All posts by Mike

There are many ways to grow a business, and the best strategy will depend on the specific industry and business model. However, some general strategies that can be effective in growing a business include:

• Identifying and targeting a specific customer base: Understanding your target market and tailoring your products or services to their needs can help attract and retain customers.
• Developing a strong online presence: Having a well-designed, effective website and active social media accounts can help you reach a wider audience and attract new customers.
• Networking and building partnerships: Building relationships with other businesses and industry leaders can help you expand your reach and gain new customers.
• Investing in marketing and advertising: Advertising through various platforms like social media, search engines, or traditional media can help increase brand awareness and attract new customers.
• Continuously improve and innovate: Keeping an eye on the market, trends and customer feedback to improve your products or services and add new ones will help you stay competitive.
• Building a strong team: Having a team of talented and motivated employees can help your business grow by increasing productivity, improving customer service, and driving innovation.

Ultimately, the key to growing a business is to continuously evaluate your strategies and make adjustments as needed to stay ahead of the competition. Reach is a website and marketing agency aimed at helping other small businesses, so feel free to give us a call for a no-obligation chat. Contact Now

Social media has become a crucial component of many business’ marketing and customer service efforts. As a result, business owners frequently wonder whether they should outsource their social media management to free up time and money for the company’s other operations. However, it can also be very expensive and may require giving up some control over the company’s online presence. The advantages and disadvantages of hiring a social media manager or agency will be discussed when determining whether this is the best option for your company.

Social media’s importance in the current business environment:

In the current digital era, social media has become a crucial component of many businesses’ marketing and customer service efforts. Building brand awareness and customer loyalty is made easier by the ability for businesses to connect with and engage with their target audience in real time. Additionally, a great social media presence can boost client engagement, generate more leads, and boost revenue. 

Advantages of having a strong social media presence: 

• Greater brand recognition: Social media enables businesses to connect with a larger audience and increase the visibility of their brand. 

• Customer engagement: Social media platforms give businesses a chance to talk to their clients and address their concerns and questions. Increased client satisfaction and loyalty may result from this. 

• Increased website traffic: A strong social media presence can increase website traffic, which can result in more conversions and sales for a business. 

• Broader audience: Because social media platforms have a big user base, businesses may target particular groups and reach a larger audience. 

In today’s digital environment, having a strong social media presence is crucial for businesses. It can help in increasing reach, website traffic, consumer interaction, and brand exposure.

Considerations for deciding whether to hire out social media management:

There are several considerations to take into account when deciding whether to hire out social media management. Here are some pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

• Expertise: A social media manager or agency will likely have a higher level of expertise and experience in the field, which can lead to more effective and efficient social media management. 

• Time: For companies that lack the resources or the understanding to manage social media internally, outsourcing social media management can free up time for other business operations. 

• Consistency: Working with a social media manager or company can help you make sure that your online presence is engaging and active on a regular basis. 

Cons: 

• Cost, especially for small businesses: Hiring a social media manager or agency can sometimes be expensive. 

• Loss of control: When social media management is outsourced, some control over the brand’s online presence may be given up. 

• Communication: It may be more challenging to collaborate with a team or individual from outside the organization, which could result in misunderstanding or delays. 

One choice to think about is outsourcing some tasks (like creating content) while keeping control of the social media accounts in-house. This can provide a more individualized approach while still utilizing some of the advantages of outsourcing social media management. 

The choice to outsource social media management will ultimately be based on the particular requirements and assets of your company. Before choosing a decision, it is crucial to carefully evaluate the advantages and disadvantages and take into account aspects like cost, experience, and free time.

How to find the ideal social media management individual or team:

Choosing the right individual or team to handle social media management for your company is the next step once you have made this decision. To make sure you find the right fit, it is essential to do extensive research on it and carefully evaluate prospective employees or businesses. Here are some tips for selecting the ideal social media management group or person: 

• Examine prior work: Examine the social media profiles that the individual or group formerly managed. Look for profiles that are lively, interesting, and in line with the tone and message of the brand. 

• Request references: Asking for recommendations from previous or current clients is nothing to be afraid of. You can get a feel of the team’s or person’s working style and level of skill from this. 

• Take into consideration their knowledge and experience: Look for individuals or businesses who have expertise in your area and a solid grasp of social media best practices. 

• Check their availability: Make sure that the team or person has the time and resources to manage your social media accounts in an efficient way. 

• Take into account their personality: It’s crucial to identify a group or individual who is in line with the culture and values of your business. This will guarantee a successful and pleasant working relationship. 

You can identify the best fit for your social media management needs by doing some research and evaluating potential candidates or businesses. Take the time to select the best group or individual to handle this important duty, and don’t be hesitant to ask questions. 

In conclusion, social media management has evolved into a necessary element of many businesses’ efforts in customer service and marketing. Considering the benefits and disadvantages of outsourcing this activity, taking into consideration factors like cost, skill level, and time limits, is necessary to make the decision. When thinking about outsourcing social media management, it’s crucial to carefully assess and evaluate possible employees or vendors to discover the best fit. 

After taking into consideration all the criteria, it might be a smart move for individuals who lack the time or knowledge to maintain social media on their own or for those who want to ensure a consistent and professional online presence. For companies with the funds and knowledge to manage social media internally, it might not be essential. The choice should ultimately be based on what is best for your business.

Keep in mind, Reach is a website and marketing agency aimed at helping other small businesses, so feel free to give us a call for a no-obligation chat. Contact Now

When you’re first starting out in business or looking to reach, you likely don’t have unlimited means. You need to market your business if you’re interested in growing your brand, but you have to pinch your pennies in the process.

That’s not impossible. In fact, there are lots of ways to grow your brand on a budget. Following are the eight most cost-effective ways to increase your brand’s reach without blowing your budget.

1. Get your business listed for free

Create a free Google My Business account. This is a free service from Google that customers can view products and services, leave reviews, and find you on a Google search. Every started by search by saying, “Hey Siri, find a carwash near me?” Start today and keep your Google account up to date. Be sure to link your website and encourage others to leave a positive review. 

Also, add your business to Apple Maps.

2. Get to know your customers

Who does your business serve? What qualities do those people possess?

Who is your ideal customer?  Imagine how you would describe a character from your favorite television show. Where does he work? What are the main sources of conflict in his life? How does he spend his time? How much money does he make? Where does he live?

Answering all of these questions will help you get to know your ideal customer more intimately. Consequently, every piece of content or copy you write will speak directly to that person.

For instance, if your target customer is a young single mother with a full-time job and a small apartment or house, you would approach content differently than if you were targeting a middle-aged family man with kids in college and a low-stress job. You have to think like your customers if you want your products to appeal to them.

3. Develop your unique brand voice 

A brand voice defines how you sound to other people. It makes you memorable and recognizable. Have you ever read Seth Godin’s blog? It’s an excellent example of a consistent voice in Knowledge Commerce. Godin’s voice (sparse, question-oriented, and inspiring) translates well into his books, his speeches, and his other endeavors. He’s great at metaphors, so he uses them liberally.

Your voice should resemble the way you’d talk to a friend or family member. Are you naturally funny? Do you tell lots of stories? Can you express complex ideas in easy-to-understand ways?

In other words, go with your strengths. Amplify them in your writing and speaking so you come across as relatable and genuine.

4. Social media presence 

Some of your customers and prospects hang out on social media for hours each day. They catch up with friends, participate in memes, and scroll for inspiration.

You want to be there for them when they arrive. According to a MarketingSherpa study, 58 percent of respondents reported that they follow at least one brand on social media. 

Start by choosing the best social platforms for your Knowledge Commerce business. Post content on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook and see what platform works best for your brand. Keep in mind you can post on Instagram and it can feed to Twitter and Facebook. 

Then start building up your presence on those platforms. Follow influential people in your industry, engage with people who discuss your niche, and make your profile as professional as possible. Be sure to join and post in large groups on Facebook and use #’s on Twitter. 

5. Start a blog — And keep it updated

Blogging is vital! Blog posts attract readers who might become customers. Just like this blog! And it also helps your website compete and gain traction on web browsers (like Google). 

The point is that content building should serve as the cornerstone of your branding process. It’s what demonstrates to the world who you are and why you’re in business. It’s also a great way to show off your knowledge and skills and bolster your website.

If someone stumbles across your blog and discovers that you haven’t posted in six months, what might they think? They could assume that you’re no longer in business, for one.

Blogging is essential for Knowledge Commerce professionals, so don’t just start a blog — keep it updated. Share news about your business, start a blog series or share little-known tips with your audience.

6. Customer service is key

Customer service is key to keeping and gaining new clients. Your brand should revolve around how you treat customers. Demonstrate that you’re willing to answer questions, resolve complaints, and share your knowledge with the rest of the world. 

7. Partner with other professionals

If people see that you’re associated with another strong brand, your brand becomes stronger as a result. That’s why companies often post the names or logos of their customers on their websites. It’s a form of social proof.

Partner with other professionals who have more customers or stronger brands than your own. Find ways to help those professionals.

8. Build a website that reaches

There aren’t many businesses that can survive without a web presence and there’s no reason not to have a website. A website can be a highly effective marketing tool that can be very cost-efficient. Read more. 

Keep in mind, Reach is a website and marketing agency aimed at helping other small businesses, so feel free to give us a call for a no-obligation chat. Contact Now

The answer is yes. There aren’t many businesses that can survive without a web presence and there’s no reason not to have a website. A website can be a highly effective marketing tool that can be very cost-efficient.

10 Reasons Every Business Should Have A Quality Website

There are many things you can do with your website, here are 10 good starting points: 

1. Create a presence. Where can potential clients go to learn more? Your website can help establish your business as a going concern, communicate your brand and it can convey professionalism and extended to the 5 billion people online.

2. Help build trust. New clients might want to know about your business history, your expertise and your specialization. This is a great vehicle for people to learn more and attain that comfort level they seek.

3. Get listed on search engines. Build your website incorporating search engine optimization (SEO) techniques so that you can easily be found by people searching for relevant key words.

4. Point of Contact. Your website provides customers an easy way to contact with the mode they prefer and learn about your services.

5. Leverage social networks. Implement a social media strategy to reach a larger audience and to create more buzz. Social Media can drive people to your website.

6. Sell products. If your business lends itself to online sales, create a virtual store as an alternative or complement to a storefront or office location.

7. Share the latest news. Whenever there are new developments regarding your business, update your website. Sites that have fresh, relevant and timely information draw users back more often.

8. Blog. Keep your website fresh and keep drawing people in with regular Blog posts. Show your expertise, share insights and provide practical tips on topics relevant to your business or to your customers

9. Learn about customers. Learn about their needs, preferences, and interests. Establish and nurture two-way communication with prospects and clients. Reach a deeper bond and serve them better.

10. Customer convenience. Providing customers with multiple ways to interact with your business is almost mandatory these days.

Keep in mind, Reach is in the business of helping other small business, so feel free to give us a call for a no-obligation chat. Contact Now

The good news is that building a website yourself has never been easier. While being proficient in coding may have been required a few years ago, dozens of simple tools now exist that will allow you to build your own website without learning how to code.

It depends. You may want to ask yourself a few of these questions. 

Should I build my business website?

1. How complex does your website need to be? If all you need is a simple one-page website with an email address, phone number and maybe your business address, you can absolutely do that yourself. There are many website builders to get up and running quickly for as little as $15-55 a month. Now consider advanced functionality that you commonly see on businesses websites, like: E-commerce, appointment scheduling, complex forms, fancy design, etc… You may also consider hiring someone like Reach for $25-100 a month.

2. How much time do you have? Building your own for the first time can take anywhere from 5-50 hours depending on how tech savvy you are and your design desires. Having more time basically gives you two things. First, the ability to take it slow and build it yourself. The second factor is that even if you are going to pay someone like us, we can normally get it up and running in just a couple of days. 

3. How much do you want to spend? There’s a misconception that building a website is expensive. The fact is, it has never been cheaper or easier to get online with a website. That said, even if you plan to have an agency like Reach build your website, we can use templates as a base to get started. There are thousands of WordPress templates available to keep the price low. You might even find that a quote from Reach is very inexpensive. 

4. What is your appetite for learning? Do you like to learn new things or does the thought of computer code make you queasy? Truth is, learning to code, even a little bit, is a handy skill to have. If you’re at all curious, learning basic HTML and CSS is a fun side project, and creating a simple HTML website from scratch or messing around with smaller platforms like Ghost.

5. How critical is your website to your business? If your website is more for simple info and not going to generate leads, building it yourself is not as risky. If your website must be a finely-tuned conversion machine, you should hire someone. Amateurs often miss things like slow loading times, 404 errors, security issues, certificates and numerous other vulnerabilities that can impact the performance of your website.

6. How picky are you? If you are the kind of person who would be upset if things didn’t line up perfectly on the page; if the color was one shade off, images look off, or if the menu navigation isn’t as slick as you’d like, you should probably hire someone

So, what will it be then? Are you ready to build a website yourself? Or ready to give Reach a call for a quick chat? Please keep in mind, Reach is in the business to help you and will be more than honest helping you decide and moving your business forward.

You’re ready to take your marketing to the next level? Here are a few tips to help you reach your goals. 

1. Set and Post Goals 

Marketing goals are critical and will help you to define what you need to focus on and achieve. Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based and POSTED for all to see. 

You will also need to allocate a budget to your marketing activities. Your marketing budget will need to include elements such as:

• Website development and maintenance
• Website search engine optimization (SEO) & Keywords
• Design of branding
• Printing of promotional material (business cards, brochures, signage, etc)
• Advertising (google, social media, email marketing)
• Donations and sponsorships
• Employing staff or hiring an agency to undertake marketing activities

Click Here for a Marketing Plan Template

2. Market Research

Market research is a key part of developing your market strategy. It is about collecting information that provides an insight into your customers’ thinking, buying patterns, and location. In addition, market research can also assist you to undertake an initial sales forecast, monitor market trends and keep an eye on what your competition is doing.

3. Profile your Target Markets

Trying to promote your product or service to everyone can be costly and ineffective. Grouping or segmenting your potential customers based on certain characteristics will help to focus your marketing efforts.

Generally segmentation is based on factors such as:

• geography – location
• demographics – age, gender, education level, income, occupation
• behaviour – loyalty, attitude, readiness to buy, usage rates
• lifestyle – social class, personality, personal values.

Your target market should have a need for your product or service and be willing to pay for your offer.

4. Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A USP is the unique reason your customers buy from you and not your competitors – it’s what makes your business stand out from the crowd. It is important to define what you do differently and be able to convey that to potential customers.

Your USP may be having a new or unique offering or providing exceptional service. Start developing your USP by answering the following questions:

• What do you love most about your products and services?
• What special skills or knowledge do you have?
• What makes your customers come to you instead of your competitors?
• How do your customers benefit by purchasing your products or services?
• Which aspects do you generally highlight when you describe your business to strangers?

5. Choose Marketing Avenues

Use a CRM. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. The goal is simple: Improve business relationships to grow your business. A CRM system helps companies stay connected to customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability.

Your website and CRM should be working seamlessly together. Your website collects data and your CRM for managing and reaching your customers. The most popular CRMs on our websites at Reach are Constant Contact and Keap. 

6. Nurture your Customers

Your customers are the key to your success so it is important to look after them. Providing exceptional customer service can keep people coming back and set you apart from your competitors.

Strategies to build loyalty in customers include:

• communicating regularly with customers
• providing after-sale automated and personal follow ups
• delivering on your promises
• go the ‘extra mile’ and exceed initial expectations
• using feedback and complaints as an opportunity to improve services
• listening to customers
• training staff in customer service and basic sales processes. 

Read more on providing effective customer service. 

7. Optimize your Website

Your website should be a fine oiled machine working 24hrs a day bringing in $ and saving you time. Your website should be glamorous on the front end and a work horse behind the scenes (SEO, Keywords, Meta Tags, Backlinks, etc…). Websites should inform of your services, give testimonials, show your products/services, introduce yourself and your mission, allow purchasing and booking options, and provide valuable insights and best practices. If you need a personalized website audit click here or use a generic service here. 

8. Content is King

Quality social media and website content is essential to bringing in and maintaining clients. Content helps people find you, builds trust, and keeps customers coming back. Be sure to frame your content in a positive light. Example, if you’re selling ground beef, is it better to focus on 25% fat or 75% lean beef? Also, do a google search for ground beef, scroll to the bottom to find other related search terms that should be included in your content. 

Use tools like Hemingway to grade your text on readability and grammarly to further edit your writing. Or Canva to make eye-catching graphics.

9. Monitor and Review

It is important to regularly monitor and review your marketing activities to determine whether they are achieving the desired outcome, such as increased sales. Initially you should review your marketing plan every three months to ensure your activities are supporting your strategy. Your website should provide plenty of analytics for this process. What products did your customers buy, how did they find you, what aren’t they buying, what content gained a lot of traffic? 

Be sure to also evaluate your website, CRM and social media analytic tools to determine the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Need help with an effective website, creating content, managing your social media or CRM? Reach is a website and marketing agency on a mission to help businesses reach their goals. Check out our range of blog posts, our talk to an expert advisor. 

Your company’s most vital asset is its customers and employees, so be sure to support them properly. In terms of customers, without them, you would not, and could not, exist in business. Sure, you can attract new customers, but if you’re not creating relationships with them, they’re not going to return or recommend you. In this day and age, reviews and referrals are critical to the success of your business. 

Sometimes it can be challenging to build those relationships. The questions you get asked in a customer facing role can be in equal parts interesting, monotonous, crazy and challenging. The key is to make each customer feel welcome and supported.

Here are 10 (or 11) tips for dealing with customers and delivering excellent customer service:

0. Don’t Take it Personally – This is ground zero of customer support. Customers request a change or don’t like the product/service. Instead of asking for more info and gaining more insight, people tend to take it personally. It’s not about you, it’s about them. Seek to understand and adjust your service or support accordingly. Think about it from their perspective, this could be their “baby”, their dream, or they are simply having a bad day, so be willing to take a little criticism or backlash. If you can get over the hurdle, they may be customers for life. 

1. Truly Listen – Sometimes, customers just need to know that you’re listening. If they’re confused or have a problem, by lending a listening ear, you’re showing that you care and that you’re not dismissing them. You would be surprised how most people simply don’t listen. If you do, you may even discover how you can best support them. Studies show 91% of customers will remain with a provider after a good customer service contact. Read more here. 

2. Apologize – When something goes wrong, apologize. It’s amazing how calming the words “I’m sorry” can be. Don’t engage in fault-finding or laying blame, but let them know you’re sorry they had a problem. Deal with the problem immediately and let the customer know what you have done. Also, do it immediately. Don’t wait a day or week, do it asap, or at least tell them you are working to resolve the issue. 

3. Take Them Seriously – Make customers feel important and appreciated. No matter how ridiculous a question may sound to you; it’s important to the customer. If they feel like they’re being laughed at, or spoken down to, they will not purchase anything. Customers can be very sensitive and will know whether or not you really care about them.

4. Stay Calm – Difficult as it is sometimes, it is important to stay calm. Your calming approach will help your customer stay calm too. They will feel like you’re in control of the situation and that you can help solve their problem. You may even need to tell them, I understand and will support any way I can. From experience, I’ve had some crazy customer interactions, but most of them have remained customers for many years. Don’t write off someone from one bad experience, they may have been upset for an entirely different reason out of your control. We all have our moments and the view from higher ground is always better. 

5. Identify and Anticipate Needs – Most customer needs are emotional rather than logical. The more you know your customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs. Communicate regularly so that you’re aware of problems or upcoming needs. For example, we are a website agency and are quick to provide monthly insights and possible areas of growth. More than anything we are providing them with support by taking a proactive approach. The best customers you have are your current customers. Take care of them! 

6. Suggest Solutions – Have a menu of calming remedies which you and your employees can use. Whether it’s purely a refund or return, or if it’s coupons or a free service. By agreeing in advance the scenarios where you will provide these remedies, and how much you’re willing to spend, you will be able to speak calmer and more confidently when offering the solution. 

Always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing business with you easy. Always do what you say you’re going to do and keep the customer updated in the process. You may be working hard behind the scenes, but do they know that? 

8. Acknowledge Your Limits – Yes is a powerful word but if you’re unable to fulfill a request: know your limits. You can’t be everything to everyone. If you don’t think you can fulfill the request, help them find an alternate remedy. Whether that remedy is your business or another, they will appreciate the extra mile you went to help them, and will recommend your business to their network.

9. Be Available – Customer service is no longer just about face-to-face contact and telephone. If you’re working in an industry or marketplace where customers are constantly online, you need to amend your service delivery to incorporate that. It does not need to be a dedicated helpdesk Twitter handle, simply make sure you respond promptly and informatively to clients on your main business Facebook page or to your Twitter account. The websites we design for customers always have phone numbers, email addresses, contact forms, and chat availability (even if they simply link to an email address). Customers prefer various modes of communication. 

10. Get Regular Feedback – Feedback is a great way to grow both your business and your skills. Provide ways for customers to give feedback, whether it’s a follow up email or phone call, google form, a suggestions box or something more fun and innovative.

Here to Help

No matter what stage of your business journey you’re at, Reach Website & Marketing Agency has the experience and resources you need to succeed. Check out our range of blog posts, our Talk to an Expert Advisories.