Category: business

How To Successfully Market Your Products Online

Posted on by admin

online marketing

If you want to succeed in the digital age, then you have to master online marketing. Everyone is always online, and to sell your products, you need to connect with them. If you feel that you’re a bit of a rookie when it comes to the web, then these tips should put you in the right direction.

1. Start A Personal Blog

Expressing your thoughts on a blog is a good way to market your products. Potential customers will see that you’re a living, breathing person rather than a faceless corporation. The easiest way to get started is to visit WordPress, purchase a plan, pick a template, and get writing.

2. Hire The Right Copywriter

Your company website is crucial to market your products. What’s even more crucial is the content on the site. You need copy that makes your products sound good without being over the top. If you want to make sales, then you’re going to need a solid copywriter.

Finding the right one might not be easy or cheap. However, it’s important. You don’t just want a skilled writer but also one that can professionally handle feedback and edits. They should also be diligent in meeting deadlines and be able to follow instructions exactly.

3. Get Loud On Social Media

Internet users spend more time on social media sites than any others. You should utilize this to your advantage. Make sure you have quality accounts for the main social media platforms. Get your friends, family, and employees to share the pages as much as possible. You want to make as much noise as possible on social media.

Furthermore, if you do receive messages and comments from the public, make sure you answer them. They are from potential customers after all.

4. Don’t Stick Your Head In The Sand

The business and marketing world is in a  constant state of flux. You don’t want to appear like you’ve been living on Mars. Rather you should do your best to stay up to date with the latest developments.  Make sure you regularly read national news.

5. Buy Traffic

A shortcut to driving internet traffic to your site (and therefore selling products) is to buy it. Numerous companies can market your site on your behalf. If your time is better spent on other things, then this may be a good option.

6. Collect Emails

People rarely change their main email address, so it pays to get a hold of it. You will then have a potential customer for life. It’s just getting the address in the first place which is tricky. People aren’t going to simply surrender this info for free, which is why many companies offer a gift or $5 off coupon to those who subscribe with their email.

Final Thought

Online marketing can be a tough game to master. Regardless, it important if you want to increase your sales. These tips may seem simple, but they are important for getting you moving in the right direction.

How To Differentiate Between Bin Lifters

Posted on by admin

bin lifters

Bin lifters are an excellent way of avoiding injuries to your back when lifting wheelie bins into the bigger skips. But, with manual, electric and hydraulic versions on the market, which is the best option for you?

Different Types of Bin Lifters

When it comes to high quality manual, electric and hydraulic bin lifters in Australia or wherever you are located, there is a lot to choose from and what you decide upon will depend greatly on your needs, your budget and usage requirements. You’ll also need to consider the brand and size of your bin. Let’s take a look at the different kinds of lifters.

1. Electric Lifters

There are plenty of power sources for electric lifters, which vary between 12V right up to 24V. You can even have solar panels added if you want a stand-alone lifter that can be powered by the sunshine.

There are even pneumatic air powered lifers, which are usually favoured amongst industries where there’s a risk of explosion and where electrical operation isn’t an option.

Electric lifters are similar to forklifts in that the power source drives a hydraulic pump which in turn forces oil into the ram. There’s just enough power used to raise a bin and gravity helps it lower back down safely.

2. Manual Lifters

There are several different kinds of manual bin lifters, including:

  • Winch operated lifters – These lifters use a winch to lift and lower your bin. The wire rope variety lies on top of itself during operation, but it can cause sharp metal spikes, whereas webbed strapping prevents this. Both options have their pros and cons.
  • Gas strut – Gas struts offer a great deal of assistance during the overall lifting and tipping process. However, you need to be trained in the use of these models.
  • Bottle jack – This is similar to hydraulic versions and uses hydraulic power to raise the cradle of the lifter. You can move the jacks lever up and down which, in turn, pumps hydraulic fluid to the ram. To lower the bin, you then release the valve. A thorough understanding is required to operate this device.

Why Would You Need a Bin Lifter?

You need to consider why and how you plan to use the lifter in order to choose one. Some of the many benefits of owning a bin lifter include:

  • Bin tippers are easy enough to attach to forklifts, making handling your material even easier, too. They’re designed to make it possible for just one operator to dump the materials in a skip by pulling a lever or cable.
  • The lifters are extremely versatile and often come with latches the lock in place in order to prevent unintentional accidents.

Overall, the type of bin lifter you decide on, be it electric, hydraulic or manual, will depend on what you want to use it for, how often and in what kind of location. Each model offers its own benefits and there is a version out there to suit all budgets.

Peak Season Logistics Solutions For Retailers

Posted on by admin

Logistics Solutions

For many online retailers, the peak seasonal surge is a stressful time, and trying to fulfill orders is a main objective as they struggle with their limited resources. Even though it happens every year, it is still a challenge and if the temporary staff leaves a lot to be desired, mistakes can occur and the business might suffer as a result. The third party logistics industry, or 3PL as it is known, has grown alongside eCommerce and the provider would offer a range of essential services all designed to make life easier for their customers.

Flexible and Affordable

The reason why 3PL is so popular is it gives the small business a tailored logistics solution, ranging from only transportation, to a complete pick, pack and send service. You might already have good logistics in place and only require help during the peak season, and by discussing your needs with an established 3PL provider, you can use their services as and when you need to, which means you are not paying for any more than necessary. When you factor in the very high cost of in-house solutions, a third party logistics partner makes perfect sense as it gives you a top quality service at an affordable price.

Adequate Stock

The online consumer does not like to wait, and with so much competition out there, you must ensure you don’t run out of stock. Providing you have the space, it is a good idea to bulk order, which will help you save a little, or you could ask the 3PL company to stock extra and let them handle the picking, packing, and transportation, which is the preferred solution for many online retailers. Ordering should not be left too late, and knowing your suppliers will help you to calculate latest delivery dates, and in the event you have stock left over after the rush, this can be stored for a while. If you would like a detailed description of third party logistics and what it involves, there are articles online that can serve as your guide.  

Outsourcing Logistics

If you forge an alliance with an established 3PL company, they have the know-how and the resources to ensure that all orders are fulfilled, especially during the peak season, and this allows your employees to focus on other aspects of the business. Any organisation is affected by a higher volume of orders, and rather than taking on extra staff to process the orders, it is more cost-effective to call in a 3PL provider, and they can provide essential logistics support as and when needed.

Seasonal surges bring with them the potential for errors, but with some planning and an experienced 3PL partner by your side, the higher than normal orders will not have a negative impact on your business. If you would like to talk to the experts, an online search will lead you to a market leader who can take the strain and help you grow. With their continued support, you will experience sustainable growth.

Call Answering Solutions for your Business

Posted on by admin

Call Answering

If you look at the traditional office set up, you will invariably see the receptionist, who is basically the front line for all incoming calls, as well as attending to visitors, and while she might do an admirable job, her salary would reflect that. Then, there are the social security responsibilities of the employer, and let’s not forget taxation, as is when you directly employ someone, and when you look at the goal – which is to have all calls answered promptly and professionally – a telephone answering service seems to tick all the boxes.

Virtual Location

The term “virtual” is not referring to the receptionist, who is as real as you or I, but rather to their geographical location, which would typically be at a call centre run by the provider. Of course, the caller would be totally unaware of that, in fact, they would assume your receptionist answered, and with scripted greetings, you can be sure of a professional approach and manner. Typically, a call handler would have 3 or perhaps 4 clients, each with their own script, and as the call handler is fully briefed on all their clients’ businesses, they can handle any situation professionally. These cost effective answering services for small businesses allow every company to project the right image and maintain a smooth running administration by taking the required action when it matters.

Removing the Human From the Loop

This might work with self-driving cars and building machines but when you are dealing with real people, call answering is most definitely not an area where the human can be replaced, and with telephone answering services, you are getting professional response at an affordable price. Every customer should receive a human response within a few seconds of making the call, and the only way to cost effectively provide this is by using such services.

Employer Responsibilities

If you already employ people, you will already be aware of how costly that can be, and if it is possible to give a receptionist other, more important work, you will be boosting productivity, and with all incoming calls professionally handled, you can focus on other areas of the business. Cost cutting usually comes at a cost, but with the answering service, everyone wins! You, the business owner, are happy to see a great service and your customers are being dealt with in a professional manner, and all for a fraction of the cost.

Whatever your chosen industry, or the size of your organization, telephone answering services offer you many benefits, not least the fact that all calls are promptly and courteously handled at all times. With a range of affordable packages, you will only be paying for the services you use, and there’s really no better way to achieve communication excellence. If you would like to know more about the services a phone answering service provider offers, all it takes is an online search and you can be talking to an expert in business communication, and from that moment on, you are always covered with call handling.

 

Why Your Workers Need High Visibility Clothing

Posted on by admin

high visibility clothing

If you run a construction company, or any industry that requires people on the ground, you should already understand the importance of high visibility clothing, and if not, then this article was written with you in mind. Having the ability to see everything around you is critical, and that includes people, who have a habit of moving, and without the right clothing, a machine operator might not be aware of their presence, and that’s when accidents occur. If you have never considered this, here are just a few reasons why you should invest in high visibility clothing for your team.

Be Seen – When a person is working, they do not need the added pressure of wondering if a lorry driver can see them while they are negotiating a pallet or two, and the whole point of high visibility reflective jackets is to make others aware of your presence. These innovative garments are designed with safety in mind, and as the reflective strips do their job at all times, everyone can see everyone else.

Incorrect Usage – Some workers prefer to remove the high visibility garments during the hot weather, and this is when an accident is more likely to occur. The outer garments are specifically designed not to trap heat, and while you might fancy a suntan in the summer, it just isn’t worth the risk of removing your safety clothing. If you would like some further reading on why reflective clothing is essential in the workplace, there is an informative article on various blogs that highlights the need for wearing high visibility clothing.

Machine Operators – Anyone that drives or operates heavy machinery should always be visible, especially when climbing on or off the vehicle. Working with or around vehicles puts a person at risk, and if your workers do not have this type of reflective clothing, then they are not as safe as they could be, it’s as simple as that.

Online Solutions – You might be wondering where you can purchase high visibility clothing, and the answer is from an online supplier who would have a wide range of specially formulated garments that are designed for high visibility in the workplace.

Location of Reflective Surfaces – It isn’t just a question of having a few strips on a jacket, as the actual location of the reflective areas do make a difference. If a worker is standing sideways on, it could be that he is not really visible – if the strips are badly placed. There should be at least one reflective band that circumvents the body, and with the right colours, this will ensure a high level of visibility.

The importance of wearing reflective clothing cannot be over emphasized, and if your workers do not wear this type of clothing, then this needs to change. For what it costs to have all of your employees kitted out, this will go a long way towards preventing a work related accident, and as an employer, it is your duty to provide a safe working environment for everyone.