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With SCORE, you have lots of support. Browse these tools and find resources to help you make decisions on starting or growing your enterprise. Your SCORE mentor can assist in putting your ideas into action.
Tips from SCORE
Small business advice from SCORE Cape Cod & the Islands published every Sunday in the Cape Cod Times
No doubt about it, starting a small business is exciting!
But it can also be confusing, particularly as you sort through all the expenses required to launch your enterprise.
While it is impossible to cover every type of business and go through the finer points of expenses you are likely to have, here are the top 10 costs of starting a business to consider. It all starts with creating a business plan which can be a full-blown traditional plan with monthly projections or can be formed using the Business Model Canvas (www.strategyzer.com) with limited projections, but specifically cash flow
On the list of questions every business owner is asking these days is “How can I use social media to position my business and build my brand online?”
Much has been written about this topic, but all advice is not created equal. Remember your brand is comprised of your image, mission, values and ultimately your vision. Dorie Clark defines it as: Your brand is what other people say about you when you leave the room. It is your professional reputation.
Some tips rise to the top. Here are the best ways to build your business’ brand on social media.
Apply your branding consistently
You
Consumer trends are ever-changing, and that means your small business must be, too.
While it may be deflating to learn that you can’t rest on your laurels once you’ve got your enterprise up and running, this news can actually be positive. Your need to be responsive to your customers’ changing tastes can keep your business fresh and full of energy as you strive to serve them in the best way you can.
We are all living in the age of VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.
Volatility – the challenge is unexpected and may be of an unknown duration, however, knowledge
Employee morale is a key indicator of the health of your company.
Your employees’ motivation and participation are the foundation on which your success rests, so there’s hardly anything more important than to make sure they’re feeling good. Consistently monitoring employee morale through established feedback channels is an essential element of good management in today’s business environment.
But what do you do if the feedback you receive is less than stellar? As they say, knowing is half the battle. The other half, of course, is taking action.
Here are six actions you can take to
Once your website is regularly bringing in traffic, it’s important to link your social media pages to the website so prospects and customers can follow you. According to 20% of those surveyed by Hubspot, customer testimonials can be very effective. Potential customers need to trust you before choosing to work with you. Fortunately, customer testimonial pages can help you effectively build that trust.
Use your website to build your credibility by sharing your expertise and successful track record with clients and customers. When you do get testimonials, ask your clients for permission to use
For many businesses, a website is undeniably critical for reaching new audiences — and is often the first impression someone will have of your brand. But having a website alone is not enough to reach and convert new customers. It is equally vital that your website is well-designed, or you risk losing valuable leads.
Website design plays a huge role for a few reasons: First, web design can impact your website’s ability to rank on search engines for keywords related to your products or services. Additionally, web design can influence whether a user stays on your site once they find it.
And
Marketers write copy daily for landing pages, social media posts, email newsletters — you name it. And this content isn’t just supposed to sound pretty, it’s supposed to be powerful enough to convert visitors into consumers. In fact, as of 2022, over 60% of marketers measure the success of their content through the sales it generates.
That’s no small feat. If you’re stuck in a writing rut or unsure how to use conversion copywriting to increase sales, consider the copywriting tips below.
First, what is conversion copywriting? Simply put, it is writing, or copy, aimed at the ultimate goal
Advertising, sales promotion, and public relations are three spokes of a small business’ marketing communication hub. Seth Godin is one the foremost industry marketing gurus. He posts a “marketing thought of the day” regularly on LinkedIn. Recently he shared some hints, tips, and techniques that all small business marketers can adopt.
- Don’t interrupt, start a conversation. When communicating via advertising or sales promotion, your goal is to start a conversation. The copy needs to lead the viewer to say, “tell me more.” The answer leads to more questions that generate an opportunity to
Business Mentoring from SCORE Cape Cod & the Islands published monthly in Cape & Plymouth Business Media.
Commercial businesses use the life cycle concept when planning their future strategic moves. Nonprofits can apply the same principles as they look to their future to achieve their mission.
Knowing where you are in the life cycle will help nonprofit leadership with insights to drive your board development, fundraising, and organizational development strategy. Research has shown that for-profit and nonprofit organizations move through predictable life cycle stages and development milestones. This is important because there are significant events at each stage that are crucial for
