Leanne Nelson+ by | May 1, 2014 | Business, Tools, Tips & Resources
The internet gives us tools to manage our business that just weren’t feasible for micro & small businesses not all that long ago. Gone are the days of small businesses relying solely on the local paper, radio & perhaps TV to reach their market or source services. Today we are a globally connected network with the most amazing resources at our fingertips. Even word of mouth has an exponentially greater reach than it used to thanks to the powers of social media. So how can you harness the power of the internet & get these tools working for you? 1. Email marketing Email marketing is the online version of direct mail. It’s a fantastic opportunity for businesses because people invite you to send them information. Having that direct access to someone’s inbox is a great privilege & a great opportunity. And while you might be a regular social media participant with a great following or post great information to your blog, email is still the most powerful acquisition channel on the internet. Email marketing also has the benefit of very detailed analytics. It’s measurable. You can track who clicks on what, who deletes & some of who buys (depending on their purchase method). This allows you to hone your offers on the run, segment your audience & generally get more bang for your marketing buck. Low cost (or free) email services like Mailchimp make it easy to start building your email list & creating a regular newsletter or other offer for your market. 2. Website A website or online store is always open for business. No matter when someone is...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Mar 14, 2014 | Business
Recent happenings across my Twitter, Facebook & Feedly streams that caught my eye. Getty makes photo collection available to bloggers free of charge via The Next Web Finding the right images with the right copyright can be super time-consuming. Good one from Getty Images, although I’m not a big fan of the sharing footer that is embedded with the image (see above). New era in privacy as laws take effect via Dynamic Business If you collect personal data you need to be aware of these new privacy laws that came into effect on March 12. Customer Loyalty Is Mostly About Choosing the Right Customers via Duct Tape Marketing Do you choose your customers or have an accept all comers “policy” You Are What You Read: 14 Thought Leaders Share Their Bookshelves via The Blog of Tim Ferris I mostly listen to books these days. Regardless of how you consume books there’s plenty to keep you busy & learning here. How to Get Customers to Post Instagram Pictures via Social Media Examiner I’m finding it a bit hard to get my head around using Instagram for marketing. Not so Social Media Examiner. How to Have a Eureka Moment via HBR Maybe checking email isn’t the dreadful time waster we’re led to believe. Research suggests “an effective way to incubate a problem in need of a eureka moment is to switch to an unrelated, but still work-related,...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Mar 12, 2014 | Business
Quite often when I tell people I’m a virtual assistant I’m met with a blank look. Making use of virtual resources and outsourcing administrative work is still relatively new in some industries, but it’s an approach that can benefit most small businesses. So exactly what is a virtual assistant? What is a virtual assistant? In its broadest sense a virtual assistant is an administrative assistant that works virtually (from their office, not yours) and usually on a contract basis. That is where the generalities end though. Virtual assistants cover a whole plethora of skill sets from reception to a personal assistant to web design to event management and everything in between. The beauty of working with virtual assistants is the flexibility. As they are engaged on a contract basis, you only pay for assistance when you need it. This is a fantastic option for small businesses. If you need to have notes from a brainstorming session made into a slideshow a they can help. If you anticipate your permanent admin staff will be overloaded due a special promotion a virtual assistant can ease the load. If you’re a micro-business and don’t have enough time to manage all your social media a virtual assistant may be your answer. If you work from home and don’t have room for admin employees think about a virtual assistant. The list is endless really, and depending on the nature of your business there will be many unique ways a virtual assistant could help. A major bonus of working with virtual assistants over temporary employees (aside from the cost savings, of course) is the professional relationship...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Mar 7, 2014 | Time management
Friday afternoons are tough. Focus wanes. Motivation has already left for the weekend. The clock ticks slower & slower. These five quick tips can help bring a sense of accomplishment to your Friday afternoon AND get you hitting the ground running on Monday. 1. Clean out your inbox (ruthlessly) That time sink that is email. Delete, file, unsubscribe, quickly reply. Do whatever you can to tame it so Monday morning isn’t consumed with email. 2. Review your schedule for next week Take a look over your diary to get a feel for the week ahead. Are there any meetings you can now cancel or consolidate? Do you need to do any preparation? Can you schedule another hour or two on your top priorities? 3. Evaluate your to do list – cull, reprioritise & determine next actions Your priorities over the week have no doubt changed. Take a few minutes to rejig your to do list, making sure you have clear next actions for each of your projects or to do’s. 4. Get your first task for Monday ready to go Don’t spend the first three coffees on Monday shuffling papers, trying to remember what it was you’d planned to do. Get everything ready for your first task (this might be as simple as a post-it on your desk), so you can walk in that door on Monday & Get. It. Done. 5. Tidy your work area File papers, bin rubbish & go wash the coffee cups. You’ll need them on Monday 😉 Bonus tip: Revisit your gains from the week. Finish the day on a high & give your self a...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Mar 5, 2014 | Time management
Are you looking for a 31% increase in productivity? Shawn Achor, psychologist and expert on the connection between happiness and success, says that five simple actions can make all the difference. Write 3 things you are grateful for each day Journal one positive experience from the last 24 hours Exercise Meditation Random acts of kindness Doing each of these for 21 days can create “ripples of positivity”, changing your outlook and making you more likely to achieve. Watch his very entertaining TEDx talk to learn more. [ted...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Jan 20, 2014 | Gallery, Websites
VMS (Vehicle Modification Specialists) is a Geelong company that works wonders with cars, trucks, vans, buses, in fact anything automotive. They are super passionate about their work, and I was really excited to work with them updating their website. They were after something that provided more emphasis on displaying the fantastic vehicle modifications they undertake, as well as a cleaner, more modern look for their site. We talked about the advantages of creating a responsive website (one that changes depending on the viewing device), as many of VMS’s clients are out & about a lot of the time. This ensures that no matter whether they’re on a desk top computer or a smart phone, people can effectively use the website. Again, I built the site using WordPress which allows a great deal of flexibility and functionality. It’s also simple enough that users can add their own content, for example news updates, if required. VMS decided to let their work do the talking, and most pages on the new website feature slideshows of some of their amazing transformations. Each service has its own page and we included a gallery page combining all images from across the site for ease of access. Images from this page open into a lightbox. Congratulations on the launch of your new website...
