Home Biz Money-Making Trends for 2015

By a Distinguished Panel of Home-Based Business Experts

Paying close attention to money-making trends in home-based business practices can help get your home business off to a great start in 2015.

This story spotlights the latest trends that will impact the world of home business in 2015. Discover progressive techniques, shared by a panel of experts, to successfully start up a new home business or grow an existing home business.

The money-making trends in home-based business practices mentioned fall under several categories: Business Development, Marketing, Publicity, Bartering, Social Media, and Online Presence/Website. The money-making ideas and insights shared by these home business experts in these categories can help grow your business in 2015.

TRENDS IN HOME-BASED BUSINESS PRACTICES

Business Development

3 Goals for Small Businesses to Tackle in 2015 — With the Help of the Cloud

By: Margaret Lyons

Ways to improve a small business are numerous, but there are three hot topics that small businesses would do well to focus on in 2015: increasing employee quality; reducing costs by implementing a BYOD (bring your own device) program; and enlisting the expertise of existing clients for community forums. With the help of the current trend— the cloud — all of these business development matters are easily solvable for 2015 in a quick and cost-effective manner.

Hire Quality Employees

2015 is the ideal time for small businesses to step back and evaluate their needs, then take steps to hire the best employees for their organization. Where in the past, companies had to rely on intuition and resumes to select the employees that best fit their companies, today the cloud takes the candidate selection process to the next level. Today, with cloud apps such as the Cangrade hiring platform, you can turn hiring into a competitive advantage. The Cangrade team spent years researching employees, studies, and their own users in order to create a system that allows businesses to evaluate job applicants and narrow down the entries to those that are the best fit for the team.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Recently, many small businesses have begun implementing a BYOD policy, which reduces the company’s cost of purchasing and maintaining devices. And on top of all this, the cloud can help make the transition to BYOD even more affordable.

In the past, all employees had to work on the same kind of desktop computer, running the same hardware and software, and could only get work done at the desk where this desktop computer was. With the cloud, what device an employee uses is no longer relevant to the task at hand. Cloud apps work on any device with a browser and an Internet connection, opening a world of possibilities enabling users to work on the devices that they are most comfortable with. With employees bringing their own devices, small businesses cut costs of purchasing and maintaining computer equipment, and employee productivity and satisfaction increase, creating a win-win situation. With the cloud and BYOD, company costs are reduced while employee satisfaction grows.

Let Your Customers Help You

Whether you’re selling a product or a service, sales are going to heavily depend on what your customers think about you. The cloud has provided your customers with an effortless way to let their thoughts be known, as well as help others both buy and use your product. With the cloud, customer communities have sprouted online, giving both prospects and customers a platform to exchange thoughts. One such cloud app is Qhub. Its solutions allow companies to create community hubs in which questions are answered by a company’s experts: its customers.

In 2015, small businesses have the opportunity to focus on their business in new ways. By putting the cloud to work for them, small businesses can gain advantages over their competitors and watch their business grow, making 2015 an exemplary year.

For more information, visit InfoStreet, Inc., “Your Cloud App Provider,” at www.InfoStreet.com.

 

Marketing

Marketing Your Business in 2015

By Mark Satterfield

Here are five useful and easy trends in marketing your business in 2015. These can help any small business owner — with any budget — eliminate the need to chase after clients while growing business and increasing revenue.

Step One: Determine a Target Niche Market

No matter how versatile your company or product, focused marketing is key. Identify one core group, and then develop language, materials, and messaging to target that particular market. Start by evaluating previous clients — are they real estate agents, educators, financial advisors, etc.? Choose one group and keep them in mind for each step. Perhaps there’s opportunity to eventually expand marketing goals to reach multiple different markets, but begin with just one market.

Step Two: Create a Compelling Free Offer

A free offer or incentive is an incredibly productive way to engage the previously identified key market, and creating this offer is usually quite easy. In fact, many business owners already have something to offer potential clients without even realizing it — a free report, an exclusive video, a workbook, etc. — and the offer can be pulled together in less than a day.

Step Three: Develop a Landing Page

A simple, one-page website is just the thing business owners need to promote free offers and capture contact information. The Internet has vastly changed in the last decade and almost any business owner can easily create a landing page, with the help of a few resources such as WordPress, GoDaddy, and Mailchimp. Or, if you already have a website, simply create a new page within it.

Step Four: Market to a Growing Email List

As people sign up for the free offer, they become part of a master email list that should be regularly marketed to and contacted. It’s simple to send out automatic and consistent messages (through services such as Mailchimp, mentioned above) to a growing list, with the goal of eventually converting a contact into a client. What’s more, the email list is receiving valuable information through these messages, so it remains a mutually beneficial relationship.

Step Five: Drive Traffic to the Landing Page

Through basic advertising on sites such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Bing, and others, even the smallest budget (less than $100) can drive traffic to a newly created landing page or website to increase views and grow that contact list. By incorporating simple SEO (search engine optimization) in the upcoming year, social media marketing, video marketing, joint ventures (partnering with like-minded companies and individuals), advertising, and marketing can be amplified. What’s more, if there’s a higher budget, nearly all of the activities in step five can be outsourced through services such as elance.com, guru.com, and fiverr.com.

Mark Satterfield is the author of several books, including The One Week Marketing Plan: The Set It & Forget It Approach for Quickly Growing Your Business (BenBella Books). He is the founder and CEO of Gentle Rain Marketing, Inc. For the past 20 years, he’s advised entrepreneurs, consultants, advisors, and business owners. Visit www.gentlerainmarketing.com.

Publicity

New Public Relations Strategies to Get Noticed in 2015

By Nancy Gerstein

Current trends in public relations (PR) efforts are effective and cost-efficient for any company’s marketing plan in 2015. Good PR is effective because it creates a personalized identity for your company, telling your story and demonstrating your expertise to potential customers. It’s also cost-efficient because online media is constantly looking for fresh, free content. Businesses that promote themselves in 2015 through well-written press releases and articles can quickly raise their online profile by posting their releases on local newspaper sites, free PR sites, and other platforms.

What kinds of stories create great PR?

• Major product launches will draw the attention of buyers in trade publications, provided they bring something truly innovative to the market. Press releases should highlight the product elements that really stand out, concisely explaining why this innovation is worth their interest.
• Local promotional events will bring in customers from the neighborhood. Can you offer an educational workshop, or a wine-and-cheese reception to unveil a new product line? Creative events will bring some new faces through the door, and promoting your event through low-cost PR will make your name familiar even to people who don’t come to the event.
• Involvement in local charities builds a positive image of community involvement that will reap benefits down the road.

Once you start generating PR material, put your social media machine to work.

• Keep your press releases and articles on your customers’ awareness radar by repurposing the message, posting to all your social media sites.
• Make sure your approach is customer-centered to keep your content appealing, not off-putting. The message should be consistent with what you’re selling, and who may be reading the post.
• Consider the preferred social media platforms of potential customers, the nature and frequency of content, and strategies for responding to comments from outsiders. It should also go without saying that your website should also be professional, user-friendly, and frequently updated.

These PR approaches are just part of a comprehensive marketing plan that any small business should consider in 2015. It’s an investment that can make your small business stand out of the crowd, attract new customers, and enhance existing relationships in 2015.

Nancy Gerstein is the CEO of Creative Marketing Associates in Northfield, Illinois. She encourages clients to take a good look in the mirror when approaching PR. Visit www.cmacreative.com.

Bartering

Bartering Offers Ways to Save Cash in 2015

By Andy Roe, General Manager, SurePayroll

One trend that small businesses will be following to mitigate a lack of cash flow in 2015 is bartering. There are two main ways to barter.

Online Exchanges

Like most things, the concept of bartering has been automated and expanded on the Internet. Online exchanges like the International Barter Exchange and ITEX allow you to trade goods and services for virtual currency that you can use to purchase other goods and services. This includes everything from office furniture to advertising to vacations.

Bartering saves cash. Rather than spending actual dollars on a marketing campaign, maybe you’re trading in your towing services or your bakery goods or whatever it is you happen to make. The exchanges also provide a way to market your services. You’re sharing what you do with a network of hundreds or thousands of local and national businesses.

Old Fashioned Bartering

Of course, bartering also happens on a person-to-person basis. The barber gives haircuts to the candy shop owner for lollipops to give out to customers, to put it simplistically. Some may prefer this approach because it allows you to get to know the person/business you’re bartering with, as well as build relationships in the local community.

Andy Roe is the General Manager of SurePayroll, Inc., a Paychex Company, which compiles data from small businesses nationwide through its Small Business Scorecard optimism survey, and exclusively reflects the trends affecting the nation’s “micro businesses” — those with1-10 employees. You can follow Andy on Twitter @AndrewSRoe.

 

Social Media

Learn Social Media Etiquette for 2015

By Margaret Page

With so many companies supporting BYOD, it’s more important than ever that a clear social media policy is in place for employees. Your employees are representatives of your brand, and in business, perception is everything. To protect yourself from the embarrassment of a social media faux pas, create a policy that clearly states what you expect from your employees when it comes to social media use. Set clear boundaries, especially for those who are part of your brand building process. Social media etiquette is a trend to keep in mind in 2015 to ensure your social media efforts are most profitable. Observe the following rules.

• Be professional. On Twitter, don’t be the egg; post a professional photo of yourself on your profile. This holds true on all social media sites. Your social media profiles are the equivalent of your business card, so be sure you keep it updated as your professional information changes. Always keep your basic contact information updated, and link to your other professional profiles.

• Introduce yourself. Post interesting, value-added content on your social media accounts to showcase your professional expertise. This is especially true with LinkedIn; when you update your status with useful information, you’re building trust among your network — opening doors for introductions to new connections.

• Be authentic. One of the biggest mistakes people make when connecting on LinkedIn or Facebook is not personalizing the message in the invitation. Swap out the default message with something like “George. I really enjoy your blog at xblog.com. The leadership content you share is so valuable. I’d like to add you to my professional network and get to know more about your business.” This will let the recipient know how you found them and why you want to connect. In turn, they will know that you aren’t connecting for the sake of just adding to their numbers.

• Listen. If you’re not taking time to listen and engage with influential people (the ones you are hoping to connect with), you’re missing an opportunity. Choose a handful of key people you want to build a business relationship with, read what they are posting, and where there is an opportunity for you to add value — jump in!

Margaret Page is a recognized etiquette expert, speaker and coach, who helps people and organizations be more professional. She is the author of The Power of Polite, Blueprint for Success and Cognito Cards — Wisdom for Dining & Social Etiquette. She is the founder and CEO of Etiquette Page Enterprises. Visit http://etiquettepage.com/ or call 604-880-8002.

Online Presence/Website

Upgrade Your Website’s Call to Action in 2015

By Terri Seymour

A call to action is a button, graphic or text message in place to motivate your visitor to complete the desired goal — the goal being signing up, subscribing, purchasing, etc. The better your call to action, the higher your conversion rate.
Here are some examples of calls to action: Subscribe Here; Order Now; Try Our Free Demo; Sign Up Here; Call Now.

Below are ten ways you can follow the trend of optimizing your call to action, beef up your response, and increase your conversion rate in 2015.

1. Make It Simple – Your call to action should be clear, concise, and not cluttered or overloaded with distractions.

2. Test and Test Again – Always test your call to action button for maximum efficiency. Test other components such as color, design, and location.

3. Color – Determine which emotions you need to encourage in your visitors, and use the appropriate colors. Red is a color of passion and energy. Blue is a color that brings out feelings of trust and integrity. The color green indicates prosperity and strength

4. Location – Make sure your call to action button is visible immediately. You also want your button on every page of your site and in multiple locations on each page.

5. Design – You want your call to action design to be visually attractive and appealing to the eye. Color, text, shape, size, and content all have an impact on the button’s effectiveness.

6. Make Me an Offer I Can’t Refuse! – Make sure you give visitors a good reason with low risk to respond to your call to action. For example: “Pay Nothing to Get Started” or “30 Day Free Trial.”

7.  Sense of Urgency – Creating a sense of urgency or time clock for your offer can give people the little boost they need to take action. “Only 10 Free Trials Available” or “Free to Get Started for a Limited Time.”

8. Use Testimonials – Sprinkle short but effective customer testimonials into your call to action.

9. Add a Bonus – Add a discount or free gift if the person completes the call to action.

10. Social Sharing – Encourage people to share your offer with others. Make it easy for them by adding a share button to your call to action.

By using the above tactics and optimizing your call to action in 2015, you will motivate people to respond and your conversion rate could substantially increase.

Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com.

 

The Secret to Female Entrepreneurs’ Success in 2015

By David L. Brown, Chairman, CEO and President of Web.com

Web.com, an Internet marketing solutions company that caters to small businesses, teamed up with the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) to identify the keys to starting a successful small business. The results combined insight from more than 600 women business owners (WBOs) from around the nation.

Optimism is essential. Nearly nine out of 10 WBOs were optimistic about their business’ economic outlook in 2014, a 12 percent increase over 2013. They were also more positive about their business succeeding this year than the last (74 percent), as well as the prospects for their business. A vast majority of WBOs (92 percent) also predicted that more women would start their own business in 2014 – an eight percentage point jump over 2013.

Passion prevails. According to the WBOs surveyed, the top three traits a woman needed to successfully run her own business were:

1. Passion for the business idea
2. Willingness to fail before she succeeds
3. Long-term vision for the business

Online marketing investments are rising.

Overall, WBOs recognized the importance of the web, mobile, and social media to engage, capture, and nurture customer relationships, and they were increasing investments in these resources to drive growth. In 2015, women who prioritize the web and social media in their marketing mix – or find a partner to help them gain this expertise – will reap the benefits of increased customer engagement and satisfaction, and, in turn, keep them optimistic! HBM

Web.com is an Internet marketing solutions company that caters to small businesses. For more information, visit http://www.web.com.

Use a Virtual Assistant

2015 Trend in Administrative Support

By OnDemandVA.com

Many kinds of industries and businesses can benefit in 2015 from the services offered by a virtual assistant. Compared to a full-time employee, a virtual assistant is:

• Less expensive and can assist your business with basic administrative support needed for your office or with specialized tasks such as marketing, and webpage design.

• Reliable, hardworking, and skilled in the use of computers, data entry, scanning, word processing, scheduling, phone answering, tax preparation, and bookkeeping.

• Paid by the hours she works at the time you need her or per job done. There are no expenses for a salary or for benefits such as holiday pay and taxes, and you don’t need an office space because the virtual assistant works in her own office and is using her own equipment in her office.

• An affordable solution for the owner of a small business who needs administrative support but cannot afford to hire an employee on salary.

OnDemandVA.com is a leader in providing Virtual Assistant Services to busy professionals and SMB. Visit www.ondemandva.com, Skype  ondemandva, or email Sales@ondemandva.com.

Additional resource: http://www.virtualassistants.com, or email support@virtualassistants.com. “Your Virtual Office Staff.”

GO AFTER 2015’S MONEY-MAKING TRENDS

2015 is the year to pay close attention to the current money-making trends that will impact the world of home business, as suggested by the panel of home business experts in this article. Take the ideas and insights of these experts, implement them in your business practices, and achieve success in starting up or growing your home business in 2015. More information on money-making home business trends can be found at www.homebusinessmag.com. HBM

The post Home Biz Money-Making Trends for 2015 appeared first on Home Business Magazine.