HirePulse Blog

Why Every Small Business Should Have a Facebook Page

Friday, May 31, 2013

Love it or hate it, Facebook is here to stay. One Study has shown that it can be more addictive then alcohol or cigarettes.

Facebook certainly isn't for everyone but it can no longer be ignored. Although there are ideas around that sites like Facebook can have a negative impact on society we are going to look at the positive side and how you can use this great social media tool to your businesses advantage. Facebook for business quotes “Over one billion people like and comment an average of 3.2 billion times every day". Doesn't it then make sense to create a business page and even use it as your main business website? Facebook provides 4 easy steps to follow to build a page. It's free and the possible “reach" of new clients and customers is incredible.

Facebook is a fantastic platform for word of mouth recommendations; Facebook connects your business with present and future customers. It allows for feedback both positive and negative - with the added extra of allowing you to respond, and correct any problem should one arise or of course sharing the good feedback. It doesn't always need to be good feedback to build good business morale, showing current and prospective customers that you have tried to remedy any problem and have provided great customer service is better for your business then you think.
Ensure that your business page is attractive, friendly and highlights your business. For ideas research some of the big brands on Facebook. Explore how to effectively use status updates and how to share a lot of interesting and engaging material aside from your product updates.
Pictures are a huge driving force on Facebook. If you're a business that supplies a brand or product you can create Photo Albums of items for sale, these photos can be moved between albums if they go on sale, or if you are offering a special discount. The more positive interactions customers have with your pictures on Facebook, the more word of mouth marketing works to spread the news of your business to your customers and their Facebook friends.
Apps – Facebook provides Apps for your business page, much like Apple does for your iPhone. Lost in translation? Facebook describes Apps “Apps are designed to enhance your experience on Facebook with engaging games and useful features. You can use apps to listen to music with friends, share what you're reading, play games and more". There are some fantastic Apps for business pages and there are some definite “must haves" that we have found here.
Time is money right? Facebook allows you to interact with customer's right from your smart phone. You are also able to “schedule status updates". This feature allows admins to schedule links, photos, status update and videos ahead of time. This can keep your page attracting traffic while you visit clients, catch up on your to do list or take a break!
Insights tool – Facebook describes this tool - “Facebook provides Page admins aggregated anonymous insights about people's activity on their Page" in other words, it will let you know if you are keeping people's attention or publishing posts that are not engaging.

There are plenty of sources on the World Wide Web and self-help books that provide plenty of information and ideas on Facebook for your business. There is nothing you can share online that you can't post on Facebook. With the ability of Facebook walking you through the simple process of creating your business page you don't need a technical degree to do this but by doing this, you improve your search engine results ranking, reach a greater customer audience, save money and with millions of users worldwide you really can't go wrong.

Facebook is now the most popular social media destination with millions users worldwide, and whether you utilise this online tool or fight against it just remember your competitors might already be on there…

Small Business Worries?

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Starting up your own business can feel like taking huge jump into the unknown…without a rope.

For a lot of new small business the worry, stress and sleepless nights come with the territory of a new start up. Small Business owners are faced with the constant anxiety about sales, budgets, bills, the economy, personal taxes, business taxes, family dependants, insurances, well the list is endless but the biggest worry by far is the uncertainty.

Does worrying about the unknown help? No, of course not, but how can you stop your hair turning grey and falling out? Is it really possible to embrace the chaos that can be "uncertainty"? Online business surveys find that the most concerning issues faced with small business owners were their sales/ income, tax and insurance obligations. We have put together some short helpful hints to help settle the worry:

SALES/INCOME

Everyone knows that sales generate income. There are many websites that provide tips and even salesmen that want you to buy their sales packages on how to increase your own sales, but growing your business doesn't need to be expensive or difficult. We've listed a few creative ideas below:

Listen to your existing customers. Ask them for feedback and how you can improve your service or product. This not only makes them feel valued but also allows you to give them and new customers what they want.
Target the right people. Research who might be interested in your brand and target them, for example - if you are a Landscaper then targeting people that live in apartments would be a waste of your time and money, whereas contacting the Buildings Management regarding the property's grounds would be more effective.
Give free samples and or free demonstrations. Everyone loves free stuff! Any customer that receives a free sample may return back to you as a repeat customer or pass it on to a friend or family member (new customer!). Demonstrate why the customer needs your product instead of trying to make them want it. Read our blog on Increasing Sales.
Networking/Online advertising. Social media is a great way to get your product and name out to a large number of people for free and quickly. Online advertising is crucial for small businesses, over 80% of purchases start with an online search. Hirepulse offers fantastic free online advertising as well as premium paid advertising. These options can help you generate referrals, and build a great online reputation and online presence.
Gain trust and be helpful. Focus on helping your customers instead of selling. Don't try and force people into buying your product, give them the information that they need, show them the benefits if they purchase your product or service, and let them make their own decision. By providing great customer service and helping them they will realise that you are reliable, reputable and trustworthy and the sales and referrals will follow.

Remember you work for your customers - do anything you can to make doing business with your business a pleasure.

TAX

The end of financial year is fast approaching and a lot of small businesses aren't aware of their obligations. Knowledge is power and the Australia Taxation Office provides all the information you need regarding tax, compliance, and laws. If you aren't confident in this area then engage a professional bookkeeper or accountant and learn as you go.

INSURANCE

There are different types of business insurance, so before taking out a policy evaluate your business needs. Your insurance may vary depending on the type of business you are operating as well as being dependant on the industry you are in. Some insurance packages are tailored to cover your specific business needs as well as being relevant to the particular nature of your business. Depending what industry you are in, some industry associations buy insurance in bulk to provide better deals to their members. If you are a member of an industry association make sure you contact the association before obtaining any insurance. Confused? For more information on the types of insurance check out Business.gov.

Worry is a part of everyone's nature whether you are a small business operator or not. As hard as it can be you need to stop overthinking or trying to predict how things will turn out, because more than likely you're going to be wrong; disappointed and then probably end up worrying even more.

As frustrating as it is, you can't control the future; you don't know what's going to happen, so accept it and move on. Start spending your time working on doing new things to support your goals and making things happen. Stop worrying about the future because sometimes the worst is not as bad as you imagine.

For those of you thinking about starting up a business Business.gov have a great "How-to guide". Hirepulse also has some great blogs from new small business owners, so don't be disheartened, or afraid to take the chance, remember, for every worry, there's an action that you can prepare for, and as long as you are prepared you have done all that you can, so worrying is then useless. Think about it - if you worry and nothing's really wrong, you've wasted precious time over nothing. If you worry and something is wrong, you're still wasting precious time.

Please let us know your feedback or if you would like to see other blog topics support@Hirepulse.com.au – a problem shared is a problem halved!

Compliance Management Systems

Monday, May 27, 2013

Anyone who has been involved in getting any kind of development project off the ground can testify to the fact that we live and work in a well regulated society, to say the least. Even the simplest project seems to require dozens of approvals. Quadruple that number if your project has a significant environmental and/or heritage impact. And then, when finally you have all the approvals in hand, comes the realisation that there is a whole myriad of conditions attached to them that need to be managed to stay on the right side of the law.

The conditions of approvals may include how, when and where activities are performed, limits for pollutant discharges to the environment and resource use. They typically also include requirements to monitor environmental performance and report back to the regulators.

Keeping on top of these requirements can be daunting and the consequences of getting it wrong can be costly and even have dire consequences for your project.

If your project is heading towards or at the implementation phase I'd suggest you strongly consider implementing some sort of compliance management system, before the first soil is turned.

So what is a compliance management system? Simply put, it is a normal management system, following the well-known Plan-Do-Check-Act management model, which has been designed to focus on facilitating compliance. Its components are therefore:

Planning: Firstly, establish a single legal or obligations register that captures all the approvals conditions and legal requirements that apply directly to the project's activities. In the register all obligations are broken down to individual duties. Next, responsibilities, with timeframes, are assigned to project staff for all duties contained in the register. For complex duties and obligations, one may need to develop longer term, multiple component action plans or even miniature projects.

Do: "Doing" involves the execution of all the duties, tasks and action plans that have been identified during the Planning phase as required to ensure compliance. These activities may involve setting up tools to communicate legal obligations to everyone who can have an effect on compliance, providing staff with the necessary training, resources and skills to support compliance and establishing procedures that define how things need to be done to stay in compliance.

Checking: "Checking" activities are all the monitoring, inspection, incident management and audit activities that are implemented to provide an early warning if compliance is veering off track and to get it back on track where there has been instances of non-compliance. A major focus of the checking components is accurate record keeping to allow for verifiable performance reporting.

Act: The "acting" component requires management to be actively involved the periodic review of compliance performance and to develop strategies to improve the system and, consequently, compliance management.

If all of that sounds complex and expensive, consider what your project will use to manage health, safety, environment and quality (HSEQ) issues during execution. Many of the management tools that that are normally used for HSE incidents, risk and the like also form an integral part of a compliance management system.

Compliance management systems can be as simple or complex and as affordable or expensive as you like, but is all cases it will be money and effort well spent.

Knowing When to Ask for Help

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

If you had asked me a few years ago what I thought of motivational speakers, mentors and life coaches, I would have told you that it was all a gimmick and a sham. You could say I was a little sceptical.

I was a quiet, shy person and had little self-confidence. I was stuck in an awful mundane job; and by job - I mean JOB, I didn't enjoy it. There was no passion or happiness. It was a chore; every day was the same, repetitive "groundhog day".

I was in a work rut. Don't get me wrong though, I had happy hobbies outside of work which were the reason I got out of bed and plodded into work every day. Eventually, I decided to see what other "jobs" there were out there. I applied for only one as I honestly felt I didn't stand a chance; I would never leave "groundhog headquarters" because I was chained to my desk.

The day I was interviewed would be the day that changed my life. I was lucky enough to meet a modest and very kind lady who settled my nerves and "read me like a book". I didn't know at the time, but she would be a person of huge influence in my life and change it for the better. And yes, I got the job.

But...

I was completely out of my comfort zone and I wondered if I had made the right decision. I faced new challenges and obstacles, new "big" personalities, and found that I could no longer "plod" through my day quietly, I started drowning and I needed help. The next 2 years were a big learning curve full of tears, hissy fits, laughter, and I dare say a lot of "mother hen sessions" with my new found mentor.

Most of us turn to a trusted family member or friend who we would consider sensible and wise when it comes to problems and situations we face. Except, we forget that our family and friends can be biased, bless them, and of course on our side when what we really need to hear is that "cold hard truth" .

This is where life coaching or mentoring has role to play; these people provide a "sounding board", advice, career and life help and direction. They can help you to see things from a different perspective. They can help you act more decisively, break negative patterns and set clear goals, whether in business or personal life, and work towards achieving what you really want from life.

Most people get further ahead with their goals with a coach "pushing" them instead of going at their own pace. Coaching will only work if the person is open and willing to new ideas, new ways of doing things. They need to completely commit to the process. I, on the other hand, initially took a long time to realise this. Most coaches come from experience and although I didn't always take the advice, it did make me look at other alternatives and importantly, I always got there in the end.

Although coaching is not a cure for all problems, it's recommended to anyone who needs support, structure and accountability, even when the truth is hard to hear. From experience, it really does help to break bad habits and it lets you see life from a different angle. Human nature insists that we turn to what we know, even when it doesn't always work. Having a person there to brainstorm with and guide you along can make a huge difference.

"Having someone help you doesn't mean that you failed; it just means that you're not in it alone."
- Eric Messer, Life As We Know It.

How Do You Know When You're Successful?

Monday, May 13, 2013

Have you ever been asked "So, where do you see yourself in 5 years' time"?

It's a question I'm not a fan of, but think about it, seriously: where do you see yourself or your business in 5 years? Are you frittering your time (and potentially your life) away? Or are you chasing your dreams and on the road to success?

Success can be viewed in many different ways and at many different levels. So before anything, it is important for each individual to find their own definition of "success". Not some general definition; find out what it means to you personally and what your life will look like when you are successful and then set goals to achieve this.

So few people actually set real goals, let alone follow them through. Goal setting is crucial to being successful. It not only allows you to take control of your business or personal direction; it also provides you with a scale for determining whether you are actually succeeding or not. The easiest way to start setting goals is to firstly write them down and why they are valuable and important to you. This will make sure that your goals are motivating to you! This way you won't avoid or forget about them. Ensure that they are specific, relevant, measurable and importantly, attainable. Also, set a time limit for your goals so that when the time comes you can celebrate your success.

So, can you measure success or is it all in the mind of the beholder?

In small business yes, of course your goals are measurable. One of the keys to measuring success in small business is of course by profitability. If your company is always in the red then your chances of business success declines. If you are profiting, even if only very slightly then you are doing something right. This is a key factor in whether or not your company is going to make it over the long haul.

An increasing client base and customer satisfaction is a sure sign that you are meeting your business goals. Meeting and focusing on their needs better than your competitors is what your business should be about. Without growth, business success is limited. While reviewing business growth, it is a good idea to go back and review your business plan. Did your research pay off? Or do you need to go back to the drawing board and make some changes?

If you aren't achieving the above, evaluating your success based on these things is not the "be and end all". The most important measure of success in small business or even that on a personal level is a feeling - success should be measured by your own happiness.

You can become successful in life. Success is not an impossible dream.

In the end, success does not have a limit. Personally, I believe that when you are doing what you love to do every day, whatever that may be, then you are living successfully.

As Albert Schweitzer said "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."