5 Tips to Increase Email Productivity

Sorting through your daily emails can be an awfully time-consuming affair, and can take a real chunk out of your working day. According to the technology marketing firm Radicati Group, the average corporate worker receives around 100 emails a day, much of it being spam. 

It takes just over two hours for the average worker to sift through the raft of daily emails. That’s around 25% of a persons work day, if you base it on an eight-hour day. Sifting through them is a real slog, and that time that would be much better spent doing something far more productive. If you’re a small business owner, time is even more precious, as you will be juggling various jobs for your business.

Well there are plenty of apps out there that can seriously reduce this margin and help increase productivity. Here are 5 of our favourites.

1.Email Game: Clearing your inbox to zero might sound might seem fairly simple, but the reality is that very few people have email accounts that have an inbox of zero. Baydin’s Email Game is a useful Google Chrome extension that turns the process into game by setting a time limit for dealing with each message in your inbox and awarding points for each message you handle. If this is achieved you can prioritise and deal with messages in an orderly, uncluttered fashion.

2. SaneBox This handy app sorts your emails in order of importance, so all of your trivial and spam letters are shoved down at the bottom of your email list. SaneBox is an extremely flexible app, as it works on just about any platform you can think of including, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Apple Mail, Outlook, iPhone and Android. It doesn’t come for free, but the cost of the service is fairly reasonable, and they also offer a free trial.

3. Unroll.me: This is a great tool for dealing with the ever-present problem of spam. Sure you can block senders of spam, but the sheer volume can get on top of you fairly quickly, and individually adding senders to your block list can be a painstaking task. What Unroll.me does is heard all of your unwanted spam and place them all in one, utterly disposable email. There is also a button that allows you to unsubscribe to emails. The only snag is that the service is only supported by Gmail and Yahoo Mail, but most people tend to have at least one of these.

4. Yesware: If you’ve been in the same position long enough it is inevitable that you will have been asked the same question umpteen times. Writing the same generic response can be time-consuming and lets face it, pretty mundane. Apps like Yesware, there are many more in the same vein, allow you to create generic responses to specific questions and then allows you to categorize them. Yesware is available for free and has more than enough options for the average user, but there is a paid-for version for those who think they would benefit from the advanced options on offer.

5.FanMix: This is a great tool for social media professionals. There are plenty of websites out there that allow you to manage all your various social media platforms in one go. What FanMix does is allow you to manage all of your emails and notifications. The Gmail-themed inbox also allow you to view all of your posts,  conversations and private messages. It is guaranteed to save you tons of time, and it is absolutely free.

 

How Regular Should I Post On Social Networks?

This is something we get asked an awful lot, especially recently as we have tried to reiterate the importance of staying active on various social media platforms. 

Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are the main three you should be focusing on, but if you are able to manage more we recommend doing so.

Since Google introduced the Panda and Penguin updates that affect the way it ranks websites, staying active on social media has never been so important.

However, ‘active’ is a broad term and this differs depending on the platform. Facebook users for example do not like their new feeds to be clogged up, especially by businesses. If you just post and post then you will certainly lose fans in droves and hurt your brand in the process.

As a rule of thumb you want to aim for around three-five posts a day, leaving sufficient time between each post. That number can be lower however; top worldwide brands such as Starbucks and Coca-Cola average less than one post a day.

What is much more important is what you are posting, not how often. You should always post updates that are of quality and of interest to your fans. You need to engage them, not spam them with weak material.

You can apply the same rules with Google+ but with Twitter there really is no limit.

Refrain from sending out Tweet after Tweet though, this is sure to lose you followers, but feel free to Tweet throughout the day as long as it is relevant and any links are quality and of interest to your fans.

If you follow these simple guidelines you will give yourself a great chance of success with social media, but remember, quality over quantity is the golden rule.

Google no Longer Announcing Panda Updates

Google have said it is unlikely they will confirm future Panda updates as they become more and more integrated into their indexing process, according to Search Engine Land.

All of the previous 24 updates were confirmed, usually through Google’s official Twitter page, but now it seems that webmasters and SEO experts are going to have to judge for themselves whether any changes have been made.

Google’s Matt Cutts confirmed last week at SMX West that the latest Panda update would roll out some time over the next week.

Cutts also confirmed that the update, and future updates, would no longer be implemented in such a disruptive manner. Instead Cutts said that future updates would gradually take place over a series of days.

Because of this new strategy it is unlikely that any further updates will be announced by the firm. Speaking to Search Engine Land, a Google spokesperson said:

“I don’t expect us to tweet about or confirm current or future Panda updates because they’ll be incorporated into our indexing process and thus be more gradual.”

The Panda updates are part of an ongoing campaign by Google to tackle websites that employ bad practices, such as duplicate or stolen content, in order to rank higher on the search results pages.

Major Penguin Update Inbound

Google’s head of spam, Matt Cutts has announced at SMX West that a large Penguin update is incoming which he says will be “very significant.”

Cutts said that Google’s search quality team is working on a major update to the Penguin update which should be ready some time this in 2013.

The Panda and Penguin algorithm updates sent shock-waves through the SEO industry when Google released them last year, and Cutts believes the incoming update will be just as significant.

Matt also announced there would be a Panda update either tomorrow (March 15^th) or Monday (March 18).

Here’s a snippet from the Panda announcement.

Creativity On Tap – The Motivation Of An Idea!

I truly believe that in this tough economy lateral thinking and creativity will ensure many small business owners not only survive but thrive – “necessity is the mother of all invention” and all that!

Personally I have always been naturally creative and enjoy everything about the creative process from the inception of an idea through to the final outcome.  However I come across many people both work colleagues and customers alike who say they are simply not creative and really struggle to come up with new and original ideas.

For many years I had put this down to Left Brain / Right Brain thinking:

With left brain thinkers typically being logical, analytical, mathematical and good with languages where as right brain thinkers are creative, intuitive, arty, and think much more holistically.

However whilst I am clearly naturally comfortable as a right brain creative thinker my job demands that I spend half my life as a left brain thinker dealing with logic and delivering analytical output.  In order to achieve this I have to become creative about being logical and so if this works for me then surely left brain thinkers can be logical about their creativity?

The title of this article is the “Motivation of an Idea” and I believe this is key to everyone being able to tap into creativity on demand.  In my role I interact with a lot of CEO’s and trainers (both work and sports based) but I very rarely come across people who truly understand Motivation.

For example does Motivation come before an act? or does Motivation come after the act? Most people believe you get motivated to do something where as in the vast majority of cases you become motivated after you have done the act.  Think about going to the gym often you really do not want to go however once you have trained you come out feeling incredibly motivated.

If you are a left brain thinker then you need to stimulate and motivate yourself to become creative you need to set the scene and develop triggers whilst setting the right atmosphere.  It is not enough to say I need to come up with an idea?  Look at athletes who are exceptional at what they do – they don’t simply step onto the field of play and turn in a World class performance.  They first of all need to train and then they need to wear the right equipment, then warm up and then play and even when they do all this sometimes they don’t come up with the goods.

Creativity and the Creative process is exactly the same it doesn’t work every time but it can work most times for anyone as long as you prepare.  With this in mind I decided to create a checklist of things to help anyone and everyone become World Class creative thinkers.

1. Get Motivated – Remember it is most often the act that creates motivation so do something to get motivated – I read magazines or watch videos on You Tube.  If I am preparing an article or a marketing piece I buy magazines that motivate me, these do not necessarily need to be about the subject matter itself just something that will motivate you and put you in the correct frame of mind to become creative.  For me travel magazines, luxury goods, sporting videos, exceptional sporting moments, boats, the sea, beautiful houses, art, sculptures are all triggers that motivate me. Find out what motivate’s and triggers you and use these to prepare to be creative.
2. Don’t Force It – Simply tell yourself what you want to achieve or even better write it down i.e. I want to create a brilliant mailer, or I want to come up with a new product or service (try and be as specific as possible) and then lose yourself in your magazines or video’s or whatever triggers you have chosen to use.  You will now find that the strangest picture or article stimulates your creative process in relation to what you are trying to design or invent.
3. Abandon Logic -  Throw logic out of the window do not try and formulate a whole new product or idea in a logical format – creativity doesn’t work this way simply write down (in a brainstorming fashion) all the ideas however random or silly they might seem and keep writing until you can think of nothing else – the brain is a wonderful thing it will eventually see a pattern or make sense of the random thoughts.
4. Remove all Limitations – This part is essential you cannot put limitations on the creative process – so for example you cannot say I want to create a brilliant new mailer or exceptional new product and then say but on a tight budget!  You have to say that money is no object, time is no object, resource is no object and once you come up with your idea then work out how to do it in the cheapest and or quickest way possible.
5. Create while you Sleep – Some of the most brilliant ideas and inventions came at night whilst the inventor was sleeping.  Many great inventors take a pen and paper to bed and then before they fall asleep write down what they want to achieve -  you will be surprised how many times you wake up in the night with a brilliant idea or when you wake up in the morning because your subconscious mind loves to be creative.
6. Observe - Once you have decided what you want or need to create then observe – you will be surprised just what you will see and what will come to you.  I remember reading a book called the Celestine Prophecy which states as one of its principles that everything you need is already available to you but you are just not open to it? A bit “hairy fairy” well maybe but what it goes on to say is that a chap travelled to work the same way for ten years, passing the same houses and same streets.  He had never been a gardener but as he got older he decided he wanted to create a beautiful garden at his home where he could relax.  Once he decided to create a garden he opened his self up to what was available and the next day as he traveled to work he noticed that two doors down from where he lived there were two fabulous lion sculptures in the garden, around the next corner was the most amazing tree, two streets further along they had some incredible earthenware pots in the front garden, as he rounded the next corner he noticed a garden centre he hadn’t spotted before and then a farm shop that sold young plants etc. The point is that these things has been there for years he had just never noticed them because until now he wasn’t interested in gardens.  Commit to something new and observe and you will be amazed at what you find.
7. Research – The internet has made everything possible, get online and browse, surf, fumble your way around the net and see where you end up, analyse your competitors, follow affiliate marketeers, look at incredible art and design and let your imagination run wild don’t worry that you are not focusing on exactly what you want to create your subconscious mind will pull together all the stuff that is relevant.
8. Do something different – “If you do what you have always done you will get what you have always got”.  Try something new, read something new or watch something different.  Pick something you don’t think you will like – at the very worst you will confirm your suspicions, watch a programme in a different language, listen to a radio station in language you don’t understand – you will be amazed at how this stimulates your mind.
9. Ask – Whatever it is you are trying to create ask for other peoples opinions or thoughts – family, friends, work colleagues, children, go online into forums.  Whilst it is unlikely that these people will deliver the solution you want – what they often do is to stimulate your thinking and send you off on a path you would have never taken without their input.
10. Be Still – Find a place you love, a view you like, a room you like, your car! and just be still, be quiet.  How often in today’s fast paced world do you take time to be completely still and quiet?  It is incredibly rare for people today to have even five minutes complete peace and quiet – think of your own life! If you can achieve just 15 minutes per day then your ability to create will be multiplied tenfold.

I hope this has been useful and wish you every success – be creative and be remarkable.

Exceptional Creativity – 12 Great Tips

 

The following ideas are designed to help anyone become exceptionally creative and find innovative solutions to any and all opportunities or issues.  Whether you are looking to grow rapidly, create a new product or service, introduce radically new marketing initiatives or solve a pressing problem then these methods will help you achieve your goals.

I have described in a previous article how to set the mood and tone to become creative and now I would like to introduce some practical techniques.

1. Start with the End in Mind - Start by creating a detailed description and or list of exactly what you want to achieve, or create or solve.  Once you have created the list break it down into chunks and work backwards to the solution and or solutions.
2. Brainstorming (I am told this is no longer a Politically Correct term however I am sure you will forgive me!) – Most people give up to soon when it comes to brainstorming so make sure you follow the golden rules: No Judging - During a session make sure you do not qualify, criticise, quantify or justify any thought or idea just put everything down on paper. Quantity over Quality - Volume counts do not sit around waiting for a killer idea or solution just write down as many ideas, thoughts and suggestions that you can come up with, the quality will eventually be in there.  Build on other Ideas - Don’t be frightened to build on good ideas to make them better whether they are your own or someone else’s.  No Barriers - Do not limit the flow of ideas by building in limiting factors i.e. money, time or resource.  Imaging you have anything you need at your disposal in order to truly become innovative, you can deal with reality later.
3. Ask - Ask people you think have no chance of giving you the solution.  Ask your kids, ask young people in general, ask your mother ask a stranger.  Often they come up with ideas you would never have dreamed of and give you a really unique perspective and starting point to build a brilliantly creative solution
4. Learn from Other People’s Mistakes - Forget learning from your own mistakes why waste time plenty of people have made mistakes before you.  Look at other people who have had similar problems and how they solved it or didn’t solve (either is equally beneficial)
5. Word Association - Start with a word to describe the outcome you want and select another random word and try to connect the two in 6-10 words, you will be amazed at what ideas this stimulates.
6. Mind Mapping - Once you have created a list of ideas select the best three and use min mapping to explore every potential outcome and requirements for implementation and success.
7. Change Focus - Change the parameters of the problem.  Break each facet of the problem into chunks or sections and then change your view on them.  Make the issue bigger, make it smaller, make it more frequent, make it more exclusive, make it more complicated, make it more expensive, make it less expensive etc.
8. Role Play - Imagine you are someone else – image you are an inventor, the smartest guy in your industry, the smartest guy in the country, top actor, top sportsman etc. try and attack the problem in the same way they would.
9. Free Writing - Try free writing. Start writing quickly and keep writing anything and everything that comes into your head.
10. Teach the Problem - Hold a training session on the problem itself – often if you have to teach the problem you actually learn how to fix or prevent the problem from happening in the future.
11. Try the Opposite - Think of the problem or desired outcome and imagine doing the opposite of what everyone else would do, normally do or have done in the past.
12. Question Everything - Challenge every assumption, ask why it has to work that way, how could it be different, who else could do it, who thought it would be best to do it this way, why do we have to do it like that, how could we do it faster, slower, cheaper, better etc.

Change Your Approach To Online Marketing!

We speak to and deal with thousands of small businesses over the course of a twelve month period and one thing that has become clear is the lack of a coherent and cohesive strategy.

This is often not the fault of the small business owner as they have their own businesses to run and rarely have the resource to look at their marketing and particular online marketing in a holistic way.

The other problem is the industry itself with new platforms, software, products and services appearing every day all promising untold wealth and success.  As small business owners we are often looking for “quick wins” and can very easily become distracted by something “shinny”.  This means that small business marketing becomes an endless trail of bolt ons, cobbled together products and services without one big plan.

My challenge has always been how do we get this message across to a busy small business owner?  If they are working with us or a company like us the problem becomes less (although often still a challenge) because we see it as our job to look holistically and identify products that will work within a small business owners budget and market environment.

The difficulty is when they are trying to do this themselves or when they are using multiple partners?  I recently gave a presentation to 100 small business owners as a guest of the Chamber of Commerce and the answer became clear to me whilst conducting a Q&A session at the end that lasted almost 40 minutes.

What became clear during this session is that the views of the people there were as follows:

Web Site – need a web site because our competitors have one and to act as a brochure for our business and products

Google – need to get to the top of Google in order to find new customers

Social Media – new fad but need it because clients expect it and competitors have it (didn’t really have a view as to how to generate leads and sales from it)

Video – expensive luxury

Article Marketing – time consuming and non productive for lead generation

Blog – most couldn’t see the benefit

Email Marketing – only did this occasionally when they had the time

Most of the companies we speak with build their web site and only ever make changes when forced too i.e. new product needs adding, old product out of date, price changes etc..  The most sophisticated had some kind of streaming news feeds because they were aware that content needs to be updated for SEO.

This lead me to the conclusion that we are missing the point.  We need to change our approach to Online Marketing in two fundamental ways.  I would also like to compare this to the “Old Offline World” we are familiar with.

Online Collateral or Building Blocks

If we see our Web Site, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, You Tube, Blog, Linked In as advertising platforms.  The comparison for this in the Offline World would be National Newspaper, Billboard at Euston Station, Radio, Regional Press, Exhibitions, Seminars etc..

Therefore the first thing you need to do is make sure you have all these things, and ensure they are branded and portray your business in the best light and you get them in the best places you can for your budget.

Marketing Message

Once you have your building blocks in place decide every day or every week what marketing message you want to send and use all these platforms to deliver it.  Some weeks your message might be delivered better vis Social Media, other weeks it might be email, other weeks it might be your web site or in fact a combination of all of them.

Do not fall into the trap of building these things and then leaving them to gather dust.  You wouldn’t pay for space in a National Newspaper and not place an advert, you wouldn’t pay for Billboard advertising and not put up a message or leave the same message their for years getting tattier and tattier.

Use your online collateral today to increase leads, increase sales and develop your brand!

2013 Small Business Online Marketing Success Strategies

All business owners and in particular Small to Medium sized Business Owners need to learn to do more with less.  In 2013 they need to adapt be creative and embrace the economic situation as an opportunity to be remarkable.

The economic downturn and rise of the Online Market Place (and all that comes with that) do not happen very often and the companies that struggle are the companies that fear the situation, blame the situation and more important fail to adapt.

I have seen numerous articles about HMV, Jessops, Comet and Blockbuster (I am personally incredibly sad to see these companies go) where they blame the Economy and the rise in Online Sales.  The truth is however they had just as much opportunity if not more given their resources to adapt to the online world – however they failed to do so and so it was their inability to change and adapt that caused the problems and not the situation itself.

Small to Medium sized business owners need to embrace the economic situation the accessibility of clients via the Internet and get excited by the opportunities available to them in 2013.

Smaller companies are more nimble and can react much quicker to the ever changing world online however all to often we find they simply baton down the hatches, spend less and hope it all goes away.

The challenge in 2013 isn’t going to be the Economy (although that isn’t getting any better) the challenge for small business owners is going to be keeping up with the changes in the Online World and knowing where to channel their efforts.  If it wasn’t for the Internet and Online Marketing opportunities then the biggest challenge for small business owners in 2013 would have been the economy however these platforms are inexpensive, varied and possibly for the first time ever offer a level playing field for small businesses compared to corporates and blue chips.

Google have made more significant changes (where small business owners are concerned) to how they rank websites in the past 14 months than they have in the past 10 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rise of Social Media, the war between Facebook and Google, the ease of access too, and the frequency of, new applications and software means that it is very easy for companies to get distracted or miss opportunities.

It is essential that small to medium sized business owners have a strategy when it comes to their Online Marketing in 2013.

Increase Traffic

Until now the main focus for Small Business Owners has been to increase traffic by improving positions on Google.  This is no longer a safe strategy.  Given the amount of changes Google are making, given the difficulties involved with reaching and sustaining first page positions, given the amount of competition involved with each and every search phrase or keyword then small business owners need to have a different plan.

They need to spread the risk and ensure they generate traffic from multiple sources.  Traffic still needs to come from Google but it also needs to come from Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Google plus, Daily Motion, Vimeo, Linked In, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, Digg, Delicious, Blogs, Content Marketing, Article Marketing, Image Optimisation, Flickr, Picasso and much more.

By diversifying the risk and by increasing quality small business owners are not at the beck and call of Google and their business will be much more stable and sustainable regardless of the changes Google make.

Web Site & Online Real Estate Performance

The currency in todays economy is Trust and Trust is built by establishing online credibility.  Only four or five years ago a really good web site was enough to establish trust online however today you need a really good web site that is current and updated regularly, you need quality branded Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, You Tube etc.

You need to be live and active on Social Media platforms, Social Bookmarking, Video, Content and Social Commentary.

Most important of all you need to learn to do more with less.  Most small business owners chase the dream of doubling their traffic however even if you keep your traffic levels the same but improve your click through ratios and conversions from visitors to leads then you could see as much as four times the increase in sales.

Lead Management

It has always been the case that it takes on average 5 – 7 contacts before an opportunity becomes a really good lead or a sale.

Most small business owners give up at 2.  It is yet again essential that you learn to do more with less and so business owners need to have a strategy on how to collect, manage, filter and re-market to their leads.

One of the main problems for small business owners isn’t lack of knowledge or lack of ability but a lack of resource and funds.

Therefore a re-marketing plan needs to be established upfront with templates for each potential eventuality and response pre-built along with platforms set up that allow ease of sending and tracking.

Over the next few weeks I will be writing a series of Success Strategies for 2013 and exploring each particular platform or opportunity in more detail.

Improve Web Site Traffic Conversions

There are a number of factors involved with increasing your web site conversions many of which I have covered in previous posts and articles.  However there is one major factor that is a more recent issue particularly for Small to Medium sized business owners.

It has always been important to establish Trust and Credibility in any sales process however given the events of the past few years it is now more important than ever.

Since the onset of the economic downturn there has been a massive decline in Trust throughout our Society.

• Decline in Trust within the Banking Industry
• Decline in Trust within Financial Institutions
• Decline in Trust with the Media
• Decline in Trust with traditional Investment Opportunities – Property – Stocks & Shares
• Decline in Trust with Politicians
• Decline in Trust with Large Institutions
• Decline in Trust with the High Street and established brands means a decline in trust that any business will be around in six months time!

There are normally four core pillars when it comes to establishing Trust and Credibility within a sales environment and if we apply these to web site traffic it would look like this.

 

Competence  

Why should the visitor listen to you or your company? Why should they continue to read your web site? Why should they leave their details? Why should they purchase? What makes your company the experts?  Have you clearly laid out your level of expertise? That you specialise in their particular issue, requirements or service?  It is also important to remember that customers may land on any page within your web site or indeed some other form of online collateral like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus etc.  So have you made sure each page demonstrates clearly your levels of competence?

 

Commonality 

Does the customer feel they can work with you and your company?  Have you worked with and achieved success with companies similar to theirs?  Do you understand the specific needs of the individual or the company that is visiting your web site? Does the language you use on your web site resonate with your target audience?  Do your case studies and testimonials resonate with your target audience?

 

Propriety

Does your Web Site, Social Media, Written Content, Images, Videos, Graphics, Case Studies etc. All match what your target audience would expect to see?  Does your out bound marketing material look great but the visitor lands on a tired looking web site?  When was the last time you looked at your web site to see if it is really current and relevant?  Does your web site look great but your other online collateral look poor i.e. Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Google Plus etc.

 

Intent

What is the intent of your web site?  If a customer feels that you are only interested in selling them something or capturing their details at every opportunity then you will struggle to achieve either.  If your message and out bound marketing is always sell, sell, sell then customers will quickly get bored and opt out of receiving your information.  When a customer visits your web site there has to be a win / win situation.  They have to get something in exchange for their personal information or their money.  Have you earned the right to ask for either?  If a customer is visiting your web site from High Intent Keywords and ready to buy they will happily give you information.  If however the customer is at the early stages of the buying process they will be much more reluctant to leave their details so you need to give them a good reason why they should – Brochure Download, Newsletter, Price Lists, Product Specifications, White Papers, Videos etc..

It is essential to look at each page of your Web Site, Social Media, Blogs, Articles and any other Online Collateral and be brutally honest with yourself when you ask is it current, relevant and most important of all does it establish Trust & Credibility?  Often Small to Medium sized business owners focus on SEO but without quality conversion marketing it is often wasted.

Establish Online Credibility

How to establish Trust and Credibility with your online visitors and increase sales.