Email Marketing Basics: Cleaning Up Your Mailing List For Success
Despite the rise of social media, email is still the marketing mainstay of many businesses—and the numbers show us why. According to the Radicati Group, a technology market research firm, worldwide email accounts will increase 27 percent between 2014 and 2018, from 4.1 billion to more than 5.2 billion. Additionally, the number of worldwide email users—both business and consumer—will increase 12 percent during the same period. Whatever your industry, chances are excellent that most of your customers are on email and willing to subscribe to communications from your company. Of course, any...
Read MoreStart Blogging in 2016
January is a great month to start new habits, especially habits that can grow your business. According to HubSpot, an inbound marketing software company, nearly 40 percent of U.S. businesses have a blog for marketing purposes. If you’re not among them, it’s time to think about joining the ranks of business bloggers. Not only will it provide a vehicle for sharing engaging stories about your business, products and services, a well-maintained blog can also improve your search engine ranking and ultimately lead to more customers in the form of inbound leads. Consider the following steps to get...
Read MoreMaintaining a Psychopath-Free Workplace
When you think about psychopaths, individuals like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy and Dexter likely spring to mind. However, most employees who fit the psychopath profile are not serial killers, mass murderers or notorious criminals—though they share a number of similar characteristics, all of which can make them nightmares to work with. What is a Psychopath? Simply put, a psychopath is someone who is unable to feel guilt, remorse or empathy. Experts estimate one in 100 men and one in 300 women have this personality disorder, though spotting them can be a challenge. Most tend to blend into...
Read MoreSmall Businesses: Don’t Put Your Data at Risk
Cyber criminals love a good holiday spree! In the midst of 2013’s holiday shopping season, they stole the personal data of more than 70 million Target customers. Around the same time, a data breach at Neiman Marcus compromised the credit and debit card information of more than 1 million customers. These particular crimes involved large retailers and a website that reportedly earns more than $14 million in profits each year, but if you think your company is too small to be an attractive target, you’re wrong. A 2012 investigative study into data breaches found that 71 percent occur in...
Read MoreDon’t Skip This Critical Part of Your Business Plan
You’ve poured your heart and soul into your business—shouldn’t you protect it? Evaluating your insurance needs is a critical part of business planning, one that will help you protect your investment by minimizing risks, liabilities and losses. Of course, it’s also a difficult road to navigate alone. Whether you’re just starting up, hiring your first employee, or planning for future growth, enlist the assistance of a reputable insurance advisor. He or she will help you review a number of factors to select the right insurance for your company structures, activities and locale. Business...
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