Business.com

---

• Magic Words and Colors to Elevate Your Marketing in 2021
• The Top 5 Challenges Small Businesses Encounter Using CRM Software
• The Legalities and Benefits of Employee Cellphone Monitoring

Magic Words and Colors to Elevate Your Marketing in 2021 Posted: 13 Jan 2021 02:22 PM PST Do you know who David Copperfield, David Blaine, Penn & Teller, and Lance Burton are? They are all world-famous magicians – sleight of hand, illusion, card tricks, etc. They often use magic words, "abracadabra" being the most famous among them.   Do you realize that, as business owners and marketers, you have your own magic words?  Pulling a prospect or repeat client toward your marketing campaign is easier when you use language that the brain and eyes both instantly understand. By using these words, you are not tricking people into seeing one thing and believing another; you are just tempting them to use your product. When you incorporate these five magic words or phrases into your copy, your sales might just grow like a beanstalk. The 5 magic words 'Free' Who doesn't love "free" everything? The word "free" in an offer is brain candy to buyers, whether it's grocery store samples, every fourth tire or every eighth window they buy. If you can afford the giveaway, and it is appropriate for what you ultimately want to sell the prospect or client, go for it. 'No obligation' When you use the phrase "no obligation" in an offer, you are telling your prospect, "I expect nothing from you in return." Some believe it, while others might be skeptical. But for those who engage with your call to action, you must have a strategy for the next steps that does not involve their commitment, even if you're giving them something free just for listening to your pitch or attending your presentation. The strength of your product or service should be enough for them to want to move forward.  'Details inside' or 'see inside' Stoke a little curiosity in your product or service. Multi-page postcards aren't a thing, so this idea works best on landing pages when you can easily direct your prospect to exactly what you want them to read or see. If you prefer direct mail marketing, though, you can still tempt the prospect by crafting the postcard with the right language, visuals, and promise to cure them of the pain point they didn't know they had – but are now curious to learn more about. 'Limited time' You can use this phrase to target segments of your audience that have been slower to respond in the past, or if you're offering a discount on a product or service, and you can't afford to lose money on whatever it is for, say, an entire year. Put a deadline on a sale or promotion, make it concrete, and stand your ground. But monitor the results: Do you need to extend (or shorten) the deadline the next time you try the promo? If one more week of the special gets you four more clients, does that work with your expected ROI for the campaign?  'Announcing,' 'at last' or 'just released' The implication of these phrases is that your prospect or client is on the front end of something no one else knew before you just told them.  Exclusivity and the chance to be on the leading edge of an opportunity, trend, or even knowledge plays well with consumers and can boost your response rate. You can find plenty of tips about direct response campaigns and postcard marketing across the web, but getting prospects and clients to buy your product or service doesn't require a tuxedo or wand – and it doesn't in any way imply using trickery to get sales. Because the words you use have influence, it only makes sense to use the best, most impactful, and most magnetic words you can. Did I mention that colors also have an impact on response rates and the success of a direct marketing campaign? Magic colors If you had to guess, how many colors would you say there are? I was extremely curious about that, so I did what everyone does: I Googled it. There are actually 18 decillion colors. I have zero idea what a decillion is (I should Google that too!), but I know it has to be a lot.  The art world has moved way beyond the giant Crayola 64 I used to make my masterpieces. You can get away with using just one or two colors – think black letters on a white background. But if you want the design to pop, convey creativity, and pull the reader into your offering, you must make it visually interesting for them. Robert Bly, a giant in this industry, has definite opinions on the colors below: Black: Powerful and sleek; seen as luxurious and sophisticated. Green: Associated with wealth; the easiest color for the eye to process. Used with finance or entertainment companies, as well as for eco-friendly products. Yellow: Optimistic and youthful; often used to grab a viewer's attention. Purple: Soothing and calm (think lavender baby wash or lotion); often relates to beauty or anti-aging products and services. Blue: Creates the sensation of trust and security; often used by banks and businesses. Pink: Romantic and feminine; often used to market products and services for women and young girls. Red: Energy; increases heart rate and creates a sense of urgency. Orange: Aggressiveness; used as a call to action and attention-grabber. Do you agree with his opinions? Do you have a specific feeling about what each of those colors is said to represent? Have you noticed them, either consciously or subconsciously, in the mailings you receive every day? Are you using any of these colors – alone or in combination – in your marketing campaigns today? There are certainly many more colors that you can take advantage of when you're putting together a direct response campaign. Whether you want to match the colors to your logo, the season (e.g., autumnal colors to promote your annual fall giveaway), or your product, color is a powerful tool to tie everything together. It helps the reader make an immediate connection to what you're trying to tell them, pushing them to read more and receive the messages their brain is trying to pass along. How can anyone ignore "CLOSEOUT SALE!" in big, bold letters? The reader will instantly have questions: "A closeout sale for what? When is it? How long will it last? Tell me more."  You have to consider a host of things in marketing: the size, the copy or wording, whether to use pictures or not, etc. Many people take the colors they use for granted, sometimes thinking of them only after the fact. Don't do that.  Much the same way people associate colors with specific memories (such as the colors of their wedding bouquet), seasons (such as burnt oranges and burgundies for fall), or feelings (such as green for envy), the colors you use in your marketing will become an unconscious association with your company. That is what using the right colors and words can do – associate you and your business or opportunity distinctly, powerfully, and positively in the minds of your audience.

The Top 5 Challenges Small Businesses Encounter Using CRM Software Posted: 13 Jan 2021 09:00 AM PST The competitive business world is driven by tech-savvy customers today. Their increased demand for personalized services has made it more difficult for small businesses to deliver their most satisfactory service as quickly as possible. Small companies have to make every effort to achieve this feat because these customers are the lifeblood, and without them, they cannot sustain and thrive in the business world. This gives birth to a need for a powerful tool to streamline their workflows, organizational processes and handle customers. That's when CRM (customer relationship management) software comes into play. Why do small businesses need CRM software? Small business owners (and their staff) sometimes feel at a loss due to their limited time and resources. Thus, they must lean on modern technology to gain a competitive edge over others and build strong relationships with their customers. Customer management software can perform various tasks, such as organizing contacts, fostering customer engagement, managing leads, keeping a record of customers' information, and so on.  In addition, CRMs can be tailored for any small business. From e-commerce to transport services to online education, even one industry that may not benefit from the integration of a CRM solution is difficult to consider. Customer-oriented small businesses can benefit from a CRM to store, manage and organize information. Many business owners think that CRM software is not a useful tool, and without it, they can run their business smoothly and efficiently. Also, there are not interested in facing head-on the challenges related to implementing a CRM solution. Below are five challenges small businesses encounter when implementing and using a CRM. I also offer solutions that can help small companies overcome each challenge. Challenge No. 1: Persuading your people to change In your organization, you have built teams. Some staff members may be resistant to adapting to the new tool. While some people will welcome innovation and change, others will resist. CRM software can break down silos in your organization. However, the notion of using it for marketing, sales and customer service can lead to disruption in your teams and departments. Solution: When you integrate CRM into your existing business workflow, not everyone is ready for the change. You have to steadily introduce the CRM software and conduct training to familiarize staff with the software. In the beginning, there might be some problems using the software. Once your team gets accustomed to it, functions become easy to perform and execute, and the output is increased productivity. Challenge No. 2: Not selecting the right system You have purchased CRM software for your small business. You also have integrated it into your existing business operations. After using the CRM solution for a while, you find that it's not an excellent match for your business. This is one of the hardest to solve as far as challenges go, because you don't want to waste time and money replacing it. At the same time, the system is not giving the results you have anticipated. Solution: The real solution here is don't rush. Think about which CRM software best suits your business requirements. What are the main processes now, and how will the CRM take them over? Consider what information the system can manage and who, such as the sales and marketing, and customer care departments, will need to access it. Challenge No. 3: Complicating the sales process CRM software is designed to help your sales team manage relationships with multiple customers while building a database of information on potential leads. Today, new features are embedded in customer management software to streamline and optimize the business process. These new features are added not for salespeople, but for their managers. Some CRM software may not offer the simplicity salespeople need now. Solution: To tackle this challenge, you need to embrace CRM software built according to your business's workflow and operation. You will want to focus on lead management and the sales pipeline to ensure that your teams don't miss a lead. The CRM software for small businesses will help you and your team keep track of every lead, set the priority of leads, and manage other things. Further, you can delegate leads to other team members so that the workload is appropriately shared. Challenge No. 4: Data security The data gathered about your customers' preferences and behaviors are the most valuable assets you have. Based on this data, you can modify your marketing strategies and business workflows. If this data becomes compromised, you could suffer reputational and financial damages. Because of this reason, many people prefer to store their data on a local server rather than the cloud. Solution: You have to make sure that your selected CRM software provides you with the utmost security. There should no data leakage while importing or exporting information. The CRM tool should map data correctly with the assigned field. Moreover, you can control the access permission of each user to prevent unauthorized access. Challenge No. 5: Scalability At present, your business might be small, but as you expand into new markets, you invest more in sales and marketing activities to increase revenue. Salespeople will start stepping out of their comfort zones and asking questions on how to solve their issues now. Also, other teams will have issues that affect your revenue generation and growth. This means as your business requirements increase, you need a lot more from the CRM framework. Solution:  Here, you have to look for CRM software that is scalable. The system should provide you with all the necessary features and support you and your team to manage leads, deals, prospects, and sales and marketing activities.

The Legalities and Benefits of Employee Cellphone Monitoring Posted: 13 Jan 2021 05:00 AM PST Although it can be a controversial decision, monitoring employee activity has become common practice for small businesses. Using employee monitoring software to track how employees are using company-owned devices (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, cellphones) can boost company security, increase employee productivity and provide extra legal protection. However, implementing a proper employee monitoring system takes careful consideration. If you are considering using this type of software, it is important to know your legal rights regarding monitoring employee activity (primarily employee cellphone usage) and how it can benefit your organization. Is employee monitoring software legal? Yes, it is legal for businesses to use employee monitoring software. On company property like work laptops and cellphones, employees should expect little to no privacy for their user activity. However, this doesn't mean you can secretly monitor anything your team does; some states have guidelines about monitoring employees and limitations on what information employers can gather. For example, some states, such as Connecticut, require you to tell employees before monitoring them. Even if you have the legal go-ahead to monitor your employees, it doesn't necessarily mean you should. Companies should only monitor employees for legitimate business reasons, and poor implementation of a workforce monitoring policy can result in a team of disgruntled or concerned employees or, worse, litigation.   Editor's note: Looking for the right employee monitoring software for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.   What can you legally monitor on an employee's cellphone? According to Michael Trust, human resources leader and certified mediator at Michael Trust Consulting, if an employer provides an employee with a smartphone, any data created, used or accessed on that device is owned by the employer. This can include phone calls, voicemails, text messages, instant messages (e.g., WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger), emails, GPS locations, photos and web browsing history. "The company owns the phone and the data and can review any and all of it at any time, and for any reason," Trust told business.com. Even though you may have legal rights to the data on your company cellphones, you still need to take legal precautions by creating a clear and comprehensive monitoring policy that discloses what information you are collecting and how you are using it. This written policy should be signed by each employee who will be monitored. "If the business does not have a policy like that, or has one and never enforces it, then employees may have some reasonable expectation of privacy in personal information on the phone or use of the phone," said David Miller, labor and employment attorney at Bryant Miller Olive. "If the company accesses private information, particularly information a reasonable person would expect to be confidential, it could be vulnerable to a lawsuit." Miller added that public sector employers face the added restrictions of the Fourth Amendment prohibition of unreasonable searches. Establishing a clear policy that removes the expectation of privacy is key to legally tracking employee cellphones. Personal cellphones for business use Be wary of employees who want to use their personal devices for business, because this brings a whole different set of monitoring issues. Trust listed five common issues associated with employees using their own cellphones: It can be difficult to get company data off a personal phone. The employee might not allow you to review the phone's contents. You have far less control over what they are doing on the phone, particularly with sensitive data or any illegal acts. You have no idea what they may be accessing on the phone unless your systems log it on the server side. In some states, you may have to reimburse the employee for the business use of their personal cellphone. "There is software that can be installed on a personal cellphone to segregate personal and business files, and the company would retain the ability to wipe the business side and to see what was occurring," Trust said. "That's the hybrid solution, but it still may require, depending on [the] jurisdiction, reimbursement for usage overall." Why should you monitor employee cellphone usage? Monitoring how employees use their company-issued cellphones can be very beneficial to your business. For starters, cellphones are more portable than computers and typically offer more insight into an employee's behavior (especially regarding conversations and location). Though the benefits you gain from tracking employees will depend on the employee monitoring solutions and policies you implement, we've identified some of the most common benefits. Illegal activity. If an employee is using their mobile device for illicit activities (e.g., theft, gambling, pornography, drug dealing, harassment), you can quickly identify it and follow through with the appropriate disciplinary and/or legal actions. Data security. It is essential for businesses to secure digital assets like company data and trade secrets. Monitoring employee cellphones can show you if or how an employee is inappropriately sharing information. Additionally, you can see if they access malicious content like malware, whether intentional or unintentional. Employee location. Most cellphones have GPS tracking capabilities, so you can use monitoring software to track and verify employees' locations. This is especially useful for employees who work in various locations.  Employee productivity. You can track employee productivity through their cellphone usage. For example, Trust said a business could verify that an employee met their quota for number of sales or customer service calls.  App and data usage. You may want to see if employees are using their company-issued phones for nonbusiness purposes. If an employee is making lengthy personal calls or using a significant amount of data for personal reasons, it can cost your business a lot of money.  Legal compliance and protection. Companies in highly regulated industries, like healthcare and financial services, can certify that employees' mobile device usage adheres to legal guidelines. If an accident happens, or an employee or customer seeks litigation, you can use the employee cellphone data as legal protection for your business.  Company reputation. In some circumstances, Miller said, the phone is identifiable to others as associated with the company. "In that case, the employee-user may be reasonably perceived by others as a representative of the company, and her conduct on the phone or other use of the phone may reflect on the company." Which solutions are available for employee cellphone monitoring? There are multiple ways to monitor employees' cellphone usage. For example, you can perform manual monitoring by checking phone records and mobile phone bills, or you can install a tracking app on each device. You will likely need to create a hybrid solution to best support your reason for monitoring. After speaking with experts, we determined a general process for implementing an employee cellphone monitoring program.  1. Establish what type of monitoring you will implement. As previously mentioned, there are several ways to track how employees use their company-owned mobile devices. You first need to identify your reasons for monitoring (e.g., security, productivity, legal compliance) and then look for a solution that provides those benefits. For example, cellphone monitoring software like InterGuard and Cocospy is available for iOS and Android devices, and other software is available to block specific applications. 2. Create a written policy, disclose it to employees, and get their signatures. Always err on the side of caution when determining a monitoring solution. However, once you have decided on a solution, create a written policy on company communications devices, and discuss it with your employees. The policy should clearly outline limitations on usage, what is being monitored, and any disciplinary actions for noncompliance.    "The policy should also state that the employee has no expectation of privacy regarding any use of the equipment or anything stored on it and that the equipment is subject to examination by the company on demand," Miller said. "A policy like this, clearly communicated, eliminates any argument an employee might have that his privacy was invaded if and when the company looks through the phone or monitors its use." Review the policy with your employees, and have them sign a statement agreeing to the terms.  3. Monitor and enforce your policy. Once you start monitoring your employees, provide periodic training to keep them up to date on your guidelines and expectations. Inform your team of any new surveillance features, and enforce the monitoring policies uniformly across your organization. "Any illegal activity found by the software can be used for disciplinary action (perhaps even termination) in accordance with your organization's policies and procedures," Trust said.

You are subscribed to email updates from Business.com. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States