search results either. When was the last time you searched for a ninja on LinkedIn or anywhere for that matter?

Try to use simple, everyday language to explain your role or value proposition. Here’s an excellent example from a marketing professional:

Her target audience, small businesses, may not be familiar with or fully understand industry terms so she offers a straightforward, benefit-driven value proposition.

7. Don’t Put “Unemployed”

Even if you’re currently looking for a job, you shouldn’t put “Unemployed”, “Seeking New Opportunities” or similar in your headline.

The thing is, recruiters or companies aren’t searching for the term “Unemployed” on LinkedIn. You only get a couple hundred characters for your headline, so it would be better to utilize that space for keywords that they are likely to search for, and your experience, specialisms, credentials etc.

You can show that you’re looking for work on your profile instead. At the top of your profile, you’ll see a section that says, “Show recruiters you’re open to work”.

Simply, fill in details about the type of role you’re looking for and the location. You can even change the settings so that your current employers won’t see that you’re seeking work.

8. Share Your Mission

Maybe you’re not looking to promote yourself. Perhaps, you’re in the process of growing a startup or maybe you or your company are trying to achieve a wider goal that you want people to know about.

If this sounds like you, then you should definitely share your vision in your headline. In this example, the professional shares what he does “mass transit” but also why he does it “to reduce our carbon footprint and create a more connected community”:

You could use a similar formula. Start with the what and then go into the why. If you’re unsure about how to phrase your goals, you can always take inspiration from your company’s mission statement.

9. Show Your Personality

Like with any other social media platform, users skim through their LinkedIn feed, groups and even search results at speed. So, you need a headline that’s going to make somebody stop and take notice.

Get creative and use your headline to express your personality. Not only will it make you stand out but it’ll also make your profile memorable.

Here’s an example from an SEO manager with a quirky sense of humor:

Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to be the Kevin Hart of LinkedIn. There are other ways to express your personality via your headline. Perhaps, you want to project positive vibes or enthusiasm.

You could even share a little personal tidbit about yourself. Maybe you do PR during the day and rule at Settlers of Catan by night… This kind of thing will also help start conversations between you and new connections.

10. Keep Your Headline Updated

It’s easy to set and forget your headline. But to get the most from it you need to keep it up to date.

Firstly, be sure to add new skills, achievements, career developments and so on when they arise. Your skillset will develop over time and your headline should reflect this.

Moreover, you may wish to test the impact of your headline and update it accordingly. When you make an alteration, keep an eye on the number of people who have viewed your profile.

With LinkedIn Premium, you can also see who has viewed your profile. Therefore, you can discover if your headline is attracting who you want to attract or your target audience.

Conclusion

You can use your LinkedIn headline to get noticed by influential professionals and encourage more people to visit your profile. A winning headline combines relevant keywords and your unique value proposition.

Don’t forget to think carefully about who you hope to attract with your headline. And don’t be afraid to sell yourself as long as it doesn’t come across as too boastful.

Take the first step towards creating a great LinkedIn headline. Do some research to see what works well in your industry and brainstorm ideas for your own headline.

The post 10 Tips For Writing a Winning LinkedIn Headline appeared first on Neil Patel.

Contact Us Page Tips: Move From Blah to Yeah!

A visitor hits your website and wants to talk to you. What does that person start searching for?

Your Contact Us page.

It’s a page on your site that pushes visitors from browser to buyer.

Some companies don’t use them at all, and those that do have them often push these critical pages to the back burner during website revision projects.

That stops today.

I’ll share a step-by-step plan you can follow to strategize and revise this lowly web page. And I’ll use plenty of examples to spark your creativity.

Let’s get started.

What Is a Contact Us Page?

Think of a Contact Us page as a sort of digital business card. Sure, it’s short and concise. But if someone wants to reach out to you, they’ll use this page to do so.

About Us pages: Use this resource to explain your company’s history, goals, and direction. If someone wants to know how you became a leader in your field, the data is ready to go.
Help pages: Customers with critical product or service questions lean on this page to get their answers.
Employment pages: Job seekers need private, protected spaces to learn more about open opportunities.

A Contact Us page is different because you’re telling people more about getting in touch with you.

Your page should also embody your brand and entice that click. If your Contact Us page is the blandest one on your website, you’re not alone. The best contact us pages contain some value proposition, even when they don’t have a lot of text.

Do You Need a Contact Us Page?

A Contact Us page can’t be skipped because it is a trust signal. Share location information and highlight your phone number and email, and you’ll demonstrate to wary consumers that they can reach you at any time.

Trust and transparency matter in marketing. Contact Us pages start the process.

Five Key Contact Us Page Elements

You know you need a Contact Us page. But you have no idea what to put on the page. Push past the writer’s block, and follow this recipe for success.

A converting Contact Us page contains these critical pieces:

Your company name: Don’t beat around the bush. Use your full company name.
Your physical address: This can get tricky for multi-location companies. Maps often solve the problem (and more on that in a minute). If you share only one address, use the one associated with your corporate headquarters.
A map to your location: Google Maps hold immense power for marketers. When customers know where you are, even when they’re looking at a mobile device, your conversion rates can skyrocket. Boost that power by adding a Google Map to your Contact Us page.
Your contact information: Include a phone number, email address, and a quick data-collection form. Customers need plenty of calls to action. Fight off spam with a CAPTCHA as well.
Links to relevant pages: If you know customers have product questions, show them to your Help page. If you have plenty of job seekers, highlight that Jobs page.

Don’t be tempted to clutter up the page with more details and data. Keep things clean and streamlined with this list.

Build the Perfect Contact Us Form

If you’re looking for a way to streamline customer conversations, forms are key. If you build forms correctly, routing questions is a snap.

Your form could include several fields, including:

Name
Location
Current customer (Y/N)
Question
Email address
Phone number

You might be tempted to add all of these fields to your form. The more data you have, the better, right?

Not always.

When customers face a sea of questions, they tend to click away. Form completion rates and added fields are inversely related.

To keep those conversion rates up and deliver exceptional user experience, only ask critical questions.

10 Exceptional Contact Us Page Examples

I’ve talked a lot about what should and shouldn’t go on a Contact Us page.

These ten companies have lessons anyone can apply.

Streamlined and Simple: Scorpion

Scorpion offers internet marketing services to law firms, hospitals, franchises, and more. The company shows off robust design skills on all other web pages. But this one is remarkable in its simplicity.

Customers answer one simple question with a dropdown. The answer routes them to an appropriate secondary form.

Customers can also skip the hassle of forms altogether, call the number in the top-right corner of the screen, or visit one of three locations listed at the bottom of the page.

Brand Promise First: BarkBox

A subscription service for happy dogs should have a dog’s photo on a Contact Us page. And that dog should look happy. BarkBox has that element covered.

Customers have three different contact options sitting below that big image. They can search FAQs, start a live chat, or send an email. It’s a simple, streamlined interface made for busy dog lovers.

Personality Plus: Kick Point

This Canadian marketing firm kicks off the About Us page with a chatty, conversational tone.

Keep scrolling, and that clever voice keeps speaking. When you reach the bottom of this page, you know just how these employees talk and write.

another kick point contact us page example

The cleverness doesn’t impede clear communication. You’re told the company’s address, email address, phone number, and more.

Crisis Communication: Powell’s Books

Powell’s puts customer communication front and center on this Contact Us page. Timely content about shipping delays comes first. Keep scrolling, and you’re taken to email addresses and phone numbers.

Typically, converting Contact Us pages are short. But you can break the rules when the unexpected happens.

Arresting Graphics: Parker Lee

People hire Parker Lee to design logos, websites, and other branded elements. He puts those skills to work on this visually arresting Contact Us page. The page begins with a brand statement, but scrolling past that is a snap.

A simple form with just four fields appears, and a clever map rounds out the page.

Forms Do the Hard Work: Six Leaf Design

This company emphasizes sales on this Contact Us page. A three-field form, with a tiny multiple-choice quiz, gets potential customers a price quote.

A blue button for anxious customers leads right to a 20-minute consult appointment. For companies hoping to emphasize lead generation, this is a smart model to follow.

Friendly Faces: Byte

Who will customers talk to when they reach out? Byte answers this question with photos of real-life customer service reps ready to respond to questions.

Choose from multiple contact formats, including text, email, Facebook message, and email. All of this data is streamlined, so white space surrounds the page.

Product Photography: Freshly

Freshly offers meal-kit delivery services, and an enticing product takes up about half of this Contact Us page. Putting the product first could attract customers to jump into a purchase.

The contact box is the clever bit. Customers can chat, call, text, or skip to email.

This is a simple, friendly interface that puts the product first.

Multi-Location Mastery: Wendy’s

How do you handle inquiries when customers have dozens of locations to choose from? Wendy’s handles this question with a “Find Wendy’s” button at the top of the page.

Customers with questions can text or call a number displayed in big, black text. It’s nearly impossible to miss. A clever, short form rounds out the page.

Short and Sweet: My Own

I put best practices to use on my website’s Contact Us page. I use a drop-down to route questions, and I ask customers to fill out just three fields.

I keep the branding light on this page, but the colors remind my guests that they’re still on my site.

I also link to relevant social media sites to follow me through those platforms. My digital marketing consulting contact form is similar. Short and sweet with just the information I need to know.

Contact Us Page Do’s and Don’ts

We’ve walked through several examples of pages that convert. And we’ve shared quite a few tips you can put to use right now.

But there’s more to learn.

As you’re working on your Contact Us page, be sure to:

Be a good journalist. Put the important stuff first. Your visitors are there to connect with you. Make those opportunities easy to find and deliver an exceptional user experience. Save the rest for last.
Promote your page like a pro. Put a link to your page in your email signature and link it to your social media accounts. Make sure customers know you’re interested in a connection.
Link to your page. Customers look in the top-right corner of a page for Contact Us links. Make sure each page on your site connects to that critical page.

Before you publish your Contact Us page, be sure to avoid:

Cluttered design. Don’t fill the space with tons of graphics, jokes, or text blocks. Respect what your consumers are there to do – contact you.
Overconfidence. Use A/B testing to find the design your customers want. Don’t be overconfident about your design prowess — you might be surprised by what works!
A desktop-first mentality. Test your site on mobile devices. Try out the form fields. Plenty of customers will visit you on the go; make sure their experience is a good one.

It takes time to design a Contact Us page that converts. Don’t be afraid to slow down, test, and head back to the drawing board. You can’t afford to make mistakes on such an essential piece of your website.

Conclusion

Your Contact Us page is one of the most critical assets on your website. People head here when they want to reach you. Make that communication as quick and painless as possible.

Publish with confidence, and watch those conversion rates. If you don’t see the response you want, change it!

With experimentation and vigilance, you can develop the right Contact Us page that works for your customers, your company, and your community.

Is your current Contact Us page lacking? What can you change to make it more effective?

The post Contact Us Page Tips: Move From Blah to Yeah! appeared first on Neil Patel.

Get Business Credit Without SSN, and Other Tips for Becoming Fundable

Did you know you can apply for credit in your business name and it won’t hit your personal credit report? You can, no matter what is happening with the economy! There’s a trick to it though. You have to set your business up properly, and you have to apply with the right information. It is possible to get business credit without SSN being an issue.

Get Business Credit without SSN and Make Your Business More Fundable

When you get business credit without using your SSN, you take the first step in obtaining credit in the name of your business. That is separate credit that only affects the credit score of your business, not your personal credit score.

Of course, there is way more to separating business credit from personal credit than knowing how to get business credit without SSN, but that is definitely a place to start.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit, even in a recession.

Get Business Credit Without SSN

There is really no amazing trick to this. You can easily get business credit without SSN by simply using an EIN (Employer Identification Number) in place of the SSN on credit applications. That one simple step will disconnect debt taken in the name of your business from your personal debt. Again, there are a few more steps to keep it completely separate but, this is huge and very simple.

You can get an EIN for free on the IRS website. Just go to IRS.gov and apply. The process is fast. Once you have that number, you have taken the first step in building credit for your business separate from yourself. This is the pivotal step getting business credit without your SSN.

It is important to note that you may have to provide your SSN for identification purposes to help prevent fraud. However, this is different than getting credit using your SSN. If you use your social security number for identification purposes only, the debt will still not be connected to it.

Separate Your Bank Accounts

You have to open a separate, dedicated business bank account. There are a few reasons for this. First, it will help you keep track of business finances. It will also help you keep them separate from personal finances for tax purposes.

There’s more to it however. There are several types of funding you cannot get without a business bank account. Many lenders and credit cards want to see one with a minimum average balance. In addition, you can’t get a merchant account without a business account at a bank. The result is, you cannot take credit card payments. Studies show shoppers usually spend more when they can pay by credit card.

Kick Your Business Out of the Nest! Separate Contact Info Is a Must

Your business needs its own phone number, fax number, and address. You can still run your business from your home or on your computer. You don’t even have to have a fax machine.

In fact, you can get a business phone number and fax number that will work over the internet instead of phone lines without a lot of trouble. In addition, the phone number will forward to any phone you want it to. You can simply use your personal cell phone or landline if you want. Whenever someone calls your business number it will ring straight to you.

Faxes can be sent to an online fax service, if anyone ever happens to actually fax you. This part may seem outdated, but it does help your business appear legitimate to lenders.

You can use a virtual office for a business address. How do you get a virtual office? What is that? It’s not what you may think. This is a business that offers a physical address for a fee, and sometimes they even offer mail service and live receptionist services. In addition, there are some that offer meeting spaces for those times you may need to meet a client or customer in person.

Make Sure Your Website and Email Address are In Synch

What does a website and email address have to do with business funding? These days, you do not exist if you do not have a website. However, having a poorly put together website can be even worse. It is the first impression you make on many, and if it appears to be unprofessional it looks bad to lenders as well as customers.

Spend the time and money necessary to make sure your website is professionally designed and works well. Pay for hosting too. Don’t use a free hosting service. Along these same lines, your business needs a dedicated business email address. Make sure it has the same URL as your Website. Don’t use a free service such as Yahoo or Gmail.

Incorporate

Incorporating your business as an LLC, S-corp, or corporation is non-negotiable. It lends credence to the legitimacy of your business. It also offers some protection from liability.

Which option you choose does not matter as much for fundability as it does for your budget and needs for liability protection. The best thing to do is talk to your attorney or a tax professional.

Now, incorporation is important to business credit building. However, so is time in business. The longer you have been in business the more fundable you appear to be. Time in business starts on the date of incorporation, regardless of when you actually started doing business. That means, it is vital to incorporate as soon as possible.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit, even in a recession

Where to Start to Get Business Credit without SSN

Once you have these things in place, you can start applying to get business credit without SSN, but with your EIN. Don’t just jump into credit cards. It helps to begin with starter vendors. There are a few out there.

Starter vendors are vendors that sell items you use everyday in the course of business. They will extend credit in the form of net terms on invoices without a credit check. Then, they will report payments on those invoices to the business credit reporting agencies.

If you have followed the steps, then when they report those payments, they will be reporting in your business name to the business credit reporting agencies such as Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian. This is how you start to build your business credit score.

Get Business Credit Without SSN: What Next?

After you get enough starter vendor accounts reporting, you’ll be able to apply for other types of cards and without your SSN. The key is to apply for certain types of cards in a specific order. For example, it is best to start with store cards. These are cards that are issued with a specific store name. Typically, you can only use them at that specific store or on that store’s website. Examples include Office Depot and Best Buy. Some fleet cards fall into this category as well.

Fleet cards are cards that you can only use for fuel or auto repair and maintenance. It is usually easier to get approval for these cards after you have several starter vendors and store cards reporting. Examples of fleet credit cards include Fuelman and Shell.

After enough of these types of accounts are reporting to the business credit reporting agencies in your business name, with your EIN, then you can apply for general use credit cards. Those are the credit cards you can use anytime, anywhere, on anything. Usually, they have the best interest rates and rewards. They also have the highest credit limits, meaning you have instant access to the funds you need to run your business day in and day out.

Get Business Credit With SSN: A Warning

Here are a few key things to remember when you get business credit without SSN.

First, the whole point is to separate your business credit from your personal credit. Why do this? There are a few reasons. For example, you typically get a higher credit limit when you get credit related to your business with an EIN than you would with your SSN.

Another reason, however, is so that your personal credit is not affected if you have problems on your business credit report. However, you want your business credit to be strong also. The only way to make this happen is to handle your credit responsibly. Do not bite off more than you can chew. Make your payments regularly and on-time. Bad business credit is just as harmful as no business credit.

Keep and Eye on Your Business Credit

It’s important to keep an eye on your business credit while you are going through this process. Once you get business credit without SSN, you’ll need to keep tabs on which accounts are reporting, how many accounts are reporting, and what your score looks like. This is how you will know when it is time to apply for other types of cards.

It is also how you will know when there is a mistake. If you do see a mistake, you can contest it in writing to have it removed.

When it comes to business credit monitoring, there are a few different credit reporting agencies. The main three we have already mentioned. They include Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax. There are others as well, but if you know what your business credit score is with the main three, you can have a good idea of what it is with any credit reporting agency.

Funding in the Meantime

It takes some time to get business credit without SSN. If you need money to run your business quickly, while you work through the process, you might consider a credit line hybrid. This is revolving, unsecured financing that allows you to fund your business without putting up collateral. Furthermore, you only pay back what you use.

It’s easier than you may think to qualify. You can do so with a personal credit score that is way below what you would need to get approval for a term loan or line of credit at a traditional bank. The minimum is 685. Even if you did get approval at a traditional bank with this score, your interest rate would be much more than what is typical with a credit line hybrid.

In addition to meeting the minimum credit score requirement, you can’t have any liens, judgments, bankruptcies or late payments. Also, in the past 6 months, you should have less than 5 credit inquiries, and less than a 45% balance on all business and personal credit cards. While it is preferred that you have established business credit as well as personal credit, it is possible to qualify without business credit. In fact, a credit line hybrid can help build business credit.

What If I Don’t Qualify?

If you do not meet all of the requirements, there is still a chance. You can take on a credit partner that meets each of these requirements. Many business owners work with a friend or relative to fund their business. If a relative or a friend meets all of these requirements, they can partner with you to allow you to tap into their credit to access funding.

What Makes a Credit Line Hybrid A Good Option?

There are many benefits to using a credit line hybrid. First, it is unsecured, meaning you do not have to have any collateral to put up. Next, you do not have to provide any bank statements or financials.

Also, typical approval amounts are up to 5x that of the highest credit limit on the personal credit report. Additionally, interest rates can go as low as 0% for the first few months. You can put that savings back into your business.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit, even in a recession

The process is pretty fast, especially with a qualified expert to walk you through it. One other benefit is this. With the approval for multiple credit cards, competition is created. This makes it easier to get interest rates lowered and limits raised every few months.

Get Business Credit Without SSN and Have Access to Funding to Run and Grow Your Business

One of the largest parts of establishing business credit is to get business credit without SSN. If you use your SSN to apply, that account is going to end up on your personal credit report. This is the opposite of what you want. However, using an EIN instead of an SSN is not enough. You have to follow the other steps to create separation between you and your business. Then, you will be well on your way to building business credit separate from your personal credit. Now is a great time to get started.

The post Get Business Credit Without SSN, and Other Tips for Becoming Fundable appeared first on Credit Suite.

Startup Crowdfunding: Top Tips to Make it Work

Startup crowdfunding is an awesome way to start a business for a few reasons. The top reason is likely the hope of starting a business without any debt. It rarely works out that way, but there have been a few lucky ducks that have blown goals out of the water and been able to use crowdfunding to totally fund their startup.

Try These Hot Tips to Make Startup Crowdfunding Work for You

The problem comes in when you are not one of those lucky ducks. Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try startup crowdfunding. It just meant that you need to have a plan, execute it, and have a backup plan in case it doesn’t work out exactly like you hope.

What is Startup Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding sites allow you to pitch your business to thousands of micro investors. Anyone who wants can donate, if you will, to the cause.

Investors pledge amounts on a broad spectrum depending on the campaign and the platform in use. They may give $80, they may give $150, or they may give over $500. It might just be $5, but any amount helps.

Though not always necessary, most entrepreneurs offer rewards to investors for their generosity. Most often, this comes in the form of the product the business will be selling. Different levels of giving result in different rewards. For example, a $50 gift may get your product A, and a $100 gift will get you an upgraded version of product A.

Find out why so many companies use our proven methods to get business loans.

Set Your Goal

This is not something that should be taken lightly. If you set your goal low, it won’t matter if you meet it or not. You still won’t have enough. If you set it too high, you may not get your money at all. That’s because some platforms will not release your funds until you meet your goal. There is a fine line you have to walk, and balance is necessary.

If you aren’t great with numbers, find someone who is to do some professional projections of how much you actually need to start your business.

Choose Your Platform

There are a few different startup crowdfunding platforms out there. Some are more popular than others. The key is to find the one with the audience that best fits your business.

Kickstarter

They are the largest crowdfunding platform. They have over 14 million backers and over 130,000 funded projects. Campaigns are for products and services such as:

Publishing
The arts and film
Comics and illustration
Design and tech

A prototype is necessary. Projects cannot be for charity, although nonprofits can use Kickstarter. Equity cannot be offered as an incentive.

Taboo projects and perks include anything to do with:

Contests and raffles
Cures and medicines
Credit services
Live animals
Alcohol
Weapons

There is a 5% fee on all funds which creators collect. Stripe, their payments processor, will also apply payment processing fees, which are roughly 3-5%. Campaigns that don’t make it don’t pay a fee. There are also fees of 3% + $0.20 per pledge. Pledges under $10 have to pay a discounted micropledge fee of 5% + $0.05 per pledge.

Indiegogo

Indiegogo has over 9 million backers. Their minimum goal amount is $500. They charge 5% platform fees and 3% + 30¢ third-party credit card fees. Fees are deducted from the amount raised, not the goal. As a result, if you raise more than your goal, you will pay more in fees. They do not accept PayPal.

Indiegogo is notable because they offer both fixed and flexible funding. This means, if you don’t hit your goal and you chose the flexible funding option, you can at least hold onto what you have. It’s actually the opposite of how crowdfunding normally works.

You cannot change your fundraising structure once the campaign starts. They recommend fixed funding if you need a minimum amount for your project. In addition, regular communications with donors is recommended if you choose fixed funding.

RocketHub

RocketHub is more for entrepreneurs who want venture capital. They give you an ELEQUITY Funding Room. This is where you can pitch your idea and see if it stimulates any interest from donors.

The platform is specifically for business owners working on projects in these categories:

Art
Business
Science
Social

If you reach your fundraising goal, you will pay a fee of 4%. In addition, you’ll pay a 4% credit card handling fee. But if you do not reach your goal, that fee jumps up to 8% plus the credit card handling fee. Of course, that means RocketHub is best for companies that are more confident they will make their goals.

Find out why so many companies use our proven methods to get business loans.

CircleUp

CircleUp is only for businesses. Their aim is to help emerging brands and companies raise capital to grow. However, companies must apply and show revenue of at least $1 million to get a listing on the site. Still, they will sometimes make exceptions.

Due to its more thorough process, CircleUp can be good for entrepreneurs who already have a somewhat established business. These are business owners who want both funding and guidance in order to take their businesses to the next level.

If your business gets approval for listing on CircleUp, the fee percentage comes from the total amount you raise.

CircleUp says (in its FAQ): “Our commission is intended to be generally consistent with what companies pay to investment bankers in the offline world for similar size fundraising rounds.”

GoFundMe

We can’t leave this one out because it is so well known. Truly, it’s probably not the best choice out there.

In general, GoFundMe is for individuals. Therefore, you might conceivably use it at the very beginning for startup crowdfunding. You will need to meet your fundraising goal in order to collect. The service charges 5% as a platform fee outside the United States. But there are no specific platform fees in America. Yet, there are payment processing charges of between 2 and 5%.

GoFundMe is often for personal causes, like people looking to cover their medical bills. Hence it may not be best for business funding. In addition, considering the large numbers of people who use GoFundMe for personal expenses, a business plea might get lost in the shuffle.

Work your Campaign

You’ve heard the adage “Plan to work and work your plan,” right? Well, it fits here perfectly. You have to have a campaign plan. Videos are popular but not necessary. Whatever ace you have up your sleeve, it has to make people want to support your business. They need to get excited.

Remember, your campaign has to match the personality of your audience. Does your main market fit in a certain generation? Maybe they are mostly 80s babies. Market to that with popular music and catch phrases from that era.

Are they an audience that loves campy, cheesy spoofs? Use that to your advantage! Specifically right now, if your business is going to help those affected by the pandemic, or the resulting economic downturn, play to that in your campaign!

Set Up Incentives

Of course, no one really ever wants to give something for nothing. Those who are excited about your business are going to be more likely to show their excitement monetarily if you offer great incentives.

Physical incentives are a pain in the neck. However, people love them and they will stand out. Plus, if a perk is used frequently, it will help to keep your company relevant.

Still, you also have to ship anything physical that you promise. You may be an American company, but that doesn’t mean all of your investors will be in the United States. International shipping is costly, even for small items. Therefore, if you offer physical perks, be clear about whether you will allow international donor addresses.

Yet, even if everything has to be shipped in the US, you are still left with a database of names and addresses, and some of them might have misprints or be incomplete.

Also, most campaigns offer more than one option. Then you have to remember what each person wanted. What if it is lost or damaged in the mail? These are all reasons to consider digital incentives. For example, for a house flipping campaign you could record video footage about home design or repair. For a long-haul trucking company, you could offer PDFs with personal recommendations on what to see and do in certain cities you service. A nail salon could send digital coupons for a free month of manicure touch ups.

The options are endless, especially when you consider all the possibilities for digital gift cards.

Have a Backup Plan

Regardless of how awesome your campaign is and how fabulous your incentives are, you need a backup plan. Tons of great businesses fail to reach their crowdfunding goal each year. Even if you follow all of these tips, that is still a possibility. Especially in this time of economic uncertainty, you need a backup plan.

If startup crowdfunding doesn’t work out, or only partially works out, your next step will likely be a business loan. There are a few options, but for startup business loans, you are likely going to be choosing between only a couple.

Traditional Term Loans

These are the loans that you go to the bank to get. As a business, your business credit score can help you get some types of funding even if your personal score isn’t awesome. That isn’t necessarily the case with this type of funding however.

With a traditional lender term loan, you are almost always going to have to give a personal guarantee. This means they will check your personal credit. If your personal credit score isn’t in order, you will likely not get approval.

What kind of personal credit score do you need to have in order to qualify for a traditional term loan? If you have at least a 750 you are in pretty good shape. Sometimes you can get approval with a score of 700+, but the terms will not be as favorable.

If you have really great business credit, your lender might be more inclined to be a little more flexible. However, your personal credit score will still weigh heavily on the terms and interest rate.

Of all of the loan types, this is the hardest to get. It is usually worth the trouble though if possible, because it typically offers the best rates and terms.

SBA Loans

These are traditional bank loans, but they have a guarantee from the federal government. The Small Business Administration, or SBA, works with lenders to offer small businesses funding solutions that they may not be able to get otherwise for a number of reasons. Because of the government guarantee, lenders are able to relax a little on certain requirements.

In fact, it is possible to get an SBA microloan with a personal credit score between 620 and 640. These are very small loans, up to $50,000. They may require personal collateral as well.

The trade-off with SBA loans is that the application progress is lengthy. There is a ton of red tape connected with these types of loans.

Find out why so many companies use our proven methods to get business loans.

Bonus Tip: Go Ahead and Build Fundability While Working On Your Startup Crowdfunding Campaign

Here’s a bonus for you. Startup crowdfunding is just one of many business funding options. The truth is, you are almost certainly going to need to use another option at some point. While your startup crowdfunding campaign is going, regardless of how successful it seems to be, work on fundability. This is the ability of your business to get funding. Even if you meet your goal, you are likely to need financing at some point in the future. By starting the work to make your business fundable, you help ensure you can get the financing your need to run and grow your business far into the future.

Startup Crowdfunding: It May Not Work, But These Tips Will Increase Your Chances

Startup crowdfunding is a legit option. However, it is impossible to tell if it will work or not. There are some things to do to increase the probability of a successful campaign. Still, it is best to know your options in case it doesn’t work. In the meantime, work on building fundability so that whatever type of funding you end up needing, you’ll be more likely to get it.

The post Startup Crowdfunding: Top Tips to Make it Work appeared first on Credit Suite.

Tips For Learning About The Stock Market

Tips For Learning About The Stock Market There are many methods to start learning more about the securities market. With simply a little bit of study, it ends up being clear that there is tons of day readily available on finding out about the stock exchange. Possibly the very first area to go when finding …

Tips For Learning About The Stock Market

There are many methods to start learning more about the securities market. With simply a little bit of study, it ends up being clear that there is tons of day readily available on finding out about the stock exchange.

Possibly the very first area to go when finding out regarding the supply market is the Internet. The supply market is possibly one of the largest subjects on the Internet. Of training course, when finding out regarding the supply market, you desire to be particular that all of the details you are collecting is practically appropriate.

To aid ensure that the points you are discovering regarding the supply market are proper, go to well-known websites, like ones funded by the New York Stock Exchange as well as NASDAQ. Some of the info they supply will certainly aid you in discovering regarding the supply market.

If you do not desire to invest cash getting publications on discovering regarding the supply market, document the titles of the bestsellers and also make a see to your regional collection. There will possibly be plenty much more titles on discovering regarding the supply market than the ones you brought with you.

When discovering concerning the supply market as well, be certain to inspect the social networking websites. You will certainly locate a great deal of details concerning the securities market and also individual money at locations like YouTube, Facebook, as well as Twitter.

Whether you are finding out about the stock exchange as a college job or since you believe that you could be thinking about spending, you will certainly discover lots of valuable details is readily available. The securities market mores than 2 a century old as well as individuals have actually been taping details concerning it because it started.

When discovering concerning the supply market is a supply market time line, one of the points you could discover handy. There are a selection of these plan readily available. They have an on-going document of one of the most essential occasions in the background of the stock exchange considering that it started to existing day.

It would possibly be an excellent suggestion to tighten your search, also originally, to ensure that you do not come to be also swamped with info. When learning more about the securities market, you might intend to approach it one topic each time based upon what details most rate of interests you or what details you require to establish.

Whatever your factor, I make certain that you will certainly locate learning more about the stock exchange to be a tough and also satisfying job.

Possibly the initial location to go when finding out regarding the supply market is the Internet. Of program, when finding out regarding the supply market, you desire to be specific that all of the details you are collecting is practically appropriate. To aid assure that the points you are discovering regarding the supply market are right, go to well-known websites, like ones funded by the New York Stock Exchange as well as NASDAQ. Some of the info they offer will certainly aid you in finding out concerning the supply market.

One of the points you could locate practical when discovering regarding the supply market is a supply market time line.

The post Tips For Learning About The Stock Market appeared first on ROI Credit Builders.

Tips For Learning About The Stock Market

Whatever your factor, I make certain that you will certainly locate learning more about the stock exchange to be a tough and also satisfying job.

One of the points you could locate practical when discovering regarding the supply market is a supply market time line.

The post Tips For Learning About The Stock Market appeared first on ROI Credit Builders.

6 Actionable Tips to Boost Content Engagement on Your Blog

6 Actionable Tips to Boost Content Engagement on Your Blog You’re likely well aware of the fact that having an active business blog is crucial to building better brand visibility online. Producing fresh content on a consistent basis is a key part of any website’s search engine optimization (SEO) and overall digital marketing efforts. But … Continue reading 6 Actionable Tips to Boost Content Engagement on Your Blog