Archive for August, 2015

Quality control is much more in depth that okaying products at the end of an assembly line. It is primarily about the mentality of the company you have hired to produce your goods. All employees from the front desk to the warehouse must be committed not only to the promise of low cost high quality, but a dedication to excellence as well. There are numerous international companies that promise this, but do not have the structure to attain this goal. One must be practical about quality control on a day to day basis not just in meetings or at trade shows. Once a company has gained your trust, then loyalty will certainly follow thus creating a win-win situation for all involved. Time is always a factor in quality control as defective parts take longer to fix as well as diminish confidence of staff, consumers and clients. Profits will usually increase with the proper quality controls in place.

It can be a challenge to trust another company to manufacture your goods to your exact specifications and with high quality. Outsourcing to another country where the language and culture are not your own, can be particularly anxiety producing. You have to be able to allow the process to happen and that there are quality controls already in place. 72% of shoes are made in China according to statisticbrain.com. A country with the lion’s share of manufacturing opportunities is doing something correctly. Quality Control, or QC as it is commonly known in the industry, is comprised of multiple aspects. External elements include controls, job management, well-managed processes performance and integrity criteria, alongside identification of records are integral parts of creating a product of the highest quality. Internal elements of quality control are the treatment of the workers and a positive working environment. American companies do their best to create safe and positive working environment for their workers. The following is a list of the top three practicalities when dealing with quality control.

1. Inspections (primarily materials)

Quality control insists on material inspection. All materials must be safe and not run. In quality control, one of the QC managers will do what is called a rub test in which a cloth is run over the new product to make sure the colors do not run. A shoe that leaves dye on the consumer will not be very popular. Materials are also tested to ensure they meet the client’s expectations. If a shoe is to be made in leather, it stands to follow pleather will simply not do. Throughout the numerous inspections, the orders are consistently checked to deliver to the client’s expectations. Shoes will also be cleaned to make sure all chemicals incurred during the production process are removed.

2. Consistency

Another aspect of quality control is the insistences that all products are uniform in natural. For example, if the client wants five inch heels, then all quantities must have five inch heels to the exaction of the client’s orders.  All inferior products will be removed and not included with the clients’ orders. Size and measurements are checked to make sure they fit specifications. In addition, the soles of shoes are rigorously tested for traction in order to prevent injuries. Finally, all stitching is checked for density and customization. Quality Control involves quite a bit from each department and stringent attention to detail.

3. Ask the Managers

Employees are directed by a manager in factories, so  get to know the staff when meeting with your manufacturers. High quality companies will welcome questions. Mangers are in charge of not only the production lines running smoothly, but that the machinery is performing at optimal levels as well. They are always the liaison between the administration and staff. Managers must be effective communicators and not rely on fear tactics to speed up the process. They should be innovators helping the process of having your vision become a reality. When deciding which company with manufacture your goods, ask to see the manager to inquire about daily operations.

Twitter only allows you to use 120-140 characters. Keep it as short and sweet as possible. At first, you may be challenged by the length, but after a month you will grow comfortable with the limitation. If you go over the allotment, you will get cut off and look unprofessional.

Hashtags
Include #s (hashtags) in many of your tweets so that it’s easier for people to find you. Making your personalized hashtag is also popular. Three hashtags are the maximum limit suggested in each tweet. Stuffing tweets with hashtags are tedious, and some may unfollow you as a result.

Be social
If you want an authentic and interactive Twitter page, it’s very important to be social and interact with other people on Twitter. A minimum recommendation would be retweeting or commenting on at least four other tweets at least four days a week.

Create time
Set aside time to create tweets. It will probably take you an hour a week to produce and schedule your Tweets. Factor in time to retweet and comment as well as reply to comments on your page. You can’t respond or comment to everyone so create lists to keep your focus keen.

Introduce yourself
Keep your profile sweet. Introduce yourself and briefly explain what you do. Share all your services so people can know all of your products/services. Here is mine: Hello Twitterverse! My name is Maureen Castellon. I am a freelance content creator. Let’s tell your brand’s story. Please check out my blog for tips on content.
Include your website so people can find out more about you. Twitter may seems challenging at first;however, it will pay off for your brand.

Social Media is one of those things where everyone feels they are an expert once they figure it out. While not impossible to figure out, it does require some finesse. Do not feel overwhelmed by so many options for social media. You do not need to be on every platform. Pick two or three and do them well.
Don’t pitch constantly
Don’t send automated DMs to new followers; it is creepy. Thanking people for their follow is nice, but when followed by a pitch, the thank you is negated. Also, try not to crossover your message with every platform sans formatting it. You have to add value to readers’ lives by addressing their pain points. They have enough people pitching to them that they have grown immune and only pay attention when something is of value.
Reframe
There will be someone on social media that will have something unpleasant to say about your business. The claims may be exaggerated, but they can work in your favor with the right attitude. Respond to negative comments with a solution. Getting defensive might rally the internet trolls.
Return the favor
Part of social media is being social. If someone favorites, likes, or shares your message, then return the favor. You have to interact on a cyber level to reach your goals.
Cultivate a message
You can create your feeds or have someone else such as an intern or freelancers compose them. It is tempting to have an intern write them, but without real world experience, they may not understand that what is great to them might come across as cloying to others. A freelance can ghost your message with a proven track record.
Schedule
There are people who post seven times a day. On the other hand, there are others who only do it twice a day. A prominent social media guru suggests posting the same message three times a day as each time a new group of people will see it. There is no magic formula, so just play around with times and content.

Play around with social media. While it is necessary in today’s digital world to have a presence, it is a channel not the Enterprise.

Bing and Yahoo are also search engines that can serve your business. However, Google has become a verb meaning in future generations it will be like Xerox for photocopying. Google Adwords can be a tricky place and it can be overwhelming for so many. There is quite a bit of information out there and Google offers numerous tutorials on YouTube.

The lowdown on Adwords is that it is an auction where you bid for the most coveted keywords. Insurance, Restaurant, Writer, and Fashion are in demand words that you try to get for your ad to rank at the top of the page. The ubiquitous modern joke in marketing is that the place to hide a dead body is on the second page of Google.

Let us try a simple exercise. Open up whatever device you use to browse. Go to Google and type in blue nail polish. On the left side of the screen will be different sites for information. On the right side of the screen are paid advertisements. These ads are paid for and do not in any way suggest a superiority. Take a moment to look at what has been pulled up. Marketers are advertising to you as if you were walking down a mall. This is the essence of SEO and internet marketing.

Have you ever Googled your name or that of your business? If you haven’t try it now, though most of us have not necessarily out of vanity, but to see what is out there about us. Some may have secrets they do not want revealed while others are just curious. Every day and every way we are shaping others perceptions of us as a brand. Actions and words can last forever on the web. In some ways, this is frightening, but in other ways if you are smart about your image and reputation, the benefit will be the internet has half the job done for you. Your name is your brand.

Let Google help your business by staying up to date on changes and selecting the best ad/keywords to move your brand forward.

Hootsuite.com is an amazing social media management tool. There are both paid and free options. Originally, the service was $5.99 a month, and now it is up to almost to $15. Some will disclaim the service as too expensive, but the paid version includes analytics alongside other benefits. I only use the free version so I can’t wax poetic about the paid one.

What draws businesses into using the site is the scheduling of tweets. When I first started Siren, I had no clue how to schedule tweets. I wondered how people were close enough to their computers to send messages. Now, I realize that they had a set schedule.

When you sign up for the service, they are very helpful, and there are dozens of tutorials on Lynda.com or YouTube. The basic gist is you go into your dashboard and post messages in advance. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google+, and WordPress are the standard networks to connect with for a user.

If you want to add different profiles, then you can. The free account can help you if you are a social media specialist, and your clients are less than three. A free account will also work if you just want to separate your business and personal life. Just make sure you keep your tabs separate so you don’t post your party photos on LinkedIn thinking they are going to Facebook.

The free account will not allow you to setup tweets too far out. Every two months I stock up and construct future messages. It would be easier with a paid account, but that is up to you. There is an option on Hootsuite to pick the best times to post with the auto scheduler. Just don’t post to Twitter on Friday or LinkedIn on a Monday and you will be fine.

Hootsuite is all about convenience. Weigh the options of free or paid. Happy scheduling!

LinkedIn is a professional network to promote yourself and your business.  It is not the Facebook for the business world, as some would characterize it. You can put up photos of work events such as launch parties and the like. LinkedIn is the place to communicate with future employers and/or potential clients. Be professional and take time with your profile by caring about your image, your network, and your future. Don’t put up pictures of you drunk and dancing on tables. Your profile should have a professional photo is which you are fully clothed, even if you design upmarket bikinis. Ask and answer the following questions for the best profile possible:

1. Why do I want to be on LLinkedIn
2. Who am I?
3. What product or service am I offering?
4. Who are my target clients?
5. What strengths can I feature?
6. How do I communicate?
7. How long will devote daily to Linkedin?

Headline

Labels help people understand who you are. When I was a teacher many parents would not tell me what learning disabilities their child had and as a result, I was challenged by this lack of knowledge. Do not let being labeled stop you from defining yourself. I am a writer. I am not an interior decorator or an accountant. People seeking writers or content creators will seek me out for what I am capable of doing. In my headline I have the keyword of content creator. Keywords will also help build your network of new leads, customers, and colleagues.

Recommendations and endorsements

It is highly suggested to have at least seven recommendations. These might be awkward to ask for, but they will be beneficial to your profile. There is a brief window for hitting someone up. Right after a project or promotion is the best time. Waiting too long will result in being a slight annoyance to the person you are ask.

For endorsements, list your skills and them have them validated by someone else.  In order to get endorsements, you must give them as well. Try not to over endorse or you might come across as a kiss up.

1. Do your research
Every business has important principals. If you do not know their names, they will dismiss you. Learn their names and look them up on- line. Understand what you can offer them. It is not just about what they can do for you.
2. Make it all about their needs
Everyone has needs. You must tailor your pitch to specific needs. If you approach a real estate titan, they will want to know why they should spend even a minute of their time with you. Important people get pitched to all the time and have learned to weed out those wasting their time. Don’t be that person.
3. Approach people without hesitation
Smile and look friendly. Your body language speaks volumes. Point your toes towards people and have your hands relaxed. Don’t stare anyone down like a territorial dog. People don’t like to be dominated and in the business world people will find this particularly egregious. Be polite and shake hands firmly.
4. If there is already an ongoing conversation, try to hover and not intrude
A networking event is not a reality show. You cannot talk over anyone. If something pricks your ear, stand nearby and ease into an opening. Most events will have name tags and people will be open to speaking with you as long as you are not pushy.
5. Don’t spend too much time with one person
Networking events are a numbers game. You must talk to as many people as possible. Leaving a bit to talk about will make people want to connect to continue the conversation.
6. Avoid vampires
There will always be someone who wants to squeeze everything out of you. These vampires start by asking questions and then do not stop. They will scare others away and dominate your time. Be firm and say they can set up a consultation. Otherwise, you will waste the opportunity to network. If you allow the vampires to overpower you, they will.

A keyword is what you type into Google or any other search engine to find your desired service or product. There are two types of keywords: long tail and short tail. The best way to think of these types of keywords is through a siren. The head of the beautiful mermaid (short tail) gets all the attention while the tail (long tail) is largely not noticed in preference to the face. Short tail keywords are generalized words to get the bang of the search. Many companies bid on the most popular keywords because this will drive traffic to a site. However, quantity and quality traffic are not the same. Some companies use the flashier keywords to hike interest, even if it is a stretch to use them for their products or services. You can get them in the door with short tails, but they may not stay.

On the other hand, long tail keywords are expanded keywords crucial to your SEO and retaining warm leads. Case in point, when a customer is close to the point of sale, they tend to get more specific. They already have done their research, know exactly what they want, and are looking to buy. Long tails key words can help you get a sale instead of increased traffic short tails can bring.

The typical buying cycle for a customer is as follows:
1. Potential client has become aware of a product or service.
2. Potential client begins researching the product to see if it fits into their pain points.
3. Potential client seeks alternatives within the product range such as pricing and features.
4. Potential client begins to ready themselves to make a purchase and pulls out their debit or credit card.
5. Potential client receives goods and decides whether to initiate a return.
Let’s say you have a small business offers content creation like Siren Publications does. If you were to have the short tail keywords of content, then you would be competing with content mills. You will have a harder sell if you are not more specific with long tails. Consider a real world difference between long and short tails:

Content writer SEO 6,910,000 results
Content writer 129,000,000 results
Miami content writer SEO 513,000 results
Miami content writer fashion 13,200 results

As you can see above, the various keywords yield different results. The more detailed your keywords are, the better. You can use short tail keywords, but you would be going up to bat with the big boys. Now the great news is long tail keywords are cheaper than short tails. Long tails target your potential clients who are closer to the point of purchase alongside being easier to rank.
This all goes back to the idea of quality traffic. You may have more visitors with short tails, which does not always covert to sales. Long tails are highly targeted leading to buyers. Another plus is that highly selective markets can turn into niches. Small sales from these communities can lead to big profits. To explore your long tail options go to http://www.wordstream.com/keywords and explore your options with long tails.

Most people admire the face, but the tail drives business forward.

Marketing costs money. You must have a realistic budget and stick with it.

Research your current finances
You need to understand your current financial to create a budget. Estimates can vary. Consider your revenue information. Businesses can be feast or famine, particularly if you are in your first year or are a freelancer. Whatever you make in famine mode should be what you count on as your revenue. Feasting can be unpredictable and, therefore, should not be counted. Some businesses combine the profits from feast and famine and divide by two. This is not realistic, as you cannot rely on feasting. To reframe this, famine sets you will practical expectations for what you can truly afford during leaner months. When times are tough, marketing is usually the first cut when the opposite should occur. Leaner times should be the time to amp up marketing. By focusing on famine, you will never have to trim your budget thereby making your presence consistent. Also, any extra money can be put away for the unexpected and growth spurts. If you sell unique shoes, some celebrity or person of note my buy your product and spread the word. You will then by cut short if you do not have resources to meet the demand.
Research
Awareness is perhaps the best quality in an entrepreneur. Research helps in the process to enlightenment. Once you are comfortable with your budget, you must investigate past failures and successes. For example, if you took out an ad in the hippest magazine and it yielded nothing but prank calls, then you know you did not correctly target your audience. Afterwards, you may have sponsored a local event that was a smashing success. Targeting takes research and time. You may know going into your business what you want to attract, but life is surprising. As mentioned in an earlier post, a cereal bar wanted college kids but had the surprise audience of elementary school kids. They advertised on the college radio station, took out ads in the college paper, and handed out coupons. It did not work. Had they researched further, they would have discovered their marketing dollars would have been better spent on sponsoring a youth sports team and opportunities centered on the younger than expected target. Make yourself aware through research.
Monitor
You must have metrics in place. This is a requirement. If you expect to pour money into a strategy and have it work without paying attention, you are throwing away money. Pay attention! Analyze whether revenue has increased as a result of your efforts. Make allowances for seasonality and weather events. It is also important to note that you must also monitor yourself. Being realistic about money should cross over into how realistic you are about how much time you will spend on research, monitoring, and managing expectations.

It may sound foolish to invest more in tough economic times, but it the best time to make money. Customers will tighten their belt and do more intense research before making any purchase. Spend your money wisely during these times to increase visibility and market share. Every cent that goes into marketing is an investment. During the Great Depression Proctor and Gamble made a killing with Ivory Soap. They had an annual competition for soap carving.
This contest was an amazing distraction from the doom and gloom of the headlines. Proctor and Gamble knew what they were doing because how else could one become a master carver, but to practice on multiple bars of soap? Needless to say, the soap company thrived in the 1920s and 30s using this one clever marketing strategy. There is an opportunity with every market all the time.
However, you will not find high ROI if you do not invest your marketing funds where they will deliver the most return. Set a structured budget, but be flexible in fund allocation. Shifts in market environments alongside growth potential among brands or geographies are ignored. Throwing money at the problem does not change history; learn to tap smartly into potential.