For local businesses, both radio advertising and flyer advertising are heavily used methods of marketing but which of these is the most effective for small businesses? Is there an answer or does it depend solely on the nature of the business and the products or services which they offer. We thought we’d take a look at how radio advertising fares up against flyer advertising and which should be the first method to turn to for local businesses.
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Radio Advertising vs Flyer Advertising – Which Works?
How You Can Make a Great Second Income Renting Out Your Property
If you’ve got a property you’re not using sitting around somewhere, you’re probably losing a lot of money maintaining it if no one’s living there. This is why it’s a great idea to rent. Renting to a tenant nullifies these maintenance losses, since you’ll have a steady source of income that can make up for what you’re spending on upkeep. But that’s not the end of it – you can successfully make quite a bit of money renting, as well. You just need to play your cards right. Here are a few tips put together alongside our friends at Smart Landlord Insurance for people looking to rent out a property and make a great second income doing so.
Renovate & Upgrade
Yes, renovations cost money. But then again, so do rent payments, and you want to command the highest prices you can – this is the easiest way to make the kind of money you want. The only way to “beat” the market and secure the ability to set your rent terms wherever you want is to make your property more desirable than any others in the vicinity. Upgrading the kitchen and bathrooms is a great way to do this. It costs a lot up front, but if you plan this out over several years before a move you know you’ll make or in preparation to enter the rental market as a serious pursuit, you can do yourself quite a bit of good and end up with a formidable home that everyone wants. Once you do that, you can set your prices anywhere that’s reasonable, and the cash will roll in after that.
Stay Involved
Being an involved landlord is always a good thing. It’s obviously not okay to interrogate your tenant every single day about the property, but checking in once or twice a month to make sure everything is running smoothly and inquire about any repairs that might have to be ordered is good business, and makes future rentals easier to secure. Remember – the better your reputation as a landlord, the easier it will be to find future tenants, and the more those tenants will be willing to pay.
To recap, you’ve got to make your property nice, and manage it nicely. This way, you’ll be able to set your prices as you wish, and collect the payments every month, securing a solid second income to enjoy!
Looking To Start Using Microsoft Lync?
When it comes to communications within your business, one thing which you should be utilising if you’re not currently doing so is VoIP (Voice over IP). In using VoIP, you can significantly cut communications costs within your business and have the ability to scale up and down telecommunications systems as and when you need to do so. It’s a technology which we would always suggest is run using Microsoft Lync and one which can significantly reduce costs associated with both calls and upscaling (and downscaling) phone and communications systems.
Microsoft Lync can very quickly, easily and efficiently bring businesses scalable communications systems which use the companies internet connection as opposed to using dedicated phone lines. As such, if you’re running a business in which hundreds or thousands of calls are made each day; it goes without question that VoIP should be used. Of course, this isn’t the only application for the likes of Microsoft Lync, however, and most uses and installations are in medium sized businesses where a cost saving is necessary as well as the ability to expand systems at very short notice.
Due to the way Lync works; a company can almost instantly add new ‘numbers’ to their phone system, allowing local numbers to be created to give the impression that a company has an office in that area, even if it doesn’t. VoIP (and Lync) can give the perception that a business is much bigger (at least in terms of geographic spread) than it really is with the added benefit that it can help save call costs due to using the main internet connection to make calls as opposed to a standard phone tariff.
VoIP and Lync really are technologies which businesses should be using if they’re not already and it’s well worth jumping on board with them sooner rather than later if at all possible. At the end of the day, who doesn’t want to save money on phone call and communication costs as well as being able to expand their systems in almost an instant? It’s well worth taking a look into and we’d suggest trying it out as soon as possible!
We brought this post to you courtesy of LyncStore, a leading UK based company who offer a fantastic Microsoft Lync installation service.
Why Your Website Needs To Be Better Than Your Competitors
The world of business has always been amazingly competitive and the internet has only served to further stoke those fires and drivers. While the business of the past required specialized tools, business acumen, and access to all kinds of capital and connections to really succeed, the internet and modern technology has made it possible for anyone in the world to build their own online empire with nothing more than a smartphone and an internet connection. The level of competition has risen dramatically, and you need to leverage every single advantage you can to make sure that you come out on top – and it all starts with your website. We spoke with leading web design agency Yellow Duck Web Design, who offer affordable web design in Essex to put together a post about why you need your site to be better than your competitors.
The internet is not like Main Street – you are just a couple of clicks away from your nearest and best competition, and it takes nothing for people to switch sides and loyalties.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they jump into the online pool is think that the same walls and boundaries for competition that apply in the “real world” apply here in the internet – and nothing could be further from the truth. You are never more than a few clicks away from having you customers abandon ship and head over to and buy from your competition – and if this doesn’t scare you it should. Everything you do online needs to be geared towards making sure that you are not only giving everything to your customer that they need, but also working to build insulating features and walls around your business to keep customers inside. Constant innovation is a must, since your competition can always look in and see what you’re doing at any given time, completely free of charge and without you every knowing it. You need to stay ahead of the game.
You’re either leading the pack or looking at the top dogs backend
If your website is lagging behind in your industry, customers are going to take notice and begin to wonder what else about your business is dropping further and further back in the pack. To make sure you never lose that faith and trust that you have built with your customers and prospects it’s of the utmost importance that you spend a significant amount of time making sure you are leading the pack when it comes to a web presence, and not chasing the lead dogs around and around hoping to snap up some scraps.
The Importance Of Businesses Employing An IT Support Team
Whether it’s an in-house specialist IT support team or a team who operate remotely; in 2012, it’s absolutely vital that all businesses employ an IT support team in one form or another! With almost all businesses nowadays relying on specialist IT systems to simply operate on a day to day basis, it’s vital that downtime is minimised wherever possible! With computer networks and systems known for having issues at the most inappropriate of times; it’s important to ensure that help is at hand if this occurs.
Just imagine, say, that your office’s network infrastructure went down first thing on a Monday morning. Would you be able to get the weekends orders posted out? Would you be able to access the information needed to put together that all important presentation? The answer to both of these questions is probably no! On the other hand, would a member of your team be able to resolve the issue quickly? In say, less than 10 minutes? Downtime for anything longer than this can cost a business both in terms of reputation and finances and needs to be avoided at all costs.
Of course, the answer to such a problem is to ensure that all businesses have an IT support team in place. Whether that’s a company such as Nexus Open Systems who offer, amongst other services, support services in Devon, or one on a remote basis; what’s important is that there’s someone on hand to resolve issues when they occur.
Rather than thinking of what it costs per month to take out an IT support contract; think of what it would cost if your office’s network, computer system and website was down for a morning and I’d hazard a guess that it’d be a considerable amount more than the cost of a support technician each month, just in case!
Is It Time To Renovate Your Office?
When you look at the offices of your local competitors, you’ll either think they’re fantastic or awful! Especially at the moment, we’re seeing such a variation in the types of offices occupied by businesses in the UK, with some companies choosing to go with sleek, modern offices, whilst others go for more traditional offices. One thing is for sure though; that your offices’ decor can have an impact on your employees productivity and motivation and that if your office is looking a little worse for wear, it may be time to consider renovating your office.
If you take a moment to think about it, an office which is beginning to look dated isn’t the most productive environment. If you’re running a business, you want your staff and employees to be as productive as possible, however your surroundings are as important as any other factor in getting the very most out of your staff. The whole need of employees for a pleasant working environment is one which you should take seriously and, if you think your office could do with modernising, then do it!
Of course, what is an even better idea when considering renovating your office is to seek your employee’s thoughts before doing so. Do they want to be working in a modern environment? A minimalise environment? A traditional environment? Only they will know where they’re going to work best and, as such, it’s well worth taking the time to chat through the renovation process with them.
From then on it; it’s simply a case of hiring a tradesman who can carry out the desired office renovation as quickly as possible. You’ll want there to be as little disruption to your office as possible during the works, but remember that it’ll be worth it in the long run. Of course, if you’re renovating the office then it’s also well worth investing in some new furniture and really going the full slog to ensure you have a workplace in which your employees feel comfortable.
This guest post comes courtesy of www.orbitalfasteners.co.uk, a leading UK supplier of a range of materials and accessories required for renovating your office.
Running A Home Radio Station
If you’re a budding radio broadcaster there’s a very good chance you’ve done the research into running your own radio station from home. Whilst it’s not as easy as you may like it to be to run your own FM or AM station, with the developments of the internet both on computers and mobile devices in recent years; almost anyone can run their own online radio show. This, of course, isn’t to be confused with a podcast, but a fully fledged online radio station. The technicalities of setting up an online station are almost none existant and you can effectively have your station up and running in a matter of minutes.
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What Are Binary Options & Why Should They Be Part Of Your Portfolio?
Binary options are a brilliantly straightforward way to trade on the financial markets, with a general lower risk than other forms such as spread betting and the bonus of completely tax free winnings. Binary options have rocketed in popularity in recent years, partly to do with the lesser risk involved as well as the fact that a trader can know their maximum gains or losses before even placing a bet.
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Another New iPad This Year?
It seems that Apple and iPad fans can look forward to a brand new iPad device being release just in time for Christmas this year, with a smaller 7″ iPad on the cards to be released in October. Whilst we don’t have too much information at the moment, we are hearing that it will be identical to the standard iPad, just with a 7″ display and a price tag of just £150. This is awesome news for Apple fans and especially those who want a device in-between an iPhone and an iPad. More news as we have it but this could be a HUGE seller this Christmas!
Should Business Be Utilising Telephone Training?
Your business image is the most important aspect of your marketing efforts. All the money and all the best commercials cannot overcome poor word of mouth because people see your business as unreliable, unprofessional and not caring about their needs. Fortunately, you can change that image starting with telephone training videos that can quickly help your employees respond to the needs of your customers promptly and professionally.
Put yourself in the place of one of your customers, when you call a business that you have either previously bought from or are considering making a purchase, what do you expect when an employee answers the phone?
For most customers, they would not only expect to be treated courteously, but that the employee answering the phone will listen to what they have to say and either get the information they want from them or be directed to the department that will help them quickly. Unfortunately, an employee who is not trained in the simple art of telephone communication can make mistakes or worse, give the impression even if unintentional of not caring and not doing their utmost to take care of the customer.
Such an image that is created in the customer’s mind does not end with them not wanting to purchase from your business, it also means that they will not recommend your company to others which is the word of mouth advertising that is most effective. You want all of your customers who call to feel as though they have been fully helped to the best extent of your business and good telephone training can help them achieve that goal.
The proper training of how to answer customer calls is not extensive, nor does it take any money. This free series of telephone training videos are short, to the point and the information provided is easy to assimilate and incorporate into your employee’s daily work routine. The training videos teach them how to answer the phone, how to listen to the customer and what to do when presented by a question or a concern a customer has.
Consider for example that one common mistake that many of us make when speaking to the customer is trying to give them an answer that we do not fully know ourselves. Even the best employees will not know every answer, but the important point is that they should direct the customer’s call to someone who does without offering any information themselves that might be confusing or misleading. A customer will remember what that particular employee said and when faced with conflicting information will obviously become confused or even angered depending on the circumstances.
You can avoid all the common pitfalls of customer service when answering the phone by incorporating these helpful, free videos on your website for easy access. Now your employees can not only learn, but refer to them from time to time to keep refreshed on the best ways to answer the phone for your business. Improving your business image to your customers is also improving your bottom line.