If you’re writing blog posts and website content simply to rank in a Google search, you are likely hurting your chances. People who write just for SEO seem to write content that is so laden with SEO terms that the content itself is unreadable (keyword stuffing). Conversely, you don’t want to kick SEO to the curb, right? We have 4 ways to up your SEO game without lowering content readability.
Did you know that consumers who are doing a Google search, won’t usually go beyond page 1? They type in the search terms, scan the first page and typically choose their service provider or the product they’re going to buy based on page 1. In fact, they may not even look below the first five organic (not ad-based) businesses on that first page. Mind-boggling, right?
4 Ways To Up Your SEO Game
You can certainly rank and up your SEO game and we have tips.
Know what keywords fit your business. If you find the keyword, “swimming pool” is trending, but you’re a service provider for business consultants you certainly don’t want to try and use “swimming pools” in your content – readers and search engines are savvy to keyword stuffing and business owners and bloggers writing to trendy keywords. Instead, perform keyword research and plug that into your content in a way that makes sense and highlights who you are and what you do.
Use title tags, headline tags and meta descriptions. You can use plug ins on your site to help you determine whether you’re writing content that is SEO relevant. Yoast is one of those plug ins to consider. Your “title tag” is what shows up in a search result and is just that – the title of your blog article. Your meta description is the tag that comes under the title in a search. Create your meta descriptions wisely. The H2 and H3 headlines in your article should support the title. If you don’t know what these are, reach out to Rex Richard and he can explain what they are and how to effectively use them.
Make the content readable by adding in bullet points or numbered lists and subheadings. Images in the content also make the content readable for those individuals who skim – and that is most readers.
Don’t forget to use internal links and external links. An internal link can take a reader to another of your blog posts or your services page to keep them on the site longer. An external link is just that – something that will take the reader off your site. You can use external links to your advantage by linking to relevant sites and to your social media pages.
If you’re taking time to craft content, craft it with an eye toward eyes on the page. If you are struggling to get readers to your site, or keep them at your site, reach out to Rex Richard and he can offer insight into how to make it happen.
A business plan doesn’t have to be so daunting that you decide you might not want to go into business for yourself if you have to craft one. Even if people aren’t talking about business plans – and it seems entrepreneurs are popping up across the country during this pandemic – but they’re not saying what’s in their business plan. They may not even have written a business plan but we’ll bet they have some sort of a roadmap aka business plan, but we have 5 reasons to write a business plan you may not have considered.
5 Reasons To Write A Business Plan
Here are some of the very good reasons the most savvy entrepreneurs – new and established – put together a business plan.
As mentioned – it’s your roadmap. How will you know you have “arrived” if you don’t know what the final destination is? What is success? How will you measure it? This is something your business plan will help you determine.
What will you make and sell or deliver? Knowing that and knowing what your profit margins may be will help determine whether you’re over- or underpricing your services and products. Remember, you need to set a value for your time and that may seem harder to do than setting a value to a product.
If you’re seeking financing or if you’re building a team or working with a team, your business plan will keep everyone on the same path. When you take the time to write it down, you will be more productive and will truly understand the intentions of your business.
When you are in the process of writing down your business plan you may have that “lightbulb” moment and find a way to open the door to more opportunities. When you are doing a deep dive into your customer base and the industry you may find new options you hadn’t identified previously.
Your business plan is your origin story – your business story. The business plan can highlight and help you share the story of your brand and that counts for a lot when connecting with potential customers.
We work with new and existing entrepreneurs and when we are talking with them, we find that having a business plan makes them feel more hopeful for the future of the business and that’s why we are proponents.
Are you a sales person? Trick question. If you’re in business, you ARE a sales person whether you call yourself one or not. Swimming pool contractors, dog groomers, writers — all sales people. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be in business. How to make a sale is something we talk with our coaching clients about all the time.
What is eye-opening for many of our clients is that with the right attitude, sales are easy. Sales, in fact, don’t have to feel like sales calls when you know you’re addressing a pain point and know that you are offering high quality solutions. Believe in yourself and what you do and you will be authentic.
How To Make A Sale
Here are tips to encourage prospects to listen to you or to call you back.
Answer your phone during working hours. If calls always go to voice mail or if a prospect has to wade through a menu, they will give up.
Answer the phone with a smile in your voice — it shows.
When you leave a message, speak clearly, remind the person of who you are and why you’re calling and leave your phone number and email.
Be succinct when you leave a voice mail. You don’t need to go over all your points. Instead, leave the message and wait for their call bacl. Don’t use all their voice mail space.
Don’t feel you need to name drop to make an impression. Be yourself — that will mean more than a star-studded client list.
Wrap up the call in the timeframe you’d promised.
End the call with a call to action — I’ll follow up with you in five days, for example.
LISTEN.
LISTEN.
Did we mention, listen? The best way to make a sale is to listen to what the prospect truly needs — it may be different than what you think it is.
With any sales call it is about the prospects pain point — not about you touting the benefits. Need help perfecting your sales pitch? Reach out to Rex Richard, he can help.
How you face adversity can make a difference for an entrepreneur between success and failure. If you’re looking for a way to move forward – even if you face a set back – we have tips that will help you be an entrepreneur who surpasses those who have a negative attitude. Is your attitude holding you back? If so, read on.
Is Your Attitude Holding You Back?
Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Yes, there are times when a setback hits hard and it’s all right if you need a day to wallow in the loss or setback. After that, though you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself, see what went wrong and course correct.
Don’t avoid change. Change is inevitable and you need to accept it. You don’t have to happily embrace it, but accept that it will happen and make the most of it.
Don’t give away your power to someone else or a client. You need to manage your responses to situations and people.
Don’t waste time on things which you cannot change. There are some changes you can make to some situations and other things – like the weather – are beyond your control. The weather is a BIG example, but think about those things that weigh on your emotions and see if you can change it or move away from it. If you cannot, then find a way to cope.
You can’t please all the people all the time. You can only do your best and deliver what you said you were going to deliver.
You need to sometimes jump in with both feet. Take a calculated risk and see what happens! Chances are, it won’t be life and death, right?
Move past the past. What’s done is done. Replaying a past failure or a past conversation or a client that got away will not help you move forward and in fact will drain your energy.
Is your marketing department struggling to engage with your staff? Do your staff and some of your vendors follow you on social media? Do they interact? Are they leaving comments on your blog posts? Does your business have a blogging culture? If you’re not sure, now is the time to investigate.
We have tips for how to get your staff involved in “helping” market the business by sharing your content with their friends and family. We know that not all content will appeal to everyone and their followers, but if you encourage your staff, you just might get more reach.
Does Your Business Have A Blogging Culture?
Ask them to get involved. If you don’t talk about your blog posts and social media with your staff, they may not even think about it – nor will they think about interacting and commenting. If you do a company newsletter, mention the blog and social media, give links and ask for interaction.
Information-sharing is what it’s all about. If you have internal teams that rarely interact with your other teams, now is the time to get everyone interacting and sharing info. You’re all in it together, right?
If you have staff who comment or even contribute to your social media pages or your blog, recognize their contributions.
Explain how to interact. Some of your staff may not even know how to interact. Offer a cheat sheet with suggestions.
Let them take ownership in a platform. “Hey, Susie, want to comment on our social media this week? We’d love it! John, you’re up next week.” Make it fun!
Can you be “too old” to be an entrepreneur? I would say no! Are you willing to put in the work? Do you keep up with trends in your business niche as well as in the technology needed to run a competitive business? Does age matter for entrepreneurs? We don’t think so.
Have you ever wondered whether you, as an older entrepreneur, are at an advantage or a disadvantage? We know there is age bias in many industries when it comes to hiring older workers. When you’re an entrepreneur you have control over our destiny.
We are seeing more older entrepreneurs because people are retiring, don’t want to or can’t afford to, be retired and are jumping into business ownership in greater numbers than ever before. Coronavirus has also been leading older entrepreneurs to look into side gigs as a way to bring in extra money and to have more satisfaction in their lives.
What are you waiting for?
Does Age Matter For Entrepreneurs?
Can you afford to open a business? Are you physically and emotionally capable? This is a question every entrepreneur needs to ask him or herself.
Here are a few points to consider on the road to becoming an entrepreneur:
What are the start up costs and how will you pay for them? You don’t want to drain bank accounts or take out a second mortgage or cash in a life insurance policy. How much cash outlay will you need? Can you operate on a shoestring until you are making enough money to expand?
Does going into business fit with any retirement plans you had? Were you planning to move down south after you retired or move to be closer to your children and grandchildren and will opening a business change that? Will opening a business impact your plans?
Do you have a dream or a passion you want to follow but never did because you were employed? Is it time to start your second act?
If you’re not yet retired, should your business idea be your side hustle until you know if you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur? Will your side hustle bring in the money you’d hoped for. More importantly, will your side hustle be as satisfying as you’d imagined? Owning a business may not be reality; a side hustle might help you figure that out.
What are you hoping for with your business? Do you want to grow it enough to pass it along to your children? Are you hoping to grow it large enough that someone will buy it and you can add to your retirement savings? Write down your goals and determine how you will meet them.
Where will you network? We know that coronavirus has put the kibosh on many in person networking events, but you can meet and network on Zoom. Do you know a business coach or a mentor from an organization like SCORE or your local Small Business Administration? Get your ducks in a row before you hang out your “open for business” sign.
Don’t forget marketing. How will you market your business? Do you have a website? Do you have a social media presence? Do you know how to set those up or do you know where you can find an expert who can help?
Write a business plan. Make note of the resources you will need. Enjoy your new endeavor! How can we help?
