It’s that old adage that seems to work very well in business; don’t work hard, work smart. But it’s easier said than done. When it comes to getting your business up and running, it’s a swift combination of persistence and dedication, not to mention the numerous teamwork exercises, technology, and that sheer gung-ho attitude to make the business what it is. This all sounds like hard work! So what can you do to make sure that you and any employees you have embrace the idea of working smart instead of working hard?
Automating Where You Can
The great thing about automation is that it’s an essential component to make everything work for you. Even in marketing, you can manage Adwords with PPCnerd and other scripts services, but also, by implementing back office procedures that can keep customer info on file, and social media programs that can drip-feed posts, you’re automating a very hefty proportion of your business. It’s not always that easy, but if you can automate, and prepare a lot of the information you’re going to dish out in advance, this means that, in effect, the business is operating while you are not!
Minimize Fatigue
From the perspective of any solopreneur, fatigue is a very common ailment. Decision fatigue is one of those things that appears to be so common now, that these little choices we make can be the equivalent of the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Not only can you minimize decision fatigue by little items of preparation, but you can work to minimize fatigue from the perspective of the people that work for you. There are techniques, such as the 80/20 technique, also known as Pareto’s Principle, that can blow your operation wide open. The fact that 80% of the work can be done with 20% of the overall effort can be very enlightening, especially to those people that believe working hard is way more productive. But in addition to this, by structuring the work day so your employees are minimal in their burnout, by helping them to tackle their most difficult tasks in the morning, means that they will work better according to their own skills. We don’t like to be too rigid and confined to a specific working pattern, especially if it is the antithesis to what we want to achieve. Ultimately, as long as the work gets done, the order they do it in doesn’t matter.
Working smart embodies so many components, but also, you need to think about if you are being clear in terms of your goals. Working smart is about focus and clarity, and if you have a very disheveled attitude to getting work done, it’s hardly a surprise that productivity is all over the place! These days, we should communicate working smart instead of working hard, but it’s surprising how many businesses don’t follow this maxim. But by embracing this attitude, you will find that productivity shoots up, and your workers will be happier as a result!
How To Brand Your Business – Marketing Tips For Bloggers & Entrepreneurs
Whether or not you are a Blogger or just looking to promote a Side Hustle , Product or Business … Â You NEED Branded Content!
Branded Content not only looks more professional, it is a way for people to start recognizing you. Often people will associate certain colors , fonts & layouts as belonging to a certain person or product.
This is part of your branding identity , known as your branding color palette.
Please be aware that this site utilizes affiliate links. All this means is that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
How Do I Brand My Content?
One of the best ways to brand your content is with the use of styled stock photos. It took my Brand from a 2 to a 10 the moment I implemented the changes.Â
Let’s face it, not everyone is good with a camera or has the artistic talent and props to pull off a professional looking photo . I use a mix of Styled Stock Photos and my own photos but let me tell ya that the Stock Photos are a real time saver!
I have a couple of places that I like to Shop for my photos , themes and fonts. They provide high quality images and affordable packages so whether you are a seasoned Pro or looking to get off on the right start , here are a few places you will want to have a look.
Creative Market – Ahhh .. the beauty that can be found within these cyber walls. It really doesn’t matter what your niche is … Creative Market has what you need!
Etsy is another great place to find stock photos, fonts, and themes along with Elegant Themes.
Personalize your photos by using sites such as PicMonkey , Easil& Canva . They are all super easy to use and have free versions as well.
Many of these sites offer easy-to-edit social media templates which make it super easy to professionally brand your Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Twitter, Linked In, or any other Social media platform that you choose to brand your business on.
LEARN WHERE TO OPTIMIZE YOUR PINTEREST ACCOUNT
So You Are Attracting Your Ideal Clients & Customers!
Another well used and loved tool is Leadpages. I use it to build sales funnels and create beautiful branded images ( it also is easily integrated with many other apps and software)
In keeping with the branded theme of your business, make sure that it carries over in to your other marketing efforts, like email marketing.
You can easily set up custom email templates that match your branding color palette and use the branded images that you have created across all of your social media platforms ( just make sure to use the appropriate sized image for each platform)
So to Sum it all up … Once you have decided on your Niche & Focus , It is time to Brand Yo’self!
Choose 2-4 Complimentary Colors
Use Clear Images that stand out
Find 2-3 Complimentary Fonts
Create Content
An additional thing to consider is having your brand or website name on all photos to watermark them. You WANT people to know who you are and how to find you!Â
If you would like to know more about Branding and How To Use Pinterest To Grow Your Business , you will definitely want to check out Pinning For Profit.
Leave me a comment below and tell me What aspect of your Blog or Business are you struggling with?
If you have been looking for a way to make some money on the side from home or even looking to eventually replace your full time income,you can start to make money On Pinterest in One Hour Per day.
You can combine Pinterest with a number of creative ways to make money online and drive targeted traffic to your website. I have many people that use these strategies to drive Traffic to their Etsy & Shopify Stores. Pinterest is actually REALLY high converting for these 2.
I am being 100% real in telling you that if you commit to at least an hour per day to make affiliate pins for Pinterest , then you can start building the foundation for a very lucrative , passive income source.
When I first found out that I could make pins and make money, I thought it was too good to be true but I quickly found out that if done correctly, Pinterest Affiliate marketing could quickly turn in to a passive income stream that was basically running on auto-pilot! I have some Ugly pins that I made when I first started that are STILL earning me money daily! #viralpin
How To Start Affiliate Marketing On Pinterest?
Find some good affiliate networks to work with and choose a niche to start promoting.
Easily Create Pins In Pic Monkey, Canva or Easil and use Tailwind ( get a FREE month! ) to schedule out and automate your pinning. There is even a smart loop feature that will pin your most popular content at the best times resulting in even more steady website traffic.
Starting a business is one of the scariest things you’ll ever do. However, along with taking that leap, you get the opportunity to create financial freedom for yourself, become wealthy, make a big impact on the world in a way that you know only you can, and so much more.
More and more people are feeling empowered and creating plans to start their own business daily. However, there are some very important things to remember when starting a business. You probably have a good idea of some of them, but you really shouldn’t forget the three important things in this post. Creating a business plan is pretty straightforward, and most people know they have to do that. Taking care of the legal aspects is also a given. What else do you need to remember that might not immediately come to mind?
Read on for the three most important things to remember when starting a business:
Focus On Your Market, Not The Product
Many entrepreneurs and business owners tend to start their business by focusing on the product. They spend ages perfecting it, making sure it’s just right before it goes to market. That’s all well and good – but if you’re not focusing on the market, how can you be sure that you have the product just right? You might think that it’s perfect, but what about everybody else?
The most important thing you’ll do when starting your business is focus on the market, and not the product. The market will help you to hone and define your product. People need to tell you what they want, and you need to listen. You can’t try to tell them what they want and hope for the best! Do market research and as find out as much as you can.
Always Overestimate Your Costs
Having finances in place to get started and keep you going when you’re just starting out or when times get hard is imperative. You need to be prepared for emergencies. If you have a quiet month and you have staff to pay, or you have equipment to repair, or something crucial to purchase, how will you do that? Carefully doing the math so you know your numbers off by heart is all you can do. You can use resources like https://www.smallbusinessloans.co/ to obtain loans, but you still need to know your numbers. They should be in your business plan – just make sure that when overestimating, you make it clear as to what you’re doing and why. You don’t want your numbers to look sloppy.
Sometimes You’ll Need To Let Go
It can be hard to let go as a business owner. After all, this is likely your baby! That being said, having flexibility and a plan B is all part of being an entrepreneur. You need to know when it’s the right time to let go, change plans, and veer off course a little. Sometimes it makes sense. Being too rigid won’t do you any favors.
Have you ever wondered why some online business’s fail miserably while others succeed? I can tell you 2 Reasons Why Your Blog Or Business Is Failing And What To Do About It.
Most Blogs and Online Business’s Fail For 2 Main Reasons …
#1 – Lacking Actionable Strategies
I know when I first got started I was so overwhelmed with the amount of contradicting information out there and trying to learn on my own what worked and what didn’t. If I knew then what I know now, I would have invested in myself and a mentor right from the beginning!
It is much easier to grow your business when you follow in the footsteps of someone who has already been successful. Within days of implementing the strategies I learned from 20K in 20 Days, I started seeing massive growth. I also participated in a series of Webinars Kat did and then signed up for her Inner Circle! My Pinterest account grew by over 2ook monthly visitors in only a few days ( now reaching over half a million monthly viewers! ) , my sales increased and my Instagram account started to receive way more enagement! If you look to the right you will see some of my pins and how many times they have been repinned!
I have also invested in continuing to grow my knowledge and learn some other strategies as well. Some other resources I recommend are:
One of the biggest problems I see is people not being consistent in their efforts. I often see people posting like crazy for a few days and then you don’t see anything from them again for 2 weeks. I was one of those people! (gasp!)
It can be really overwhelming! That is where a mentor comes in , they can really help you gain clarity and get rid of all the overwhelm.
Being consistent & offering value will help you build relationships and most platforms will favor those who are posting consistently, meaning that your content will get in front of more people.
Simply having great time saving tools that help you automate your business will also help with consistency. Here are some that I use myself!
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