 Imagine you are at a show or concert. You receive a simple text message. It’s from a nearby store offering a discount on show merchandise with your ticket stub. You glance at the text, smile, and decide to redeem the discount after the show. The message was quick, personal and timely.
What Is SMS Marketing? SMS marketing, short for Short Message Service marketing, is a direct way for businesses to reach their customers through text messages. It is all about engaging customers with promotions, reminders, and time-sensitive information. In the world of marketing, SMS stands out because it's simple and effective. Companies use it to share promotions, send reminders, announce new products, and even ask for feedback. Why is SMS marketing so popular? Well, nearly everyone has a mobile phone these days, making it a universal marketing tool for businesses. Plus, it's easy to set up and can offer a high return on investment (ROI). Why SMS Marketing is Effective
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 Workplace bullying is harmful, targeted behavior that happens at work. It might be spiteful, offensive, mocking, or intimidating. It forms a pattern, and it tends to be directed at one person.
Workplace bullying includes:
But criticism meant to intimidate or humiliate would be considered bullying. Existing federal and state laws only protect workers against bullying when it involves physical harm or when the target belongs to a protected group, such as people living with disabilities. Since bullying is often verbal or psychological in nature, it may not always be visible to others. Identifying workplace bullying Bullying can be subtle. One helpful way to identify bullying is to consider how others might view what’s happening. Or, if noticing it to someone else, how you would feel if these things were happening to you. Types of bullying Corporate values and personal values are not the same.
Your business value proposition, or value prop, is a concise statement of the benefits that a company is delivering to customers who buy its products or services. It serves as a declaration of intent, both inside the company and in the marketplace. Almost all companies have value props and aligning your business with your values is a strategic necessity. The importance of values in business Incorporating values into business practices is crucial in today’s economy. A business having a strong value prop and observing its values can create a strong brand identity, ensure customer loyalty, and attract and retain motivated employees. Identifying your core values Identifying and understanding our values, passion, and purpose takes self-discovery. It requires us to examine our beliefs and motivations to gain clarity on what truly matters to us. And that’s only the first step. The journey to aligning your business with your values begins with a clear understanding of those values. Typical values include integrity, innovation, sustainability, and community service. It’s vital to ensure that these values are more than words; they must represent genuine beliefs and commitments. What can cause us, in a corporate environment, to align our beliefs and ethics with corporate ethics? How do we ensure that the corporate version of values is dominant? Integrating values into business strategy Integrating values into the business strategy requires a deliberate approach where every business decision should follow these ethics. This integration can be evident in different forms, such as commitment to fair labor practices and implementing environmentally friendly operations. Building a values-based culture Creating a company culture that symbolizes your values is essential. This involves developing a work environment where employees feel connected to the values and are motivated to act in ways that uphold them. Communicating your values Communication plays a critical role in aligning your business with your values. This involves stating your values in your printed and advertised value prop and then demonstrating them through your actions. The challenges of upholding your values when leading Lading a business with this approach is not without its challenges. There may be times when adhering to your values could impact things such as short-term profitability or employee negative feedback. Leaders must be prepared to make difficult decisions that uphold their values Menstrual health is a crucial workplace concern. It’s time to normalize conversations about menstruation and menstrual health in the workplace to better support women. Why is this important?
Barriers to Career Progression: Despite being a natural part of life, menstruation can act as a barrier to career advancement and overall well-being for many women. In a survey done by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, more than half of respondents have missed work due to menstrual symptoms, yet nearly half of them didn’t disclose the real reason to their managers due to embarrassment or fear of trivialization. Lack of Organizational Support: While employees seek support from their organizations, only around one in 10 actually provide it. Addressing this issue starts with normalizing conversations around menstrual health. Remember, menstruation is a natural part of many employees’ lives, and it shouldn’t hinder success or well-being. Let’s build supportive cultures that recognize and address menstrual health at work. How can workplaces better support menstrual health? Stop Using Derogatory Terms: It is not “that time of the month” and do not refer to women as being “grumpy” or “bitchy” or suggesting that they are because of “that time of the month.” Menstruation is a normal monthly occurrence for all women and should be treated as such: a normal medical occurrence. Implying that it is something to hide or be embarrassed about is just demeaning for all women. Flexible Work Arrangements: Allow employees to adjust their schedules during menstruation if needed. This flexibility can help manage symptoms and reduce stress. Access to Menstrual Products: Ensure that free or affordable menstrual products (such as pads, tampons, or menstrual cups) are available in workplace restrooms. This helps employees feel supported and reduces financial burden. Educational Workshops: Organize workshops or sessions to educate employees about menstrual health, debunk myths, and promote understanding. Knowledge empowers individuals to manage their health effectively. Wellness Programs: Incorporate menstrual health into workplace wellness programs. Consider offering yoga or relaxation sessions specifically designed for this. Private Spaces: Provide private and comfortable spaces for changing menstrual products or managing symptoms. Privacy is essential for employees’ dignity and well-being. Open Conversations: Encourage open conversations about menstruation. Normalize discussions around menstrual health, so employees feel comfortable seeking support when needed. As a manager, rather than ask why an employee calls out sick, offer comforting words of encouragement suggesting ways for the employee to come back to work without feeling undue stress. Supportive Policies: Develop policies that address menstrual health, including sick leave allowances for severe symptoms. Ensure these policies are communicated clearly to all employees. Remember, supporting menstrual health benefits not only women but also contributes to a more inclusive and compassionate workplace for everyone.  Today’s social media climate should help remind employers that they must be cognizant of the impact claims of sexual or other harassment can have on their business and reputation. To protect themselves and their businesses, employers should review their handbook and the harassment policies and procedures that they are currently enforcing. Employers should also implement a process for monitoring legislative changes, as it is likely that new laws and standards around harassment will be implemented soon.
When reviewing harassment policies, there are several items that an employer should consider. The most important is to remember that the types of harassment that can lead to liability extend beyond conduct that is sexual in nature. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), there are two types of sexual harassment claims: “quid pro quo” and “hostile work environment.” The EEOC provides guidance on defining harassment and establishing liability that can be helpful for employers. Although the EEOC can provide great information and guidance, employers should be cautious of using the legal terminology and definitions that these documents contain. If your policy language isn’t easily understandable or doesn’t provide context, it may be deemed inadequate. When developing anti-harassment policy language, it is important to clearly state what prohibited behaviors look like. For harassment to be illegal, it must be “severe and pervasive.” In developing anti-harassment policies, the goal should be to stop and correct these behaviors before they rise to that level. For employees to understand what is expected of them, I recommend that employers include language such as “the following behaviors are unacceptable and therefore prohibited, even if not unlawful.” This helps to clarify that even if a certain behavior isn’t actually illegal, it is still prohibited by your organization. Employers should also include language that explains that prohibited harassment goes beyond just sexual. Harassment can occur in many forms and circumstances.
Employers should ensure that their policy language also indicates that these expectations apply to both employees and non-employees and are also in effect when the employee is not working but engaged in activities with other staff members, such as company events, whether those events are on company property or not. It is also important for employers to make it clear that the company’s anti-harassment policies apply not only to the spoken or written word but also to e-mail, text messages, and social media posts. There have been many instances in recent news of cases of harassment involving text messages and social media. Consider adding verbiage that states that the harassment policy applies to social media posts and online commenting. Of course, having a thorough anti-harassment policy is just half the equation. Having effective complaint and investigation processes are also essential to protect your business. For more information on anti-harassment policies and how to enforce them, it would be wise for employers to consult with an employment attorney. To add anti-harassment policies to your handbook, or if you don’t have an employee handbook, contact Maria Novak 610-405-0633. You’ve put in the hard work building your business from the ground up. And it’s finally starting to pay off. The only problem: now you have more work than you can handle. Growth is always a good problem to have. But it does come with its own share of challenges. If you’ve made it to this point, you have two options. The first is to let new business opportunities pass you by, ensuring you don’t take on more than you can handle. The second option is to lighten your load by hiring someone to help.
Should I hire an employee or independent contractor? If you need help building your business, there are two ways to hire an extra set of hands - adding an employee or signing an independent contractor. While there are pros and cons to both, it’s important to understand the difference. Employee: An employee is hired to work for your company on a full- or part-time basis. This means you, as the employer, have control over how, when and where they do their job. However, this control comes with added responsibility. When you hire an employee, you’ll need to withhold payroll taxes and report their income, in addition to abiding by other federal, state, and local employment laws. Then, there are additional benefit considerations – like offering vacation, sick time, and health insurance. These are just some of the basic responsibilities that are tied to having employees. Independent contractor: A contractor is a self-employed worker who is hired for specific services. According to the IRS, that means the payer only has the right to direct the result of the work - not how, when, or where it’s accomplished. Contractors can also perform work for multiple clients at the same time. When hiring a contractor, you still need to report their income using the appropriate tax form. But they are responsible for their own taxes and benefits. Contractors can be a great option if you need additional work that doesn’t have to be done at your location in the time you require. They can bring their specific skillset to the table, without the long-term commitment of hiring an employee. When is the right time to hire an employee? Every business is unique. So, there’s no right answer to when the best time is to hire an employee. Instead, you’ll need to find the right balance for your situation. Too early: The biggest challenge to hiring your first employee is typically a financial one. Hire someone too soon and you’ll run the risk of encountering cash-flow problems. Or if you don’t have enough work to support a team member, you could be paying someone who doesn’t have enough to keep them busy. Too late: However, if you start hiring too late, you may miss out on opportunities to grow your business. Or you could get in over your head and risk disappointing your current customer base. Either scenario is less than ideal. That’s why it’s important to plan ahead. Decide in advance when it’s a good time to bring on an employee – like when you hit a certain sales goal, or at a time when an employee can perform work that will significantly increase your revenue. Remember, it never hurts to interview employee options and also speak with a contractor before deciding which one works best. You can also speak with a contractor and use that option in the short term before hiring someone. What changes do I need to make to my business before hiring an employee? One big obstacle to hiring your first employee can be the logistics. The truth is, that hiring an employee means you’ll have a lot more rules to follow. If you have specific questions about your business, talk to an experienced lawyer for legal advice. I always suggest using your CPA not only to answer all the financial questions but as a sounding board as they usually have worked in these situations with other clients. Generally speaking, before you make your first job offer, you need to:
How do I find the right candidate for the job? Think of the worst supervisor you’ve had. Chances are someone comes immediately to mind. Is it your current supervisor? Why do you consider this person “the worst?”
Now, think of a situation where you had the best boss ever. It is harder to identify the best boss, isn’t it? Did you want to do a better job for the best boss vs the worst boss? Of course! The impact of a bad boss Unfortunately, it’s far more likely that the majority of our work life has been spent reporting to bad bosses. Bad owners/managers/bosses continue to dominate the landscape of corporate America and global business today. Despite the research and training available on effective leadership, there are too many bosses that employees consider “bad.” Gallup says 82 percent of managers fail. They are an epidemic killing off employee productivity, loyalty, creativity, and company profit. The worst bosses contribute to poor morale and bad attitudes, which lead to poor productivity, indifferent customer service, lower sales, and reduced quality of work and service. They have employee turnover problems and often have to coerce, bribe, or threaten employees to do things. In big companies, poor bosses stand on every step of the corporate ladder. In smaller organizations, the owners or key executives are often the culprits. In addition: 80 percent of employees say they get no respect at work. Less than 55 percent of Americans are satisfied with their jobs compared to 61.1 percent in the year 2000. I know what you are thinking, what about those awful bosses who get excellent results? Yes, it does seem that some managers do well in spite of the pitiful leadership practices. In fact, if you talk to enough people, you’ll find poor bosses and good bosses can both achieve organizational objectives. The difference is in the “how” and what happens long-term. Results are unsustainable because poor bosses sap employees’ commitment to their jobs. It's a sad picture, but it can change and is changing. The past two years since the pandemic have revealed what we want to see: the leaders who are really focused on the well-being of their employees vs the ones only focused on the bottom line. Start by looking at your team. The number one reason employees say they quit is because of unhappiness with their boss or their boss’ boss. Employees with bad bosses are four times more likely to leave than employees who believe they have good bosses. Bad Bosses (Toxic or negative workplace and lack of support): Commands and controls employees. Takes the credit for wins. Communicates ambiguity. Blames others for problems. Tells employees what to do with little or no input. Offers little training or coaching. Takes advantage of others. Overall, lacks empathy and humility. Good Bosses (Excellent working relationships and positive atmosphere): Listens and asks for employee input. Talks “We” and teamwork. |Engages through positive influence. Shares credit for wins. |Communicates with passion and clarity. Owns the problems. Provides ongoing training and development. Models the way or leads by example. Respects others as partners. Leads with integrity. Pulling it all together: We never really work for a bad boss. We go through the motions but really don’t give any quality to our jobs. But with a good boss, we show up and give our best work. Why? Because our boss communicates, appreciates, and supports us. If you are a manager at any level, how do you start to become a better boss? If you want your team to be better, you must become a better leader. So, keep learning: read leadership books, attend seminars and webinars, and get a personal coach. Ask for feedback and be willing to change. Do this consistently and apply new strategies immediately. As a result, you will accelerate your career success and that of your team.  The success of your business is highly dependent on the success of the product or service you’re offering.
And even more important is being able to clearly articulate your product vision to others. When it comes to your product or service, clarity is essential. It’s necessary to define your products or services in clear descriptions that are easy for you to communicate to others. After developing product or service descriptions, you must identify to whom you want to sell. Determining your ideal customers can provide a more focused approach to your launch. With products and customers defined, you’re ready to start building your online store. This should be super exciting for you, and it’s totally normal if you’re a little nervous or scared. Try to give yourself some slack and don’t be afraid to fail, just try the steps below, learn, and improve. Step 1: Define critical business components There are two fundamental business components you need to consider before you start building your online store. Outline your sales tactics: As an online business, customer acquisition is dependent on driving people to your site. You’ll want to focus on implementing digital marketing best practices. Conduct break-even analysis: Since building a profitable business is the goal, you’ll want to monitor your financial information such as inventory and break-even numbers. This will help you forecast profitability. Step 2: Adopt business software and platforms You should do plenty of planning before starting your online business. But at some point, you’re going to have to actually launch it. After getting your fundamentals squared away, the next biggest hurdle is adopting and integrating your e-commerce platform and other business software. There are software options for all types of businesses, and they can solve nearly every problem you could ever face. Your challenge here is to select systems that are affordable and provide capabilities for now as well as down the road. Ensure ease of use: These software systems are the vehicle through which you drive your online business. There is a myriad of features you can demand, but at the end of the day, you need to be able to easily use these systems to complete your work. Plan for future integrations: Inventory and CRM are critical capabilities, but there are other systems you may need to add once your business takes off. You can save a ton of hassle down the road by initially selecting a system that will handle your future plans. As with many business duties, you may want to think about bringing in someone to analyze your marketing and help with some of these software decisions. Step 3: Build your online store With systems in place, you’re ready to design and publish your business’ site. Your branding really gets to shine during this step as the aesthetics of your digital storefront are what welcomes visitors to your business. Your branding doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it should be intentional. And unless you know how to code, you’ll want to ensure your e-commerce platform includes or supports site templates easy for you to navigate. As with any business need, this is something you can definitely outsource if you feel uncomfortable designing your own. Designing your online storefront should be fun. It’s your first chance to highlight your branding, and it means you’re close to a full business launch. If you have been working with someone who designed your brand, you may want to bring them in on this process too. Simplify the purchase process: However you decide to lay out your site, the most important component is how easy it is for your shoppers to make a purchase. You want to do everything you can to eliminate steps between product selection and online sales. Let your products/services shine: Don’t be tempted by stock images or long corporate manifestos that describe your brand. Let your products speak for themselves across your website. At the end of the day, that’s why it exists and that’s why shoppers visit. Consider your entire site: While products should shine, it’s also important to consider if you’ll have any kind of content strategy. If so, where will that be on the site? Be sure to think through what pages you’d like your site to feature. And always be sure that you are writing your content to be SEO-friendly and not repetitive. Step 4: Launch sales and marketing strategies You’ve worked through the business fundamentals. You’ve chosen your platforms and built your online store. Now it’s time to launch your online business. This means kicking off your sales and marketing strategies to introduce your business and drive shoppers to your site. Since you have taken the time to understand your customers, you already know the most effective channels for reaching them. Add to that your product expertise, and you’re all the way to a sales and marketing strategy for your new online business. Don’t make your sales and marketing strategy complicated at the onset. Trust in your targeted customer base, work up a few messaging variations to test, and set it all loose. As you’re starting out with your marketing plan, don’t be afraid to double down on what’s working. Find the messaging, channels, etc. that are driving visitors to your online store and spend resources there. You’re better off concentrating on what resonates initially and then looking to expand your base down the road. Step 5: Optimize and refine constantly Your online business is launched, and your work has truly just begun. Get ready because everything is about to accelerate. It is totally normal to feel like you’re just working to keep your head above water at this point. You just have to keep moving forward. The great thing about launching your business is that you get streams of performance data coming in. You can set up and monitor metrics to spot positive and negative trends on your marketing, site, products, margins, etc. The possibilities are endless, but what’s important is that you’re constantly looking for ways to improve. |
Boost Your BusinessMaria NovakI have over 35 years' experience in Marketing Small Businesses. Categories
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