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Once you host a national call-in radio show, you hear from all kinds of individuals.
There was the renowned photographer who asked me safely and privately store the racy photos he takes of his wife. Spoiler: Don’t just upload them to iCloud or Google Photos. Tap or click here for a secure technique to store private pics.
I spoke to a girl whose daughter was being stalked and harassed. I’m proud to say I connected her with the suitable help, and the person responsible was dropped at justice. Tap or click for the scary details. This nightmare could occur to anyone.
I’m proud to say that I built my very own multimillion-dollar enterprise with no debt and no investors. It’s rewarding for me to assist the various small business owners who call and want a hand getting their company off the bottom or breaking past an enormous hurdle. I’ve been there myself.
Here’s my advice from the trenches.
Small Business Sticker. It’s rewarding for me to assist the various small business owners who call and want a hand getting their company off the bottom or breaking past an enormous hurdle. I’ve been there myself. Here’s my advice from the trenches.
PRIVACY TIP: 5 WAYS YOU’RE BEING TRACKED YOU MUST STOP RIGHT NOW
1. Know your competition
Unless you are genuinely going rogue with an all-new services or products, your customers exist already and spend their money elsewhere. Competitor research is among the finest ways to get a feel for what works and doesn’t work in your industry.
It’s also a sensible technique to get in contact together with your customers’ needs, including what they expect to pay and the way much you may expect to earn.
Discover a handful of firms doing what you hope to do and be a student. “How much can I learn here?”
Study their web sites. What stands out and what isn’t so great? You possibly can monitor web page changes over time with Visualping. This free tool lets you enter a web site you ought to track, and also you’ll get email alerts any time that site changes. You’ll know in case your competitor created a wonderful latest landing page copy or swapped out photos. Tap or click for a direct link to try it out.
Follow your competitors on social media and subscribe to their newsletters. Pay attention to any posts that generate a high variety of comments or shares.
Enroll for Google Alerts for your enterprise name, your competitors, and an industry term or two that is sensible. Tap or click here for steps to establish a Google Alert. I suggest you go together with weekly alerts. Each day alerts can get overwhelming.
Get my trusted small business advice right to your inbox. It’s totally free. Try it here.
2. Brand yourself with a memorable domain
A powerful web presence is crucial; step one is securing a terrific domain name. You wish something easy to recollect, clear, and concise. Nobody goes to recollect a six-word-long URL.
Doctors, lawyers, or other professionals who use their names for his or her businesses have a bonus. Hey, my website is Komando.com.
How much will a site cost you? Let’s use GoDaddy for instance. For a .com address, you’ll spend about $19.99 annually, paying only a penny to your first yr. You possibly can get a .me email address for $6.99 for the primary yr, then $21.99 annually. A .biz URL requires a two-year purchase for about $37 total.
One of the best domain idea means nothing if it’s taken, in fact. Namech_k shortcuts the method for you. Put in your idea and see whether it is registered or open. We’re not talking just .com or .net, either. It checks for .us, .info, .biz and much more.
It also scours social media sites to see if your chosen name is taken there, too. Consistency is vital since it helps people find you rather more quickly. It’s why I’m @kimkomando on every social media platform, and by all means, I invite you to follow me. Tap or click here for professional recommendations on using Namech_k.
A Google sign inside Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. search engine optimisation is about greater than just keywords that get you to the highest of Google’s search results. An optimized site is lightweight, loads quickly, and is tight enough to stop a visitor from getting stuck in a glitchy dropdown menu.
(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
3. Speaking of internet sites, make yours smart
search engine optimisation is about greater than just keywords that get you to the highest of Google’s search results. An optimized site is lightweight, loads quickly, and is tight enough to stop a visitor from getting stuck in a glitchy dropdown menu.
When unsure, you may hire knowledgeable developer for a site audit, which can reveal frustrating flaws turning customers off. You too can run these free online tests to see your site’s most important issues.
A standard issue is your website’s design. Keep in mind that mobile performance is just as necessary as your site’s appearance on a desktop monitor. Today’s website constructing tools make it easy to create a site that appears good and performs well on every device.
Weebly’s plans start at $12 a month. Wix starts at $22 a month or $27 in case you accept payments online. Squarespace starts at $23 per thirty days or $27 in case you take payments.
It’s price browsing what those monthly charges get you. Squarespace’s Marketing strategy, for instance, includes advanced site analytics and a yr of skilled email through Google. Wix gives you access to drop shipping inventory and 100 GB of space for storing.
4. Don’t ignore email marketing
I’ve been in the e-mail marketing game since 1995. Back then, I’d send out one email per week. Today, my team produces a dozen different emails with hundreds of thousands of monthly sends which have a median open rate over 50%. Tap or click here to try my free tech and digital life newsletters.
I needed to invent ways to make it work back within the day. Today, there are tools that make creating and sending beautiful, compelling emails a snap. Listed here are a number of to think about:
Mailchimp: Send as much as 10,000 emails monthly (2,000 a day) free of charge. Paid plans start at $11 per thirty days and include email templates and custom branding.
Constant Contact: You’re charged by the variety of email addresses you import, starting at $9.99 monthly for as much as 500. As much as 2,500 email addresses will run you $35 a month.
Emma: Starts at $99 a month for as much as 10,000 contacts. You possibly can add as much as five users and arrange an email automation campaign to woo your latest customers.
HubSpot: Ideal in case you need a strong marketing and call hub. The free plan is powerful, and you may add as much as 1,000,000 contacts. Paid plans with support, automation, and custom branding start at $45 a month for as much as 1,000 contacts.
5. Make it easy to receives a commission
Traffic is increasing, but you’re not making extra money. Your customers may be running right into a wall.
Are they frustrated by an inconvenient payment method? Is there a technical bug stopping them from finalizing the sale? Undergo your entire checkout process yourself, using a VPN or an Incognito window to see your site as a visitor does. Pay attention to anything that doesn’t go easily.
In case your payment processing options aren’t as much as snuff, consider these:
Square: Pay a flat fee plus a percentage of the sale. Cost will depend on the sort of transaction. For instance, a customer entering a card number online will cost you 3.5% of the sale plus 15 cents.
PayPal: PayPal’s checkout works similarly. A typical bank card payment is 2.99% plus a 49-cent fee.
Stripe: For card charges, pay 2.9% plus a 30-cent fee.
6. Only pay for what you must
There’s no way around some expenses, but I bet I can prevent a little bit of money with this gem: There are free versions of hottest paid software which are just nearly as good.
As an alternative of Microsoft Office, try LibreOffice or Google Docs and Sheets.
For editing photos, I like GIMP, Pixlr X and Canva. Tap or click here to see the professionals and cons of every option.
DaVinci Resolve is superb free video editing software.
Audacity is a free audio editing program the professionals use.
That’s not all. Listed here are 9 free software copycats that work higher than the true expensive programs.
People visit a Microsoft store in Paramus, Latest Jersey on July 8, 2015. There’s no way around some expenses, but I bet I can prevent a little bit of money with this gem: There are free versions of hottest paid software which are just nearly as good. As an alternative of Microsoft Office, try LibreOffice or Google Docs and Sheets.
(Eduardo Munoz / Reuters)
LIST: 10 TECH COMPANY CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBERS PLUS, SECRET WAY TO KNOW WAIT TIMES
7. Get advice from other pros
The federal Small Business Administration has more resources than you might realize. Use this link to seek out free or low-cost training or business advice in your area. If you happen to’re starting out, you too can find guides for making a marketing strategy, registering your organization, and getting a handle on day-to-day operations.
SCORE may connect you with business mentors who can assist you start or grow your organization — and it’s free. The nonprofit organization runs the nation’s largest network of volunteer business experts. You possibly can get help via email, phone, or video if there isn’t any local chapter where you reside.
I need to assist you.
You too can reach out to me. I get emails and calls from small business owners day by day, and I like to assist. Email me here. I read all of them myself.
Hearken to the podcast below in case you’d prefer to know more about my business and life. I used to be interviewed concerning the ups and downs of my success, and there have been quite a lot of tough questions.
PODCAST PICK: An intimate conversation about business, life, and loss with Kim Komando
I began my business greater than 20 years ago. I didn’t have investors, and I didn’t tackle any debt. I’ll be honest — the primary few years were a struggle. I embraced the struggle, though, and pushed through a few of the hardest times of my life to seek out peace. On this podcast, I tell stories and speak about times in my life I don’t often share.
Find my podcast “Kim Komando Today” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.
Just seek for my last name, “Komando.”
What digital lifestyle questions do you might have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to seek out it in your local radio station. You possibly can hearken to or watch The Kim Komando Show in your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.
Copyright 2019, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Study all the most recent technology on The Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her day by day suggestions, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com.
