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What can your business do to keep going during COVID-19 sole traders.

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What can Businesses do to keep going during COVID- 19 Sole Traders.

What can your business do to keep going during the COVID-19?  No one saw this coming right?  I don’t know a single person within my circle that hasn’t noted changed in their business as a direct result of COVID-19.  Some have seen an increase, whilst the majority have not.

It feels like crisis after crisis.  The drought, then fires, panic buying and I still haven’t been able to purchase hand sanitizer or wipes or toilet paper.  I’m been asked if we are at the end of the world!!!  We aren’t, but the world won’t be the same again, the way we think, eat, operate, communicate, do business is changed forever.

On my walk yesterday along the beach path, I had to pass a lady with her arms out and a water bottle on either side of her hands???

What can businesses do to keep going during COVID-19?  How do we recover?  How are you now?  If you are not coping, need financial assistance please reach out .

To help you manage business disruption associated with coronavirus (COVID-19), we’ve put together a range of support information focused on the needs of small business ownersto assist with keeping going during COVID-19.

The State and Federal Governments have announced small support packages for small business.

Stay Safe from CORID – 19 and keep informed.

Nothing is more important than you!  I’m sure you have now heard about the importance of washing your hands, social distancing.  Safeguard your staff from getting sick along with your cutomers.  Have crosses marked for customers to know where to stand, hand santizer at the entrance or on counters, no handshakes or hugs 🙂  Where possible allow staff to work remotely.

Stay in touch with your customers

Proactively share important information with your customers using:

  • email
  • your website
  • Facebook Page
  • Instagram Business Profile
  • or however you typically connect

Facebook has created a hub for business during this time and you can find out more HERE.  They suggest:

  • update your Page hours to show your customers how and when you’re available for business
  • Notify customers of any changes or modifications to your availability or services by updating your Page Info and selecting Open With Service Changes or Temporarily Closed, depending on your situation.

Look for other ways to communicate with your customers.  Not just as mentioned above but Whats App, Web Chat.

  • The apps are available for free through the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices.
  • To activate the Whatsapp channel, users have been told to visit aus.gov.au/whatsapp to launch the new feature.

Work from home

If you haven’t already made the shift to work from home this is a great option, however it isn’t possible for all roles and all businesess.

Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins is one of the countless big businesses leading the way with work from home measures. She has told media that she asked all of her 870 staff to work from home last week.

Understand your current financial position

This is critical, you need to know where you stand currently.

  • What have you got coming in and what is going out?
  • Ask your suppliers for better pricing or payment terms
  • Consider a payment holiday for 30-60-90 days
  • Negotiate with lenders how you can increase credit or decrease repayments.
  • Negotiate your rent and access the offers in place to assist you with this.  How to do this read here. 

We encourage you to call your landlord to discuss what arrangements can be put in place regarding your lease, particularly if your business can no longer operate.

On 29 March, the Australian Government announced a moratorium on evictions over the next six months for commercial and residential tenancies in financial distress who are unable to meet their commitments due to the impact of coronavirus. Commercial tenants, landlords and financial institutions are encouraged to sit down together to find a way through this period to ensure that businesses can survive and be there on the other side.

Seek Advice on Deferring Tax Payments

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) can grant you a deferral of certain tax obligations if your business is impacted by COVID-19. Call the ATO on 1800 806 218 or speak to your tax professional to discuss your options. Deferring payments may impact on your eligibility for other stimulus package options, so seek professional advice.

Pivot

Remember as the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.   So how can we keep selling and doing business during COVID-19?  Diversify.  If you don’t have a digital presence now is the time to look at what this could look like.  Give me a call on 0438 222 060 to go through options to suit your business and your suitation.

Consider whether you can draw on your superannuation

If you are a sole trader whose hours of work or income has fallen by 20 per cent or more as a result of the pandemic, the Federal Government is allowing you to access your superannuation. This is capped at $10,000 this financial year and a further $10,000 next financial year. The withdrawals will be tax free.

Build your networks

This is an important time to reach out to your networks for support and advice. Being able to keep some control over your situation is good for your positive mental health. Keep communicating with your support networks and speak with other small businesses to share ideas and innovative practices.

A write up from Smart Company suggests:

Don’t panic, instead, look for opportunities. Clever investors, business leaders and salespeople look at downturns in markets as opportunities find new ways, new solutions, new markets. They look at the evidence at hand, the trends that are emerging and see opportunity, when many others see disaster. These people aren’t idealistic or oblivious to the challenges facing communities, markets and economies.

Thisi is thetime to ramp up market research, market presence and sales efforts by getting in front of the right people , prospecting and investigating where people and markets are at and how they can help them. They understand that selling is the vehicle that allows opportunity to flourish and people, businesses, economies and societies to prosper.

New markets and new ways of operating can emerge during a crisis.

Try to stay level-headed and to assess pragmatically what can be done to hold your ground, or even progress into new opportunities without putting your business at risk.

So keep the doors open and find ways to keep on selling and doing business.

There are more opportunities than you think.

If you would like to chat about where you are at and how we can help you please contact us as we are here to help.

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First Page Tradies

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How to Show Up on the First Page of Google for Tradies

75% of people will never scroll past the first page on a Google search, so your can’t afford to be ranking on the second, third, or fourth page.

Where is your business found when you Google it?

You need organic traffic because 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.  That is 93% of people are online searching for your tradie services.

On top of that, there are over 1 trillion searches every single month!

The top 3-4 spots on Google Maps are reserved for paid ads.  Did you just Google your business?  Where were you on the Mpas.  Is your Google MyBusiness listing up to date and do you have any Google Reviews?
 
Below is an example of what a listing with Google My Business Page can do for tradies combined with reviews.  Wayne Tucker Painting ranks first in Google Maps, he has reviews and he also has a website.  When people go searching for a painter his details pop up, it’s a no brainer for them as they can see he is trusted and reliable.  They pick up the phone and call him.

North West Marketing helped out Wayne Tucker Painting with his Capability Statement, ICN Gateway Profile, Facebook, Google My Business Page and Website in January 2020 and already has reaped his ROI.  We can help you.  Give us a call on 0438 222 060

or fill in the CONTACT FORM

 

Inland Rail Business Workshops March 2020

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Business workshops Inland Rail

The Narrabri to North Star project is finalising project approvals to progress to construction.  We are holding workshops for local and Indigenous businesses on a range of topics including:

how to be visible to decision-makers
understanding Health, Safety and Environment(HSE) requirements
improving your tendering and contract management and how to work effectively on large projects

I highly recommend that you take advatage of these workshop which ARTC provide for free.  They are committed to working with locals like you and me to ensure that we are as Inland Rail Ready as possible.

Should you need assistance in any area, I am very happy to help.

March Workshop in Moree and Narrabri

Help your Indigenous business stand out

What you’ll learn:

  • Prepare your ‘elevator pitch’ and a high-quality business capability statement
  • Learn about ICN Gateway – the online site for Inland Rail Expressions of Interest (EOI) and other NSW project opportunities
  • Understand the EOI process and how to get your company profile on ICN Gateway
  • Moree: Thursday 12 March, 9am–4pm
    Narrabri: Tuesday 24 March, 9am–4pm

 

Download the brochure N2NS Capability Workshops Flyer for more details

 

ICN Gateway Inland Rail Ready

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Narrabri to North Star (NSW)

Need help with your ICN Gateway Profile, Capability Statement please click HERE to see how we can help. North West Marketing Services 

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNIT,  LET US HELP YOU GET YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE.

ICN Gateway helps bring Australian suppliers and project owners together by giving exclusive access to a powerful online database and an extensive network of Business Growth consultants.  Their focus is to bring more business to Australia.

Your business must be registered on the ICN Porta, not just for Inland Rail but also other projects as well.  For example the Moree SAP, the Moree Hospital and any other projects that you wish to express your interest in.

Your company capability statement is a professionally-designed document which will be used on your company’s ICN Gateway profile and your website.  This is something you can print off and bring to the meet the contractors events.

What is your unique selling proposition? Why should people choose you over your competitors? These are some of the questions which need to be answered.

ICN GATEWAY PROFILE   FROM $390*

CAPABILITY STATEMENT  FROM $490*

YOUR COMPANY WEBSITE   FROM $990*

Having a website presence is essential and vitally important to building awareness of your company and communicating with both current and prospective clients along with your social media presence.  Whilst locals may know you with the need of a website, those who are looking to enquire of your services from out of town are going to do a Google search and will they find you?

This is a requirement for the ICN – let us assist you with building your website.

With over 12 years working in web design and experience over the last 18 months working with Moree Plains Shire Council on the Inland Rail project, I have the expertise and local knowledge to assist you. The deadline is April 2020 unless notified sooner, so let’s get all the boxes ticked and get your business ready for 2020 CONTACT ME

Julia Mitchell
*does not include GST

Email Marketing Best Practices

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Email Marketing Best Practices

Email marketing is one of the most effective internet marketing methods and it is currently being used by thousands of businesses (small, medium sized and even the large companies). Below are some of the reasons why every business should consider;

  • email marketing is inexpensive
  • Easy to track and share
  • Very fast/Immediate with tremendous reach
  • Efficient and very convenient

The following tips will greatly help in ensuring that many people subscribe to your email list and that your email marketing becomes a success;

Offering an incentive

This is one of the ways in which you can get people to sign up for your email list. The incentive should be good enough to attract people. Basically, it should be able to convince them that your email is worth a space in their inbox. You can do this by offering some discounts or even a sale. It is also good to remember that different incentives work differently for different companies so you should choose the one that works best for you.

Embedding the opt-in form

This is actually very simple. You should not make people click through to another page but instead, embed the opt in form at the point (where) you ask people to sign up.

Put an option to join your email list in every page of your site

You should have opt-in box on every page of your website and it should be in a way that it can be seen by anyone looking at your site. You can add an opt-in box both to the vertical navigation column and to the footer area.

 Install a slider/ a pop-up

Pop-ups should not be annoying and to make sure that they are not, you can set them in a manner that they can only show after someone has been on the site for at least 2-3 minutes. You should also set it in a way that it is only shown to every visitor once a week.

Optimize for mobile

This should be one your number one priority because majority of people (approximately 53%) now open their emails using their mobile devices. Make sure that your email templates are mobile friendly and this will ensure that your subscribers will be able to open your emails anytime regardless of their whereabouts.

5 Ways To Increase Conversions On Your Landing Page

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5 Ways To Increase Conversions On Your Landing Page

Now that you have your website up and running with traffic, how do you increase the conversions on your landing page so that you end up making the sales that you want?

1. Use segmented landing pages for your keywords

One thing you need to know is that if you use the same landing page for every keyword that you bid on, you will definitely miss out on getting more conversions. By segmenting your landing pages, you will be doing a better job at targeting your traffic and this will lead to more subscribers and more leads.

2. Focus on testing more than one version of your landing page.

Most people make the mistake of not testing various versions of their landing pages and so end up not getting a lot of conversions. Sometimes, to experience a massive increase in response, all that is needed are a few changes here and there so ensure that you do some tests to figure out what those changes might be.

You might just realize that changing the background color of one of your landing pages actually doubles your conversion rate.

3. Look through your landing pages

Your landing pages should relate directly to the content the visitor wants to see. Moreover, they should not be so busy that the visitor is at a loss on what you want them to do.

4. Check your calls to action.

They are crucial in leading visitors back to your site. Are they accompanied by big, bold buttons that look attractive enough to click on? Test with different fonts, colors, and sizes. In addition, ensure that your calls to action offer value that is worth clicking on.

Do your claims seem believable and do you have a few testimonials on your page?

As an online marketer, what you want is your visitor to do just one goal of the page without getting distracted. The above tips are sure ways of increasing your conversions on your landing pages.

5 Must Do’s To Get Traffic From Twitter

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5 Must Do’s To Get Traffic From Twitter

Are you struggling to harness the power of Twitter for your blog? Tweeting the title for your blog post and a link to direct visitors to your site is not good enough. You actually need to be more creative, active as well as connect more with people. Below are 5 tips to help you get traffic from Twitter.

1. Use hashtags

Hashtags are crucial on Twitter because they allow you to label your content, making it searchable. It is one of the best ways to get your content seen by Twitter followers who are searching for specific keywords that you have used. Hashtags enhances your tweet’s visibility and engagement even with people who are not following you.

2. Share your updates often

On Twitter, updates can actually disappear in matter of seconds. It is therefore very important to share updates often to get your tweets discovered. It is not good enough to just post a tweet once, instead you need to post it several times to reach several people who are using this this social platform.

3. Engage with your audience more

Just like any other social network, the more you engage with your audience, the better your chances of increasing your traffic. By engaging with others through tweeting, sharing and retweeting, your influence on twitter will quickly grow. Addition to that, retweeting other people’s post will increase your chances of getting retweeted back, meaning that you will be able to reach more people.

4. Get visual

Most people usually think that Twitter is a text only social platform but that is not the case. Twitter now features visual content. This means that if you accompany your text with your visual content, you will increase the chances of it being viewed and shared by more people. Posting visuals that stand above others will go a long way in helping you get more traffic.

5. Use a call to action

Every aspect of marketing requires a well formulated call to action. Do you want your followers to download your new eBook or do you want them to read your latest blog post? It is important to let your followers know exactly what you want them to do.

4 Elements of Writing High-Converting Headlines

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4 Elements of Writing High-Converting Headlines

When it comes down to the art of internet marketing, your sales headline is part and parcel of the thin line that separates a successful campaign and utter failure. More than ever before, the world is getting more competitive by the day, and it is up to the discerning online entrepreneur to come up with ingenious ways of staying at the top of his game. And the best way to do this is through funneling more sales with the aid of a solid converting headline that will even the most skeptical individuals into regular, loyal customers.

Speaking of which, where as they are numerous ideas of how to write, spin or fashion high-converting and persuasive sales headlines. But all of them have a few things in common. This includes but not limited to;

1. Promises ( albeit indirectly ), that the reader/user is going to benefit immensely from the product or service.

2. A good converting headline that can easily skyrocket your sales ought to prove that you are actually selling what you are promoting, producing or offering. This helps the reader know that they can purchase and start using your product as soon as the next minute.

3. It is very important to paint a clear picture of the benefits of taking up your product or enrolling in your service.

4. It needs to convey a sense of urgency or an element of it that your customers have to act now or as soon as possible. Make them feel that they have been missing out on a lot and it is time to turn their prospects around.

The bottom line is that it takes a skillful use of persuasive language, careful choice of words, and thoughtfulness to create a converting sales headline. But, unfortunately, you won’t know this unless you try. So what’s your headline of choice today?