Tips

The Dining Out Dilemma: Top 5 Tips for Eating Healthy When Dining Out

Restaurants know the key to your heart is through your stomach.

While the food and drinks can be absolutely lip-smackingly delicious, eating at a restaurant can cause you to consume way more than your recommended calorie intake for the day.

According to research, an average meal when dining out is a whopping 134 calories more than the same meal prepared at home.

But the good news is that there are ways to eat out without throwing your diet plan out of the window. Read on to find out how to eat right even when dining out.

1. Start with a Game Plan

When choosing a restaurant, always plan ahead. If you choose a place without checking first, you might be setting yourself up for disaster before you even sit down.

Choose a restaurant that has a wide range of low-calorie menu items. Check the menu online beforehand, so that you have an idea of what they offer.

Try to make a reservation at a specific time. This will cut down on the amount of time waiting for a table and becoming hungrier and more inclined to indulge!

2. Order a Guilt-Free Meal

Before you even order your meal you might be tempted with a bread basket or tortilla chip bowl. Don’t give into temptation – save the calories for the main meal.

Many restaurants fluff up their menus with fancy sounding words, so you need to learn to crack the code before you order.

Anything that’s described as “creamy,” “breaded,” “buttery,” “smothered,” or “stuffed” is most likely full of calories. Words such as “grilled,” “broiled,” and “baked” indicate that the food is being cooked in a healthier way.

If going into a normal restaurant is too tempting, there are restaurants that only sell salads. Check out one of these eateries, like the amazing salad restaurant Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen. They have a huge selection of creative salads and more – it really will blow your mind!

3. Skip the Empty Calories

Drink water throughout your meal. This forces you to slow down while you eat and will allow you to judge your hunger pangs which can stop you from overeating.

If you’re celebrating something and you do need to have a drink, some options are better than others. Avoid sugary cocktails and get a glass of red wine instead. Or try vodka with club soda and a squeeze of lime.

4. The Proof Is in the Tasting

Before you even begin eating, ask for a “to go” box for the leftovers. To avoid the risk of temptation, you can even ask the server to put half of the meal into the box instead of onto your plate.

The “fork dip” method is a sneaky way to get a little taste of creamy dressings, without dolloping a huge amount onto your meal. Just ask for the dressing as a side, dip in your fork and away you go!

Another way to use your fork is to put it down between bites. This “rest time” will stop you from overeating, as you’ll be able to gauge your hunger level before you take another bite.

5. Finish Strong

When eating well, whatever you do, don’t order dessert! Even a tiny piece of cake could add 400 or more calories to your meal.

When you’re done, pop a mint in your mouth. This will help you to clear your palette and stop you from taking another bite of your meal.

Dining out Healthily

As you can see, dining out healthily can be done. All you need is a game plan and a sprinkle of determination.

If you’re trying to lose weight and your fad diet isn’t working, read this article on how to start eating healthy and lose weight, without the dreaded diet.

5 Super Effective Tips to Stay Organized as a Freelancer

From the outside looking in, living the freelance life might look like a dream.

There is no one to tell you when to start working in the morning, no one to tell you that you need to work late, and no one bossing you around throughout the course of the day.

But in reality, freelancers often face a long list of challenges that can frustrate them if they’re not careful. One of the biggest challenges is trying to stay organized while still remaining productive.

Here are 5 tips that will help you stay more organized if you live life as a freelancer.

1. Set Up a Schedule at the Start of Every Day

As a freelancer, you don’t have to stick to a rigorous schedule like you would have to if you were working at a 9-5. You have the ability to be a little more flexible when it comes to scheduling.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to set up a schedule at all. If you want to stay organized, get into the habit of creating goals for yourself at the beginning of every day and set up a schedule to achieve them.

You’ll feel better at the end of the day when you know that you accomplished something.

2. Create Time Limits for the Tasks You Need to Complete

When you’re freelancing, you usually won’t have someone breathing down your neck asking you when you’re going to be finished with a task. You can work at your own pace and take breaks when you want to.

But try to come up with a realistic time limit for each task that you do. It’ll prevent you from dragging your feet and falling behind with your work.

3. Come Up With a Filing System for Your Important Documents

You’ll have a lot of important documents on your hands when you’re freelancing. For example, many of your clients will probably ask you to sign contracts before giving you assignments.

Purchase a filing cabinet and keep copies of important paperwork organized in it. This includes contracts, payment agreements, pay stubs, and anything else you might need to refer back to later.

4. Put Aside a Percentage of Any Money You Make Freelancing for Tax Purposes

When tax time rolls around, freelancers are responsible for getting their taxes squared away on their own.

Don’t wait until April 15 to figure out how you’re going to pay taxes on the freelance money you’ve earned. Put aside somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of your earnings, depending on your personal situation, for taxes.

A freelance management platform can help you keep tabs on things like your freelance income.

5. Find a Way to Work Personal Time Into Your Life

Staying organized as a freelancer is essential. But don’t allow it to run your life!

You’ll think more clearly and be better organized when you have a good work/life balance. Make time for yourself as often as you can and socialize with others, too.

Stay Organized to Increase Your Chances of Being a Successful Freelancer

Being a freelancer isn’t as easy as it looks. Not everyone has the discipline it takes to succeed.

If you want to ensure you have long-term success as a freelancer, stay organized by following the tips listed here. You’ll keep your head on straight and be able to deal with whatever freelance life throws your way.

Check out our blog for more tips on staying organized as a freelancer.

7 Web Design Tips That’ll Improve Your SEO Dramatically

It’s Saturday night and you’re going out with your friends. You get out your phone and pull up a ride share app to arrange your transportation.

As the page is loading, a note appears that your ride will be found within the next minute and a countdown starts on your screen. As you tap your foot, the first minute passes and the next thirty seconds seem to drag on for eternity.

After the time is up, the page continues to load. You’re now wondering if it’s going to find you a ride at all, so you open up the competitor’s app and give them a shot at securing your ride.

Even if this scenario doesn’t sound familiar to you, it’s a reality for many people. In this dog-eat-dog world, responsive web design tips are necessary for success. Read on to learn what you need to do.

1. Optimize Your Site for Multi-Device Usage

Responsive website design refers to the programming of a website so that it realigns text and images automatically when a device is reoriented.

If your website design doesn’t adapt based on the screen size and angle that your customers are using, then you are making life more difficult for them. Trying to read a full-scale webpage on the small screen of a cell phone can be frustrating. No one wants to have to scroll back and forth to read lines of text.

Make sure that you take the time to ensure your site is displaying properly on all devices. This makes it easy for Google to crawl your web pages and deliver the content searchers are looking for.

2. Boost Your Site’s Mobile Capabilities

Google’s algorithm has regarded mobile-friendly websites as superior for a few years now. This is because currently, the majority of Google’s searches are coming in from mobile devices such as smartphones.

It used to be that you had to wait until you get home to look something up, but now everyone has the ultimate encyclopedia in their pocket. Numbers of mobile users are only expected to grow in the coming years so adapt today and rise with the tide.

3. Achieve Lightning Fast Load Times

Internet users want websites to load instantaneously. If it takes more than a couple seconds for one of your website pages to load, then they will find another site to visit. With the responsive design we previously mentioned, your website users will have the experience they crave.

4. Keep Your Bounce Rate Low

Your bounce rate refers to how often someone comes to your website to land on a single web page for only a moment. This behavior signals to Google that the content they provided wasn’t what the reader was looking for.

To ensure your bounce rate is low and users are directed to your site, you need to make sure your menus are all easy to navigate and that you are providing opportunities for viewers to find more content on your site that they would be interested in.

5. Improve Your User’s Experience

Your website users should be able to navigate easily from one section of your website to another. That means making your menus robust. Try to create page titles that are highly accurate so that customers don’t have to dig for what they want.

Another good idea is to include a call to action at the end of any blog posts you write that sends your reader to a purchase point or another article. This will help to keep your bounce rate as low as possible. Learn more about web design that engages your customers here.

6. Avoid Duplicate Content

Before responsive website design was a thing, it used to be that companies would create multiple versions of their website – one meant to be viewed on a mobile device, and one meant for the desktop.

Often they would delineate between the two by putting “m.” at the start of their URL.

While this was the best strategy in the past, today having two websites is a major Google faux pa. Google crawls the web to see how often a piece of content has been published and if you maintain two websites then you are essentially copying yourself. That hurts the SEO of both your websites.

Instead of continuing to update and maintain two versions of your website, move to a responsive web design. You’ll save time and get a boost in your rankings.

7. Include Social Media Sharing Options

When people come to your website to read one of your blogs or purchase your product or service, they should be engaging with your content. That means that they are hooked in by your introductions, informed by your words, and directed by your call-to-action.

If readers are hooked, then they will want to share your content with their friends on social media. While copy-pasting the URL is one way to spread the content, adding mobile-friendly share buttons to your articles is a great way to help get the buzz out more easily.

Be sure that you include buttons to the social media sites that are most relevant for your business. For example, if you are a restaurant or bar, you will want to have share buttons for all the major social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, while ignoring more niche sharing sites like Pinterest and LinkedIn.

Wrapping Up Web Design Tips

Now that you’ve learned these helpful web design tips, you’re ready to draw in new customers.

For more helpful articles to boost your rankings, check out our blog today.

Is Your B2B Website Falling Flat? Try These 7 Website Design Tips

There are more than 1.5 billion websites on the internet today. So for you as a B2B business owner, guess what this means? One word: competition.

You should do everything you can to stand out. And one great way to do this is through an effective website.

But if you’re not a designer, it can be hard to know how to optimize your site. That’s why we put together this guide for you with 7 tips for B2B website design.

Read them below!

1. Effectively Capture Leads

One common goal of B2B websites is lead generation. This is because the sales cycle is often much longer than B2C businesses. Often, initial contact is made through the website and then the lead is handed off to the sales team to start a relationship.

Throughout your site, be sure to include lead capturing forms. Offer content in exchange for phone numbers or email addresses.

You could also consider having a button to request a demo if you offer a software. Also, think about simply having a form that people can fill out to request a call.

Use these forms throughout your site to grow your lead database, which will, in turn, improve your company’s bottom line.

2. Make Sure You’re Mobile Friendly

Did you know that 59% of B2B purchase decision makers report using their phone to research products and services during their shopping process?

So if you’re mobile site doesn’t work that well, that’s a big problem. It’s 2018 and people use their phones more than ever to shop, even in B2B settings.

But if you’re not a developer, it can be intimidating to create a mobile site that works on every single screen size. That’s where a responsive design can come in handy.

A responsive site will automatically resize to fit any size screen. So as you’re building your site, make sure you use a responsive software. You’ll be so glad you did.

If you’d like help with your B2B website design, get in touch with the professionals at LFORM.

3. Simple Navigation

Nothing is worse than having a potential customer visit your website only to get lost inside of it. In other words, if your website is hard to navigate, you’re in trouble.

Keep in mind that every web visitor has a goal in mind. They are on your site to get more information, make a purchase, or to solve an issue.

All you have to do is make their process as simple as possible. To do this, maintain a consistent navigation bar at the top of your site. Keep your menu in the same order on every single page.

That way, people will always know how to navigate through your site. Also keep your menu simple. Instead of displaying all 25 pages of your site in one line, use drop down menus to avoid a cluttered feel.

4. Keep it Professional

In a B2B setting, you’re working with other business owners and employees. Your website design should reflect that.

However, these days the definition of professional isn’t as uptight as it’s been in the past. It’s okay to use some humor and to be creative, especially if this lines up with the rest of your branding.

If your brand image is more serious, that’s okay too. No matter what, make sure your site is free of blurry images, typos, and broken links. These things will definitely give a bad impression.

5. Be Clear: Another B2B Website Tip

Your site should clearly outline your company’s value proposition. This is what you offer people. It’s information about your product or service and how it stands out from the rest of the market.

Keep in mind, however, that people don’t want to just read about the features of your product. They want to know how it will benefit them.

So be sure to include information about how your product or service will solve problems your prospects are dealing with.

6. Include Understandable Pricing Information

B2C products typically have a simple pricing model. B2B products or services, on the other hand, are usually more complicated in their pricing structure.

It’s common to have single products priced out, as well as various bundles or packages. And people who buy through an integrated partner or referral system sometimes get a discount.

In other situations, there are additional add-ons or customizations available which also change the pricing.

To avoid confusion, you should be as clear as possible on your site. Have your bundles displayed with comparison charts displaying the differences between the various options.

If your pricing is more complex than bundles, consider including a worksheet where people can pick and choose the products they want and a running total is calculated for them right then and there.

7. Provide Valuable Resources and Content

Not every visitor to your B2B website is ready to buy. Often, the purchase process is much longer. In these cases, you should provide educational content to these visitors.

This will allow you to still cultivate a relationship with these prospects even though they haven’t purchased anything yet. And when you offer valuable content, you’re developing trust with them as well.

Be sure to offer this content in exchange for an email address. That way, you can follow up with them through an email series which is aimed to prepare them for a future purchase.

Some great content options your team could create include:

• Webinars
• eBooks
• Whitepapers
• Downloadable guides
• Quizzes
• Video series
• More detailed pricing guides

And these are just the beginning. There are so many options for downloadable content out there to improve your content marketing strategy.

Once you have all these content pieces created, they’re also great content to promote on social media as well.

Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it: 7 tips to improve your B2B website design. Now that you’ve gone through all of these options, it’s time to pick the ones that will work best for your situation right now.

Then start implementing them! You’ll be so glad you did once you start seeing the results.

And if you want to learn more, check out our marketing blog for more tips.

Essential Website Building Tips You Can Count On

One single usability issue can destroy the success of your website.

This is because usability issues create barriers between you and the customer. And any barrier will only serve to alienate them and make them question your credibility.

Here are some essential website building tips you can count on to draw customers to your page.

Make it Simple

Break things down simply for your customer. Make sure you don’t use any jargon because they’re not going to understand it. At the same time, you can’t talk down to your customer either.

Try to keep your language conversational and easy to understand. This is the best way to convince your customer that you take them seriously and that you’re going to give them your 100%.

Large chunks of text are difficult to read. Most visitors to your website won’t take time to read every single line. They will jump from one chunk of information to the next. Most of them will only take the time to focus on information that is most important to them.

To break up those chunks, offset some of the text with images.

In addition, don’t be afraid of white space. It also serves to break up the text and makes it more easily digestible. In addition, try to use high contrasting colors and easily readable fonts.

Also be sure to use headings and subheadings to make it easier for people to pick out the information they truly want to read. Keep the information concise and to the point to minimize the amount of information they have to decipher.

Add Contact Information

People want to know that they are dealing with a real company with real humans. Failing to give contact information degrades your customer relationship. They want to know they can reach you if necessary.

Be sure to include as many means of contact as necessary.

This includes a telephone number, email address, and any social media outlets. You could also use the contact form on your website to make it easy for customers to contact you.

Just be sure to use captchas and other forms of spam protection. Another suggestion is to create your own online community where your customers can interact with you as well as with other customers.

This is a great way to provide a rapid response to any issues that they are facing. And it fosters strong customer engagement.

Don’t Make it Too Busy

When people go to a website, they’re looking for something which is organized but easy to navigate. You don’t want to have too many things going on in your website.

It doesn’t need to be terribly colorful or have too many images. And too many flashing signs or pop-ups would only serve to turn people off.

There are definitely businesses where a lot of colors and images might be needed. For example, this is true if you run a fashion-related business. However, it’s not appropriate for anyone dealing with finances.

Make it Informative

One surefire way to frustrate your customers is to require them to complete user registration in order to view even the most basic information.

If they’re looking for a solution to a problem or looking to get information about your product quickly, they won’t want to take the time to register.

Limited access to your website takes away the customers ability to make a true assessment as to whether or not to do business with you. You should strive to provide as much information as you can to educate the customer.

You need to make sure that all the information that people need to get is easily available to them through your website.

You must have some idea of the kinds of things people ask when they come to you for your services. So make sure that you cover all those topics on your website.

Plus, you need to tell them what services you offer and how much you charge.

How much experience do you have? Why should they come to you instead of going to someone else? How are the services you offer better than the services of your competitors?

Right Shopping Cart

Websites need to be a well-designed funnel to your checkout page. Whether you sell products, services, or both, every page should ultimately drive more consumers toward making purchases.

But once your carefully nurtured lead makes it to your shopping cart, make sure you don’t leave them floundering. The wrong cart can impede sales even when consumers are a single click away from making a purchase.

Different e-commerce platforms are built for different types of customers. If you sell a limited line of products and services, a tool like concrete5 is simple to use and can streamline your whole process.

Mobile Optimization

Responsive web design simply means that a website automatically adjusts to the size of any device such as a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

Today’s users expect all websites to work on any device. According to Pew Research, a majority of Americans own smartphones.

How can you tell if your website is responsive? A quick and easy way is to simply drag to resize your browser. If the content inside rearranges and text does not get cut off, chances are your site is responsive.

If you use Google’s Chrome browser, you can install the add-on called Mobile/Responsive Web Design Tester. It allows you to test your website on different mobile and tablet shapes and sizes.

With this, you can truly see what your users are experiencing on their mobile devices.

Website Building Tips

While these website building tips may seem small to you, to a potential customer they are often the very reason why they give up on your website and move on to one of your competitors.

Taking the time to ensure a smooth customer experience goes a long way towards getting repeat business.

Explore our blog for more information on enhancing your customer experience for maximum effect.

Tips for Measuring Marketing Effectiveness

Accountability has become an essential part of marketing. But not all marketing teams use the right KPIs for measuring marketing effectiveness. If you aren’t aligning marketing with business growth, you’re wasting time and resources.

Companies invest millions in modern marketing technologies. They see expanding marketing capabilities as a means to deliver greater business results. These marketing programs need more complex measurements than most companies can deliver.

These programs often produce mixed results where marketers waste resources. You need more than the best ‘marketing mix’ to produce measurable, consistent results. You need to define metrics in advance that align with business value and cut out the exceptions.

There are dozens of ways to gather information about marketing performance. But most marketers are stuck managing information with no business value. Teams can realign their marketing programs to drive meaningful metrics from their efforts.

The Three Cardinal Rules of Measuring Marketing Effectiveness

HBR identifies three cardinal rules for choosing the right marketing success metrics. It starts with identifying goals upfront that marketers can strive to reach. And HBR’s rules apply to companies of all sizes and industries.

Use Metrics that Are Practical and Easy to Understand

Return on Investment (ROI) is one of the most common marketing metrics. But Forbes reports that companies have different definitions for ROI. “This makes connecting marketing to revenue or other business outcomes even more difficult.”

Now, academics have tackled the issue of practical marketing metrics. Their approach recommends marketers define metrics in a “specific business decision-making context.” This allows them to derive ROI figures that align with business value.

Too many marketers have ROI models associated with short-term, channel-specific objects. This can involve website traffic or social activity that are small in scope. When marketers define ROI’s scope and metrics, they can translate into tangible benefits.

Metrics Should Carry Over to Existing and Future Initiatives

Stakeholders can’t interpret business value when initiatives have different metrics. They cannot compare the results of one initiative to another. This is problematic when choosing between different marketing approaches.

Email campaigns can serve as an example. Marketers measure loyalty program signups for loyalty-driven emails. The might not measure bounce rates from emails directing to program landing pages. They will succeed with one metric that reflects campaign performance.

Marketers might measure bounce rates for a product-driven email campaign. They might find bounce rates are high for those emails. But they cannot compare similar webpage elements to those of the loyalty campaign.

Now, marketers can’t compare email and landing page content performance. Despite the different programs, understanding content elements is valuable. Campaigns that share metrics provide greater business value.

Marketers must see how changes connect with specific actions, behaviors, and content. This allows them to identify high- and low-performing elements across campaigns. This could drive broader campaigns in the future.

Use Metrics to Create Actionable Information that Impacts Business Results

Metrics should align with stakeholders’ intentions for the original investment. They should align with overarching marketing goals as well. Marketers must look for ways to improve marketing strategy while delivering business results.

The two go hand in hand. For example, ROI doesn’t have to translate into profit. ROI tracking should drive insights that allow teams to optimize future campaigns. Even campaigns that struggle can drive value with the right metrics.

Assume a team launches a product-driven content campaign across several channels. The CMO invests in both targeted emails and social media. The team identifies clickthrough rates and conversions as metrics.

Both channels score similar clickthrough rates, but social media conversions suffer. Marketers can conclude their customer base has a wide interest in the product. The two metrics revealed that social channels don’t drive conversions for this product.

The two metrics provided insights that will influence future campaigns. Although conversions from social media suffered, the team will save on future investments.

Your Next Steps for Strategic Development

Again, driving revenue for every campaign isn’t your only goal. Your real goal is to identify and engage with the most profitable customers. The right metrics can serve as a control to market and business variables.

Start a conversation with your key stakeholders to begin. You need to understand your organizations’ defining values to develop value-based metrics. That means starting with the promises you make to customers.

Your next responsibility is asking the right questions. These include “Why are we tracking this?” “How do our campaigns align with our objectives?” and “What should we look at to maximize the value of our campaigns?”

Then you should identify scope. You must outline the scope for individual campaigns. But metrics for individual campaigns can also have scope.

The scope of one campaign metric might be total return on marketing spending. Another might be returns on an individual tactic. You might also have metrics for variant elements like A/B testing.

Prepare Your Team

You should now have a high-end understanding of what you want to achieve. Your top goal is helping your team identify the specific ways they can succeed. This will help with metrics and align them with stakeholders’ objectives.

You can help your team understand how metrics align with business value. Again, that doesn’t always mean driving revenue. Balancing costs means optimizing campaign efforts even while driving business growth.

Teams that understand how metrics align with business initiatives drive greater success. They will notice performance trends that contribute to improvements in efficiency and ROI. Teams that understand the bigger picture will see value in all campaign metrics.

Not all marketing teams have internal resources for these types of measurement. Third-parties provide solutions that take the work out of aligning with business success. But be sure to get more info before investing in a solution.

Get the Most Out of Your Marketing Strategy

Struggling with measuring marketing effectiveness? You need the best resources to build successful marketing strategies. Identifying the metrics you need doesn’t have to be hard.

Article City has the best content and professional writing team available. Sign up for free and get started with exclusive capabilities today.

Getting Started as a Freelance Writer: 7 Tips for Becoming Outrageously Successful

There are a lot of great perks when it comes to freelance writing.

The ability to set your own schedule is a huge reason why some individuals pick up the proverbial pen and paper for work. Many writers find more fulfillment in their new jobs, citing the creative aspect of the work as a big advantage. Others, still, enjoy the flexibility of location. With a writing job, you can work anywhere, even poolside (as long as you can focus!).

If you’re interested in getting started as a freelance writer, there are many things that you should know before hopping in. Though there are many advantages, there are also many cons to freelance writing you should be aware of. There are many potential pitfalls to getting started that can be easy to fall in.

But don’t fear! Read on and we’ll walk you through how to become a successful freelance writer.

What Do Freelance Writers Do?

The internet is a massive wealth of information on an impossible amount of topics. As a result, there’s a wide variety of different types of jobs that freelance writers tackle.

You can focus as a writer on one type of writing, or variate your work between several types. Different types of writing reflect slight differences in the work of freelance writers.

Article writers write for print magazines, newspapers, and journals. It can be one of the harder areas of writing to break into but pays better than most online outlets. Web content writing is the most popular form of freelance writing, and includes writing to help boost SEO, readership, and general engagement on a variety of sites across the web.

If you’re familiar with more advanced topics, there are many companies who may look for writers knowledgeable about their area of work. Pharmaceutical and technical writers fall under this umbrella and may work to write clearly about these subjects.

Copywriting is another popular form of online freelance writing. It consists of crafting sales letters, product descriptions, and other promotional materials. Unlike other forms of writing, copywriting does require an understanding of what draws consumers to respond to promotional materials.

What Makes A Good Freelance Writer?

One of the big advantages of becoming a freelance writer is that there are no start-up costs and there is no specific education required. That being said, there are still a number of skills and strengths you should exhibit if you are to make freelance writing work for you.

You should do some amount of research prior to starting your freelance work. You should be familiar with how to write a blog post. If you’re not used to writing frequently, you should develop a writing process that is personalized to you.

You should have a strong sense of what good writing is, and be able to exhibit good grammar and clear sentence structure. Being able to research quickly and efficiently can be another important skill to have.

If you’re planning to write online, it can be key to have a decent understanding of Search Engine Optimization, as much of online writings aims to increase a site’s SEO.

Getting Started As A Freelance Writer

Finding the first few jobs as a new freelance writer can be difficult. You’re untested, new, and companies and sites won’t want to be the first to take a risk on you.

It can be helpful to attempt to establish a sense of yourself as a writer before you even take your first job. Draft or pick out a few writing samples you can include as part of your portfolio. Make a list of topics you feel knowledgeable about. Determine what your preferred rate of payment is (more on this in a bit). Selling yourself in the image of a professional writer can make a big difference in getting you your first few gigs.

There are a number of freelance writing sites you can pursue to find your first gig. MediaBistro, WritersWeekly, JournalismJobs, and even LinkedIn frequently host freelance writing job listings.

Networking with other writers online can be another good way to find work. Many freelance writing positions are initially advertised and passed off through social media, through a network of writers.

Continue to apply to places, and don’t be dissuaded if you aren’t accepted immediately. Once you do find your first few gigs, work will become easier, and your reputation will begin to speak for itself. Don’t be afraid to ask your current clients for referrals. Most successful freelance writers build their success through referrals.

How Much Does A Freelance Writer Make?

Due to the relative ease of entry into the business, freelance writing can be highly competitive. Because the market is so full, pay for many freelance writing jobs has dropped, especially in the case of online writing.

What a freelance writer makes is highly dependant on the type of writing they’re doing, their employer, and the amount of writing they do per week. Payscale reports that the average writer gets paid anywhere between $10.67 and $51.77 per hour, with a median income of $36,781 per year.

Starting out, you may have to take lower paying jobs to break in. This means you may not make your needed income, and you may need to find other ways to make money while you’re writing career gets started.

Guest blogging can be another highly lucrative way to make money online.  Check out this list of blogs that will pay for guest posts.

Copywriting is usually the highest paying form of writing work, and may sometimes even include royalties based on consumer purchases. If you can determine what your preferred hour rate is before you start working, it can help in deciding what writing jobs are worth your time.

It’s also worth mentioning that freelance pay is a spotty and sometimes frustrating system. Invoicing, organizing, and keeping track of pending payments from various sources can be its own form of work. The variety of income sources also can make tax season difficult. If you’re considering freelance writing, it may be worth finding help from a company such as Curchin Certified Public Accountants.

Though freelance writing payment can be difficult to deal with, it may be worth it to you for the flexibility and sense of fulfillment.

What Are You Waiting For?

Freelance writing has one of the lowest barriers of entry in any industry. All you need is yourself, some knowledge, and the device that you’re reading this article on.

Getting started as a freelance writer is as easy as putting together your portfolio and beginning to look for work. If you’re ready, you could start looking as soon as today. Why wait?

Don’t forget to check out our blog for more tips on writing and industry.

15 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

Did you know that the average social media user spends 135 minutes every day on social media platforms? As a small business owner, this means that this is a great way to reach your potential and current customers.

But if you haven’t done much social media marketing before, it can be hard to know how to get started. You have so many things on your plate and this can seem like too big of a project to undertake.

The truth is that there are actionable things you can do starting now to begin your social media marketing efforts. And they will pay off!

We’ve compiled the 15 social media tips for small businesses that you need to get started. Check them out below.

1. Focus on One Network to Start

The list of popular social media platforms is long: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn. And the truth is that it keeps growing.

So when you’re just starting out with social media, don’t try and have an active presence on every single network. There are simply too many and so it’s better to focus on quality rather than quantity.

Do some research and see what platform makes the most sense for you as you’re just beginning. Are you interested in sharing photography based posts? Instagram is the best option for that.

If you’re wanting to post multiple short updates every day, Twitter might work for you. LinkedIn is where businesses connect best with other businesses.

No matter your goals, think through these things and then choose which network will be best for you.

2. Decide on Your Goals

With any digital marketing campaign, it’s crucial that you start by deciding your goals. Without clear goals, you will lack direction. The same is definitely true for your social media marketing.

What do you want to accomplish with your social media efforts? Do you want to establish your company as an expert in your field? Do you want to generate leads?

Perhaps you’re looking to keep your customers up to date with product updates.

Decide what your main goals are and then make a plan. Create some SMART goals that will be easily trackable. And then get started!

3. Know Your Audience

This is one of the most important social media tips for business. Knowing your audience will give you direction about what to post and content topics.

You will want to understand your audience’s age, gender, location, goals, and average income. How can you find this information though?

The answer is simple: market research.

Start by coming up with personas for your customers. These are qualities of your ideal consumers.

You can do this by doing surveys, focus groups, and customer interviews. Then once you have this demographic data, look for trends. This will give you an idea of your average consumer’s information.

Then, once you know this, you’ll have a better idea of which networks to use and the type of content that will be most appealing to your audience.

4. Always Engage with Your Audience

When it comes to social media, always remember that it is a two-way street. You will have the ability to send out content but your audience will also be able to comment, leave questions, and send direct messages.

You want to provide great customer service in these situations by quickly responding to all comments and messages. Make sure you set up notifications in your social media apps so you always see when someone engages with your posts.

You’ll also get negative comments from time to time from frustrated customers. Always respond in a positive and helpful way because other people will see your responses.

5. Consistency is Key

One of the biggest questions small business owners ask when starting out with social media is how often they should post. Well, the truth is that there’s not one answer.

Every industry is different and companies have found success with all different types of publishing schedules. The biggest thing is to be consistent.

It’s all about balance. You want to post enough so you stay at the top of your audience’s mind, but you ever want to be annoying.

Also, remember that every social network has different norms for posting. On Twitter, it’s totally okay to tweet multiple times a day. On Instagram, though once or twice is better.

6. Separate Your Business and Personal Accounts

This may seem obvious, but far too many companies don’t follow this simple advice. Always keep your business and personal accounts separate.

This way, your followers or subscribers will only see content related to your company. They don’t want to be updated on your family parties or see all your vacation pictures.

It’s more professional to have everything separate. This will make your business seem much more legitimate.

7. Add a Time Budget to Your List of Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

If you use social media for personal use, you’re probably familiar with how easy it can be to waste time scrolling your news feed.

One second you’re just opening your app and 30 minutes later you look up and realize how long it’s been. While this is fine on your personal time, you don’t want this to happen during the work day when you have a lot of other projects to get done.

Instead, create a social media time budget. Pick a time every day to check your accounts, post new content, and to respond to comments.

8. Take Advantage of Your Bio

Almost every social media network has a bio section. This is where you can display a little information about your business and your contact information. Don’t let this space go to waste!

You should include the following:

• Your logo
• A short description of what you do
• Your phone number
• A link to your website
• Your address is necessary

9. Utilize Visuals

Visuals like photos and videos will make your posts much more engaging. In fact, one study found that tweets with images earned up to 18 percent more clicks, 89 percent more favorites, and 150 percent more retweets.

So whenever you can, include a photo or video content with your posts

Want more help with your social media content? Check out smartsocialkits.com.

10. Remember the 80/20 Rule

Speaking of your content, here’s another thing you should keep in mind. 80% of your posts should provide something of value to your followers.

This valuable content could include an infographic, video interview, or blog post.

It’s okay if the other 20% is more self-promotional. This can include information about current offers, new products, or other company changes.

11. Show Some Personality

In everything you do on social media, remember that it’s a good thing to show some personality. This is where you can humanize your brand.

Don’t get stuck in the rut of using only formal corporate language and instead let your walls down a little.

It’s great to have a sense of humor. You can also show some behind the scenes pictures or videos about your business here.

12. Learn from the Best

One way to get started with social media is to learn from those who are more experienced. Spend some time on your chosen platforms and follow other brands in your industry. What do they do that’s successful?

Also study some of the biggest brands in the world like Coca-Cola, Nike, or Apple. How do they use social media?

You can learn a lot from watching.

13. Don’t Be Confrontational

Even though you should have fun with your social media, you shouldn’t ever be confrontational. On your business accounts, never attack your competitors or vent about your industry.

Avoid political issues as much as possible and don’t engage in confrontations with customers who leave negative comments.

And if you have employees posting for your company, make sure they are well-trained in these areas as well. You don’t want your brand image tarnished by inappropriate social media activity.

14. Don’t Over-Automate

Social media automation software is a great tool you can use. It can help you schedule your posts out in advance and get detailed metrics on your results.

This can be really helpful for your overall social media strategy.

However, be careful to not over-automate. Don’t let your automation software respond to people’s comments. It’s very easy to notice when a computer-generated response is used.

15. Test, Evaluate, and Adjust

With any marketing campaign, you should always evaluate your results and then adjust them. Look at the number of clicks and the number of page visits.

For most businesses, the biggest metric to notice is conversions. Whether you want leads or sales, you should pay attention to your results.

If they’re not that great, make some adjustments and keep testing. It’s important to not give up. A lot of social media marketing is trial and error.

So brainstorm some ideas on how to improve and try them out!

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve read through these social media tips for small businesses, what’s next for you?

It’s time to pick your favorite tips and try them out. And before you know it, you’ll be a social media marketing pro.

Want to learn more? Check out our other business blog posts.

Top 10 Tips to Improve Customer Service in Your Business

It’s not as hard as you might think to make your business stand out in the crowded world of commerce. And you don’t have to slash your prices to ridiculously low levels to do it.

A study done a few years ago revealed that only 7 percent of consumers report having customer service experiences with companies that have exceeded their expectations. 7 percent!

That means there aren’t many businesses out there going above and beyond for their customers. So if you can improve customer service, you can easily gain an advantage over other businesses.

Do you want to improve customer service within your business? Check out 10 tips for improving your company’s customer service skills below.

1. Answer the Phone When Your Customers Call

Unfortunately, there are tons of businesses these days who are greeting their customers with an automated recording when they call.

This frustrates those who just want to speak with a real person, especially if a business makes it difficult to track down someone through their phone system.

When you pick up the phone during business hours and greet your customers, it’ll go a long way towards making them feel like they’re important. It’ll also allow them to address problems or ask questions more easily.

Discover more about how answering the phone can help a business to see the benefits of doing it.

2. Learn to Listen to the Needs of Your Customers Better

When someone calls your business and starts to tell you about a problem they’re having, you should steer clear of immediately trying to fix whatever issue they’re experiencing.

Rather than jumping right in and saying what you think might be wrong, you should allow the customer to talk and express themselves before you respond. You should take that time to really hear what they’re saying to you.

This will show the customer that you care enough to hear what they have to say.

3. Avoid Responding to Complaints About Your Business Negatively

Many business owners get very defensive with customers who have complaints. They end up arguing with customers rather than helping them fix the problem they’re having.

Avoid negativity at all costs when conversing with a customer. Instead, take a positive and proactive approach to dealing with complaints.

A customer might be angry at first when they call you. But once they see you’re genuinely interested in trying to assist them, they’ll be more likely to forgive you for whatever went wrong with your product or service in the first place.

It’ll increase the chances of them coming back to you again in the future.

4. Make the Complaints From Your Customers a Priority

If a customer does have a complaint about a product or service you provided for them, don’t put off dealing with it.

You should spring into action right away and make them feel like their business is important to you. By making them a priority and pushing them to the top of the list, you’ll show them that you care about whatever complaint they had.

The longer you put off dealing with a customer’s complaint, the less chance you have of earning their trust back.

5. Keep Any Promises You Make to Your Customers

If you tell a customer you’re going to do something, make sure you do it.

Breaking a promise is probably the easiest way to lose a customer. You can improve customer service simply by sticking to your word and not breaking it for any reason.

6. Be Nice to People Even When It Won’t Benefit You Immediately

Far too often, a person will pop into a business to ask for directions or use the bathroom and get turned away.

On the surface, you might not think anything of this. They weren’t coming to you to buy a product or service anyway, so who cares how you treated them?

Don’t look at it like that. Instead, looking at a random pop-in like this as an opportunity to be nice to someone and potentially earn their business in the future.

You might be surprised to see that same person pop back into your business in a week or two to repay you for your act of kindness.

7. Tell Your Customers How Much You Appreciate Their Business

Every single time you speak with a customer, whether on the phone or in your business, you should tell them how much you appreciate them calling on your company.

You can’t say “thank you” enough to your customers. So make it a point to say “thank you” and “we appreciate your business” any chance you get.

8. Give Customers Free Promotional Products

People enjoy getting things for free. It makes them feel like they’re important.

If you don’t have promotional products already, you should order some now and start handing them out to your most loyal customers.

From pens and sticky notes to T-shirts and hats, there are so many promo products available. They’ll allow you to say thanks to customers and help you brand your business at the same time.

9. Always Ask Your Customers If There’s Any Other Way You Can Help Them

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” is a question you should ask to your customers early and often.

This will let your customers know that you’re there for them if they need anything else.

Even if they don’t need anything at the moment, they’ll feel more comfortable coming back to you later for assistance if they need it.

10. Provide Customer Service Training for Your Employees

In addition to making every effort to improve customer service on your own, you should also bring your employees into the mix.

They might not feel quite as compelled to be nice to customers as a business owner does. But with the right customer service training courses, you can show them how you expect them to treat customers.

Your employees are usually your first line of defense when it comes to dealing with customers. Make sure they do their part to improve customer service.

Improve Customer Service and See Real Results Today

When you improve customer service in your business, you will see more and more customers return to you in the future. It’ll lead to more sales and give your business a better reputation in your community.

Improving customer service is also just one of the many ways you can go about building up your business.

Check out our blog for more tips that will help you put your business in a better position.

How to Improve a Website: Web Design Tips and Tricks

Your website isn’t just a place where people can go to get information about your business or services. It’s also an opportunity to draw in potential customers and create more sales.

If your website isn’t getting you more business, then it’s time to make some changes.

Wondering where to start? Don’t stress! You’re in the right place.

Make a Plan First

Once you’ve made the decision to amp up your webpage, it’s important to make a plan. This will help keep you focused and ensure that you’re optimizing your time and money.

To make the best plan possible, take the time to do some research. Check out website designing articles online and figure out what your website is missing.

Click around on your competitors’ websites, too. What’s working for them? By witnessing what makes a great website firsthand, you can make a clear plan to improve your web strategy.

What to Get Rid Of

Before adding any new elements to your website, trim the fat. This means clearing clutter, removing cheesy stock photos, and taking any unnecessary information off of each page.

Don’t be afraid to be ruthless. The more you can get rid of, the more space you will have for awesome new content.

Add Easily Accessible Social Media Buttons

Now that you have a nice, clean slate to work with, focus on introducing useful web design elements. A great place to start is with accessible social media buttons.

After all, there are over two billion social media users worldwide. So if you’re not tapping into this market, you’re missing out on a ton of potential sales. By including simple buttons that allow users to share and follow your pages, you’ll increase traffic and improve accessibility.

Tell Your Story

Including an “About Us” section of your website is a great opportunity to connect with potential clients on a personal level. What makes your business and the people who work there special?

Use this element to tell a story. Not only will this help clients get to know you better, it will also give you another way to market yourself and your products or services.

Incorporate Calls-to-Action

Think of a new visitor to your website as a lost little lamb. If you don’t herd them in the right direction, they won’t know which way to go!

A call-to-action is an element on your website that show users where to go next. They are important to incorporate throughout your webpage to increase clarity and a user-friendly experience.

Use CTA’s to show potential clients that you can solve their problems. If you can do that, you’ll gain their trust and their business.

How to Improve a Website with Pictures

Check out the photos on your webpage. What message are they conveying to your visitors?

If your site hosts boring, basic pictures, it’s time to do better. The goal here is to gain the trust of potential clients by showing them who you are.

Use personal photos of real employees to achieve this. And don’t be afraid to have fun with it!

Focus on Easy Navigation

Want to know the quickest way to lose a potential sale online? By having a webpage that is difficult to navigate.

After all, there are plenty of fish in the sea. If your website is clunky or confusing, people will move onto the next one without a thought.

To avoid confusion, focus on accessibility and smooth transitions when redesigning your website’s layout. At every turn, ask yourself, “Is there a way I can make this even easier for users?”

Embrace Empty Spaces

When it comes to web design, white space is a good thing! In fact, it’s an essential part of organization and readability for your website.

Although it may be tempting to cram as much information into your web pages as possible, this isn’t an effective way to communicate with the general public. Users need negative space around text and images for both clarity and to avoid visual over-stimulation.

If you review your website and you don’t see enough white space, it’s time to strip away some visual material. Leave only what is vital for communication.

Test Your Website on Real People

Even if you think that your website is picture perfect, others may have a different experience. And what better way to find out than to test your page on real people who you trust?

Enlist family, friends, or current customers for advice. Have them scroll and click around your website for various purposes, like learning about your services or contacting you. Listen to their feedback and let it guide you moving forward.

Mobile Optimization is a Must

These days, people use cell phones for everything. This includes learning about services through the web and shopping online.

Visit your website from a mobile browser. Is it easy to use and navigate?

If not, make fixing this issue your number one priority. You could be missing out on a lot of business if your website is not mobile-friendly.

You Don’t Need to Do It on Your Own

Website design is no easy task! And unless you’re an expert, you’re sure to run into some trouble while trying to optimize your web pages.

Remember, there are people out there who can help. Professional website design companies, like Finepoint Design, will ensure that your website is running at its full potential. Hiring a design company is a smart investment in your future.

Make Your Website Stand Out

As you can see, proper website design is a vital part of optimizing your business and harnessing potential sales. And when it comes to learning how to improve a website, all you need to do is use the tips above as a guide.

By making your website as clear and accessible as possible, you will encourage customer interaction, and increase user satisfaction. Focus on mobile optimization, visual organization, and social media accessibility for the best results.

Did you enjoy this website designing article? Click here for even more information to help you improve your site’s design.