Tag Archives: CBS-CBS.com

5 Things You’re Missing Out On By Using a Personal Email Account

Posted on by

Like many small businesses and organizations, it’s very possible you’re using a personal email account (like Gmail, Outlook or AOL) to either conduct your email marketing or communicate with a group of contacts. It’s also likely that you’ve noticed a myriad of limitations in what you can and can’t do with a personal email account.

Nowadays, having a business email account is a great idea for a number of different reasons. Corporate Business Solutions experts even recommend using a professional emailing service. Let’s take a look at five things you’re missing out on by not using a service for your email marketing.

You’re Not in a Position To Send Bulk Emails

As it is, many email accounts limit the number of emails that you can send at once. Thus, as your email database grows, you may face more problems with getting your emails delivered.

Email providers like Constant Contact work efficiently to maintain strong relationships with ISPs and establish reputations for sending permission-based emails.  Accordingly, people see more of their emails delivered to their recipients’ inboxes.

Believe It or Not, You’re Putting Relationships at Risk

When an individual joins your email list, they trust you to protect their personal information. Furthermore, they also trust that you’ll respect their privacy and give them an opt-out option.

When you send email using Outlook or another personal email account, mistakes certainly can happen. Often times, people make the mistake of exposing their entire list in the To: line of an email.

You’re Truly On Your Own

Email marketing services such as Constant Contact make it quick and seamless to conduct email marketing for your business. Trying to do everything on your own can offer many challenges.

A professional email service will give you the tools and training to help you get started.

It’s Difficult to Create Professionally-Looking Branded Emails

With an email marketing service, you’ll have the option to choose from hundreds of professional email templates that make it easy to generate awesome-looking emails.

You Can’t See Who Opened or Clicked

An email marketing service gives you access to in-depth reporting to analyze key metrics like emails sent, opened, who opened, who clicked through, and which links they clicked on. You’re also able to see important details like spam reports, bounces, and opt-outs.

—

If you haven’t already switched over from a personal email account to a professional email service, consider doing so today.

To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

7 Ways to Improve Your SEO

Posted on by

As a small business, improving your SEO is a critical component of your success. Having said that, not many people know how to achieve this.

So, how does it really work?

While many people focus on “beating the algorithm” to achieve high rankings, there are better ways to enhance your SEO efforts. The question becomes how can you create SEO-friendly content that lasts?

Corporate Business Solutions experts recommend the following tips for mastering your SEO.

Create Useful Content That is Needed

One of the best things you can do is create content that addresses and/or solves a problem. In order to do this, you’ll need to spend time conducting quality research that will help you present your content in an interesting way. Ultimately, you’ll want to make your consumers feel that they are reading the best content on that particular topic.

Connect With Your Customers, Not the Search Engine

As a small business, you want to focus on connecting with your target audience rather than search engines. Sure, your content may be optimized, but if it turns customers off, you won’t rank well.

Make Sure Your Content is Mobile Friendly

In order to keep your content SEO-friendly, ensure your website is accessible on mobile devices. Consider compressing heavy image files, removing the flash video, and/or disabling intrusive pop-ups. Lastly, your content should offer value and be easily consumable.

Keywords Are Important, But They’re Not Everything

Just because keywords are an integral part of the algorithms doesn’t mean you want to just load up your content with them. As always, focus on filling a need for your audience. Sure, keywords should be in there, but the quality of the content is what’s most important.

Create Amazing Content

Do you want to know the secret to successful SEO in today’s day and age? It’s as simple as this: just create amazing content that your audience is looking for. Don’t forget – you still have to follow the basic rules.

Link, Link, and Link

Including internal links not only shows your mastery in a specific is, but it can also lead to more posts that offer supplementary value.

Keep Your Content Fresh and Relevant

It’s important for you to create and maintain content that remains relevant and up-to-date. You’ll want to update your content on a regular basis, which is actually more important than keywords and other SEO tactics.

To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Website

Posted on by

In today’s day and age, there is no doubt that your company’s website is basically your company’s own little slice of digital real estate. Right?

What you do with that precious real estate is your prerogative. You can either master a digital marketing presence or squander the opportunity.

While no business is intentionally fulfilling the latter, many small business owners are failing to use their digital presence to their advantage in the most effective ways possible. There is a myriad of ways to make your website stronger, but only a few really effective ones.

Corporate Business Solutions experts recommend that every small business’s website follow the following four tasks to achieving online success.

Tell a Compelling Story

Sure, there are numerous places where your brand can digitally interact with your target audience – social media, industry blogs, ad space, press releases, and even YouTube. However, the main difference between your website and the aforementioned platforms is that you own your website. You control what goes up on your website and you can tell the story.

Your story can either address your history or talk about the future of your company. Regardless of your decision, there is no one-size-fits-all solution – your story should accurately reflect your company.

List Contact Information

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that one of the main reasons people visit a website is to obtain contact information. At the very least, make sure your website includes the following:

  • Business address (if applicable)
  • Store or business hours
  • A phone number and email address
  • An About page

While there are many different ways to provide this information, make sure it’s accessible and easy to find.

Collect Leads

While you’ll want to close sales through your website, that’s not the sole objective. In many cases, it may take multiple visits for a prospect to convert. In the meantime, collect as much lead information as possible. This will benefit you down the road and you’ll also learn more about the types of people that are visiting your website.

Overcome Friction

You’ll want your website to be as streamlined and user-friendly as possible. According to studies, poor navigation is the number one reason people leave websites. Thus, it’s a good idea to master user-friendly navigation. Ultimately, you want to offer a pleasant experience for prospective customers.

—

As you to continue to grow your business and website, consider using the aforementioned tips to achieving digital success.

To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

4 Ways Your Store Can Adapt During The Retail Apocalypse

Posted on by

Sure, there are many rumors surrounding retail’s demise. Having said that, these rumors are largely exaggerated. According to Deloitte, in 2017 alone retail sales improved by more than three percent. The GDP, to compare, grew by just over two percent.

Nonetheless, there are some significant changes to which retailers need to adapt and understand.

There is both good and bad news.

The Good News

Over ninety percent of retail sales still take place in your good old-fashioned brick-and-mortar stores. Despite digital retail being projected to grow nearly twelve percent, in-store sales are also projected to grow by almost two percent. This is fantastic news!

The Bad News

Sure, traditional retail may certainly be facing a devastating apocalypse or, at the very least, a huge transformation.

Why is this?

Historically, shoppers have been split into two explicit groups: high-income consumers and then everybody else. While eight out of ten Americans’ incomes have remained the same since 2007, the cost of living has gone up significantly.

Furthermore, technology has played a huge role in increased costs.

So, what does this mean?

Well, according to a recent study, eighty percent of buyers have less money to spend on retail store items, such as clothing and accessories.

Courtesy of Corporate Business Solutions experts, let’s take a look at four proven ways that your store can succeed during the retail apocalypse.

Don’t Cater to Everyone

According to that same study by Deloitte, there are three types of retailers:

  1. Premier retailers that deliver value via premier product and experience offerings;
  2. Price-based retailers that deliver value by selling at the lowest possible prices and clearly communicating that proposition to customers
  3. Balanced retailers that deliver value via a balance of price and/or promotion.

Based on the information above, know who you are and deliver it properly.

Prepare to Go Premium

There are many opportunities for small retailers in the premium category. High-income consumers not only spend more money, they also tend to patronize more retailers. Think about this one.

Think Psychology

It’s easy to become infatuated with the differences between Gen X and Gen Z. However, shopping tendencies are based more on the income level that on generational behavior. In other words, a consumer’s economic status has a much greater impact on their shopping habits than you may think.

Establish an Online Strategy

If you don’t already have a strong digital presence, the time is now to start building one. If you’re not ready to sell online, which you should be, solidify your online marketing and advertising strategies. This will help you attract your target audience.

To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

Five Critical Tips to Hiring

Posted on by

We know. Hiring new employees can be a very time-consuming and resource-draining process for any business. However, it can be particularly challenging for small businesses with limited means. For a small company, each new hiree has a significant impact on the business, whether it be negative and positive. As a result, it’s critical for small business owners to have the right approach to hiring in order to avoid mistakes.

If you are looking to take the right steps when hiring, consider the following pointers from our Corporate Business Solutions experts.

Be Very Candid

The first step to ensuring that potential hires are truly ready to take on the duties is to be as clear as possible. You’ll want to inform them of the day-to-day tasks and share the company’s goals as well. Furthermore, it’s important to include details regarding salary and benefits. In addition, be candid about any challenges that he/she might face. Being as candid as possible about the position helps you hire the right people who will last a long time.

Use Connections

You might be able to find great candidates by contacting people you already know in your field. For example, calling or emailing business colleagues and/or creating LinkedIn posts is an effective way to let people know you’re hiring.

Establish Your Company Culture

As mentioned, each employee has a significant impact on the culture of a small business. Remember, you can teach skills, but not personality or a tireless work ethic. Take time to establish company values and the look for these qualities in your candidates. You’ll want to address your company’s values during the interview and also gear questions related to those values.

Measure Commitment

You’re really going to want to understand whether or not a potential hiree is truly committed to working for you before you put that offer on the table. Focus on little gestures during the interview and try to understand how enthusiastic the candidate really is about the job opportunity.

Implement a Trial Period

It’s important to implement a trial period prior to making a full commitment. You might want to consider having new employees sign a short-term contract or hiring them as freelancers. Ultimately, this will help you determine if he/she is the ideal candidate for the job before you make any long-term commitments. Furthermore, an effective trial period can be a great way to give both new employees and employers the right amount of time in order to make informed decisions.

To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

HR Software For Your Small Business

Posted on by

Instead of devoting so much time, resources, and energy on time-consuming HR tasks, the savviest of small businesses use the right HR software for their venture.

HR software makes admin tasks much easier, which frees up your time to focus on running and growing your business.

Let’s take a closer look at what our Corporate Business Solutions experts consider to be the best HR software for small businesses.

Despite the fact that the HR software market is growing and, with so many products available, which HR software is right for you? Here are four of the best HR software programs out there.

BambooHR

BambooHR is HR software explicitly designed for small businesses. With this relevant and effective HR app, you will find the best candidates for your company faster with applicant tracking. You’ll obtain quick and precise HR insights through HR reporting and time tracking. You’ll also be able to create custom workflows and support employee self-onboarding.

What could be better?

If you’re truly interested in utilizing BambooHR to take care of your admin tasks, you’ll have to fill out your information online in order to get a quote.

HR Direct Smart Apps

HR Direct Smart Apps is a streamlined and smart HR software program that is not only affordable but also highly effective. This program will provide your company with a free employee record keeping app which allows you to both monitor and manage employee information.

From there, you can also decide if you want to exploit the additional features, such as software that makes it easier to complete I-9 and W-4 forms, managing employee attendance, and allowing employees to handle their PTO.

Gusto

You can simplify the chaos that comes with HR by using Gusto. Gusto makes the entire HR process easy, including managing benefits and running payroll. From sending out communications to onboarding new employees, you can make the whole HR process seamless and enjoyable with Gusto.

Furthermore, advice and support are provided by HR experts with Gusto. You’ll be able to choose the right plan for your business and budget.

What could be better?

Zoho People

Zoho People allows you to manage and track all of your HR activity from one location. Zoho makes it easy for employees to update their personal information, which saves you a great deal of time. Furthermore, it includes seamless time tracking, performance reviews, and automated workflows.

To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

How Employee Perks Can Help Your Business

Posted on by

It’s no secret that the right employees are a business’s most valuable asset.

With attractive perks, business owners can provide their hard-working employees with the appropriate work-life balance that they so desperately need. These non-monetary benefits are a major opportunity for companies, and if you’re not taking full advantage of them, you ought to rethink your company culture.

Consider this: it is noted that roughly 50% of job-seekers put a large premium on company benefits and perks in the decision to select their next job.

According to a recent survey by Clutch, the most coveted perk amongst the workforce is flexible hours. Ultimately, this will translate to greater productivity, happiness, and engagement. With flexible work hours, employees feel trusted by their companies to get the job done.

It’s important to understand that this applies just as much to small business as it does larger corporations. Companies should do their best to make their employees feel valued. Things like complimentary coffee/snacks, company retreats, or the option the work from home show employees that their wellbeing is at the forefront.

Respondents from the survey spanned a wide range of industries and companies, including both large and small. The largest group of respondents came from small businesses. Conclusively, while just over 40% of respondents noted that they didn’t have employee perks, the [over] 50% that do have perks asserted that they are satisfied with them and that they improve their wellbeing.

As noted, flexible working hours led the group, with fitness/health perks, food/snacks, and professional development following suit.

According to Corporate Business Solutions experts, businesses can offer perks through health/wellness programs by covering gym membership costs, offering continuing education courses, and/or providing complimentary coffee and snacks throughout the work day.

Why Are Employee Perks Important?

Not only do perks increase productivity and improve the overall working environment for your employees, they also enhance wellbeing and life outside of the office. As a business owner, think of creative ways to implement employee perks that make your staff feel appreciated and valued. Ultimately, they will thank you for it in the end, and you’ll get some nice work out of them in the meantime.

The Power of Ephemeral Content

Posted on by

It may be short-lived, but it’s highly effective.

Ephemeral (lasting for a very short time) content has a limited lifespan, but a lasting impact. Generally speaking, ephemeral content is accessible for up to 24 hours. While this may appear to be counter-intuitive, the growing popularity of “stories” on social media outlets such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook provides an opportunity for this golden marketing tool. While this should not replace your business’s traditional marketing efforts, you should find ways to add this to the mix.

Why Stories? 

Stories are photo/video compilations that can be either pre-recorded or live. To take it a step further, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook all provide ways to get creative through enhanced filters and artwork, in addition to adjusting speed and tempo of a video.

With the growing expenses of high-quality videography, many businesses are turning to the potency of ephemeral social media content. While this may be a far cry from yesteryear’s traditional marketing efforts where publicized content was permanent and recirculated in the future, ephemeral content is efficient, short-lived, and highly effective. Not to mention, with the short attention span of today’s younger generations and professionals, social media stories provide “quick hits” of content, whether it be a product or service that your business offers.

One of the brightest aspects of ephemeral content marketing is the notion that it doesn’t require special equipment or personnel. If you have a smartphone, you can exploit this growing trend. Furthermore, the beauty of stories is the authenticity that it provides your target audience. Your posts don’t have to be perfect. People like this.

The 5 Pillars of Ephemeral Content Marketing

As recommended by CBS Corporate Business Solutions consultants 

  • Authenticity
  • Engagement
  • Keeping the content fresh
  • Consistency
  • Relevance

If you or your business has not yet explored the benefits of ephemeral content marketing, we encourage you to not waste any more time. Get started today and sign onto this growing trend to engage your followers on a daily basis. Consult with a Corporate Business Solutions expert to find out more.

How to Successfully Manage Millennial Employees

Posted on by

By 2025, roughly 75% of the labor force will be comprised of millennials. That’s right. Millennials.

What does that mean for your business?

Well, with millennials making up such a large portion of the workplace, it’s imperative for small businesses to know how to efficiently manage millennial employees.

Let’s take a look at some of the best practices.

Embrace and Exploit Their Tech-Savvy Nature

 This is a no-brainer. As products of their generation, millennials are extremely tech-savvy. As a small business owner, you ought to promote and encourage their use of technology and social media. Rather than shutting them down, use this to your advantage. Trust us when we tell you it will help you stay competitive. To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

Offer Flexible Hours 

It’s no secret that millennials love balance when it comes to managing their personal and professional lives. Thus, you ought to consider promoting flexible hours with the potential to work remotely. Once you assemble the right team, you will thank yourself in the end.

Foster a Robust Company Culture

 Most millennials are looking for meaningful and purposeful work. Furthermore, many of them do not fear authority. Thus, it’s your job to create a strong company culture with meaning in order to attract and retain loyal millennial employees.

 Embrace Collaboration

For the most part, millennials are largely social people. As a small business owner, you should make it a priority to encourage collaboration as often as possible. Not sure how? Here are some starter ideas: regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions, workshops, continuing education, etc. This leads to the creativity you are looking for.

Create Leaders

Rather than being told what to do, millennials love taking the lead. You should find ways to mentor this generation with the purpose of teaching them how to create, lead, and manage. Consult with a Corporate Business Solutions expert to learn more.

Google’s Approach to Establishing a Strong Team

Posted on by

 

Surprise, surprise. Google loves data.

Isn’t this something we knew? Maybe, maybe not.

What you likely didn’t know, however, is that Google often puts a great deal of effort into helping YOUR business operate at an optimal level. In doing so, Google has assembled some pertinent information on behalf of what is essentially their HR team. They sought to address the question of what makes a Google team successful.

Let’s dive a little bit deeper into this.

The Research

In seeking to understand why certain teams excelled and others did not Google examined more than 180 teams. They also conducted interviews and compared a myriad of characteristics/attributes between the high-rising teams and the ones that were falling short.

Conclusively, Google determined that the individual make-up of each team mattered much less than the person-to-person interaction and the composition of their work.

Ultimately, they determined that there are four critical components that separate the good teams from the great ones:

  • Psychological Safety
  • Dependability
  • Structure and Clarity
  • Meaning

While all of the elements are important, Google found that psychological safety played the largest role.

Psychological Safety

Essentially, this comes to down to one critical question: as a team, can you take risks that won’t lead to insecurity or embarrassment?

While risk-taking may seem routine on the surface, it actually carries with it a tremendous amount of emotional weight. When employees don’t feel secure about asking a question or contributing to an idea, they are less likely to partake in creativity and innovation. This is due to the simple, albeit IMPORTANT, fact that they do not want to be perceived in a negative light.

Employees that feel safe are much more likely to embody a sense of empowerment and subsequently will take risks and innovate. This leads to better collaboration and greater effectiveness. To learn more, visit CBS-CBS.com.

Dependability

As we know, nobody likes to work with an unreliable employee. This can lead to a myriad of issues. Thus, it’s critical that all members of the team submit their work on time and up to standard. Take the time to address the importance of dependability with your team.

Structure and Clarity

It’s essential for employees to understand exactly what their role is within the team at-large. If this is missing, people have a hard time pinpointing responsibility within the tasks. Consult with a Corporate Business Solutions expert to learn more.

Meaning of Work

As a team, you want to do your best to foster a sense of personal connection to the business and/or work that is being done. When this is the case, employees are more likely to deliver high-quality work.