Strategy Plan One Blog

Keeping up with Creativity

Strategy Plan One — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 22:32:04 GMT

September 9, 2012

Creativity

We have all been there. Planning, writing, blogging, tipping and then we hit the wall with no creativity left to continue. Seems to happen frequently with some, while others never seem to have a problem cranking out volumes of interesting, valuable information.

As an entrepreneur, executive or specialized staff working in an organization, you need to keep up with your creative edge. Creativity helps you and your business stay on the leading edge as it is applicable to so many facets of business. Business plans, marketing plans, product and service offerings, campaigns, projects, methods, processes … all require a significant degree of creativity to make things stand out. Creativity takes plans, products, and processes to the next innovative level, sometimes leading to a competitive advantage over the competition’s standards.

Here is a brilliant infographic from Copyblogger, that illustrates some major creative blocks and how to bust out of them to maintaining your high level of creativity.

Source: Copyblogger

Summarizing some tips to bring out your best creativity:

Maintain creativity as a priority in your business and personal development
Take a breather – writers can face exhaustion; take a break mentally and physically and watch creativity come back
Jump on some ideas after researching, reading and analyzing others’ work
Take mental notes of objects, scenarios and people in your environment and how it relates to your topic (you will be surprised at the content you can create from this)
Diet – the brain needs nutrients; many studies have show that healthy diets fuel the brain
Ask a colleague for input, ideas, co-authoring (will generate ideas and content that you would add on to others)
Colors can activate creativity; tune into, focus on colors
Sound can create a response in you
Confidence – high level of confidence and you will be always ready to go
Don’t get stuck in perfection; no one is perfect
Don’t feel your work isn’t valuable as your work can have a significant impact on 1 person, 100 people, or a massive crowd
General rule – quality is always best; don’t feel pressured to pump out massive volumes of material
Set up a schedule of focused time; distractions and not getting organized can cause stress which causes mental blocks

Back to Business This Fall

Strategy Plan One — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 14:23:18 GMT

Strategy Plan One

September 8, 2012

Fall Business Period

A week has passed in September… families, communities and the education system are all adjusting to the “back to school” phase of the year. For many students, young and old, back to school represents a period of renewal, of fresh starts, starting up again.

However, this positive energy can be easily transferred over to the business sector, for existing and budding entrepreneurs.

New entrepreneurs can take advantage of the fresh start approach, planning their initial strategies for the Fall, Winter and 2013 periods. Some fiscal year periods start in the Fall for good reasons related or integrated into the government fiscal years, or corporate fiscal years. Existing businesses should refresh their business plans to reflect any market or industry changes that have occurred on local, global and international scales. Building on successes and results from the previous business cycles, businesses should tweak business and marketing plans accordingly.

Establishing Goals this Fall

Get serious about business and personal development this Fall. Always as a first step, establish some aggressive, achievable goals and objectives. Without goals and objectives you won’t be able to set some strategic directions for yourself and your business. Ensure your goals are achievable, measurable, and that you apply flexibility to adapt and revise goals and strategies.

Business Ideas and Hints for the Fall

Here are some helpful hints and ideas to think about some positive steps to take in business and personal development this fall:

Planning – Always a great idea as part of your core activities to review, tweak your business and marketing plans
Scan your business environment and competitors - develop some products or services that will be a bit different or new to your market
Capacity and Skill development – naturally many classes are offered in the Fall schedule; good time to brush up on business skills
Product and Service Offerings – review your results to date and revise if necessary heading into the Fall, Winter and 2013 periods
Refresh, redesign – Whether you have a store front or website, take a look at your layout and seek feedback from customers for better designs and layout
Communications and Outreach – develop new communications to your customers; utilize social media for extended outreach and measure your effectiveness on social media
Generate Fall Buzz, Interest – generate new and continued interest in your company, your products and services; offer Fall free or trial offers

Check out these Fall Business Strategies:

Employee Satisfaction and Links to Success

Strategy Plan One — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:38:50 GMT

Strategy Plan One

August 18, 2012

Employee Satisfaction

Oh no, we could all see the coming. We could all feel the tensions in the office. Everyone, every worker has been on edge. With poor global economic conditions how could anyone feel great about their workplace and about their future employment.

The past few years, businesses have experienced troubling times, and that is an understatement. At the very core of every operation is the workers. A business cannot function without its’ valued workforce, and keeping them happy in these times is challenging.

However, there are significant signs that employees who are engaged and happy lead to greater success, productivity and profitability. When efforts are made by management, productivity improvements can occur even in these tough economic times.

This infographic from Social Cast highlights this linkage of employee satisfaction with success.

Employee Satisfaction – Top 5 Factors

Job security (63%)
Benefits (60%)
Compensation and pay (57%)
Opportunity to use skills (55%)
Feeling safe in the workplace (54%)

Engagement:

86% of engaged employees express happiness in the workplace
Highly engaged organizations experienced 87% less turnover and 20% productivity improvement

Check out more interesting facts and statistics in this infographic.

Source: Social Cast

More business blogs of interest:

Social Media – Getting Organized With a Task List
Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]
Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
Digital Marketing – Conversion Opportunities for Business
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Employee Recognition – Key to Improving Performance and Morale

Strategy Plan One — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:13:00 GMT

Strategy Plan One

August 14, 2012

Employee Recognition and Feedback

Gathering feedback from staff and customers is essential to moving forward with your continuous improvement processes. It is always best to seek internal and external objective input into your business operations. However, in certain business environments, management and employees may not necessarily be connected, leading to a lack of feedback and recognition.

Here, in this infographic from Rypple, statistics and impacts of management-employee communications highlight:

65% feel they don’t receive enough feedback in the workplace
34% of managers want to engage staff and provide more feedback
The larger the company and the higher the status of the executive, the feedback gap widens
Veteran managers want to provide more input to staff

Key messages on feedback and recognition:

Feedback and recognition improves morale, less costly mechanisms to achieve performance improvements
Employees are more engaged in operations, the business and objectives when recognized by management for their efforts

Source: Rypple

It is clear that there is a correlation between constructive management feedback and employee job satisfaction, performance and morale. It’s in your best interest to ensure you implement strong feedback mechanisms and employee-management performance appraisals to help build capacities in your organization.

More business blogs of interest:

Social Media – Getting Organized With a Task List
Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]
Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
Digital Marketing – Conversion Opportunities for Business
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Social Media – Getting Organized With a Task List

Strategy Plan One — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 15:16:28 GMT

Strategy Plan One

August 11, 2012

Social Media – Task List

Do you have a new or existing business and feeling overwhelmed with trying to keep up with all the activities you feel you need to accomplish, on the multitude of social mediaplatforms? You may not be alone as there are endless activities you could complete, in a swirling universe of social media, all for different reasons and objectives.

Here in this infographic is an example of what The Whole Brain Group classifies as a “Sensible Social Media Checklist” of activities.

Source: The Whole Brain Group

Social Media Marketing

So what’s in your social media strategy? What do you plan to tackle on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The above infographic gives us a glimpse of something that may work for one company. Ensure you plan out your social media strategy and activities. Test out and measure your efforts. Constantly be looking to improve and revise your strategy and activities for better results. Make it applicable to your business and to the way you engage and communicate with your customers.

In developing your social media plan:

Establish your objectives
Investigate methods to communicate and engage your customers
Develop some options for marketing activities
Determine social media platforms that would be applicable
Develop a plan of social media activities (social media task list)
Estimate the marketing budget
Implement, test, measure, analyze
Revision and continuous improvement for better results

Here are some additional Social Media articles, blogs and infographics:

Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]
Social Media – What Employers are Looking For
Social Media, Mobile and Internet Data by the Minute [infographic]
Social Media Use, From the Employer Perspective [infographic]
Twitter Statistics Showing Exponential Growth [infographic]
Social Media Buttons for Targeting Your Business Audience [infographic]
Social Media Statistics on the Fortune 500 Companies [infographic]
Social Media Statistics on Pinterest – Traffic and Online Sales Impacts
Social Media for Small Business
Social Media – On a small business budget

More business blogs of interest:

Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
Digital Marketing – Conversion Opportunities for Business
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Online Retail – Strategies That Lead to Better Sales
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Travel Site – Inside a Popular Travel Website and Mobile App [infographic]

Strategy Plan One — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:18:57 GMT

Strategy Plan One

August 8, 2012

Travel Site – MapQuest Usage Statistics

There are a few sites most go to for travel assistance. Whether you are looking for maps, places of interest or to map out a travel itinerary, travel sites and their accompanying mobile apps come in handy.

To give an example of how utilized some of these map websites are, here is a look at visitor usage of MapQuest from 2011 in this infographic MapQuest. Staggering numbers and trends presented include:

Over 330 Billion miles routed / logged
Concentrated tourism activity along both US coasts
Over 14 Million visitors to MapQuest each month
Ave 2.4 visits on MapQuest per month per user
Ave 2.6 minutes per visit
Impressive 7.2 Million MapQuest App downloads

It is interesting to note the popularity of their mobile app, mirroring travel or mapping services for users on mobile devices. It would be obvious that travel apps need to be more user-friendly while users are “mobile”. If an app can mirror the services provided on your site, and works well on mobile devices, your strategies and plans should incorporate the development of mobile apps that would be beneficial to your customers.

From Frogloop, here are some helpful tips in planning out a mobile app that meets consumer needs:

Establish objectives for the mobile app
Define users and market for the app
Research, test and measure
Define and plan technical development issues
Read more tips here from Frogloop

Government Jobs – Valuable, Skilled and Educated Work Force

Strategy Plan One — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:54:14 GMT

Strategy Plan One

August 7, 2012

Government Jobs

Whether you are an employee in the private or public sector, or self-employed, we all take in the angst from the client groups we serve.

However, with extremely high expectations of government services, taxpayers and clients of government programs vent a bit more, show more frustration and sometimes treat government workers differently.

Government employees work on all levels, assisting entrepreneurs to assisting citizens in every government program under the sun. They are there, employed to serve the public. However, the perception and behavior towards public servants is quite shocking, and sometimes to the point of being disrespectful. This occurs despite the fact that on the other end of that kiosk or government counter is a very valuable, highly educated individual who can really help you if you tap into these resources and programs.

When you hear public servants, much negativity exudes from the critics. Common comments include, “they are lazy”, “overpaid”, “cushy jobs”, “useless”, and “uneducated”, “biased”, “never helpful”, and on and on. Yes, very harsh terms for dedicated employees who serve the public on a daily basis.

Government Employees

Obviously these comments are furthest from the truth. The deepest job cuts in this recent economic climate, have occurred with public servants in the US and Canadian governments. This comes after much human resources investment and years of corrective public employment processes, in some cases hiring the best and brightest work force. Government institutions have implemented “employment appointments based on merit“… meaning the candidate must pass the highest scrutiny of meeting the job criteria. It’s not easy getting into the public service.

The modern public service is a very educated and experienced work force, due to job criteria and the abundance of applicants for government jobs. This highly competitive employment process results in the highest qualified, ranked candidates out of the bunch of applicants. It is sometimes common, especially in these economic circumstances, to find that government employees are heavily over qualified.

Government Jobs – Pay and Benefits

Depending on jurisdiction, pay isn’t always the greatest in the public service, especially when the majority of positions are classified as administrative or in program delivery. Specialized areas may pay better. Some government sectors provide ample benefits which improve the compensation package, but not to the extent of what compensation a similar position may receive in the private sector. While some senior executive level public service jobs may include a small annual bonus, the majority of the public service does not receive bonuses or incremental pay based on performance.

The human resource strategy in recent years in the public service has been to find cuts, implement efficiencies through automation and offer the public online features. Gone are the days where getting a government position was a guaranteed long-term career move. Job security in the public service seems to have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Public servants are constantly on edge, not knowing if in the next fiscal year their jobs will be cut. It’s also a scary scenario when certain States or other jurisdictions announce that they are not sure they can pay for the next payroll.

Government Jobs – Highest Scrutiny

The work of the public service and their employees are held to the highest scrutiny, evolved around implementing the highest ethical standards and upholding good values. With government programming and staffing costs funded by the taxpayer, the public service is carefully watched, carefully analyzed. This sometimes leads to stressful environments, however, once acquainted with the roles and responsibilities of a government job, one comes to realize this as the norm.

In the modern public service, government jobs are attractive to candidates. The public service often calls for qualified candidates to take on challenging, interesting work in this global environment. The jobs can be rewarding, and can lay the groundwork for building better personal and professional capacities … applicable across the board in the private sector and in self-employment. If considering advancement in the public service, many government sectors see the value in the development and retention of valued internal employees. It is definitely worthwhile to tap into these public service employment development programs.

Remember that when you apply for government grants and programs, these public servants work hard to provide the services and products that you are requesting. Give them the time they need to complete their work in a stressed work environment. Give them the respect that all should expect. Be receptive to their ideas, feedback and recommendations to strengthen your applications and your dealings with government. Remember that these public servants have families, strive for a stress free environment and need to survive like the rest of us.

For more information on government jobs check out:

Relevant personal and business development blogs and articles

Maximizing Business Performance
Strategy Plan One – Entrepreneur tips
High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed
Small Business Tips – From Mashable
Young Entrepreneurs – Business Tips
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Employee Morale Improvements – Small Things You Can Do as a Leader
Positive Work-Life Balance in Your Business Organization
Strategies to Handle Difficult Employees in Your Business
Hiring tips for Start-ups

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]

Strategy Plan One — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 15:10:41 GMT

Strategy Plan One

August 4, 2012

Social Media and Small Business

Small businesses face a significant uphill battle in these economic times to engage and communicate with consumers. Marketing and communications have vastly changed over the past few years, and with the add-on of social media as a tool, measurable benefits and trends are occurring with the small business sector.

This informative graphic from Bolt Insurance highlights the following small business and social media statistics and trends:

81% of small business use social media to get their message out and engage with customers
95% use email marketing
98% of small business engage in website marketing
62% of businesses not using social media will plan to in the next year
81% that currently use social media will step up efforts in the next year

Top challenges small businesses face according to this survey:

80% claim attracting new customers are the biggest challenge
52% state obtaining referrals as the greatest issue
41% of small business would like to squeeze and maximize results with marketing dollars

Social media effectiveness:

82% state Facebook as the most effective social media platform
73% of respondents say YouTube most effective
47% LinkedIn
47% claim Twitter is the most effective social media site

View some more interesting statistics in the infographic below.

Courtesy: Bolt Insurance

As an entrepreneur / small business, it is advantageous to stay on track with developing trends and to design products and services that not only meets current customer demand, but also future consumer needs. Review and analyze marketing conditions and trends, and plan accordingly.

Here are some additional Social Media articles, blogs and infographics:

Social Media – What Employers are Looking For
Social Media, Mobile and Internet Data by the Minute [infographic]
Social Media Use, From the Employer Perspective [infographic]
Twitter Statistics Showing Exponential Growth [infographic]
Social Media Buttons for Targeting Your Business Audience [infographic]
Social Media Statistics on the Fortune 500 Companies [infographic]
Social Media Statistics on Pinterest – Traffic and Online Sales Impacts
Social Media for Small Business
Social Media – On a small business budget

More business blogs of interest:

Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
Digital Marketing – Conversion Opportunities for Business
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Online Retail – Strategies That Lead to Better Sales
Franchise Opportunities – Industry Outlook 2012 and Beyond [infographic]
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Business Tips – Maximize Performance and Business Development Results

Strategy Plan One — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:38:03 GMT

Strategy Plan One

August 1, 2012

Business Tips for the Entrepreneur

As you are midstream through harsh economic times, take the time to reflect on your current business operations. Think about the small things that could be tweaked that can have the maximum positive impact on your business. Here are some helpful business tips to maximum the output in your organization and in your business development.

Business Tips – Maximize the Use of Your Time

Time is definitely considered an asset when you are a busy, mult-taking entrepreneur. Delegate operational tasks to staff and area specialists as much as you possible can. Free up your time for business management functions, business development, planning and implementation. Institute shorter, more concise meetings and communications as much needed time savers for all. Cut the slack time and concentrate efforts in a condensed shorter period. Incorporate that into individual and team goals.

Establish Priorities

Clutter can occur in many ways from physical bunched up clutter to the mental clutter of massive workloads of relevant and non-relevant tasks. Take the time to sort this out. Getting organized on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis should be a standard part of your business and of the action plans across all employees. Encourage organizing and priority setting as part of the valued added side of your corporate culture.

Business Tips – Create a Constructive Environment

Feedback is necessary on all aspects of your business. Ensure that you develop a culture of encouraging and valuing input from all levels in the organization. Constructiveness is essential … when everyone puts on their constructive gear and behavior, everyone is “building” towards a common goal. Feedback can be critical nature, but as team members put on the constructive hats, criticism turns to positive alternative idea and solution generation. Problems and issues are better solved when the collective can feed into the solution.

Be Social

This business tip is not necessarily focused on spending massive amounts of time on social media. Being social in business means networking, partnering, collaboration, team work. Every business, every entrepreneur venture is vastly stronger when you and your team get out there and communicate and network with everyone. Not all deals, partnerships and customers will automatically fall into your lap … you need to get aggressive and make the moves to communicate and network with others. Remember that social media is only one form of communication and engagement with other businesses and customers. Communications, marketing and business development occur in many ways outside of normal office functions and social media.

Business Tips – Be Helpful

As a leader, entrepreneur and community member be helpful to all and it will eventually return to you in spades. Being a business leader is not a one-way street…. you need to not only receive but to give. Your valued staff give their efforts and their time to helping you achieve your success. You need to help your staff become successful through employee development, encouragement, recognition and in your acceptance of their needs professionally and in their personal lives.

When developing products and services for customers, remember this two-way street. It’s not about just gaining revenue from clients. You should be developing your business around how your products and services can first help the intended market, and meeting the needs of the consumer. Revenue then potentially follows after successfully meeting the needs of the customer.

Plan well for maximum benefits and results!

Relevant personal and business development blogs and articles

Customer Retention Strategies and Tactics
Strategy Plan One – Entrepreneur tips
High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed
Small Business Tips – From Mashable
Business and Economic Impacts of the Games
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Young Entrepreneurs – Business Tips
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Capacity Building in Business
Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Olympic Games – Impacts of Hosting the Games [infographic]

Strategy Plan One — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:31:48 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 29, 2012

Olympic Games

Ever wonder what impacts the Olympic Games will have on business, the host country, infrastructure and citizens? Here is a graphic by ClickSoftware highlighting:

Final Bill : 9.3 Billion pounds; 6.5 Billion on Transportation infrastructure
Military: Over 18,000 troops & 20,000 private guards
Transportation: Up to 800,000 passengers / day; 100 trains added daily
Heathrow: Up to 217,000 passengers / day ; additional 650K during the games

See additional statistics below.

Source: Click Software

More business blogs of interest:

Olympics 2012 – Entrepreneur Opportunities Now and in the Future
London Olympics – Statistics and Business Opportunities [infographic]
Travel Industry – Statistics and Impacts on the US Economy
Tourism Industry – 2012 US Travel Outlook Favorable
Business and Economic Impacts of the Games
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Customer Retention – Observing Movie Theater Industry Strategies and Tactics

Strategy Plan One — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:33:59 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 28, 2012

Customer Retention

Similar to other business industries, the movie theater industry has experienced ups and downs over the past few decades, with trying to build the customer base and in customer retention.

It is often stated in Customer Relationship Management strategies that it is 3 times harder to attract new customers than to keep customers through customer retention. What do you think the logical, strategic approach is?

On a Friday night, a group of us decided to take in a movie at the theater. Deciding to be entertained in 3-D, we slid in and bought tickets forIce Age: Continental Drift. After paying the usual ticket prices, the design of the theater brings you to the unavoidable drink – snack – popcorn counter, where of course, we snack – geared everyone for the movie.

To not miss anything, like anyone else, we wanted to ensure we were there prior to the 7:15pm start time. As you are probably aware, the first few minutes prior to the start time, movie goers are slightly entertained, with all bodies pointing forward to the screen with clips and shots of “did you remember to get…”, and all the rest of value-added, movie theater promotional stuff. After 10 minutes of alternating between occasionally glancing at the screen and frequently engaging in conversation with our party, the lights dimmed and volume was cranked up.

In your mind 7:15pm start time is firm and you are ready to watch. Nope, not the case. For the next 16 minutes (yes I was the annoying one looking at my mobile device lighting up the adjacent areas) we all sat through movie trailers, ads and clips, one after another. Then another promotion for another 3-D movie coming up. Oh, and then one fairly entertaining movie theater industry ad attempting to generate more interest in coming to the movie theater again. 16 minutes of this! Didn’t we all just pay to watch a movie at 7:15pm? I can expect to click-through pop up ads on a website if I am getting something for free there, but experiencing this in a movie theater? Why?

Don’t get me wrong that I am severely complaining here, but highlighting more of a business and marketing observation. Quite frequently some of us put on our business hats and observe how businesses promote themselves, engage and communicate with the customer, and try to build up the loyal base of repeat customers. Here are some of the messaging and customer retention relevant observations at the theater before the movie, during that time frame prior to the movie, and post-movie time frame:

Customer convenience – theaters make it easy for customers to buy tickets in advance at kiosks or online
Captivated audience – Paying customers are in front of the screen, focused on the screen and the instructions on proper movie theater etiquette tells movie goers not to be doing anything else (ie: don’t talk, don’t use mobile devices)
Free Trial – Customers are getting a “free” glimpse at additional products, in the appropriate format (ie: movie theater ads have a bigger impact being played in the actual movie theater and not on a 21 inch, non-surround sound system at home)
Colors, design and words used in the clips, trailers and ads can create positive responses from the consumer
Investment – the movie industry sinks millions into advertising and test marketing these ads prior to developing the final 2 minute clip or trailer (ever notice movies had looked super appealing in those trailers?)
Feedback – the theaters capture customer feedback in two ways – in person or by kiosk; this feedback is an important part of improving the experience and of the Customer Relationship Management process

Whatever the tactics and strategies used by the movie theater industry, they are able to hit and make an impact on the paying customer to enable a response to return. In your business, what are your strategies to gain the continued interest from your customer? Keep them informed? Provide them will add-on packages while you have their attention? Offer the free trial to keep the customer coming back? Ensure you observe certain industry and business tactics towards gaining and retaining the customer base. Incorporate strong customer retention strategies in your business plan and marketing strategies.

More business blogs of interest:

Efficiency – Working More with Less in Current Business Environments
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Hiring – Strategies and Tips for Strong Staffing Processes
High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed
Pay Per Click – Advertising Statistics and Trends [infographic]
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]

Ty Col Consultant, Mentor, Entrepreneur

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Efficiency – Working More with Less in Current Business Environments

Strategy Plan One — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:24:54 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 24, 2012

Efficiency to Survive in the Current Economic Environment

Tough economic times require tough business decisions. In cases of self-employment, when times are difficult, the onus rests on the business owner to implement contingencies. When reductions occur in smaller businesses, everyone, including the owner, get busier. In extreme cases to survive, businesses may reduce operations down to the owner handling all tasks, from management to operations to administration… just to survive.

In order to find efficient methods in operations, businesses insert in tech tools. However, being connected by mobile devices adds a new dynamic to vacationing business owners, as it has now become part of the norm on vacation. Business owners are glancing at their emails while sitting on a beach, partaking in a tourism outing, or trying to spend leisure time with family.

In this infographic from Manta, some key trends are emerging in small business and mobile device use, from an external Manta Wellness survey that was conducted in June 2012.

58% of business owners say they are working more than the previous year
70% of those surveyed do not plan to hire any additional staff this summer
71% of business owners express working and responding to emails while on vacation
60% of entrepreneurs state they enjoy vacations more due to their mobile devices (huh?)
68% of respondents say they use mobile devices while using their computers
54% state that they use mobile devices at work to check email (business or personal) and,
24% of business owners use their mobile devices every day

Source: Manta

Business issues – A few points were clear from this survey:

Businesses are still facing challenges in this economy - Ensure you plan well in advance. Business planning should be conducted frequently to help in mitigating around the surprises this economic environment may bring.
Business are making adjustments and finding efficiencies – develop operational and human resource plans focused on finding effective, efficient methods with reduced labor and resources.
Work-life balance issues at the business owner level doesn’t appear well – we all know these are tough economic times, but strong work-life balance at all levels will keep employers and employees happy and healthy. Ensure work-life balance exists for healthy minds, bodies and relationships.
Effective tools are needed to handle complex volumes of work – Ensure you invest in capabilities to make work easily for you as the business owner and employees. If mobile devices work well in operations, make it readily available to staff. Devices like these could be the productivity improvement to handle more work more efficiently.

More business blogs of interest:

Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Hiring – Strategies and Tips for Strong Staffing Processes
Positive Work-Life Balance in Your Business Organization
Strategies to Handle Difficult Employees in Your Business
High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed
Pay Per Click – Advertising Statistics and Trends [infographic]
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Hiring – Strategies and Tips for Strong Staffing Processes

Strategy Plan One — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 16:41:58 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 22, 2012

Hiring Processes

As an entrepreneur, business owner, or manager in the public or private sector, the way you conduct hiring or staffing processes can have measurable effects on your staff and organization. Opportunities presented to internal staff in fair and transparent processes can be uplifting to staff, generate interest in the organization, and result in the recruitment of needed professionals. Poor staffing processes can be demoralizing for employees, and can have negative, long-term impacts on the development of human resources in your business.

Hiring – Human Resources Plan

Similar to business and marketing plan development, human resource management in your business would include the development of an annual human resources, staffing plan. Management, supported by information from operational units in the organization, should be able to identify human resources needs for the upcoming annual business cycle. Salary and wage budgets are an important component to the plan, along with the costs for employee development. The costs for hiring and staffing processes should be taken into consideration, especially if travel or external human resources consultants are needed for the staffing processes. Once plans and budgets have been developed, the business will be better prepared to proceed on staffing processes.

Here are some tips to improving your staffing process, staff morale, and results in your organization:

Be fair, open and transparent to all staff on any potential opportunity or position
Look internally first at your valued staff before seeking external sources
Consider employee development to fulfill positions rather than external acquisitions
Gauge employee interest in development, retention and promotion through your annual employee appraisal procedures
Ensure employees have an opportunity to develop a learning and development plan, and that you as the employer can support employee developmental initiatives

Hiring Through Job Postings, Job Advertisements

A clear and concise employment posting must be developed, to make sure all applicants understand who can apply, how to apply and what must be completed in the process. Here are some details that could be included in a job posting:

Job title, classification, details
Job roles, responsibilities and duties
Application requirement details (resume, cover letter, test, interview, reference checks)
Application deadline
Who the job will be open to (ie: internal, external, certain levels, professions)
Where the job will be located
Duration of position
Essential job criteria (applicant must meet these criteria)
Asset job criteria (applicant scores bonus points for these “great to have” additional skills, traits)
Other competencies (ie: leadership competencies)
Conditions of employment (ie: travel, OT where necessary)
Language requirements
Employment equity considerations, and
Contact for questions, concerns, and who to send the application to

Staffing Process – Time Frames

Be cognizant that adequate time frame will be required for staffing processes. Management of time will be essential to develop the time frames around the process, the assessment tools and development of the job criteria. You must allow time frames for the applicants to apply, be tested, be interviewed and for the reference checks. If through your human resource planning you have determined potential start dates for employees, then you will have an idea on the time frame to initiate the hiring process. Don’t procrastinate on staffing processes or you may find yourself hiring and starting the successful candidate later than was actually needed.

Hiring – Short Term Solutions or Alternatives

If staffing processes can’t meet your immediate needs, you may have to consider acquiring the help or expertise externally through short-term contracting. Contracting gives you the ability to acquire human resources in a potential shorter time frame, with more controls with terms and conditions within a contract. Ensure that your explore contracting a short-term solution.

Partnering companies in your field may be able to complete a human resources exchange with you. Partnerships are beneficial as the parties can come to an agreement over the sharing of resources, so short-term staffing may be accomplished through your partnership arrangements.

Developing and maintaining high standards in your hiring practices will result in the best retention, development and recruitment of human resources. Make the “Best Employers to Work For” list, internally and from an external perspective.

More business blogs of interest:

High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed
Pay Per Click – Advertising Statistics and Trends [infographic]
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Pay Per Click – Advertising Statistics and Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:58:09 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 20, 2012

Pay Per Click

Businesses and marketers are always keen to observe the trends with pay per click advertising, as pay per click advertising may be proving to be more beneficial than just aligning efforts to rank sites through organic searches.

Pay per click advertising, essentially paying for advertising to rank at the top of search engines, is an effective method to generate more traffic to websites. In a world of overwhelming information available over the web, it is advantageous for businesses and marketers to have links and information readily available at consumer’s fingertips and in plain sight. Hence the reasons, search engine sites have sponsored ads lining the top part of the pages and right columns. These areas of web pages result in the greatest number of user clicks.

Some interesting pay per click (PPC) advertising statistics and trends are highlighted in this infographic from WordStream:

Pay per click ad results outweigh organic search results by nearly 2:1 (commercial content)
PPC accounts for 64.5% of clicks (high commercial intent)
Top 3 Sponsored links at the top of the Google search page account for 41.1% of the clicks
Sponsored ads on Google account for over 85% of the page above the fold
If companies already rank organically, adding pay per click ads results in 89% new visitor traffic
Click through rates for Google ads are 600 times higher than paid ads on Facebook pages

Check out some more information and trends on pay per click advertising, comparison of SEO and pay per click, and options in paid advertising.

Source: WordStream

Businesses and marketing specialists should carefully weigh the options of marketing and advertising activities. As in all business activities, marketing plans should be developed, identifying marketing activities and budgets. Pay per click advertising may form part of the advertising campaign, and with all activities, the results of efforts should be tracked, measured and analyzed. You may want to compare the return on investment in pay per click advertising to other forms of marketing and advertising activities in your business.

More business blogs of interest:

Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed

Strategy Plan One — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:37:16 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 18, 2012

High Performance

Whether you are an employee in the private or public sector, or into self-employment, you need to set yourself apart from the pack. To make a significant impact on your organization or industry, there are things you can do to achieve high performance.

Possessing and demonstrating qualities will ensure you stand out from the competition, internally and externally.

For the most part, personalities get noticed, but other characteristics and qualities gained through experience can make you shine through. Your qualities can assist in your performance, but can also rub off also in the higher performance of employees, teams and business itself around you.

High Performance Qualities and Tips

Here are some qualities and tips to performing at a high level and getting noticed:

Demonstrate excellence in everything you do, strive for excellence and encourage all to achieve excellence
Set aggressive, achievable goals and demonstrate dedication by hitting them
Seek and implement continuous improvements for yourself, for your team, for your business
Be genuine, truthful, honest, respectful and fair; uphold strong values and ethics and treat others as you would want to be treated
Create an open and transparent environment around you; staff, stakeholders and customers will want to go to as you have gained levels of trust
Keep emotions in check
Be consistent in your responses, decisions, and in your daily work
Be an example of collaboration, partnership building, encouraging team effort
Rely on other’s expertise; be noticed for calling upon others for their value-added advice, opinions and recommendations
Value everyone’s input and feedback
Lead by example
Be energetic, enthusiastic, creative and innovative
Be loyal to colleagues, staff, customers
Hit and make the deadlines, be on time

More business blogs of interest:

Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Retail Stores – The Top 100, Strategies, Trends and Statistics

Strategy Plan One — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:12:33 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 16, 2012

Retail Stores – The Top 100

Realistically speaking and understating, it has been a rough go for the past while in the retail sector, similar to many others industries when the economy hit its bumps. While the usual big box stores are on top in their expected rankings, other retailers have emerged, with differing strategies to engage and capture consumer attention. The National Retail Federation (NRF) has just released the top retail stores report and some insight into those successful retail companies.

According to the NRF report, the business strategies of the top retailers are as varied as the list. Some retailers are keen to develop expansion plans around urban development, while others find their niche in rural areas. Depending on retail strategies, some retailers are integrating into the shopping mall model, while others are thinking outside the “mall” box. It is apparent there is not one standard business and marketing strategy that works for all.

Some interesting strategic patterns have emerged across the top retail stores:

Long-term, consistent nature of the strategies
Successful strategies that center on the customer first, as strategies should
Differentiation that set those top performers apart from the competition
Retail strategies and stores focused on essential goods (food, drug, medical) remain strong through economic turbulence
Online retail strategies continue to build

See the rest of the Top 100 Retailers of 2012 at NRF Stores site

It is clear that in companies like Walmart and Amazon that to stay on top, that their low-cost provider strategy is still priority #1. In some cases, in order to build long-term customer loyalty, retailers such as Amazon break-even or lose money on some items. It has been predicted that these two low-cost providers are going to continue to grow over next 5 years.

Online retailers like Amazon illustrate success with their model of e-commerce, without the need for physical locations. The trend will continue in this direction, as retailers may need to stay competitive by moving part of their operations into online retail expansions instead of expensive physical locations.

More Reading on Retail and the Customer

Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
Franchise Opportunities – Industry Outlook 2012 and Beyond
Online Retail – Strategies That Lead to Better Sales [infographic]
Retail Industry Heating up for Summer and Back to School
Father’s Day 2012 – Retail Spending Up

More business blogs of interest:

Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Social Media Jobs – What Social Media Companies Are Looking For

Strategy Plan One — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 14:44:19 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 14, 2012

Social Media Jobs

Interested in a career in social media? Do you want an idea of positions, roles and employment criteria? You may have passion and desire to be an entrepreneur in social media or work within a leading social media company, but it is a fiercely competitive media – tech field. How would you position yourself to stand out from other candidates and be that social media star companies are looking for?

MindFlash has produced an infographic on social media industry employment, highlighting the social media positions typically available and favorable employment qualifications. The value added side of the infographic also provides some tips to landing your much desired social media job.

These tips are valuable across the board for many professions in various industries, and applicable to potential entrepreneurs in gaining capacities in operation and management experience related to social media related ventures. Here are some of the stand-out qualifications that will put you out front:

Social Media Exposure and Presence

Get noticed by being everywhere on social media, highlighting your capabilities. It is important to brand yourself out there, just as important as companies branding themselves. Several social media personalities are well-known throughout the platforms.

Social Media Proficiency

As you brand yourself as the specialist in social media, it is best that you know social media platforms inside and out. Knowing all the features, apps, mechanics of all the major sites is a must.

High Creativity in Social Media

Employers and partners want to acquire creativity as an asset to the organization. If you have that creative, innovative edge, you may have the competitive advantage over others.

Keeping it Professional

Employers strongly live by their codes of conduct and values and ethics guides. Social media is all about external visibility. You will need to make sure you uphold strong values and ethics and that your conduct in and outside the company is appropriate.

Social Media Industry Knowledge

Employers want to acquire professionals who know what is going on in the industry. To win in a job competition, and in entrepreneurial ventures, you will need to have a pulse on industry players, trends, and resources. Knowing companies inside and out will score you well in the essential criteria of the position.

Partnership Building Across the Social Media and Tech Industry

It is an asset if you are well-known in the industry for collaboration on projects across companies and having the ability to structure beneficial partnerships and joint ventures. Companies can be specialists in one area, but may require the assets, knowledge, or proprietary processes, products and services of a synergistic partner. Once again, bonus points will be scored if you rank well here.

Volunteering and Try Outs

You have nothing to lose by offering yourself to companies to demonstrate your capable, value-added skill set. It may set you apart from the competition if you can offer to work on a trial basis (sometimes for free or cut rate). Generate some of your own conditions if you do come across the opportunities, as both parties must mutually agree to duration, scope of work, and end objectives.

Source: Mindflash

There are other qualities that didn’t get captured here, including dedication, judgement, strong project management skills, ability to work as a team player, and leadership competencies that would surely benefit you in obtaining the “best fit” for the any social media position.

Here are some additional Social Media articles, blogs and infographics:

Social Media, Mobile and Internet Data by the Minute [infographic]
Social Media Use, From the Employer Perspective [infographic]
Twitter Statistics Showing Exponential Growth [infographic]
Social Media Buttons for Targeting Your Business Audience [infographic]
Social Media Statistics on the Fortune 500 Companies [infographic]
Social Media Statistics on Pinterest – Traffic and Online Sales Impacts

More business blogs of interest:

Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
Digital Marketing – Conversion Opportunities for Business
Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Online Retail – Strategies That Lead to Better Sales
Franchise Opportunities – Industry Outlook 2012 and Beyond [infographic]
Retail Industry Heating up for Summer and Back to School
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]

Strategy Plan One — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:10:21 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 12, 2012

Marketing Tips

In business it is critical to interact and communicate with customers to get the sense of what customers want and if your business is meeting their needs. The more frequent, valuable, and genuine your interactions and communications are, the more trust you will build with your potential and existing client base.

Some simple marketing, business tips produced in an infographic by Mindspress, highlight the small things you can do to build better rapport with clients. By making small adjustments and improvements in activities, you can achieve greater exposure in the environment and communities, and better results with customers.

Communications – gather customer contact information such as email to give you an avenue to engage and offer to the customer frequently.
Asking for feedback – the ability for customers to provide a feedback and reviews will create buzz around your products and services. It also helps in creating traffic and in spreading the word through multiple sources and Google searches.
Community involvement – according to this article, giving back to the community, such as volunteering, sponsoring, and donating creates greater exposure for your business. It helps improve morale for those who feel good with their involvement in communities. Customers will take note!
Revised Marketing & Business Planning – it is extremely important to review your marketing and operational activities, to measure and to analyze the results of anything you are doing. The global, domestic and local markets and business conditions change frequently … so should your marketing activities, marketing plan and business plan. Stay on top!
Continuous Learning Environment – you need to keep a pulse of customer feedback and to incorporate the constructive messaging back from the customer. When the customer is telling your something after their purchase, they are informing you (as an added benefit to you) that they invested in you, and in order to keep them you need to improve the experience, product or service. Listen well and incorporate changes based on feedback.

Source: Mindspress.com

More business blogs of interest:

Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Online Retail – Strategies That Lead to Better Sales
Franchise Opportunities – Industry Outlook 2012 and Beyond [infographic]
Retail Industry Heating up for Summer and Back to School
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

US Economy – Business Trends and Statistics During the Obama Era

Strategy Plan One — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 18:13:58 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 8, 2012

US Economy

The global economy along with the US, experienced difficult economic and financial circumstances over the past few years. CNN Money has put together and shared some interesting graphs on the economic and financial indicators during the Obama era. Take a look at some of the results and trends over the past 3.5 years from January 2009 to June 2012.

US Economy – Job Growth

Although slow to dig out of negative job growth, the past 21 consecutive months have shown positive job growth.

Unemployment Indicator – US economy

In January 2009, unemployment was sitting at 7.8%. After a rough 2 year period of increased unemployment, the rate dropped to the current rate of 8.2%, which is now roughly half a percentage point off of the January 2009 figure.

US Economy – Economic Growth Indicator

Following a similar pattern to job growth, the economic growth GDP indicator illustrated 11 consecutive quarters in positive territory. Last quarterly report indicated a 1.9% GDP growth rate.

US Economy – Inflation

With the initial period of harsh economics, inflation dipped into negative territory with the falling price of everything from goods, services and house values. As the economy was slow to turn around, annual inflation started increasing, and during mid 2011, inflation was hitting an annualized rate of roughly 3.5%. Inflation has now decreased to an annualized rate of under 2%, which can still hinder economic growth.

US Economy – Interest Rates

During the initial period of the Obama administration, interest rates climbed to almost 4%, but the respective 2 year period following, rates began to steadily decrease. Interest rates are now sitting at lower than low rates, but how long can this be maintained.

To see more economic indicators during the Obama era, check out CNN Money’s article.

More business blogs of interest:

Business Plan – The Next Steps
Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Online Retail – Strategies That Lead to Better Sales
Franchise Opportunities – Industry Outlook 2012 and Beyond [infographic]
Retail Industry Heating up for Summer and Back to School
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Business Plan – The Next Steps

Strategy Plan One — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:17:25 GMT

Strategy Plan One

July 7, 2012

Business Plan

You have taken the time and effort to develop a draft business plan, and now you are looking to move to the next steps.

Depending on how you developed your plan, whether you completed the draft independently or not, you may want to strengthen your plan before approaching necessary funding agencies, investors, or partners. You may just want to take steps to ensure you are implementing a stronger, more objective business plan that will have the higher probability of working for you. Here are some tips you may find valuable.

Business Plan Review

As much as you would like to state, that you have put in the greatest efforts to create the best plan, you need to be open to constructive feedback. Be willing to adapt and be flexible to adjust the business plan accordingly. When your draft is ready, provide it to friends, family, mentors, consultants and or specialists in your business field. Give the party the task of critically analyzing the business plan, but also to provide you with constructive feedback to make it stronger. With external feedback and recommendations, you will be developing a better business plan in a more objective manner. Ensure that you try to acquire the services of professionals (paid or unpaid) to assist in the process, as there are aspects of the business plan these professionals will target and provide recommendations on.

Don’t forget that if financials are your weak point, have an accountant or bookkeeper review those necessary financial projection documents, such as the projected income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement. Some financial analysis should be completed and included within your business plan on those projections. Stronger financial statements and interpretation of those numbers will signal investors and lenders that you are serious and have done your homework.

As you may approach lending agencies or business grant and contribution programs, it is always a good idea to try to arrange a preliminary meeting to understand the requirements and criteria of these agencies and programs. To acquire a commercial loan for your business, you will need to know the specific commercial loan criteria. With a better understanding of what you need to meet, you can adjust that business plan and financial documents accordingly.

Revising to Make the Business Plan Stronger

Following feedback, be keen to adjust the business plan. With that open mindset, take in that constructive feedback and turn the draft into a more polished document. Here are some common tips and feedback for business plan revision:

Write a spectacular Executive Summary to catch the reader’s immediate attention
Remove non-essential descriptions and sections
Write clearly, with concise and “to the point” sections of the business plan
Ensure that the narrative part of the document is error free
Financial statements should be clearly laid out and error free
Cite sources to support points and data references in the business plan
Add appendices for accompanying documents
Make versions of the business plan specific to agency or external party requirements
Ensure you demonstrate meeting lending or program criteria

As a valuable additional step, have what you consider to be your final revised business plan reviewed again externally. This will help in catching any of those little errors and help you finalize the document.

Final Business Plan Ready for Submission and Presentation

With a complete business plan now on hand, you should understand your business front to back thoroughly. Be ready to make brilliant summary presentations on this business plan, as now you will be approaching lenders, partners and programs to seek financial or business support. You will want to make an impressive impact. Depending how you and the other party want to proceed on a presentation, be prepared to highlight the business case, through a visual PowerPoint presentation, or just through a powerful personal presentation with appropriate handouts. Whatever the case, always be prepared.

With a few added steps, you will achieve your goal of developing a stronger, more objective business plan to present to appropriate parties. Always remember that your business plan is your blueprint to implement your own successful project or business. The plan is a living, breathing document, and needs to be revisited, reviewed and revised frequently as markets and business environments consistently change.

More business blogs of interest:

Online Retail – Strategies That Lead to Better Sales
Franchise Opportunities – Industry Outlook 2012 and Beyond [infographic]
Retail Industry Heating up for Summer and Back to School
SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]
EService, Social Media and Customer Service Trends [infographic]

Strategy Plan One Blog

Keeping up with Creativity

Creativity

Summarizing some tips to bring out your best creativity:

More on creativity:

More on business and entrepreneurship:

Back to Business This Fall

Fall Business Period

Business Ideas and Hints for the Fall

Check out these Fall Business Strategies:

More reading on business topics:

Employee Satisfaction and Links to Success

Employee Satisfaction

Employee Satisfaction – Top 5 Factors

Engagement:

More on Management, Employees, and HR:

Employee Recognition – Key to Improving Performance and Morale

More business blogs of interest:

Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months

Employee Recognition – Key to Improving Performance and Morale

Employee Recognition and Feedback

Key messages on feedback and recognition:

More on Management, Employees, and HR:

More business blogs of interest:

Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months

Social Media – Getting Organized With a Task List

Social Media – Task List

Social Media Marketing

Here are some additional Social Media articles, blogs and infographics:

Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]

More business blogs of interest:

Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months

SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]

Travel Site – Inside a Popular Travel Website and Mobile App [infographic]

Travel Site – MapQuest Usage Statistics

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More reading on travel, business and apps:

Business Plan – The Next Steps

Government Jobs – Valuable, Skilled and Educated Work Force

Government Jobs

Government Employees

Government Jobs – Pay and Benefits

Government Jobs – Highest Scrutiny

For more information on government jobs check out:

Business Plan – The Next Steps

Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]

Social Media and Small Business

Top challenges small businesses face according to this survey:

Social media effectiveness:

Here are some additional Social Media articles, blogs and infographics:

More business blogs of interest:

Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months

Franchise Opportunities – Industry Outlook 2012 and Beyond [infographic]

SEO Guide to Higher Conversions with a Few Steps [infographic]

Business Tips – Maximize Performance and Business Development Results

Business Tips for the Entrepreneur

Business Tips – Maximize the Use of Your Time

Establish Priorities

Business Tips – Create a Constructive Environment

Be Social

Business Tips – Be Helpful

High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed

Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results

Olympic Games – Impacts of Hosting the Games [infographic]

Olympic Games

More business blogs of interest:

Business Plan – The Next Steps

Customer Retention – Observing Movie Theater Industry Strategies and Tactics

Customer Retention

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More on the Customer:

Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]

More business blogs of interest:

Efficiency – Working More with Less in Current Business Environments

Hiring – Strategies and Tips for Strong Staffing Processes

Efficiency – Working More with Less in Current Business Environments

Efficiency to Survive in the Current Economic Environment

Business issues – A few points were clear from this survey:

More business blogs of interest:

Hiring – Strategies and Tips for Strong Staffing Processes