Business Plus Baby

June 10, 2016

Six fatal web design mistakes

office-work-1149087_640

Your website is your online presence and so it should be as creative, beautiful and trustworthy as you and your business. Good design isn’t cheap, but it’s worth the investment as amateurs tend to make the same, potentially deadly mistakes in their DIY websites. If you’re contemplating using a template, or you just have done and you’re wondering why you’re languishing on the third page, read on…

Your content is illegible

You’ve spent a lot of time and money writing the content only to fall at the final hurdle when it gets dropped into the page and effectively disappears. If there’s no contrast between the background and the words, or there’s loads of fonts and sizes (including sub-microscopic), your visitors will have a headache and you’ll have a problem.

Too many styles

Letting DIY-ers loose with a template often leads to design disaster – it’s tempting to try out as many colours and styles as possible because it’s fun and new. That’s great until you go live and then it’s like releasing all the animals from the zoo at once.

You need to think about what your business is – do you sell up-cycled furniture? Gardening services? Different businesses have different online interactions with their markets and their websites need to do different things. Realistically, unless you have up-to-date web design training as well as green fingers, you need to engage an agency like Marketing Signals to work this all out for you.

Your site is hard to navigate

Once upon a time (1997, maybe), it was alright for visitors to struggle through your site. Now, however, an esoteric-looking landing page and fiddly navigation buttons will earn you serious bounces and not much else. Again, leave your site planning to those who know what they’re doing; it’ll be worth it in the long run.

Poor images

Thumbnail images that are so pixelated they look like the first glimpses of Pluto, or photos that have no real relevance or connection to you or your business… They just won’t cut it anymore and you need to get professional attention.

Your images should work for you – they’re not wallpaper, they define you and your brand and if they don’t say something they shouldn’t be there. As well as being relevant, your photos and images should be of the best quality, as well as the right size and proportion.

Too busy

You know that feeling when you walk into a crowded or chaotic junk shop or a jumble sale? There’s an online equivalent and it’s a messy, disorganised and overly busy website. Buttons everywhere, stacks of images, endless dropdowns and apps crowded together…

All this “noise” frustrates and distracts visitors so you need a bit of breathing space. You might worry that it’s empty or dead space, but any decent designer will be able to get the balance and flow just right.

You’re not mobile-optimised

This can render you dead in the water within weeks. Mobile browsing has overtaken desktop browsing and so if you’re stuck in desktop mode and your website doesn’t fit or work well on smaller screens, you’ll lose traffic in droves. Get mobilised!

June 9, 2016

4 Ways for a business to create a professional shipping process

The modern day business has to deliver products. If it doesn’t, it will lose a lot of custom to its competitors that provide the service. Customers have a certain level of expectation nowadays. And, a great delivery service is one. As a result, the onus is on the business to come up with a high-quality service that will help them keep pace. It isn’t easy, but it isn’t impossible. For any business owners that are looking for tips, take a look at the following.

#1: Communicate

A high level of communication is the key to a great service. There are so many moving parts that the people involved in the process will get confused. Plus, they will waste time trying to simplify the equation. Communication allows every person to do the job without any hassle or fuss. The person in one sector relays the information to the next sector and so on and so on. Then, everyone should understand their job and the requirements for that day. Without the ability to communicate, the shipping process will falter.

balloons-874841_640

#2: Be Punctual

There isn’t a person on the planet that thinks a good delivery service is one that isn’t on time. If a customer makes an order, they expect it to arrive in a timely fashion. Businesses that have deadlines must make sure that they hit these deadlines. Otherwise, they will look unprofessional otherwise. It is important that a company doesn’t make a promise that they can’t keep. It might make them money in the short-term, but it will cost them in the long-term. The best services are the most punctual ones. And, the most punctual ones create the best reputation. One look at Amazon will tell a business everything they need to know about delivering a product on time.

2507355507_e0a8cff9d6_z

#3: Look The Part

Shipping is also about aesthetics. Customers not only expect the package to arrive on time, but they expect it to look the part. There is something about the human race and looks that appeals to customers even if it doesn’t add value. But, the packaging does add value in lots of cases because it keeps their good safe. Some packaging ideas found here are well known for their security features. The last thing a business wants is for a product to turn up faulty. It will cost them money, and it will cost them their reputation. As a result, it is important to take packaging as seriously as punctuality.

#4: Outsource It

Instead of doing it internally, a business always has the option to outsource it to an external firm. The reason is obvious: businesses lack the expertise. An external expert will provide a far superior service due to their skill and experience. Plus, they save businesses time and money as they only concentrate on one area. Every business in the world could do with more money and time, which is another reason to outsource.

Businesses that follow these four tips will end up with a good delivery service. It might not be great, but it is a start.

June 9, 2016

Business tasks you should outsource to a virtual assistant

Do you want to run a successful business? Then you have to outsource the right tasks to the right people. An external company can save you time and money that you can put back into the firm, which is why they are so popular. But, you don’t need to stick with the conventional method of outsourcing. If you prefer, you can go down the virtual route. It is possible to delegate tasks to a virtual assistant to save time and money. Here is a glimpse of the tasks that a virtual assistant can handle.

Bookkeeping

In the old days, you would have to keep physical records of your books. And, you would need to pass them over to an accountant for them to organize. Nowadays, you can do it all online. The great thing about online bookkeeping is that you can hire a virtual assistant for the job. All you have to do is set up accounts and provide the assistant with the relevant details. Then, they will keep your books in order by looking at your finances and chasing up unpaid invoices. An accountant is a good idea, but a virtual accountant is an even better one.

Phone Services

It is possible to delegate your entire customer service needs to a virtual assistant. However, it isn’t a good idea if you don’t want your customers to explode from frustration! Still, you can outsource certain answering service processes that aren’t as important. For example, instead of hiring a secretary, you can use an automated software device on your phone. That way, the assistant will instruct the caller to leave a message for you to check later. To some people, it is lazy. On the contrary, it is a good way to save time and cut labor costs.

Emails

Anyone in a position of power will use emails to correspond with clients or customers. As a result, you can receive hundreds in one day. Sifting through the vast majority of them is time-consuming and a waste. Not to mention, it is mind-numbingly boring! Thankfully, there is another way. Your virtual assistant will mine through the emails instead, and respond to any and all of them at once. In case you are worried, the assistant puts the important correspondence to one side. That way, you can deal with the important cases personally. In this case, everyone’s a winner.

Calendar Schedules

There is a variety of scheduling tools online. As a result, your virtual assistant can take care of all your scheduling needs at the click of a button. All you have to do is provide them with the information in advance. Then, they will pencil the event in for an available time and date and notify you immediately. They can schedule anything from business meetings to planning corporate events. Letting go of your calendar is hard work because it is so important. Once you do, you will start to feel the weight lift from your shoulders.

The above are just four examples. There are plenty more should you need a virtual assistant for another task.

June 8, 2016

Where should your business put its investment capital?

For many businesses it’s an exciting time. The global economy is finally back on its feet. Orders are coming in from local and global markets. And record profits are being made.

It means that many businesses now have a lot of surplus capital. Heck, just look at how much money Apple has in the bank right now.

If your business is building up capital, how should you put that capital to work?

Into Metals

The economy is a complex system. And, as a result, it’s hard to predict exactly where it will go in any particular month. Though economists may try to predict the future, their models and predictions are abysmal. And they’re usually wrong.

gold-163519_640

One way to protect your business against that uncertainty is to invest in metals. Precious metals, like silver and gold, have always been a hedge against inflation. And given that global inflation is a big risk today, these metals have risen in price over the last couple of decades. Consider allocating a chunk of your portfolio to precious metals; perhaps 10 percent.

Into Real Estate

Big real estate developments, like The Peak apartments, are part of a much wider trend. They’re being driven by year-by-year global real estate price rises. Just as in the early 2000s, real estate is becoming an exciting investment opportunity once again.

Hudson_Yards_Real_Estate_Development_Update-_April_16,_2015_(17179875165)
By Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

It seems that we’re now at the stage where the last crisis is passing into memory and investors are once again focused on the fundamentals. They see that factors like globalisation and low-interest rates are driving real estate prices higher. And, because of this, they see an opportunity to make a return.

Into Tech Companies

Investors have been wary of tech stocks since the Dotcom boom of the late 1990s. Many investors learned their lessons from that crisis and more cautious technology stocks.

But should they be? The Dotcom boom was essentially about bad timing. Yes stocks were overvalued. But if you look at the grand sweep of history, they weren’t overvalued by much. In fact, now that the internet is flourishing, many businesses would love the opportunity to go back and invest in certain tech startups.

We’re at a similar point today with a new crop of tech companies. Investors are cautious about new technologies, like 3D printing, because of fears over a new bubble. But there’s no doubt that these technologies will produce industries that will pay dividends in the future. It’s just a matter of timing.

Into Agriculture

As the global population expands, more and more pressure is going to be put on food. At the same time, as countries get richer, fewer people will be producing it. This means that they’re going to have to increase their productivity enormously. However, they’re only going to be able to do this with additional investment in machinery. And this is where the investment opportunity lies for businesses. Millions of farmers are going to need capital to farm their crops more efficiently. And when they do, they’re going to make a lot of money and create returns for investors.

farmer-880567_640

June 7, 2016October 7, 2016

Choosing staff uniforms: 3 things you should consider

presentation-1020162_640 As brand representatives of your company, the clothes your employees wear can have a huge impact on how your business is perceived. However, when it comes to dressing your members of staff, there are a few factors you should take into consideration.

Quality

The comfort and happiness of your employees is paramount and how they feel during their time at work should be one of your top priorities. When providing work clothing for your staff members, it’s important to make sure that the quality is up to standard. You should choose a fabric that is suitable for the work environment and one that ensures your personnel are comfortable and neither too hot nor too cold while they carry out their jobs. Generally speaking, it’s best to opt for a material that is soft and offers breathability. To ensure the uniforms you’re purchasing are high-quality, you could buy from a company who are experts when it comes to designing workwear, such as Fire Label. Fire Label can provide clothings in a variety of materials, from soft cotton t-shirts to lightweight knitted sweaters.

Colour

When you’re selecting your staff uniforms, you may find that you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to colour. With so many shades, tones and hues to decide between, it can be tricky to ensure you’re picking from the right palette. If you’re stuck, you could simply take a look at your company’s brand. Using the colours that are associated with your business is a great place to start. In fact, most organisations use this tactic when selecting attire for their employees. For example, leading supermarkets usually incorporate the colour of their logo in with the design of their uniforms. While the whole outfit may not be this colour, picking certain aspects of the clothing, such as a tie, to feature a certain colour can look smart and professional.

Style

Before you make your final decision, it’s important to give some thought to the style of clothing you’re looking for. You could start by thinking about the type of environment your employees will be working in. For example, if your company is in the health and beauty sector, you could go for something clinical looking, such as a smart, white tunic, or if you run an upscale restaurant, you could provide your waiters with button-down shirts. It might also pay to take into consideration the tasks your staff members will carrying out. While people working behind a bar may benefit from wearing an apron, a sales assistant in a shop would find wearing loose fitting clothing, such as a t-shirt, much more appropriate.
Deciding on workwear for your workers can be tricky. However, if you take quality, colour and style into consideration, you should find it much easier to choose a uniform that pleases your staff and perfectly encapsulates your company’s brand.