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The Best Ways to Make Impressive Images for Social Media

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With the modern craze of social media, several brands are competing to attract more and more customers to their products. In order to improve business, brands want to project themselves as appealing and impressive to society. As a vast range of social media platforms emerges online, businesses are presented with an amazing means to connect to their customers in a casual and relaxed environment. There are several brands that strive to present themselves online, but they may be hardly noticed by their target audience. To improve your brand visibility, here are a few tips that will help you.

Make It Relatable and Fun

Some of the best known brands on the web earn their title by building strong, loyal relationships and earning trust. They are very aware of the fact that by keeping their brand personal, fun, and relatable, they can easily connect with consumers and make a powerful impact on them. Maintaining the human aspect of advertisement also keeps the workplace stress-free. There is no better place to start than with social media.
One of the ways in which you can portray your business as fun to your customers is to be interesting. This can be done by indulging in exciting competitions and quizzes. Do some quirky stuff to express your brand. Stay away from being serious as it will not interest them in your product.

Ensure that Your Spelling and Grammar is Impeccable

78 percent of the US population admit to investigating businesses for an effective language and communication skills before buying a product or service. If you own a brand, you must not make any grammatical or spelling mistakes as these will harm your brand reputation. Use words that will make you look professional to your audience. You will find an abundance of language tools online that can help improve your content quality.

Make Use of Dialog Feed

Dialog feed is one of the amazing applications that enable people to view content that is collected from blogs and social media. All of this content will feed your website with compelling user-generated data. New level of HR management recommends this strategy to be highly effective because of its potential to entice a lot of online users to your business. The best part of this strategy is that you need not worry if the content is inappropriate as it will quickly get filtered out and blacklisted at the time of data collection. Once you receive appropriate content, you can then use it to add, modify, or delete it as per your requirements.

Put Emphasis on Visual Posts

People are often most compelled, attracted, and driven by visual posts. Illustrations and images are much more powerful and effective than lengthy posts of text. Experts also believe that it is wise to use imagery to allure more people and create an effective engagement with them.

Conclusion

Social media provides a lucrative opportunity for businesses to make a powerful impression among online users. But this remarkable opportunity comes with a good amount of challenge to make your brands ads outperform others in the online market. With the use of these expert tips, however, you can easily stand out online among the most notable brands.

The Legislation Involved In Working With The Government

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Articles | Government Contracts | The Legislation Involved In Working With The GovernmentSecuring a government contract is the Holy Grail of business. As an entity with a trillion dollar budget, they usually reward contractors with competitive deals. Plus, they are an establishment which needs work completing on a regular basis. As a result, the agreements are lucrative and are long-term too.

Of course, working with the government isn’t a walk in the park. While it’s rewarding, it’s also potentially dangerous on various levels. Lots of companies have folded after a deal gone wrong with the government. Before signing on the dotted line, it’s imperative that you understand the risks.

Here are the main ones to consider.

Licenses And Permits

Before you can apply, the US government requires a few things from you first. Chief among them are the correct licenses and permits to ensure you’re an eligible contractor. A prime example is a D-U-N-S number which is a nine-digit code. It provides them with a physical location for each business premises of your company. Or, there’s a NAICS code which collects data relating to the economy. Any organizations that apply without either of these two things will get rejected. So, it’s essential to have your paperwork in order.

Admin

Speaking of paperwork, it’s pretty important to ensure everything is in order before applying. Remember that this is the government you’re talking about and they will perform a rigorous security check. If anything in your background is a little dodgy, it will show up as a red flag. Not only will this result in your application getting thrown out, but it will also be forwarded to the relevant office. So, say you owe tax, the IRS will get in touch to ask about an irregular tax return. If you’re not squeaky clean, it’s best to avoid the hassle in the first place.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Articles | Government Contracts | The Legislation Involved In Working With The GovernmentInsurance

It’s tempting to see them as the most reputable client in the world. After all, it isn’t as if they’re strapped for cash. However, governments have to cut costs too and they will do so any way they can. If that includes stiffing you with a dodgy excuse, they won’t hesitate. It’s not as if they can’t use the legal system to their advantage. A policy entitles you to legal representation for Defense Base Act cases which go wrong. It won’t be included, yet the fact you have one is a strong basis for a lawsuit. Always have a backup plan in case there are unforeseen circumstances.

The Value

Competing with huge contractors is tough when they have the resources. So, it’s crucial to understand how the system works with regards to small businesses. Did you know that the law requires that government purchases worth $3,000 to $100,000 be directed to SMEs? It’s true, which means there is a lane for startups and non-specialists. All you need to do is to check out the opportunities on the Fed Biz Opps website and place a bid.

Even if you think there is no chance you’ll win, it’s worth a shot. And, if you’re right, keep plugging away until you hit the jackpot.

Three Ways to Establish a Baseline for Your Brand-New Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Three Ways to Establish a Baseline for Your Brand-New BusinessIn business terms, a baseline is where you start. It gives you an idea of your bottom-most revenues and ranks, then allows you to improve upon them until you have a new baseline to replace the start-up version. This is super-important for a brand-new business, as you need to know where you’re starting from to grasp where you want to go. Especially important in project management for business, baselines should be included in your initial business concept. Or at least projected and considered. That said, this article gives you more to think about when establishing a baseline for your brand-new business.

1. Establish a Projected Baseline of Your Hopeful Revenues, Ranks, and Business Presence for the First 3 Months

Baselines are your bottom dollar and where you begin in business. It’s the rock-bottom of your company, and it’s rather low to start with because you don’t know exactly what your business will make. However, you can do a projected baseline as a goal for the next three months. Project a hopeful new baseline, and if you accomplish that one, then that will be your new standard until you consistently make more.

2. Compare Your Actual Baseline to Your Projected Baseline AFTER the First 3 Months and Make Note of Things to Do Differently/Similarly

The first three months are crucial to the success of your business, so keep well-documented records of projected baselines and actual revenues and ranks. When the first three months pass and your business is still standing tall, make tangible notes of what you did, what you will keep the same, and what to do differently. This will be your routine for every three months that your business excels. You could even make a tangible office chart on your wall. Make custom stickers to represent your baseline, projected revenues, and current ranking numbers.

3. Build on Your Business Concept Using the Baseline as an Example of What You Can Accomplish—but Update it Every 3 Months

Baselines change, and businesses go through the trial and errors that either lead to big successes or big failures. Look at where your business began and how much you have accomplished every three months. Let these numbers drive you to do better and maintain a standard of success within your business.

Do Your Employees Tell You the Truth? How to Foster an Environment Where They Do

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StrategyDriven Corporate Culture Article | Corporate Culture | Do Your Employees Tell You the Truth? How to Foster an Environment Where They DoAre the people in your organization telling you the truth? As a manager, if you ask someone working for you, “What should we be doing better?” or “Where can we improve?” how honest do you think he or she will be?

Will your staff give you a laundry list of opportunities for improvement, an overview of key issues that hold your company back, or nothing of substance? Do your employees feel emotionally safe enough to have these authentic conversations? And if not, why?

These questions are at the heart of building a brilliant culture, an organizational culture that is driven by authenticity, adaptability, and a willingness to listen. In several decades of organizational business consulting, I’ve found that culture often distinguishes truly successful and healthy organizations from their dysfunctional counterparts. And one of the biggest indicators of a brilliant culture is a willingness—of everyone in the organization—to both tell the truth and listen. Truth-telling is essential to building a brilliant culture, but it doesn’t happen without leaders and managers who are willing to listen to what they hear and meet people where they are.

As a manager, the impetus falls on you to set that tone. Ask yourself: When I do annual reviews, sit down to discuss key issues, or collaborate on problem-solving, do people speak honestly with me, without fear of repercussion? If they don’t, what’s keeping them from doing so?

How to Foster a Safe Environment

One of the best ways to foster an environment in which it’s emotionally safe to tell the truth is to listen to what you hear instead of only acknowledging what you wanted or hoped to hear. Consciously work on enhancing your ability to meet people where they are and focus on developing your follow-up questions. Try staying in the present more often. Rather than thinking about the next item on your agenda during a discussion, offer your full and undivided attention. You may learn that you’ve been missing essential information in previous conversations.

The truth sets organizational cultures free. Only when we understand what’s actually happening in a company culture can we choose to realign behaviors, beliefs, and strategies. Careful listening, validating other perspectives, and follow-through build trust, signal respect, and show people they are valued—all bedrocks of emotional safety. Learn to listen to what you hear and you just may be surprised at the truths that find their way into the light.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Corporate Culture Article | Corporate Culture | Do Your Employees Tell You the Truth? How to Foster an Environment Where They DoClaudette Rowley is the CEO of Cultural Brilliance, a cultural design and change management consultancy. Over the past twenty years, she has consulted, trained, and coached executive leaders and teams at Fortune 1000 companies, small businesses, academic institutions, and start-ups, helping them create proactive and innovative workplace cultures that deliver outstanding results. She lays out a road map for organizational success in her new book, Cultural Brilliance: The DNA of Organizational Excellence. Learn more at culturalbrilliance.com.

Top Trends for Entrepreneurs in 2019

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneur Article | 2019 Top Trends | Top Trends for Entrepreneurs in 2019Entrepreneurs need to understand the changing markets that they are involved in. No matter their sector, failure to understand what modern consumers are looking for and the best ways to meet those needs, is one of the main reason for business failure. That’s why understanding emerging trends has always been a fundamental priority for those either running their own business or preparing to launch. There are some strong trends that look set to dictate the business landscape in 2019, and smart entrepreneurs should be looking at the coming year and finding the best ways to integrate these trends into their business models. For those that prefer to stick with outdated methods, the future will be much more difficult to thrive in.

Consumer Relationships

Consumer interaction is more important in the business landscape than ever before. Through social media, email newsletters, and in-house blogs, consumer engagement is the key to improved customer loyalty and higher conversion rates. It’s vital that business-to-customer interactions are natural and honest. As the most effective way to build on the strength of a brand, consumer engagement is the number one focus for businesses of every size and sector. Look at how big names have prioritized interaction, and become much stronger and more trustworthy brand names as a result.

Efficiency Trends

Every entrepreneur should have a strong focus on efficiency. Failure to remain efficient results in the unproductive use of resources and time. The good news is that it has never been easier to become more efficient, and this can be achieved through a variety of methods. However, one of the most consistently successful is through the use of a Kaizen Burst. Statistical analysis of your business processes is not new, but it has become increasingly popular since big name brands started adopting its use. There are potential benefits for businesses of all sizes, and entrepreneurs would be wise to start looking at their own Kaizen Burst Event before their competitors do.

Technology Trends

There’s no disputing that although the human touch is important, technology has become the primary driver of all business management. There are a variety of tech solutions available for all business, and whether you’re looking at the transition to cloud technology, better software, or even artificial intelligence, tech remains one of the most important elements for budding entrepreneurs to be aware of. As the rise of the Internet of Things continues, businesses are benefitting from greater collaboration through more connectivity. 2019 looks set to be the year that the IoT really takes off, making it one of the most essential elements to explore for those entrepreneurs hoping to capitalize on the benefits.

The consumer landscape is one that needs to be watched on a regular basis. If your business is not keeping up to date with what consumers are looking for, then you will lose out to those companies that have a consumer-centric focus. Running a business is rarely simple, but with modern technology and trending business methods, it’s never been easier to create a business model that not only works but has a long-term future.