Award Winning – What’s the Point?

This was my thought process prior to today – what is the point of awards and do they really benefit my business? I have seen many businesses flaunt their award winning this and their award for that and even some businesses who claim that they are award winning without stating what their award is for.

Well I have now joined the ranks of the award winners myself – not for export, not for sales and not even for the amount of businesses I have grown. This wonderful scene on the left is the winner of the Tourism NI Picture Perfect award for 2015!

Whilst not really relevant to the benefits I provide for my clients – it has changed my perception about them. It is my belief that benefits coming from awards fall into 2 main areas, independence and recognition.

Independence

Awards are really only of value if they come from an independent and reputable source – “employee of the week” or awards based on the size of your membership fee creates only scepticism and doubt over your product or service. But if your awarding body ticks the independence box it brings great credibility to your business.

Recognition

It’s great to be recognised and this was a major influence in my change of heart. I always believed I had “a decent eye” but when the judges chose my image, it confirmed my belief. You may believe your product or service is excellent but your potential clients are more likely to take someone else’s word for it. This recognition can also have a major influence upon your staff, building confidence and pride and these have a major impact on productivity.

Words of Warning

Awards are like my image – a snapshot, a moment in time and all because your product or service is award winning in 2015 there is no guarantee that it will be in the future. Plaques and certificates fade and gather dust and if left hanging around your receptions and marketing material without being up to date will lose their effectiveness and lustre. So if you are not striving for those awards annually make sure they don’t hang around as a sign post of past glory days.

So bring on the perfect picture award 2016!

As always I appreciate your comments, your feedback and the sharing of any of my blogs.

The Business Therapist – making your business better.

The post Award Winning – What’s the Point? appeared first on Small Business Can.

Affordable Internet Security Tips for Small Businesses

When you’re a business owner, you hold the responsibility of ensuring that all of your data remains protected. If a security breach occurs, it could mean the loss of customers and important data, or even the reputation of your business plummeting beyond repair. Hackers can steal the identity of your customers, employees or even yourself, so it’s important to know how to properly secure your business’ data.

Security mishaps are not uncommon, even amongst the largest companies, but avoiding them can be quite simple. Even common activities, such as using an unsecured WiFi network, can be the beginning of a major security breach. Here are a few affordable internet security tips that could save your company a lot of trouble.

Start With Your Accounts

One of the most common ways people leave themselves open to cyberattacks is by forgetting to, or being unaware of how they should, secure their online accounts. The main problem lies in the passwords that are used. Sometimes they are too basic and easy for others to guess, or they are being used for more than one account.

Each of your passwords should be changed every few months and consist of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols (whenever possible). They should also be at least eight characters long and be sure to exclude any personal information (any name associated with your company would make a weak password, for example). If you have a lot of passwords and remembering them all is difficult, you might want to consider using specific phrases combined with numbers as your passwords.

There’s also the option of saving your passwords on a service, such as Blur, which will save your login details for websites and even create strong passwords for you if you choose. Blur encrypts the information stored and also syncs them to all of your devices. Another useful feature Blur has to offer is the ability to mask your email address when filling in online forms.

Though Blur is a great option, you are sharing your personal information with a company by using it and security vulnerabilities are a possibility as well. However, even if you don’t store your passwords on Blur, you can still take advantage of the other internet security features it has to offer, which can definitely help you to protect your business.

Lastly, when dealing with company accounts, you might have to share login details at times. When doing so, you might want to consider using LastPass Enterprise, which will assist you with securely sharing passwords and accounts with your employees and business associates.

Secure Your Internet Connection(s)

It’s not always possible to avoid public WiFi, especially if you tend to travel somewhat often, but every time any of your devices connects to an unsecured network, you’re leaving the information of your company open to hackers. Unfortunately they can hang out nearby and access anyone’s device that is connected to the internet without encryption.

Luckily you can encrypt your connection, which will keep your business much safer whenever you or your employees are using the internet. To do this, you’ll need a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Using a VPN not only encrypts your connection, but it will also mask your location by hiding your IP address, as well as unblock geo-restricted content online (which is very useful when traveling).

According to SecureThoughts.com, ExpressVPN in particular offers the most secure connection and the best customer support out of all the other VPN services available. ExpressVPN is priced at $12.95 per month, but can be purchased for as little as $8.32 per month if you pay for 12 months upfront, making it a very affordable option to secure all of your devices that connect to the internet.

Use an Anti-Virus Program

Even the most tech savvy can inadvertently download or acquire malware on their computer or mobile device. Since it’s likely that you’ll be using the internet a lot while managing your business, it’s wise to use an anti-virus program. Some of these programs will warn you if a website if suspected of containing malware, but most importantly, they will allow you to scan your device for viruses that could wreak havoc if left unchecked.

Depending on the anti-virus program you choose, you might also be able to utilize anti-theft features, which will help you to locate your device if it’s stolen or missing or even wipe the data off of it so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. As far as options go, there are many anti-virus programs to choose from, which can be free if you don’t decide to upgrade for additional features. Be sure to install them on all of your devices that connect to the internet and complete a full virus scan at least once a month.

Backup Your Data

If by chance your business’ data becomes compromised, you might end up losing a lot of important information. Backing up all of your data will allow you to restore your files if this ever occurs. For this purpose, you’ll want to back up all of your crucial files as soon as possible.

When you do, be sure to store the backup on more than one device or piece of hardware (such as an external hard drive, thumb drive, or SD card). If you need help doing this, refer to your operating systems’ website for instructions. You can also store your files on cloud based storage services like Dropbox if you choose.

Either way, don’t forget to keep backups of your company’s website as well (tutorials should be available on your web hosts’ page)!

Internet Security

Keeping your business secure online doesn’t have to hard to do, nor expensive. When you utilize the aforementioned tips, your business will be much more secure overall. Though gaining complete immunity from security breaches is never guaranteed, implementing online security measures will make it rare for cyberattacks towards your business to occur.

Most importantly, don’t forget to educate and train your employees about these internet security tips in order to better protect the personal information of both you and your customers. Great business practices are what create repeat customers after all!

Many of us dream of starting a small business, and thanks to SmallBusinessCan.com, those in the process of starting or managing their own business have a great resource to rely on. I appreciate SmallBusinessCan.com allowing me to publish this article on their blog. When you’re done reading, I recommend you read one of their many helpful posts, such as “Online Business Data Tools for Small Business.”

The post Affordable Internet Security Tips for Small Businesses appeared first on Small Business Can.

Reward to Retain: The Effects of Loyalty Schemes in the Insurance Industry

Three quarters of people would change insurers to a company offering the same product at the same price – as long as they gave them loyalty schemes too.

The figures were revealed in a major survey carried out by M&S for Business that looked into the way companies in the financial sector attract new customers – and keep them.

As well as surveying customers it spoke to insurance industry figures to try and discover what makes a successful acquisition and retention strategy.
While 95 per cent of respondents said price was one of the most important factors when deciding what policy to buy, only 55 per cent said price was the sole reason. It suggests that in such a competitive industry a loyalty or reward scheme to add value to a policy could improve chances of take-up.
Experts agreed and most insurers quizzed said they already ran some sort of reward scheme.

But the survey also revealed that almost half (45 per cent) of respondents did not know if their insurer offered a reward scheme or not.
It suggests that communicating the scheme on offer to customers is just as important as the scheme itself.

Increase Customer Acquisition

The report concludes: “Implementing a reward scheme for loyalty, referrals or signing up to an insurance policy is a great way to increase customer acquisition, retention and satisfaction. However, it is important that the offering is relevant to the individual and offered at the right time.

“Allowing customers to earn points and rewards makes them feel involved with your brand and gives them the feeling that your service is worth more than that of the competition. As with any relationship in life, the one between business and consumer needs to be nurtured and approached delicately.

“That is why research and planning are imperative to the success of a reward scheme. If you get it right, you can build relationships and create brand advocates who will stay with you for a lifetime.”

Encourage Customer Retention

Stuart Lawrence, Head of M&S for Business said: “We know that the insurance industry is one of the sectors where it can be most difficult to encourage customer retention. With insurance usually being an annual purchase and most people hunting for the best priced policies, it can be hard for an insurance company to offer a unique service.

“With this in mind, we have carried out some research to discover what qualifies as a successful customer acquisition and retention strategy within the industry and found that reward schemes are something that is seen as value for a customer.

“We feel that the results of this research are transferable to other sectors within the financial industry and provide an interesting insight into a customer’s perception.”

To look at the complete findings, visit M &S for Business’ website.

The post Reward to Retain: The Effects of Loyalty Schemes in the Insurance Industry appeared first on Small Business Can.

How Can Leaders Spark Passion in Their Employees?

If passion was a skill, or a certification, employers would have one half of the interview process taken care of. Unfortunately, passion at a former job does not necessarily mean there will be passion at one’s current job. Conversely, a lack of passion at a former job does not mean that one does not have the possibility of finding the most meaningful position they have ever had at a future job. So how can leaders spark passion in their employees?

Many companies have a mission statement that expresses their objective of offering the best customer service or the highest quality product. Whatever the objective, without a passionate employee, companies will never really attain that promise.

In seeking new employees, employers must determine if there is a shortage of talent in the market, and if the salaries they offer are competitive enough to recruit the type of passionate employees they need to grow their business. Thankfully, employers have resources they can use when selling the benefits of their companies to prospective employees.

One key tool in an employer’s toolbox to market to potential employees is word of mouth recommendations from friends, neighbors, and other employees. This is an especially successful recruitment method when one is targeting the 18 to 29-year-old demographic.

Importance of Culture

A good leader understands the importance of the culture they create in the workplace and how important that culture is for current employees as well as potential employees.

Take the case of Dan Price, founder and CEO of Gravity Payments in Seattle who recently announced that he was taking a cut in his own pay, and every employee’s starting salary would be $70,000 per year.

But, just a few weeks after the big announcement, two of Price’s “most valuable” employees quit proving that salary alone is not all that sparks a passionate employee.

A Gallup survey of employees in the United States and Canada showed that only 29 percent of those surveyed felt engaged in the workplace with 18 percent specifically reporting that they were disengaged. The survey went on to show that 26 percent of the respondents said that engagement and meaningful work was the most important factor that contributed to their job satisfaction. Based on that survey only about one third of the workforce feel engaged in their current positions.

So, how does one bridge that disconnect and create a culture of employee recognition? Creating an atmosphere that grows passion is something that can be learned and implemented by simply listening to what employees are saying.

The Need for Motivation

Disengaged employees need motivation from their leaders. Strong leaders make sure that every employee, regardless of their job title, knows how important their job is to the overall success of the business. That knowledge makes an employee proud of their contribution, and passionate about the role they play.

A strong leader also can ignite passion through open communication within their organization.

J.W. Marriott, executive chairman of Marriott International, explains this concept through an encounter with President Eisenhower. At the time, Marriott was a young student at the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School, and he asked the president a question about policy. The president asked him, “What do you think, Bill?”

Marriott says those four words are the most important for any leader to use to be successful. An employee who knows he has a voice is far more likely to find his work meaningful.

A group of people who spend 40 hours a week together are going to see each other on both good days and bad days. Most employees understand the boss has bad days, too. But, good leaders realize that the way they handle the bad days can be even more inspiring than how they handle the good ones.

In the end it is really a very simple equation, engaged employees are passionate employees. Passionate employees love coming to work. Having a passionate team who is invested as much as management is in the overall success of the business is not just a great idea to consider. It is a great necessity to create.

The post How Can Leaders Spark Passion in Their Employees? appeared first on Small Business Can.

Six Signs Your HR Department is Overworked

The HR department is at the heart of every company, so it is vital they are able to work at their peak levels. Unfortunately, demanding too much from overworked HR staff means the quality of service could slip, creating problems in the hiring process, or even when it comes to employee happiness. Here are six signs your HR department is overworked as well as how you can ease the burden.

Long Hours or Late Starts

One of the warning signs of an overworked HR department is when employees are staying longer than normal, or arriving late on a regular basis. Not being able to function in the mornings, or being forced to stay late, often highlights stress when it comes to day-to-day tasks.

Missed Deadlines

A tangible sign of overworked HR employees is repeatedly missed deadlines. If staff are struggling to profile candidates before the interview stage or handle payroll on time, they may simply have too much on their plates. Outsourcing some tasks like identify verification or background checks to a third party service could relieve some of this stress, freeing the HR department up for other vital jobs.

Complaints from Other Employees

If other staff are complaining about the timeliness of quality of your HR department, look into whether they need a break, or a chance to catch up on overdue projects.

Frustrated HR Staff

When in doubt, simply talk to HR staff directly to get their input. HR employees who are frustrated about their workloads and tell you they are struggling to complete daily tasks are almost certainly overworked. Strategize with them about how best to reduce stress.

Rapid Increase in Company Size

You might be excited your company is growing rapidly and bringing in new employees, but make sure your HR department expands to match. If your company is getting bigger, the same HR department won’t be able to cope with the added work without getting burned out.

Budget Cuts in the HR Department

Downsizing is a necessary process for some companies, but major budget cuts to human resources may cause big problems down the road. Check in after any budget cuts to ensure that HR staff can still cope and are not getting overworked.

Keeping an eye out for these warning signs can help you spot an overworked HR department before major problems crop up. Along with hiring additional employees and adjusting deadlines, outsourcing work can provide the department with a solution as well. Using an online employment background check system like PeopleFacts could be a good way to get work spread out.

The post Six Signs Your HR Department is Overworked appeared first on Small Business Can.

How to Motivate Under Performers

Even the greatest company can fail if its employees are under performing. Morale, confidence, skill level and more can all have a drastic effect on an employee’s performance. Underperforming does not necessarily mean that the employee is poor at their job. It can have just as much to do with management and the company as a whole as it can with the individual. In order to help motivate under performers excel at their job, follow these steps.

Understand why they’re underperforming

The best way to tackle any problem is by understanding the cause of it. Every employee is different, and each has their own problems with varying impacts. Get an unbiased overview of the person’s behavior and work from someone like a manager or fellow co worker. In addition to obtaining some useful and unbiased information on the employee, you may also get some insight as to why they may be underperforming. For instance, a coworker could mention that the employee has been very distracted lately due to issues at home, or they’re having difficulties understanding a new software.

HR software can also be perfect to understanding just how the employee is truly performing. It allows you to see a breakdown of their performance through analytics involving their met goals, current projects and more.

Open lines of communication and provide encouragement

Once you’ve gathered some information, it’s time to sit down and have a conversation with the employee about their performance. Start off by letting them understand how valuable they are to the company and what they’ve achieved there so far. Many employees simply don’t feel like they’re appreciated, and even merely hearing these words from their boss can have a very positive effect on their work. If anything, it will likely provide them with some drive to try to improve.

Explain all of the details that you’ve collected on their performance, and offer a helping hand in rectifying the situation. If you haven’t collected enough information to pinpoint why they’re underperforming, discuss why both you and they believe this may be happening. There could be more than one reason. For instance, if you believe they’re frustrated over not understanding a new software, offer some helpful resources for learning about it, or suggest they work alongside someone else who knows the software very well for a while. They may then suggest that the reason they’ve been getting frustrated with the software is due to hardware issues in their work laptop. This could be fixed with repairs or a new computer.

Set clear goals and provide coaching

Some employees aren’t aware that their performance is lacking, and some employers and managers simply don’t provide clear goals for their employees. Lay down some clear performance goals for the employee, and offer some coaching to help them improve. Be wary of employees who refuse coaching or any sort of help. If they don’t want to equip themselves with the proper tools and resources to improve, they may not be worth keeping around.

Follow up

Just like how employees may under perform when they believe their work isn’t being appreciated, employees who are working to improve also benefit from fairly regular follow ups as well as praise and acknowledgment when they are visibly improving.

Reward improvement, analyze further performance issues

At the end of a reasonable time period of coaching and work, analyze how the employee has done overall. If they have made great strides in improvement, reward them in some way. Show them that their work has paid off, and assure them that hard work and great performance are recognized, even when mistakes are made along the way. If the employee hasn’t improved much or has stayed the same in their performance, you’ll need to evaluate whether they’re worth keeping around. Are the improvement methods ineffective, or is the employee simply not putting much effort into it? Is it worth it to try to continue with other improvement methods, or is it best to let the person go and try to find someone else for the job? Put deep consideration into this as firing someone can have a very large effect on everyone in the company.

Most people have it in them to be good employees. It just takes a little hard work, patience and understanding to help under performers achieve great things in your company. There will be instances where you may be forced to let someone go, but these tips will prevent you from losing a valuable employee and doing undue damage to the company or even someone’s life.

The post How to Motivate Under Performers appeared first on Small Business Can.

Small Business Credit Cards – Should You Use Them or Not?

As an owner of a small business it is quite likely that you would have been at the receiving end of numerous credit card offers for running your business. It is worthwhile to consider the utility of credit cards for obtaining a line of credit and compare it with others available to you. Interestingly, credit cards have already emerged as the single biggest form of finance for small businesses. Credit cards meant for business are extremely convenient way for the business owner to access short term financing to increase the purchasing power of the company. However, a certain amount of care must be exercised because there is a cost associated and various conditions apply.

What Are Small Business Credit Cards?

Credit cards aimed at owners of small businesses are very similar to that for individuals. They allow the business owner access to credit that can be revolved; of course with a set limit and also permit cash withdrawals. The reasons why revolving credit on a credit card is handy are because the limit can be used repeatedly as the dues are cleared off and access to the credit can be enjoyed without providing any collateral.

How Are Credit Cards Different from Lines of Credit?

Many issuers of business credit cards such as gemvisa.co.nz market their offerings as alternatives to conventional lines of credit that are available from commercial banks. However, among the key differences between the two are that credit cards have a revolving credit whereas the amount of credit is fixed in a line of credit. This essentially means that with a credit card the amount available keeps on being replenished to the extent the card dues are paid back. With a line of credit, the limit gets exhausted after you use it and the only way to replenish it is to apply to the bank for a fresh line of credit.

However, typically credit card limits are relatively small when compared to a bank’s line of credit and thus are useful for small value purchases and not the typical big-ticket items such as machinery and equipment. Since the line of credit is almost always secured by the items purchased the interest tends to be lower than that of credit cards that provide credit that is unsecured and represent a bigger risk to the card issuer.

The Advantages of Business Credit Cards

There are a number of advantages of using a business credit card. Business owners who have no credit history may not be able to get a bank loan or a line of credit while a credit card will almost always be available. It is also very easy to use a credit card and they can be used instantly at a number of places where it could prove very cumbersome to write out a check or make an electronic transfer of funds from your bank account. With a credit card, users also get a financial cushion in terms of the extended credit available that comes in very useful when sales are somewhat slow and cash at hand is not adequate. Credit cards are also a very easy way of transacting online with suppliers and contractors.

Easier Money Management

When you use credit cards, you will not only receive a monthly statement but also a summary at the end of the year that is a great help to accountants to properly record and classify financial transactions. These documents make it easier for the business owner to keep track of expenses and reduce the internal paperwork. Moreover almost all credit card issuers offer online tools that enable holders of business credit cards to manage their account properly. Credit card holders can also find transacting a rewarding process as they can use the loyalty points for various product purchases as well as various discounts and offers that can save quite a bit of money.

The post Small Business Credit Cards – Should You Use Them or Not? appeared first on Small Business Can.

3 Benefits of Using Microsoft Lync for Small Businesses

As a small business, two of your most important considerations are efficiency and cost savings. This is where the Microsoft Lync system can step in and make a real-world difference to your business.

The Lync system is an all-encompassing communication system that is up to date with the latest technology and will make all of your inter-office, as well as external communications, much more streamlined and snag-free.

1. HD Video Conferencing

With the growing new-age work trends such as Outsourcing and Work-from-home employees, video conferencing has become a major part of our new business culture. Instead of trying to bring everyone together in one location, it is so much easier to just organise a video conference and include a range of people, all in the one meeting.

For example with Microsoft Lync, you can include home based employees, outsourcers, suppliers, business partners and even staff working in satellite offices around the world, in the same video conference. Lync is compatible across a broad range of devices and platforms, making it an extremely flexible as well as highly cost effective communications strategy.

2. Scheduling and Organising Conference Calls

With Lync, not only your conference calls can be made in HD, but putting it all together is extremely simple and quick. There is no need for endless emails and phone calls just to set up a video conference and it can be arranged with a simple click of the mouse button or touchpad. Additionally, you can also schedule video conference calls and meetings in advance by simply adding the date and time.

Once you have decided on a date and time for the video conference, all you need to do is create a Lync meeting and you are good to go. Since Outlook is an essential part of the Microsoft family, a virtual conference is automatically setup, the notification for the scheduled meeting will be automatically sent to the participants through email.

At the nominated time for the video conference, attendees just click a button on the screen and they are automatically brought into the conference. You can even share screens, PowerPoint presentations and Word documents, use virtual whiteboards or take control of your computer remotely.

3. Supports Various Platforms

With apps for all mobile devices, as well as Skype and web access, Microsoft Lync is easily integrated across most systems and is really cost effective.

Mobile Devices: With mobile apps, employees can use their own mobile devices to join a video conference or to access the other features of the Lync system, such as instant messaging. Thankfully, you don’t even have to own a Windows phone, because Microsoft Lync is compatible with both iOS and Android systems.
Web Access: The web app makes it very easy for attendees to join a video conference from their browser, regardless of whether it is a Windows or a Mac. Employees even have access to all of the other Lync features as well, right from their browser.
Skype: Since Microsoft now owns Skype and lots of people use Skype, Lync also offers Skype users the ability to join any video conference and use other features that Lync has to offer.

So, if your business could benefit from a high quality, and highly compatible video conferencing communication system, it is worth a look to check from various solutions provider, like iiNet, to position your business for maximum growth.

The post 3 Benefits of Using Microsoft Lync for Small Businesses appeared first on Small Business Can.

Mobile Consumers and Responsive Designs: Online, Smart & Friendly

Social media is changing the world of marketing on a tremendous scale. According to ZenithOptimedia forecast, we will witness a constant 15% growth on an annual scale between 2014 and 2017. Let’s take a look at how it applies to mobile consumers…

This assumption is more than reasonable. We are witnessing applied actions of smart algorithms that are interacting with us on a daily basis. They are persistent in following profiles and are sorting and delivering information according to our search results in a matter of a few nanoseconds. Our Facebook profiles, Google search, everything is monitored and evaluated, for the purpose to serve us, the consumers, or annoy us.

That is the very core of our issue, because in the year 2015 there are a few actions that should be considered a standard, nevertheless we are still witnessing poor implementations of even major global companies.

Online

A seamlessly never-ending debate about Conversion Rate Optimization vs. Search Engine Optimization for Return On Investment only confirms that we are yet to comprehend the power of Data. The obvious fact is that constant analysis through applied implementation will eventually deliver a positive result.

You’ve certainly stumbled upon opening windows that are trying to convince you to stay on the website and continue with your read. That is a part of the CRO strategy. The fact that you’ve actually managed to find the initial website is the result of the SEO strategy. They are both well proven methods, and we are all aware that the psychology of marketing is based on the firm but almost incomprehensible grounds, and there is one factor that will always be easily misread: the human factor.

Never leave out that tricky unknown from the equation, and always add at least something that you know to that part, so you can be sure that you will gain positive results. Consumers love being respected, cared for, they will probably refer their friends to you if you insist on providing a good service and you should count on that fact. Make their online experience pleasant, provide them a great product, trusted delivery, and safe and simple method of payment. Scratch beneath that surface of design, and focus on being responsive.

Smart & Friendly

All of our target audiences, no matter the industry that you are dealing with, have one thing in common: they are all computer literate. Pushing a product where it shouldn’t be pushed, missing your core audience, and counting on the fact that you will simply filter large numbers and get a certain percentage that you will convert to clients – that’s an utterly outdated technique.

Always count on the first rule of social media: it is social. People will share ideas, experiences, reviews, and etc. If you insist on spamming million people with your offer for no particular reason, the only thing that you will get is a lot of bad rep. There is a famous case of LiveNation poorly scheduled tweets that should serve in favor of this module, as an example of how not to execute a campaign.

With the help of search engines and our smart phones, we, the consumers, have become a lot smarter. Well, in manner of speaking. Retweeting your embarrassing marketing failure is a matter of one flick of a finger, so think again who you are targeting. If you are targeting me, as a computer literate consumer, I can tell you two things that I’m expecting from your business – be smart, and be friendly.

The post Mobile Consumers and Responsive Designs: Online, Smart & Friendly appeared first on Small Business Can.

4 Tools Every Small Business Should Have

A wise person once said “You are only as good as your tools.” This saying definitely holds water in the business world, where the right tools can increase productivity and improve efficiency and operating procedures. As a small business owner, you should make sure these clever tools are in your company’s toolkit.

Dropbox: Store Documents on the Cloud

Think of Dropbox as the modern-day equivalent of a filing cabinet, an innovative tool which stores a range of files including images, videos, and text documents. Just like a traditional filing cabinet holds documents in cardboard folders, Dropbox uses virtual folders for easy organization. However, its search tool is probably more efficient than your old filing system!

Dropbox uses cloud technology, so you needn’t worry about your documents taking up space on a hard drive, or what might happen if your hardware fails. Dropbox makes your documents accessible from any device, so it’s ideal for small businesses with remote workers. This tool also makes it easy and more eco-friendly for you to share your files with colleagues, clients, or media outlets.

Best of all, basic Dropbox accounts are completely free to use, so they suit those notoriously tight small business budgets. If you need more space for your files, consider upgrading to Dropbox Pro, which has one terabyte of storage space, or Dropbox for Business.

Sage Payment Solutions: Increase Your Payment Options

More than nine out of ten retailers say their customers want a range of payment options, but many stores are reluctant to invest in the necessary infrastructure. With nearly half of retailers noting increased costs for payment technology in the last 18 months, the expense is a significant barrier to adoption. However, online credit card processing options from Sage require no upfront fees, so they’re a great choice for small businesses.

Sage’s handy tool allows you to accept payments from all major credit and debit cards. It also integrates with your existing accounting or ERP software for easy record keeping.

More than half of retailers haven’t adopted new payment technologies because they’re worried about security, but Sage’s Payment Card Industry certification, PIN transaction security, and merchant validation/certification should give you peace of mind. The Sage team also handles things like loss prevention, charge back assistance, and underwriting in house, so there’s less for your small business team to think about.

bMobilized: Make Your Website Mobile

In 2014, Internet use on mobile devices exceeded browsing from personal computers for the first time. This seismic shift reminded business owners of the importance of making their websites mobile-friendly. If you still haven’t developed a mobile site, bMobilized can make the conversion process easy. It’s already created more than 3.2 million mobile sites, and yours could be next.

Its Automatic Content Analysis promises to make your website mobile-ready in mere minutes. If you’re not comfortable with web design, use an existing mobile web template. Or play around with customizable options to make your site more unique. Once you’re done, bMobilized claims your site will look great on more than 14,000 different smartphones and tablets. A 14-day free trial lets you get a feel for the bMobilized tool before committing.

Wistia: Video Marketing Made Easy

Marketing is crucial to the success of any small business. It’s key for creating awareness and generating buzz and brand loyalty. Seven out of ten marketers say that video offers better conversions than any other marketing medium, so it’s understandable that many small businesses are switching on their cameras.

If you’re entering the world of video marketing, Wistia is an essential tool. It’ll host your videos, add buttons to make them shareable and embeddable to improve their reach, and even turn your videos into Flash and HTML5 versions so they’ll reach more consumers. The video heatmaps are a really intriguing feature, as they’ll show you which parts of each video you post get rewatched, where viewers switch off, and much more. Use this information to constantly improve your video marketing campaigns.

With the tools above at your disposal, you can improve a variety of facets of your small business.

The post 4 Tools Every Small Business Should Have appeared first on Small Business Can.

News