Liquid Mango

Read between the lines

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

I recently caught up with a good friend at a fabulous restaurant. We hadn't seen each other for a month so needless to say we had a lot to talk about and catch up on. We laughed, talked, enjoyed a lovely meal and had a great time. Half way through the meal I noticed the waiter walking towards our table and then he stopped. He politely waited until we'd finished talking and then he walked over to talk to us. The service was thoughtful and all about the customer experience.

'The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said' - Peter F. Drucker

Make sure you really listen and read between the lines.

You can learn a lot about your clients by what isn't being said.

Listen, learn, act.

Think about the customer experience.

Establish relationships.

Listening is one of the most valuable things you can do in business and in life.

It's a conversation

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:13:00 GMT

This is me after I watch one of those TV commercials where the person starts yelling at me really loudly about their latest and greatest new product. The person doesn't take a breathe, slow down or allow you time to think about what they've just said. It can be overwhelming and the message gets lost.

This can happen on social media too. I often see posts or tweets from businesses promoting themselves and doing very little else. They talk about how fabulous their products and services are but don't stop to listen to their customers, make connections or have conversations.

It's important to use social media to get to know your customers, to provide real value and to build relationships. If you just shout out your messages on social media, your customers are bound to get upset, feel overwhelmed, lose interest and switch off.

I'm not saying to stop promoting your products and services altogether, include it as part of your strategy but make sure it doesn't make up more than about 20 per cent of your content.

Focus on two-way communication. Listen, learn, connect, engage, be relevant, start conversations and add value. The same as you'd do in real life.

What should I tweet?

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 05:56:00 GMT

Twitter is a conversation

Think of Twitter as a two-way conversation rather than a platform to talk about yourself and what you've got to sell. It's a great place to listen and talk to your customers, to find out what's happening in your industry and catch up on the latest news.

There's a lot of noise on Twitter and it's easy for tweets to get lost so having a strategy in place will give you a plan and set the direction to help you achieve your goals. What you tweet about will depend on your audience and what they want to hear about. Use a variety of content to keep them interested, look at ways you can add value to their lives and make sure the content is timely and relevant. Use Twitter to connect and engage and be polite and respectful.

Include social media as part of your overall communications strategy and you'll see great results.Twitter will help you establish relationships and build an online community around your business.

10 things to help you get started on Twitter

1. Share and comment on relevant industry information and research.

2. Share articles or posts that your followers will be interested in. These don't necessarily have to be directly related to your industry.

3. Establish and maintain relationships by having conversations. Either as tweets or via direct messages.

4. Ask questions and get feedback from your customers.

5. Use Twitter to share your blog posts, relevant articles or newsletters.

6. Are you organising an event your followers might be interested in?

7. Have you attended an event recently your audience would be interested in hearing about?

8. Retweet interesting tweets you see on your news feed.

9. Are you involved in any groups or associations you can share with your followers?

10. Thank people for commenting and retweeting your tweets.

PR is more than customer service

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 04:50:00 GMT

I recently heard a man say his wife looked after PR in their business because she liked dealing with customers. Now, PR isn't just about improving communication with your customers or sending out media releases.

PR focuses on effective two-way communication across all areas of a business, including how you communicate with your staff, customers, suppliers, local community and all your target publics. Relationship management and engagement play a major part.

PR is strategic and it's a long term commitment that requires research, planning, consistency, monitoring and evaluation. It's not a last minute solution.

Poor communication can effect the reputation and success of a business, which is one reason why PR is so important.

PR can help you...

• Establish relationships with your customers and target publics

• Improve internal communication

• Establish and maintain a good public reputation

• Raise awareness and educate people about your business

• Establish trust and credibility

• Set you up as a leader and spokesperson within your industry

• Raise awareness about your brand

• Build a community around your business

• Improve customer service

If you'd like to find out how PR can benefit your business, call or send us an email today. We offer PR assessments that can help you improve the way you communicate and engage. We'll peel back the layers and get to the heart of your business. We'll provide you with an assessment and advice about how you can use PR to build on the success of your business.

How smart are your objectives?

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 04:37:00 GMT

Your objectives are the driving force behind your marketing strategy. The more defined they are, the easier it will be for you to find out what's working, what isn't and what you need to improve.

Are your objectives SMART? Are they specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound?

S - Be really specific about what you want to achieve.

M - Will you be able to measure and quantify the results?

A - Is your objective achievable? Or is it more of a dream?

R - Is it realistic? Can you achieve the result you want with the staff, time and resources you currently have?

T - Set a time frame that you want to achieve the objective by.

For example if your goal is to increase sales. Your objective might be to increase your monthly sales by 5 percent between 1 September 2012 and 31 December 2012.

Also link your marketing objectives to your business plan. These documents are the road maps for your business so it's important to make sure they're heading in the same direction.

Start with some research and remember that the more specific you are, the easier your strategy will be to monitor, measure and evaluate and best of all you'll start to see some great results.

10 reasons why you should be using social media

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Social media is a conversation and it's happening now, with or without you. So why not get out there and start using it. Set some measurable goals, develop a strategy, monitor your progress and make sure you evaluate. Choose the right platforms for your business and use social media to listen, communicate and engage with your clients.

Still not sure? Here's 10 reasons why you should be using social media.

1. To connect and engage with your clients.
2. To listen and find out what people are saying about your business.
3. For great customer service.
4. To share relevant information.
5. To raise awareness and educate people about your business.
6. To build your brand.
7. To establish trust and credibility.
8. To keep up to date with what's happening in your industry.
9. To find business opportunities.
10. Your competitors are using it.

Social media is evolving so quickly and it's important for businesses to use social media to stay head.

Quick fix for a broken home button on your iPhone

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:00:00 GMT

A common problem we've come across lately are iOS devices with home buttons that don't work properly. Hands up if you've had this problem? If you have there's a temporary solution that's quick and easy. It'll make your life easier and help you out while you're waiting to get your iPhone fixed or waiting for a new one.

In a few seconds you can turn on the assistive touch feature and start using a virtual home button instead.

First select settings, scroll down to general and then choose accessibility. Scroll down to physical & motor, select assistive touch, turn it on and then you're done.

Your new assistive touch button will appear in the bottom right corner of your iPhone which is the default position. You can move the button around the screen by dragging it with your finger.

If you tap the button it'll open and you can access its features like favourites, gestures and device.

Another great feature is the button will automatically move if it's covering an important feature or button on the phone. For example if you're writing a text message, the button will move away from the send button.

This is a great temporary solution to keep in mind for your iOS devices.

Tips for buying new technology

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:00:00 GMT

It's easy to get caught up in what's shiny and new when it comes to new technology. Instead of rushing out and buying the latest computer, laptop, ultrabook, tablet or piece of technology buy what's right for your business and what will help you achieve your goals and objectives.

Think about the long term and where you want your business to be in the next five years. Technology is an investment, you want it to last and to grow with your business.

Think about the needs of your business and what you want the technology to do. Will it help you streamline your current processes and increase productivity and efficiency within your business?

If you work remotely or have staff who work remotely, look at technology and applications that will allow information and files to be shared and accessed anywhere and at anytime of the day.

Portability is something you'll also need to consider especially if you have staff working remotely or you travel a lot for business. Look at technology that is portable and that will carry out all your business activities without compromising productivity and efficiency.

There are so many wonderful new products on the market. These are just a few things to consider when making your next purchase.

Building an online community

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Creating an online community around your products and services will help raise awareness about your business, make connections and establish relationships.

The focus is on two-way communication and having conversations which will help establish trust and credibility.

Engage and really get to know the people in your community. An online community is where you can turn leads into customers, customers into loyal customers and your most loyal customers into your biggest fans.

Here's 10 tips for building an online community around your startup by Megan Berry via Mashable

Long term relationships

Sun, 27 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

We expect businesses to be social, to engage and participate. We expect two-way communication and for businesses to form communities around their products and services. We expect businesses to show their human side, to be personal and to form relationships with their clients.

When a new client wants to do business with you don't think of it as a single transaction, think of it as the start of a long term relationship.

Take the time to get to know your clients. Listen and engage with them and read between the lines because what they don't say is just as important as what they do say. You can really learn a lot about your clients and your business.

Show you care. Put the selling aside and find out what your clients need. Can you provide them with support? What challenges do they face in their business? Do they need advice or information about an area you have experience in?

Having regular conversations, providing support and helping your clients will establish trust and credibility and most of all it shows you care. Give your clients more than they expect. Go above and beyond what they ask for.

Great customer service is essential when you're establishing client relationships. Can you improve the way you greet clients when they contact or visit your business? How do you keep in touch after they've made a purchase? Do you regularly ask for their feedback? Can you personalise the client experience?

Establishing relationships is a long term commitment and these are just a few things to consider when you're putting a strategy in place. How do you connect and engage with your clients?

One size doesn't fit all

Mon, 07 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

One size doesn't fit all when it comes to social media. What works well for one business won't necessarily work for another.

It can be a challenge when you're first starting out to identify the sites that'll have the most benefit especially when there are new ones emerging all the time. So rather than spreading yourself thinly across multiple sites, do some research and develop a strategy that'll help you achieve your business objectives and be of benefit to your customers.

Firstly start off by asking yourself these questions.

Why do I want to use social media?

What are my goals and objectives?

What am I hoping to achieve?
Are my customers and target market using social media?
What sites are they using?
Like most things in life, success doesn't happen overnight it takes dedication, consistency and hard work. Make a commitment to researching and writing a social media strategy for your business and you'll see results. Implement it, monitor it regularly and evaluate your strategy so you can see what's working well, what isn't and whether or not you're on target to meeting your objectives.

Social media isn't just about the number of fans or followers you have it's all about adding value to the customer experience, connecting with people, asking questions, providing feedback and sharing relevant and valuable information. Two-way communication is the key and by having real conversations and establishing relationships you'll develop trust and credibility, two essential elements in business.
Have a look at these 3 steps to an effective social media strategy by Amy Porterfield via Social Media Examiner. There is some great advice that'll help get you started with your social media strategy.

Establishing trust in virtual teams

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Trust is important for any type of relationship. In business, trust helps to build cohesive and collaborative teams. It creates an open, honest, supportive culture and it helps people connect and form relationships. Trust is a key factor for the success of any business.

It's important to have systems in place that will leave you feeling confident when you hand over your next project.

So, how do you establish trust in a virtual environment?

Be specific

Right from the start be specific and have systems in place to help eliminate ambiguity and confusion.

Develop a strategy with clearly defined goals, objectives, responsibilities and deliverables. Clarify where each team member fits in, what they’re working towards, what they need to do and how their work will be monitored and evaluated.

Share your core values and vision for the business and relate these to the roles and responsibilities of your team. If your team understands and is included in the bigger picture they'll feel like part of the business, be more productive, happy and want to work with you to achieve your business goals.

Communication

Keep the lines of communication open. Develop a communication strategy focusing on two-way communication.

Be clear, concise and consistent in your communication and always be available to talk to your team and provide feedback. Adopt processes that allow time for your team to regularly connect and have conversations with you.

Work to establish and support relationships within the team and schedule social time into your weekly conference calls or webinars. Get your team talking, allow them to get to know each other outside of work. You never know, your next big business idea might spring from one of these sessions.

Technology

There are so many technologies available today to help teams communicate virtually. Adopt appropriate technologies for your business and make sure they’ll help you deliver your communication and business objectives effectively.

Think about the needs of your team and how you'll communicate with them on a daily basis, what sort of training will you need to deliver and will you be holding regular meetings, webinars or conference calls. Consider your team and the needs of your business. When you're making a selection also keep in mind that some people respond better to visual cues, some verbal cues and others written cues. Make sure you have all bases covered. Every business is different and you know your business best. Cost, flexibility and accessibility will also come into play, so work out a strategy and the right technology to compliment your business.

10 tips to improve staff engagement

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

As business owners we create and shape the culture of our business so it's important to communicate openly, build relationships and engage with staff to create a supportive environment that fosters growth and development.

A supportive culture will motivate staff, increase performance, productivity, collaboration, loyalty and help you achieve your goals and run a successful business.

It’s hard to develop relationships, build trust and attract new customers if your staff don’t have the same focus, motivation and level of commitment that you do about your business.

So, here are 10 tips to help you to empower your staff, improve engagement and build a community.

1. Show you care.

2. Build relationships. Don't just talk to your staff about business, get to know them personally as well.

3. Listen to your staff. Find out how they're feeling about your business and why.

4. Be open and responsive to feedback.

5. Regularly keep staff up-to-date with what's happening in your business.

6. Talk to your staff about why you started the business, your passion, values and vision.

7. Include your staff in the bigger picture and let them contribute.

8. Hold regular team building exercises. Get to know your staff and allow them to get to know each other outside of the normal work environment.

9. Invest in training and development.

10. Recognise and celebrate achievements.

Your staff are your most valuable asset.

What are your top tips for keeping your staff engaged?

The secret to hiring a virtual assistant

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Choosing a virtual assistant can be daunting especially when there are so many options available.

I wouldn’t hire someone without doing some research or meeting with them first? Would you?

Then why should it be any different when you hire a virtual assistant?

It’s important to have a plan, a road map if you like, so you know how you’re going to get from A to B.

It’s all in the strategy

Spend time researching and develop a clear strategy. Sit down and ask yourself some questions.

What are my goals and objectives?

What skill set do I need?

What are the key deliverables and outcomes?

What will the virtual assistant be responsible for?

What will I be responsible for?

How will we communicate?

How will I monitor and evaluate the project?

It doesn't matter whether you need someone to type a couple of letters, liaise with your clients or organise a large scale event, you should plan, research and develop a strategy so you know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. Doing this will help prevent issues from arising down the track.

The amount of time you invest in researching and putting together a strategy may vary depending on the nature of your project, the level of involvement and responsibilities the virtual assistant will have as well as the key deliverables and outcomes.

The cheapest option isn’t necessarily the best

Set up meetings either face-to-face or via Skype depending on where the businesses are located. Think about your project and write a set of questions to ask each person.

When choosing a virtual assistant make sure they have the experience and specific skill set you’re looking for, talk to them about projects they’ve worked on in the past and depending on the nature of the project have a look at some examples of their work.

It's also important to consider the culture of your business and to look for someone who can add value to your project.

Using a virtual assistant will help you save time, money and resources but don’t just purely focus on the cheaper option.

Remember to look for someone who has the specific skills that you need, someone who will add value and will help you reach your goals and objectives.

What are your tips for hiring a virtual assistant?