Monthly Archives: January 2014

4 Reasons Why Your Business Needs A Professional Logo

Posted on January 31, 2014

Are you in the process of starting a new business? If yes, then you may be confused when it comes to choosing a logo for your business. Very often, new entrepreneurs find it difficult to choose between a cheap ready-made logo which they can buy from a logo website and a professionally created logo, which is designed by a logo designer as per specifications. Are you facing a similar dilemma? Although a generic logo is much cheaper than a professional custom-built logo, don’t go only by the cost factor. Here are four reasons why you must choose a well-designed logo for your business:

1. Earn the trust of prospective customers

When prospective customers see your logo for the very first time, they will immediately notice it, if it looks professional. If you have an amateur-looking logo that doesn’t exactly stand for what your company offers, your customers will get the false impression that you are not trustworthy or that your business is run by a team of amateurs.

2. Get recognized in the crowd

If you want your customers to remember your business, services or products and come back for repeat business, then you need to have a logo that is unique and easy to recognize. If your logo is not “catchy” enough, customers will not be able to remember or recognize your brand. This will ultimately lead to a loss in business.

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13 Reasons Why your Business Should Write a Business Blog

Posted on January 24, 2014

Did you know that blogging is one of the most valuable tools that your business can use to build a good relationship with your customers? If you are not blogging, then its time you got started, or lose out on the sure benefits of a maintaining a business blog. If you need a little bit of inspiration, here are 13 reasons (in no particular order) why your business should start blogging:

A business blog is a simple, easy-to-use platform that you can use to connect with customers and share relevant and timely information with them.
Since search engines love content that is valuable and rich in keywords, you can get more traffic to your website, though a business blog.
You do not have to be designer to come up with a great-looking blog. These are several blogging platforms like Hubspot and WordPress that are very easy to use and require no graphic skills.
A recent Hubspot surveys reveals that 60% of businesses who blog acquire more customers.
A business blog can give your company a voice. You can freely talk about market trends, new products/services and other relevant news topics. A blog can also bring out your company’s personality and emphasize on your brand.
With a business blog, you can easily share your areas of expertise. Through informative articles, you can position your company as a subject area expert.
Unlike articles on your website, a blog creates a two-way conversation with your prospects, customers and industry peers. Through your blog, customers can interact with your company and leave their thoughts on your comments. Continue reading →

Digital Document Archiving Vs Physical Archives: Which is better?

Posted on January 18, 2014

Document archiving, either physical or digital is a popular trend in the business world. Initially, it was only libraries who kept archives, but today commercial businesses, government agencies, universities, non-profit organizations and religious organizations all maintain archives of their documents.

Usually the type of documents contained in an archive depends on the type of organization maintaining them. While government agencies keep archives of their history, universities maintain archives of their research and businesses keep archives of their financial transactions. Companies who are a part of the legal, medical or financial sector have to maintain archives of extensive records.

What are physical archives?

Physical archives usually refer to the process of archiving paper documents. However, archiving important information like forms, medical records, legal documents, customer files or conference papers in paper may not be a good idea. Paper cannot be stored over a long period and things like moisture, mildew, mould or improper handling can all ruin your important data.

There is no sure guarantee that paper can even survive for a short time period. Because of the short life of paper, microforms (microfilm and microfiche) were invented in the eighties. Microforms are more durable than paper, but because of their small size, they can be easily damaged. Another disadvantage of using microforms is that they require bulky equipment to view the information. Continue reading →

The 5 P’s of Outsourcing – How to make your outsourcing project a success

Posted on January 10, 2014

You have made a decision to start outsourcing in 2014, but before you do that, you want to know about the key factors that will make your outsourcing project a success. Read the following 5 P’s of outsourcing to gain a better understanding on how to and how not to manage an outsourced project:

1. People

The success of an outsourcing project heavily depends on the people in your offshore team. No matter how solid your process is or how well your requirements are defined, you will still need the right people doing the right things in your outsourced project. Make sure to co-develop a recruitment process along with your service provider, so that you can be equally involved when it comes to interviews and screening tests. This way, you will be able to build a strong and dedicated team that will bring in long term results for your company.

2. Process

Before you sign on the outsourcing contract, make sure that you have a common understanding on how you and the service provider will work together. To start off, you will need to devise and document a process, along with the people who will be involved from your end. Make sure to describe in detail about who is responsible for what part and how you will be making your requirements. Also mention about the project management tool that you will be using and how you will be using it. Remember to ask the service provider about how you will communicate (methods, meetings and systems) and about the steps involved from the inception of the project until the implementation.

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Top 5 Social Media Predictions for 2014

Posted on January 3, 2014

2013 saw phenomenal changes in the way companies used social media, largely due to factors like the increase in mobile and video usage and the wide adoption of content marketing. So, what’s in store for social media in 2014? What are the upcoming trends that companies need to pay attention to? Read on to know more about the top five social media predictions for 2014.

1. Visual-based content will continue to dominate

Did you know that photos on Facebook receive 53% more likes than posts without images? Tweets with images also receive 18% more clicks that those without images. Statistics like this show that visual-based content will continue to increase in 2014. If your business wants to get more likes, shares, retweets or comments, you must incorporate images and videos into your social media strategy.

2. Businesses will use more of Instagram and Snapchat

In 2013, Instagram was the fastest growing network with over 150 million users and 40 million photos being uploaded on a daily basis. Over 71% of top brands are on Instagram. In 2013, likes and comments on Instagram have jumped by 350% since 2012. Snapchat on the other hand is the 4th most popular app on iTunes. Several businesses have already been taking the advantage of reaching consumers through the deals, coupons and discounts features on Instagram and Snapchat.

3. Setting up a mobile strategy becomes compulsory

With research revealing that mobile phones will soon overtake desktop usage, companies who want to keep up need to come up with an effective mobile strategy. Having a mobile-friendly website alone will not suffice in 2014. Businesses will have to come up with mobile apps and ensure that their overall marketing and content strategy works well with Smartphones and Tablets.

4. More brands will be seriously taking up social media

In 2014, more brands will take their social media marketing strategies to the next level. Social media will be integrated into every aspect of the business. From marketing to product development and operations to customer services and retention, social media will be part of every business aspect. If you want to make your business truly social, make sure to incorporate social media into everything, even your systems, planning and processes.

5. People will use more of Google Plus

After 2 years since Google Plus started, the site’s current active monthly users stand at 300 million. This clearly shows that Google Plus has raced ahead of Twitter’s 230 million users. Though it may take a while for Plus to keep with Facebook, Google is slowly getting there. In 2014, make it a point to communicate with consumers not only on Facebook, but even on Google Plus. Coming up with a social media strategy for Google Plus will definitely give you an advantage.

What are some of the predictions that you think are missing from the above list? What major changes do you want to see happening in the social media world in 2014?

Interested to know more?