Business Archives - Page 16 of 22

How to stop your newsletters landing in spam folders

by Anne Clark | Aug 12, 2021 | Aweber, Business, Mailchimp

There is nothing more frustrating than having your inbox filled with spam emails from bots and the likes! What is even more frustrating is when you find your own business newsletters are being treated as spam and landing in spam folders. Frustrating!

It’s important to note that spam can negatively impacts deliverability rates, and we want to make sure your emails reach their recipients.

In this article we will explore how to get around your emails landing in spam, but firstly allow me to explain what spam and spam filters are.

Spam is defined as “Spam is digital junk mail: unsolicited communications sent in bulk over the internet or through any electronic messaging system.”

Most of us know in today’s online world we are seeing so many spam emails coming in that look authentically from someone or an organisation we know, but when we check the email address they’re fake and possibly contain links for hackers to access our personal system and data. Yikes!

Spam filters are designed to help filter unsolicited emails from landing in our inbox.

Not all spam filters function the same way, so it can be difficult to nail down the exact criteria for judging spam. However, there are some basic characteristics of spam that tend to hold true. You can read more about spam filters here.

Let’s explore what you can do to avoid being flagged as spam and landing in the dreaded spam folder;

Double Opt-In

Set up a double opt-in feature when creating your sign ups. This way new subscribers have to confirm they wanted to sign up.

Don’t Buy Lists

Avoid purchasing a list from anywhere. You are better to use advertising means like Facebook Ads to target your set market and grow your list authentically.

Engage Sooner Rather Than Later

When someone signs up to your mailing list, create an automation sequence welcoming so they’re immediately gaining engagement from you.

Sign Up Thank You Page

Once someone has signed up, prompt them to add your email address to their contacts so they’re system instantly recognises your email and avoids the spam folder.

Clean Up Your List

If you have subscribers who haven’t interacted with your emails or opened the last 5, then remove them. Firstly, they’re impacting your open rate.

Be aware of your email subject heading

Yes even your email subjects can impact your email landing in spam. Hubspot have a great article outlining key words to avoid as have Snov Labs with their list of 550+ spam triggering words

Some other great articles that may help you are

29 Email Deliverability Tips You Must Know in 2021

188 Spam Word to Avoid: How to Stay out of Spam Email Filters

Why blogging is good for your business

by Anne Clark | Aug 11, 2021 | Business

Tossing the idea of whether to introduce a blog to your business? Not sure if it’s worth your time or effort? With billions of people online, here is why blogging is good for your business.

Marketing Online

Blogging provides another free online marketing platform for your business. With you creating regular blogs, you are giving your target market more reasons to come and visit your website. The overall objective of social media and marketing, in general, is to convert your target market to paying customers. Creating regular content is inviting potential customers to your website because they want to read more. Upon arrival, many visitors go exploring your website to learn more about you.

Showcase Your Expertise

Writing blogs, especially when you answer your market’s key pain or pleasure points, enables your target market to see you as an expert and want to learn more from you or work with you.

Pain points are the issues your target market is currently facing and they are seeking help to resolve them. Pleasure points are identifying how your product or services are going to help make your audience feel. The resolution to their pain point.

Opportunity to Upsell

A great strategy with a blog is to write about a pain or pleasure point, and if you have a product or service you can use your article to upsell and encourage your reader to buy.

Repurposing Your Content For Social Media

You can use your blogs to create social media content, and be able to repurpose them frequently by either sharing all blog content, a snippet from the blog and creating teasers to go to your website and read the full blog.

Creating Visibility For Your Business

People discover information online today, so if you want to be a discovered and become a visible expert then blogging and social media will provide you with the visibility. It helps to search key topics your audience wants to know about and write about them.

Expanding Your Exposure

If you introduce an interview series to your blog, you have the potential to open your business to a wider audience, because those you interview will also share about the interview to their audience.

Think of your bigger picture for your blog, it’s more than just a simple article, it is another platform to build your business exposure, expertise and connections.

LEARN ABOUT ANNE'S BLOGGING SERVICES

3 Things Remote Business Owners Need in a Home Office

by Anne Clark | Aug 4, 2021 | Business

Being a business owner is no easy feat in regular circumstances, but owning and managing an enterprise remotely in a global pandemic presents more of a challenge. Thus, it has become necessary for business owners to draw the line between their work and personal lives, or else, their businesses will not run smoothly. To do that, it’s important to have a proper home office setup.

In case you are wondering what you need for a home office of your own, here is a list.

Computer

A reliable computer is definitely a necessity for your productivity and communication with employees. The question is, what type of computer should you purchase?

Well, the answer to that depends on what you want to achieve out of your computer. Desktop computers provide stability and focus, but they can cause feelings of confinement over time. On the other hand, laptops give you flexibility, but they can bring distractions while working.

Apart from thinking about your workspace situation, you also have to weigh your options based on the tools you need for your business operations, like Dropbox, Asana, and Adobe Photoshop. Check the specs of the CPU of the computer you are eyeing. For most work tasks, Intel Core i3 and i5 may be perfect, but if you are foreseeing demanding tasks for your computer, you may opt for a Core i7 processor. Also, be sure to factor in the computer’s storage capacity, so that your productivity will not be interrupted. Aim for those with at least 4GB RAM and 256GB HDD and SSD. Lastly, look for a computer with a battery life that can support your day-to-day operations.

Remember, the higher the specs, the more optimised the motherboard’s layout is. In fact, you’ll find that high-end motherboards are almost exclusively made with elements from a high-speed PCB taken into account. More performance and durable operations can be expected when you have components that can easily switch and send signals from one pin to another. With this rapid functionality, you lose a lot of the unnecessary fluff and minimise latency issues. Essentially, this prolongs the lifespan of your computer. This has also helped lower the cost of production of most electronic devices, which is why a lot of great computer models are becoming more affordable. Some of these are the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Laptop, Apple MacBook Pro, Lenovo ThinkCentre M900, and HP ProDesk 400 G4 Tower.

Desk and Chair

Working from home, although mostly comfortable, can also be harmful to your health, especially if you do not use ergonomically correct desks and chairs.

Pick out a chair with adjustable lumbar support and height, seat cushioning, and armrests. Also, select a desk that is tall enough to be parallel with your elbows, so you can maintain good posture all throughout the work day. If possible, avoid those desks with drawers in front and sharp edges to ensure legroom and prevent stress on your wrists and forearms. Additionally, consider a sit-stand desk, as sitting all day can result in major health problems later on.

File Storage Cabinet

While most organisations are going paperless now, there are still hard-copy documents that should be saved. You can do that by selecting a file cabinet that can easily be organised and is sturdy and secure enough to survive in case of unfortunate circumstances. Of course, you can add a bookshelf to store books, pens, sticky notes, stacks of paper, and other supplies that you might need or simply want to display for a cosy home office environment.

Successfully owning and managing a business from the comfort of your home sounds like a dream come true for most entrepreneurs, but if you do not have the appropriate tools to aid you in your endeavour, your productivity and health can be affected. So, be sure to get these essentials to ensure the success of your business, even while working remotely.

Why I love having a virtual business

by Anne Clark | Jul 29, 2021 | Business, Virtual Assistant

Once upon a time, pre-children, I worked in the blue-collar corporate sector. I was a Personal Assistant to the Managing Director and the Chief Financial Officer, along with supporting the Executive Team and liaising with the Board of Directors.

I also wore the hat of Office Manager, attending to all things office-related from corporate events, office maintenance and renovations, and the day-to-day functions. I liked my job, but truthfully I never really loved my job. Like all jobs, there were functions you had to do that you didn’t like, and occasionally working with people you didn’t necessarily see eye to eye with or enjoyed being around.

Whilst on maternity leave, I was getting nearer to returning to work. For various reasons, I decided to explore the avenue of becoming a virtual assistant. My thoughts were ‘I can type, surely anyone would want that skill’, but there were many lessons to be learned along the way.

Things I learned along the way

Boundaries (mine and clients)
Networking (the good, bad and interesting!)
Working to meet my needs in business, family and clients
Saying ‘No’
Getting back on ‘the horse’ when you’ve fallen off
Learning to identify what I want for me, my business and what direction I want to head in
And the list goes on.

Like with any journey or adventure we take in life, there are some cringe-worthy moments, some high five (or fist pumps) and some enlightening moments.

I have had my virtual business for 5 years, and I can easily say I LOVE who I work with, what I do in and where I’m heading.

The things I love most about my business are

I’m fulfilling a dream
Being readily available for my children
Staying at home with my children and not missing those special moments
I get to be a role model for my children
Work the hours that meet my needs
I work with the most amazing clients
I earn my own income
I get to stay in my casual or pyjamas some days
I am not being questioned by a boss on what I’m doing, or not doing
I am recognised for my skills, services and expertise
I have created my own brand, which of course is 100% me
I get to choose who I’ll work with and what services I offer
I can work from any location with the assistance of a mobile, Wi-Fi and laptop
I get to create the vibe and feel for my business that resonates with me
I work harder now than I ever did in a corporate job and I love every single minute of it, even the crazy ones.

Running your own virtual business isn’t for everyone, and it does take commitment and openness to always learning. You need to learn and understand your customers and their needs, along with establishing your own boundaries. You need to create support around you that meets your needs, and you need to have the drive to see it succeed.

If you think you’ve got what it takes and want to establish a virtual business, and avoid the ‘time wasters’ I experienced, please feel free to visit my ecourse ‘How To Become a Virtual Assistant‘, or my 1:1 private VA mentoring, and together we can get you on the road to success.

Perhaps you are unsure of your direction, then let’s chat and get some clarity happening for you.

30 Blog Topic Ideas

by Anne Clark | May 13, 2021 | Business

Writing a blog can feel daunting for business start-ups, or even those who are frequent bloggers and finding themselves block on topics to write about. Here are 30 blog topic ideas to help you get your blogging on track.

For the start-up business, you feel you want to write blogs for your business but you don’t feel confident in doing so. Many people have the perception that blogs need to be lengthy masterpieces, but that is not necessarily the case. The purpose of blogs is to educate, inspire or communicate your audience about your expertise and to help drive traffic to your website.

To help you get started or back on track, I have put together ideas and suggestions you can use to help create content for your website without having to be an award-winning writer.

Before you start going crazy, determine what type of information your target wants to learn from you. What is that they are most likely going to seek from you, or what is the expertise they need from you.

How To Instructions

Give instruction on how to do something that is relevant for your business and audience. Include things like screenshots of what people can expect to see.

Latest Industry News or Information

Share with your audience important information that is relevant to them.

Topical Latest News

I was listening to a podcast by Darren Prowse from Probloggers, and he talked about how he wrote a blog predicting the winner of the American Idol show (or maybe it was Australia Idol, whichever!). Because the show was nearing its end and people were dying to find out who won, and of course, searching the net for answers, his blog traffic was huge. So don’t be afraid to add completely un-business-related topics, you never know how they might pay off.

Lists

People love lists and quick and easy ones at that. Here is a blog I wrote which is 50 call to actions phrases. Quick and easy.

Controversial Topics

Something bugging you, why not write about it. But be warned, social media does bring out the worst in some people!

Checklists

Give your audience a checklist of what they need to ensure something runs smoothly. A little freebie download always helps too.

Cheat Sheets

We are always looking for a better way to do some of the things in our business, so got a hack on how they do it, share it!

Case Studies

Case studies are a great way to teach people things and give examples to enable them to learn and understand better.

External Resource Lists

Have your own list of going to’s for your business, why not give your audience one.

Interviews

Interviews are a great way to build exposure for your business, those you interview will share your post with their audience too.

Reviews

Using a product or service you love, rave about it. Or perhaps you want to review two products against each other weighing up the pros and cons. Also, this is an effective way to review a product that you have an affiliation with.

Advice

Find out what your audience wants advice on, and write about it.

Monthly Summaries

Write a monthly summary on those who have been inspiring you, or teaching you new things.

Problem Solving

What are the most likely issues your audience has, problem-solve for them. Give them suggestions on what they can do to resolve the issue.

Video Blogs

Create a video if you don’t like writing/typing. Or create a stream of videos you find inspiration and share them with your audience.

Guest Blogs

Invite others to come and guest blog on your website.

Inspirational Stories

Everyone loves to be inspired, so share real life inspirational stories. Yours or others.

Quiz

Give them a quiz to complete relevant to your expertise.

Facts / Statistics

Share the latest important facts and statistics relevant to your audience and/or industry.

Contests

Prizes!!!!! Yes every sure does love to win something for nothing!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most commonly asked questions you receive in yoru business? Answer them. Feature one per week or month and make it a series.

Event Summaries

Attended any events? Talk about them, link to them and share photos from the event. (psst….links are good for SEO!)

Infographics

Sometimes pictures tell a thousand words, rather than type a 1000….draw it! Pictures are great for giving people overviews or quick summation on topics. You can use free online tools like Canva to create infographics….they even have templates.

Podcast Show Notes

Got a podcast, post it on your blog page with additional notes or references for readers.

Round Ups

What’s been happening? Do a monthly round-up of what or who you’ve been dealing with, watching, talking to, learning from, following, stalking (just kidding) and admiring.

Behind the Scenes

People love to learn and gain an understanding on how things happen. So why not share with them.

Quotes

Looking for quotes to share with your audience? I know I always go searching. So why not do one better, and create a list of your favourites so when others go searching for quotes, they land at your website.

Affiliate Product Review

Affiliate products are a great way to get extra money in your pocket. So why not write about the product or topic and embed the affiliate links so you can convert sales.

Blog Series on a specific topic

Got a big juicy topic, don’t just write about it. Break it down down down and make a series on the topic. Keep them coming back for more.

Your own real-life story

Nothing connects better than real-life adventures or stories, so don’t be afraid to share them. Be a storyteller.

I hope this blog has given you lots of ideas. Psst…wish you to outsource them, then please check out my blogging service here.

5 ways I use Evernote in my business

by Anne Clark | Mar 9, 2021 | Business

Evernote is known as the modern day workspace, and it is definitely a program I use daily within my business and highly recommend it my clients.

How Evernote has helped me in my business.

Accessibility and Control

I operate form a desktop, laptop, ipad and iphone. Evernote allows my notes to sync across all devices, so I always have all my data available to me at all times. It allows my clients and I to share specific projects with teams, and always have the information at our finger tips.

If you’re a business and have multiple team members working on a project. Under an Evernote Business account, you can control who is accessing what information, and if anyone was to leave the team, the information collated by that person remains with your business (not them). Which is always a great reassurance for businesses who could be at risk of losing their valuable research information and time.

Taking notes whenever and wherever

I attended an event recently and wanted to captures note and pictures from the event. I had left my writing pad and pen behind and then remembered I had Evernote on my phone. So, rather than having pieces of paper, and then photos on my camera. I was able to use Evernote on my iphone and capture everything, and house it all in the one location (no more searching for where I had put them). Time saver and definitely efficient.

Sharing Research

Working with clients and conducting research on their behalf, we are able to collaborate together compiling all our researching the one spot. This allows all those involved in the project to know what information has been collated to date and what is still outstanding. Reducing double on work and opening the communication doors.

With Evernote all the file note written can be created into a table of content for easy access. You can create project specific tags. And keep them all in the one folder.

Business Evernote also allows you to add and remove people from various projects.

Writing notes/drafting reports & blogs

Our ideas often come to us at the worst time, and prior to Evernote I was forever forgetting those brilliant ideas. (Drove me crazy!) Now, I’m able to voice record my notes, type my notes, add articles/research, photos, whatever I find to my ideas folder in Evernote.

I can then go back to my ideas folder later and then convert my notes into a project folder and get things happening.

Presentations

Need to quickly show a client or colleagues an update on a project. Rather than spending hours creating a Powerpoint presentation, you can actually use Evernote to create the presentation super fast. This is a fantastic function, than save you time, doubling up on work or replication what you’ve already create, and you can present it from your computer, phone or iPad…wherever you have Evernote installed.

Evernote Consultant

My love for using Evernote, make me take it a step further and undertake training so I can help others utilise the benefits like I am. If you’re interested in learning more or signing up to Evernote. Please let me know.

No more waiting download you copy of Evernote today.

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