10 Reasons Why Your Business Should Hire Multilingual Employees

“Global Presence” is a concept that businesses of all sizes and industries have embraced over the past decade, and for a good reason. To enter into and gain an advantage on a global scale, employers must hire multilingual employees. But why is hiring these employees so important?

10 Reasons Why You Should Hire Multilingual Employees

If you want to find a quality multilingual staff, you can use recruitment agencies that specifically look for these types of team members. For now, here’s why you should hire multilingual staff.

1. Increased Revenue

By having multilingual staff in your business, you can unlock new opportunities to attract global customers and increase revenue streams. Not only that, but you can also save costs from developing marketing strategies tailored to localized audiences in multiple different countries.

2. Better Understanding of Local Markets

It’s more important than ever for businesses to be market-sensitive and prove their commitment to their communities. Your multilingual employees can help bridge cultural understanding and offer insight into what the locals are looking for, which limits marketing mistakes and mishaps.

3. Facilitation of Networking

Networking is essential in business and can lead to new collaborations, partnerships, and customers. By learning languages, like French, from native-level teachers, you can speak more confidently. You can enroll today and unlock your speaking potential on sites like Lingoda.

4. Improved Employee Productivity

Having a language barrier can both hamper employees’ ability to understand instructions, as well as impede their communication within the team. When everyone understands each other, productivity skyrockets, and everyone involved can work more efficiently and productively.

5. Improved Customer Service

No customer wants to feel like they can’t ask questions or that they don’t understand what they’re buying. That’s why it’s essential to have a multilingual team in customer service; this is especially true for international clients. This will make customers feel valued and respected.

6. Improved Task Management

When team members share a language, it makes managing tasks, communicating progress, and working on reports much more efficient and accurate. A lack of a language barrier makes it easy for your team to provide clear instructions, understand expectations, and offer feedback.

7. Opportunities to be “Global Thinkers”

In order to make better international business decisions, it helps to think in a more global scope. If you have multilingual employees in your business, they can provide new perspectives and help make better-informed decisions when it comes to doing business in other countries.

8. Improved Knowledge Transfer

Having multilingual staff can also help with the flow of knowledge transfer. You’ll be able to transfer information faster, not just to your international colleagues, but also to potential customers. Brochures, newsletters, or case studies could help to expand your client base.

9. More Than Just Language

Interacting with international colleagues also requires a deeper cultural understanding in order to form strong relationships. Your multilingual staff can not only help you view the world from another perspective, but they can also help to break down cultural barriers from the word go.

10. Improved Brand Reputation

By having multilingual employees, you’ll be sending the strong message that your business cares about inclusivity and understands different cultures. This can not only attract other international professionals but can also result in gaining more customers who trust your brand.

In Conclusion…

These are just some of the reasons why small businesses should consider hiring multilingual employees. Not only can they offer new opportunities for success, but they can also build a stronger, more global presence and foster better relationships between team members.

8 Services Which Will Help Your Business Succeed in 2023

Future planning for your business growth is an ongoing activity. Growth is essential regardless of your industry, business type, or size. As a business owner, you must be thinking about how to expand and grow your company in 2023. The only way to differentiate yourself from competitors and get over obstacles is to grow constantly, yet this is challenging to achieve.

Technology is developing at a fast pace, so it is common to feel a little stuck at times. You must continuously modify your present methods and keep up with the recent developments in your industry if you want to get a competitive edge and grow your business steadily.

There is no definite recipe for overnight success, but you must use some time-tested methods to accelerate the expansion of your company and integrate them into your processes. A business will need time to grow, but there are certain things you need to act upon to scale it up more rapidly.

Let us walk you through some essential services to help you successfully run your business in 2023.

8 services that are essential for your business’s success in 2023

1. Search engine optimization

Creating leads and sales is the primary objective of every successful business, and SEO is the first step in that process. SaaS SEO aims to increase website exposure in search engine results pages (SERP), traffic, and conversion rates. Any SaaS firm that wants to grow its business must prioritize search engine optimization.

Employ an agency to validate and scale your SaaS SEO channel to do in-depth technical SEO audits of your pages, marketing channels, and other areas to help you build your business and reach your target audience. Using a top SEO agency for SaaS helps develop an SEO content model intended to achieve your goals in the shortest amount of time through in-depth keyword research analysis to comprehend the SEO potential of your product. A SaaS SEO agency will assist you in increasing organic traffic and product signups, activations, and MRR.

2. Task management software

Task management software helps an individual, team, or organization accomplish goals quickly by organizing and prioritizing related tasks. Task management software assists in establishing the essential tasks that must be completed and the deadline for each one as the tasks are delegated to the team members. The tool is available in a variety of formats, including simple spreadsheets and web-based project management tools.

Task management tools will assist, organize, simplify, and prioritize tasks to accomplish a goal or finish a project. Task management is all about one task at a time—for instance, you must consider the task’s deadline, priority, assignment, and progress while managing tasks. The next step is to monitor progress and, if necessary, redistribute assignments and reorganize team members’ work schedules. This is especially important if your team consistently needs to catch up on deadlines or if some team members work too much.

You will monitor all elements of task management from a single dashboard with the help of a task management tool, which lowers the risk of information loss, enhances delegation and teamwork, and helps everyone stay more focused.

3. Applicant tracking systems

The applicant tracking system facilitates setting up and managing your whole recruiting lifecycle in one location—it allows you to quickly find candidates across numerous job boards, filter resumes, and automate the scheduling of interviews to save time.

An ATS’s primary goal is to increase the efficacy and efficiency of the hiring process by streamlining it. Recruiters have access to a powerful, centralized platform to collect and view applications, track their progress, and qualify them. SaaS (Software as a Service) cloud-based systems accessible from anywhere at any time are often more powerful ATS platforms.

Managers and HR departments agree that finding and retaining top talent is challenging. Software for recruiting is a powerful tool for easing this tension. ATS improves the hiring quality of any company, and effective recruitment is one of the best predictors of a company’s future success.

4. Digital transformation services

Incorporating digital technologies across the board in a firm is known as digital transformation. It helps companies to update antiquated procedures, quicken effective operations, bolster security, and boost revenue.

Businesses that want to achieve or maintain a competitive edge must digitally change—if your company doesn’t already have a digital presence, digital footprint, or another digital component, you must utilize this fact and understand the need to invest in digital transformation services.

Digital transformation reduces the cost of hardware and software while allowing team members to work on other tasks and provides:

  • Improved data collection
  • More effective resource management
  • Improved client experience
  • Data-driven customer insight
  • Promotes a digital culture
  • Enhanced profits5.

Customer support services

Customer support goes beyond retaining customers—it’s a winning approach for boosting sales. Prospective consumers also have questions, in addition to your current clients. For smaller organizations, having a devoted or qualified customer care team is not always possible. This typically requires office staff or salespeople to carry out this activity, dividing their time between bringing in new clients and keeping old ones.

Your sales teams will easily find the answers they need through online assistance or other convenient means. You will save a deal by providing clients and prospects with the data they want at the precise moment they require it.

Outsourcing to a contact center gives you the additional staff you require to handle those customer calls. Business owners must carefully analyze their alternatives considering the wide variety of costs and services. Cloud-based services or shared agent systems will be less expensive options.

A customer’s lifetime value increases thanks to excellent customer service, and it also offers information that will help you improve your service, product, and/or marketing in 2023.

6. Logistics services

Business owners need a solid logistics strategy. Business owners must understand their logistics to be more profitable, improve customer satisfaction, and stand out from the crowd. Logistics management is one of the most challenging facets of the supply chain for any company. You will be able to convert certain direct expenses associated with the logistic activity into variable costs by outsourcing your logistics to a service provider.

A partner is a subject matter specialist who will deliver great results by combining knowledge and technology. This outcome is provided, in part, by the created know-how and, in part, by technologies that are often used. Logistics services are crucial to take into account for the expansion of your business in 2023 since they reduce indirect expenses, give increased flexibility, offer customs assistance, and boost performance by letting you concentrate on your core business.

By engaging a logistics firm, you will be able to get the following advantages:

  • Successful and qualified personnel for managing Logistics
  • Updated to include all recent technological developments
  • Concentrating on your strengths
  • Need not be concerned about the scalability of Logistic Services7.

Travel management systems

Businesses are constantly trying to improve how they handle business travel. For the management of all business travel-related issues, corporate travel companies are a need. The entire travel management process is automated by business travel management software, saving travel managers time and increasing income for the business.

While some businesses are large, with locations throughout the globe—others will have a narrow focus on a region or industry. The typical cost of using an agency varies—some charge per transaction, while others have a set monthly fee.

Professional company travel management will provide the essential services rather than handling everything without a travel coordinator or internal team, allowing staff employees to focus on the responsibilities for which they were hired.

There are several reasons why businesses must enlist the help of a travel agency—the benefits include:

  • Increasing the efficiency of businesses
  • Saving crucial time for companies
  • Reducing costs by obtaining lower pricing
  • Offering specialized knowledge.
  • Upholding travel expenses and rules
  • Providing support with travel8.

Accounting and financial services

Financial accounting services assist in streamlining, integrating, and organizing financial data that is essential to the effective and efficient operation of a business. In order to keep transactions in the proper balance, you need to comply with the regulations, and maximize resources. Payroll is one of the most complex business services, especially for new ones. Spending money on the right payroll software and services lowers costs and increases compliance.

SMBs need sufficient financial resources to maintain their high customer service standards, employee compensation, and community involvement. There are several creative finance and tax services you must employ to increase the money you have available to invest in and develop.

The following are a few financial services you must consider automating to be successful in 2023:

  • Cash flow management
  • Tax planning
  • Alternative funding
  • Financial insurance
  • Asset leasing

Boost your business in 2023Putting your business on the success path will be challenging—you must learn to identify and ask for assistance. Go back to the good things that happened in 2022 and consider what needs to change for improving productivity as you go along in 2023. Choose a few services from this list to get started to reach new heights of success.

Author Bio:

Surya Ranjan Pandita is a content marketer. He is always on the lookout for new optimization strategies and loves to create actionable content. Feel free to ping him on LinkedIn.

London Diamonds James Sanders on Sustainability Within the Jewellery Market | James Sanders

Founder and managing director of London Diamonds James Sanders discusses lab grown diamonds and sustainable trends within the UK’s jewellery market. 

London Diamonds has made significant inroads into the UK’s lucrative diamond engagement ring market since it started. James Sanders (London Diamonds founder and Managing Director) has clear ideas about what customers respond to and the aspects of the traditional jewellery industry that are best off in the past.

London Diamonds team brings fresh perspective to engagement ring market

From concept to design, London Diamonds is all about cutting through the haze of extra costs associated with the traditional jewellery industry and bring a sustainable, innovative approach to engagement rings.

James Sanders (London Diamonds founder and Managing Director) says: “Bringing the luxury market to customers for a fair price is the core focus of our business idea. But it’s much more than that. We’re not the cheapest out there, but we can promise that our clients are paying a fair price for their bespoke jewellery.

“We’ve dispensed with property costs, brand selling techniques and over expensed sales staff. Our business model is as clean as our designs – we understand this is up there with the most important life purchases that people make. To that end, we work harder to bring the human touch and expert advice to the bespoke pieces we create.”

London Diamonds – a disruptive innovator in a saturated market

Managing Director James Sanders says: “Our success lies in providing real value to our clients in so many ways. And so many people are responding to our approach to making a diamond engagement ring.

“While a fair price is obviously key to the London Diamonds approach, that doesn’t mean we sell the cheapest engagement rings on the market. But we are the very best in terms of service and craftmanship.

“I’m proud of the talent among the London Diamonds team – it’s something that I often think luxury brands can lack. As an active investor in the luxury market, I’m well aware of what customers respond to in a positive way and we’re able to bring that to the UK through our business.”

London Diamonds: a mission for sustainability

A major emerging trend within luxury brands in general and specifically within the modern jewellery industry is sustainability.

From costume pieces to a diamond engagement ring, customers are increasingly expecting bespoke jewellery made with sustainable materials. James Sanders says: “While traditionally, engagement rings have been made largely with naturally mined diamonds, the future is lab grown.

“Lab grown diamonds used to make diamond rings and other jewellery are just as beautiful as mined stones. Furthermore, they cost about half as much for comparable quality. In many ways, to be a brand selling 90% lab grown diamonds as we are is another decision from a disruptive innovator. Yes, the conversation is moving towards lab grown diamonds to deliver real value, but this conversation is only just emerging with many engagement ring designers.

“We have been with this from the day London Diamonds launched – we understand that sustainability matters to our clients and if we can bring them a diamond ring that looks amazing with lab grown then we will.”

Why London Diamonds chooses lab grown over mined diamonds

A lab grown diamond is just as real as a mined diamond. The only difference is that they are grown in a lab (hence the name!) from a seed from a mined stone. Using state of the art technology, these diamonds can be created without the need for all of the environmental damage associated with mining gems.

James Sanders says: “So much goes into replicating the exact conditions that form diamonds naturally in the lab that the resulting gem consists of the same carbon atoms formed into a lattice crystal structure that mined diamonds do.

“Given that their chemical and physical properties are exactly the same, a diamond ring that uses a lab grown gem is indistinguishable. It’s just a better way and a more responsible way to create a beautiful cut and a gorgeous ring – whether oval cut or round brilliant.

A business idea that works for UK customers in so many ways

James Sanders says: “As well as dispensing with extraneous outlays, such as property costs, London Diamonds combines expert advice from truly talented sales staff with other innovative ideas that have driven the success of our start up.

“Clients love the ease of working with us and are glad to have access to all the advice they need to make a purchase that makes them happy. But they consistently tell us that the best thing we offer is our lifetime guarantee on every ring.

“This lifetime guarantee includes repairs and it’s been a huge success in creating the trust between the person buying and the company. We were the first to offer this in the UK and it remains a unique benefit of working with us.”

Going green in the jewellery industry

James Sanders, Managing director of London Diamonds is a person who has created a brand that sets a clear ethical example. James says: “We wanted to take the other option – the one that creates a start up business that ensures the team work harder to bring an ethical, sustainable approach to customers.

“There are ways that jewellery makers can make their services greener, without losing the art of making beautiful pieces. An important part of this is to be able to trace materials – whether gold, diamonds or any other gem – back to their source. This is an example of something that can be put in place by any jeweller.

“They can then adjust their material sourcing as necessary. Adding in guarantees that cover repairs is also another example we’ve set as a business – it’s the single most impactful act that we can sell to our clients. They invest in a piece of jewellery and in us as a business that will ensure it lasts a lifetime.

“Finally, we can give clients the truth about the whole idea of whether to ‘invest’ in the diamond itself. The truth is that, unless you are paying an awful lot of money for an exceptionally rare stone, there is no such thing a useful investment in diamonds. So concentrate on what makes you happy and the best you can get for your money – it’ll make you happiest in the long term.”

Learn more about James Sanders here.

Building A Successful Local Services Business From Scratch

Starting a company that provides services in a specific area is often how entrepreneurs get their start in the world of business.

Of course not every fledgling firm survives in the long term, so here are some tips on what you can do to build yours and ultimately achieve success.

Laying Your Foundations

Starting a local services business from scratch can be daunting. It requires careful planning and the right resources in order to ensure success.

To get started, you need an understanding of what it takes to create and launch your business. Here are some key steps for setting up your foundation:

First, identify the type of service you will offer based on market research and trends within the industry.

Then decide how much capital is required – this includes not only funding but also inventory or other necessary items needed to run your operations smoothly.

Next, obtain any licenses or permits that may be necessary depending on where you plan to operate; these vary by region so make sure they are all accounted for.

Finally, establish pricing structures that reflect value while staying competitive within the market – and don’t forget about taxes & fees too.

Utilizing Technology and Automation To Streamline Operations

Investing in the right technology is an effective way to automate mundane tasks, reducing time-consuming manual labour while increasing accuracy. There are many tools available that will help streamline your processes, from customer relationship management systems to accounting software.

You’ll also benefit from choosing niche-specific tools, with field service software like Jobber making it a breeze to track and manage the day to day operations of your organization.

Consider data analytics solutions too – this will give you valuable insights into the effectiveness of certain strategies so you can optimize for better results.

Developing an Alluring Brand Identity That Attracts Clients

Your local services business needs a strong brand identity to stand out in the competitive marketplace. A well-defined and consistent brand image will help you attract customers and create loyalty among existing ones.

To get started, consider your desired message – what value are you offering? What sets your business apart from others? Once you have this figured out, use it as the foundation for all of your marketing efforts. From logo design to website development and more, ensure that everything is cohesive with regards to fonts, colours and tone of voice so there’s no doubt as to who’s behind each piece of communication.

With a compelling brand in place, potential clients won’t be able to resist learning more about what you offer.

Cultivating Customer Relationships For Lasting Success

The relationships you build with your customers will determine whether your new business stands the test of time.

Developing good rapport is key to solving problems and delivering quality service. Establish communication channels such as social media accounts or email newsletters so that clients can reach out if needed.

Also, make sure to respond in a timely manner and be proactive about addressing any issues clients may have; this will demonstrate that you value their opinion.

Lastly, incentivize loyalty through discounts & rewards programs. Happy customers come back time after time, which translates into more revenue for your business. They’ll also spread the word about your business to friends and family, which can really get the ball rolling.

Final Thoughts

With this blueprint for building a successful local services business, you stand a good chance of achieving your aims and changing the trajectory of your next project. It also pays to be vigilant regarding the performance of your business, so you can spot weaknesses and deal with them early on.

Incentivisation: What’s the Best Way to Reward Staff and Increase Productivity?

Happy Staff

In today’s fast-paced business environment, companies are always looking for new and innovative ways to boost productivity and stay ahead of the competition. And it has to be said that your staff play a key role in this. Your workforce is a vital part of your business and it is essential that you keep them motivated and engaged. One of the most effective ways to do this is through incentivisation. 

Incentives can actually take many forms, from financial rewards to more intangible benefits like increased autonomy or career development opportunities. However, finding the right type of incentive can be a challenge, as businesses have to balance the needs of their staff with their own ability to stay profitable and successful. 

In this article, we will explore the different types of incentives that are available to businesses and examine the pros and cons of each. Whether you’re a business owner, manager, or HR professional, this article will provide valuable insights into how to motivate and engage your staff, and help you make informed decisions about the best way to incentivise your team.

 

Understanding Incentivisation: What is it and why does it matter?

Incentivisation refers to the process of motivating and encouraging individuals or teams to perform at their best. It’s a crucial part of staff management, as businesses compete to find new and innovative ways to get ahead. 

Whether it’s through financial bonuses, flexible working arrangements, or career progression, incentives are a key way of improving performance and boosting employee satisfaction.

“The benefits of such incentives programs are not just financial,” says Hugh Bachmann, writing for McKinsey. “As the war for talent intensifies and com­panies grapple with record numbers of resignations, the retention of high performers has increasingly become a top priority for executives. Compensation is a key reason why people switch jobs, and providing financial incentives can help organisations retain their top employees.”

But, of course, it is important to say that incentivisation is not just about handing out rewards and bonuses. It requires a deep understanding of what motivates employees and a carefully crafted approach to implementing incentives. By finding the right balance between financial incentives, work-life balance, and personal development opportunities, businesses can drive up productivity, improve morale and boost staff retention.

85% of workers say that they feel more motivated to work hard and remain with a company when they are supprorted and have an incentive. However, it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to incentivisation. The most effective incentives will vary from one business to another and you will consider your employees, tailoring incentives to meet their specific requirements. 

 

Cash incentives

Clearly one of the most valuable ways to incentivise staff is to offer them more money. Primarily cash incentives come in two forms: pay rises and bonuses. Both of these can be effective ways to encourage more from your staff, especially if any increase in money is tied to excellent performance of the job. 

You might also consider matching pension contributions or paying for training to be a form of cash incentive. However, it is not the case that everyone believes that cash incentives are the right way to motivate. 

“Intuitively, one might assume that monetary incentives are the most effective reward system,” says Lydia Stevens, writing for Preciate. “People like money, so monetary rewards should increase effort and maximise productivity. Despite this common assumption, research shows that higher rewards don’t always lead to more effort and employee engagement.” 

 

Non-monetary incentives

The incentives that fall into this category can be extremely broad – it essentially covers any kind of perk that doesn’t offer a financial reward to staff. However, it is important to take this kind of incentivisation seriously.

If you only ever offer financial rewards to your staff, you are teaching them that their only value at work is in monetary terms. This isn’t good for your business and it isn’t good for your staff either. Incentives are all about providing staff with a reason to work to the best of their ability and show them that they are appreciated. This should be the focus of your incentives. 

Some of the most popular non-monetary incentives include employee recongiiton and praise schemes, as well as earning extra days off. It might also include team days and outside-of-work activities. 

 

Offering shares

One way that falls potentially somewhere between cash and non-cash incentives is offering employees shares in the business. For example, there are possibilities such as the EMI Share Option Scheme in which “certain employees are permitted to acquire rights to the acquisition of its shares at a fixed pre-agreed price (known as the ‘exercise’ or ‘strike’ price) at a date in the future. This price will normally be the market value of the shares at the time the option is granted.”

A scheme like this is actually an extremely tax efficient way to provide shares to staff. And allowing your team to have a stake in the success of the company can make them bound to produce their best work. If they know that they benefit from the overall success of the business it makes them more likely to give it their all. 

 

Incentives can take many forms, and HR and management must work together to determine the best approach for their organisation. They must consider factors such as the company’s budget, the desired outcomes, and the preferences of employees when selecting incentives. Furthermore, they need to ensure that incentives are fair and equitable, and that they align with the company’s values and culture.

Ultimately, you will know your business best and it is important that you take steps to offer incentives that your staff genuinely want and would benefit from. 

Five Important Things For UK Business Owners Remember When Outsourcing Work

When you have set up your own business, the chances are that you are one of those people who prefers to handle every single job themselves. There is a part of the entrepreneurial mindset that relishes taking on new challenges and learning new skills. However, the fact is that as your business expands, there are going to be jobs that you will simply have to outsource. With the market as turbulent as it has been over the last couple of years, and many challenges on the way in the coming months, you will need to keep your eye on the ball if you want to guide your company through the storm.

However, finding the right people to take on work for you is not without its challenges and risks. You are going to be placing a lot of trust in the tradesperson who tells you that they can have a job completed to the standard that you expect by the date that you need. What’s more, hiring a good outsourcer is something that you will have to factor into your budget, and everyone knows how important that is right now. Here are a few important things to remember when outsourcing work to ensure that you find someone that is right for you.

Set A Budget

The first thing that every British-based business owner needs to keep in mind at the moment is how much money they can afford to part with for any given job. With prices rising everywhere from energy bills to supermarket aisles, it is vital that you give yourself as much of a cushion as possible. So, before you start thinking about your project, sit down with your accounts and work out exactly how much you can afford to spend.

Know Exactly What You Need

This point is not always as easy as it sounds. There are going to be some jobs where if you knew what the problem was, you would fix it yourself. But that is an important thing to factor in too, are you going to be paying for diagnostic help (for a major IT issue, for example) as well as a fix? The clearer idea you have about what you need exactly, the more likely you are to find a contractor or tradesperson who can deliver it.

Look For Good Reviews

Once you have a clear idea of what you need and how much money you can afford to spend, it is time to start looking for the people who can do the job. One of the first things that you should look for is excellent reviews. These days, people are spending a lot more time online, and they are getting a lot more accustomed to leaving feedback when they are pleased with the service that they have been provided (or indeed, when they are not pleased with it). Say you are looking for someone to refurbish your office or shop. You want to find plasterers near you who have great reviews, and who can offer you good quotes based on the information you have. At MyBuilder, you can find local plasterers who will bid on your job, and you can browse their feedback from previous clients.

Look For Experience

Experience may not be everything, but it certainly is a useful guiding factor if you are comparing quotes from several different individuals or firms. However, it is important to know what you are looking for. It’s fairly easy for any freelancer to claim that they have years, if not decades, of experience. What you need to look for is demonstrable experience in the area that you need them to work in. Say you are looking for a legal professional for your business. There are so many different specific areas that a business solicitor may have worked in, and the specifics of each one can vary hugely. Take the time to check out not only how long the people or company that you are looking at has been in business, but what that business is and if it is relevant.

Give Yourself A Timeframe

In the same way that giving yourself a strict budget is important if you want to avoid spending more than you can afford, it is vital that you have a clear idea of how long any project that you are outsourcing is going to take. Or, perhaps more importantly, how long you can afford it to take. When you hand off a project to someone from outside your company, you are giving up a lot of control. But you need to set the parameters that they are going to be working within. For example, is the weather going to be an issue, as we have been seeing more extreme weather here in the UK. Do you need to think about delays when it comes to supplies?

6 Great Tips on How Effective Recruitment Can Help Your Business Grow in 2023

Constantly replacing employees and making new hires isn’t only time-consuming and a bad long-term investment for the business. In addition, turnover rates can affect the company over time, and it’s never fun to always hire a new person.

Each year, a company will experience a turnover rate of 18% with its workforce. As a result, most HR professionals are considering new steps, but many still need to stick to their old habits and make improvements.

What important recruitment tips can you follow for growing your business this year?

Let’s dive deeper into this article to learn more.

6 Recruitment tips to follow for growing your business in 2023

Use an applicant tracking system (ATS)

If you are an HR manager, you’ve come across an ATS before. It’s the modern-day tool of organizing streamlines by creating open jobs, screening applicants, scheduling and coordinating interviews. Also, rolling out offers on time for roping candidates in. Nearly 70% of large companies use an ATS, so it’s common amongst almost all companies of all sizes.

Additionally, it offers analytics and reports to help you fully understand what’s occurring in your hiring process and points out the direction of changes you need to make.

An ATS should be used for finding potential fits for your job openings. The days are over when you have to rely on manually checking potential candidates. However, when you use an ATS system, you have to use one that’ll help you create jobs, set up career sites and publish them to job boards and social media sites.

For example, you need to look for tools like Freshteam, which allow you to publish your job boards on social media, set up employee referral portals, manage candidates, schedule interviews, grow your candidate database and more.

Every time you choose an ATS, think of three important factors it needs to have:

– Software-as-a-service (SaaS)

– If it supports integrations

– Mobile-optimized

Offer a hybrid working model

After the pandemic, many employees got used to a remote working lifestyle. After the initial lockdowns, most people assumed they’d return to the office full-time, but the story changed as the pandemic continued. Most employees preferred working from home and adjusted to this lifestyle. However, the most exciting part is that many employees left their jobs because they didn’t want to return to the office!

Most companies that don’t care about hybrid working might struggle to hire top talent and even receive applications from top talents. During a job search, most candidates will avoid jobs that want them to work at the office full-time.

Around 50% of companies want their workers back at the office, but millions have left their job because of this.

What solutions can you follow if you own a business requiring lots of office work?

– Employees can choose the work location based on their priorities

The company decides the day employees are allowed to work from home

Employees can work half the week remotely and half on-site

Employees work remotely most of the time but will make numerous visits to the office each month

If we compare employees, some prefer to work at the office and some remotely. However, the best way to come in between these personal opinions is to offer a hybrid working model.

Post your job vacancies

Regarding your job vacancies, you can post them however you wish. It can either be with or without job boards. When you post job vacancies online, here are the best solutions we have for doing so:

– Post your vacancy on social media: Almost everyone we know uses social media. With the many scrolling made each minute, plenty of people are waiting for a new job offer. Your best bet is to use LinkedIn as a social media platform because it’s a B2B platform specially used for hiring someone.

– Post openings on your website: It may sound quite obvious, but posting website traffic is excellent for getting applicants to post jobs online for free. Having a career page on your site is always good because it allows you to create a talent pool and cultivate it in the long term. Make it easier for users to find a job opening and you’ll have top talents faster than you can imagine.

– Post on job sites: Other than LinkedIn, a social media platform, job sites directly allow candidates to apply for a job. Popular job sites include Glassdoor, Indeed, Ladders, PostJobFree and more.

There are plenty of alternative ways to share your job poster, but these are the most effective solutions. Of course, you can consider other options too, such as social media groups, governmental sites, posting job openings at local university sites, participating at job fairs and more.

Communicate the company’s values

The company’s values are what attract candidates to the right company. However, many companies’ values are only general. Communicating values allows you to build relationships with your candidates and attract workers that are more likely to stay.

In other words, you can think of the company’s values as a compass for your brand. Regardless of your company’s direction, they need to remain steady, accurate and fixed. The company’s core values should reflect its daily culture, policies and employee experience.

However, how can companies communicate their values during the hiring process? Let’s find out more:

– Have all of your company values written in the job description

– Encourage your recruiters and hiring managers to redirect their values during an interview

– Send out additional information on the companies values and mission

– Design a recruitment process for developing these core values

Participate in job fairs and hiring events

Due to the distance between workers across the globe, many hiring managers might find it a better choice to meet someone live and hire them. In-person time is an excellent option both for the employer and the candidate, so they can know more about each other and understand each other’s values further.

Job seekers always find it interesting to meet future employers in person since they have a better chance of expressing themselves than communicating online. In addition, the current demographics are shifting to a younger workforce more oriented on culture, mission, and authenticity than its predecessors.

Seek to increase the hiring budget

You might not be as successful as you think in hiring candidates if you don’t have the proper budget. The right budget will help the recruitment manager allocate the necessary funds in the right place and track how much resources and time the process will take. Spending money to attract suitable candidates is important, but it’s even more important to determine how much value recruitment will bring to a company when considering your budget.

Nevertheless, remember that top talents require a better budget to hire. This is because they are the ones who will bring new values to your company and always require more attention compared to when you are hiring a regular candidate. After all, you need the necessary resources for hiring someone, right?

The final breakdown

Nobody ever said it’s easy to hire candidates. Therefore, we recommend you stick to the following tips and try your hardest to follow them. Seek to increase your hiring budget, communicate the company’s values to the job seeker, try to meet up with them at a job fair or local university, be flexible with on-site work and post your job openings online.

Research & Development Centres Growth and Services

In the growing world of technology, Research and Development (R&D) centres are becoming more and more essential in providing innovative services to businesses. But what exactly is R&D in software, and what services are provided by a software R&D center? Read on to find out how software R&D center services can help your business reach its full potential.

What are research and development services?

Before you learn how to work with an International R&D Center, you need to know what R&D is all about. Research and development (R&D) services refer to the activities that a company undertakes to improve existing products or create new ones. This can include researching new technologies, testing new materials, and developing new manufacturing processes. R&D is typically focused on improving a company’s competitiveness by creating new or improved products or by reducing the costs of existing products.

A company’s internal R&D department can provide R&D services, or they can be outsourced to specialized R&D service providers. These service providers can research on behalf of a company, or they can offer advice and guidance to help a company develop its own R&D capabilities.

What services are typically offered by a Software Research & Development Center?

Тhere are many services offered by R&D companies. Let’s see the main ones.

Software development

Software development is one of the core services offered by the standard Software Research & Development Center. The centre’s experienced developers specialize in creating custom software solutions for clients, including web and mobile applications, enterprise software, and embedded systems. 

Whether a small project or a complex enterprise solution, the center should have the expertise and knowledge to develop software that meets the client’s specific needs.

Research and innovation

Research and innovation are vital aspects of software development, and it’s a key service provided by an R&D center. The center conducts research to identify new and emerging technologies that can be used to improve existing products or create new ones. This research allows the center to stay at the forefront of technological advancements and offer cutting-edge solutions to its clients.

Additionally, the centre’s team of experts can help the client to understand the potential of the new technology and how it can be applied to their specific situation, providing a significant competitive advantage.

Prototyping and testing

Research and development facilities typically offer prototyping and testing services. The center develops and tests software solution prototypes to verify they satisfy client needs. This procedure ensures that the center delivers a high-quality solution tailored to each client’s specific demands before releasing the final product. 

Essential to the software’s successful implementation is the centre’s skilled staff of engineers and testers working together to guarantee the software is functional, efficient, and user-friendly.

Technical consulting

R&D centres also offer their clients technical advice. Customers can get technical advice and direction from the centre’s experts, who can point them in the direction of the most suitable software solutions.

They are able to aid in the preparation and design of software solutions and advise on the best technologies to employ. 

The technical consulting service provided by the center can help clients save money by reducing wasted effort and ensuring that their software solution is flexible enough to accommodate their needs as they evolve.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance is a critical service provided by R&D centres. The centres’ quality assurance team tests software to ensure it is free of bugs and meets industry standards. This process guarantees that the software is reliable and performs as expected.

The centre’s quality assurance process includes both automated and manual testing, which includes functional testing, usability testing, performance testing, and security testing. It makes sure that the software is thoroughly tested and that any problems are found and fixed before it is sent to the client. 

Maintenance and support

R&D hubs provide a much-needed service by way of maintenance and support. The hubs offer continuing maintenance and support services to guarantee that their software solutions operate smoothly and adequately serve their clients.

Developers and support engineers in the center keep an eye on the code, fix bugs when they pop up and update and improve the program as needed. The customer is free to focus on running their business as usual while the R&D center watches over their software and makes sure it is always up-to-date.

Integrations

R&D facilities typically offer API integrations as an additional service. Many companies have a wide variety of software applications that they employ for various purposes; the center can combine these into one unified system that meets the requirements of each client. 

The result is a streamlined solution for the customer, with everything they need available through a single interface. The professionals at the center may help the client integrate their various software platforms (customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), human resources (HR), and more) into a single, easily accessible system. 

Cloud services

Clients can get assistance adopting cloud computing and continuing maintenance for cloud-based software solutions from software R&D centres. Scalability, accessibility, and lower overall costs are just a few of the advantages of cloud-based solutions. 

Clients can save money on software updates and maintenance with the help of software R&D centres that take advantage of cloud computing.

Experts at the center can guide customers through migrating their on-premises software to the cloud and recommend the finest cloud platforms and services. 

Training

Providing training to customers is a fundamental part of any software R&D centre’s service offering. The knowledgeable staff at the center can teach the client’s team how to install, configure, and fix software so that it is used to its fullest potential.

Summary

With the help of a software R&D center, clients can access a wide range of services, including software development, research and innovation, prototyping, testing, technical consulting, quality assurance, maintenance, integration, cloud services, training, and product development, to help them improve their existing products or create new ones and stay competitive.

5 Corporate Resources to Boost Your Business in 2023

Do you know that 60% of startups fail in their first three years? That’s a lot of people who had great ideas and were excited about their businesses throwing in the towel.

One question that comes to mind is: what if they had all the right resources to grow their businesses? Chances are that a good number of them would still be in business.

So, for your business to stay above board and thrive in the ever-competitive market, you must take advantage of the numerous corporate resources that are built to boost your business. Ready to know these tools? Let’s get to it.

What are corporate resources

The term ‘Corporate Resources’ can be vague and broad, so it’s good to be clear about what it really means. Corporate resources are tools, solutions or software that make running your business as smooth and seamless as possible. They help you save time, energy and effort.

In addition, these tools help you adapt to business trends and achieve better results. Any business not harnessing these resources will soon join the 60% failed companies. Learn how to get the most out of these business software and see the difference in your business.

5 corporate resources to boost your business in 2023

The resources collated here have been tested and trusted. They have proven to make business operations easy and fast. They are cost-effective, improve productivity and bring more profit. Go through them and determine the most suitable for your business.

Project management software

These tools are essential for managing several projects at the same time. It is designed to save you tons of time wasted waiting for one project to finish before starting another because of limited time and resources. With them, you can digitally initiate and monitor tasks, deadlines and appointments.

Project management solutions automatically initiate reminders, ensuring you don’t miss any activities and events. These reminders come with details of such events and activities. These tools also help with resource allocation, ensuring team members work on the right projects at the right time.

In addition, project management software facilitates better communication and collaboration. It keeps all stakeholders in the loop and keeps every correspondence on record for easy reference. These tools also enable easy documentation; all files and documents are saved and can be easily located when needed.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools

You must have heard about OCR and wondered what it is. Not to worry, this OCR guide by Klippa will enlighten you. In it you will learn all you need to know about optical character recognition.

Simply put, OCR helps with text recognition. It is helpful in extracting data from documents, capturing data from receipts and invoices as well as reading licence plates. With this tool, you can greatly reduce manual processes in your business. With it, you can invest time and energy in more profitable activities.

Corporate travel websites

Sometimes you will need to make business trips and the booking process can be quite stressful. Getting the best deals is a headache on its own. Add to it the arduous task of filling expense reports and you’ll agree you need help. Thankfully, travel corporate travel websites have come to the rescue. With them, you have access to larger inventories, easy booking and 24/7 support.

However, getting the appropriate corporate travel website for your company might be tricky. TravelPerk’s list of best corporate travel websites helps out here. It discusses all the criteria you must look for when shopping for a travel website and recommend some really good ones.

Customer relationship management (CRM) tools

Managing customers can be very tedious, especially for small businesses with limited resources. This is where CRM software comes in. You get to build the perfect customer base with CRM systems.

These tools help collate all your customer interactions in a central location. A CRM software is an organised system that facilitates regular communication with customers as well as within the company.

CRM tools boost customer service by collating all contacts’ data in one place. In addition, this system gathers essential customer data like demographics, buying details, habits, and so on. This information is accessible to every team member, enabling them to use it to boost customer relations and grow the business.

Apart from improved customer service, other benefits of customer relationship management tools are listed below:

– Better segmentation of customers

– Increased productivity

– Automates sales reports

– Improved sales forecasting

– Growth in sales

– Better customer retention

– Improved communication across board

– Well-detailed analytics

HR management software

Human resources management is a vital aspect of business management. The process of hiring, onboarding and managing staff can weigh an entrepreneur down. This is because the manpower needed to make this segment of business run smoothly is not usually available for a small business. An HR management software therefore becomes necessary.

These tools handle payroll, benefits, time off and other HR issues. HR tools improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace, enabling staff to focus on other important aspects of the business. Also, companies can retain staff due to talent management tools.

HR management software also helps reduce human errors in payroll and taxes, for example. Manual data entry comes with errors that are eliminated with the use of HRM software.

Invest in corporate resources for improved business growth in 2023

No one starts a business with the aim of folding it up. Every entrepreneur’s dream is to build a business that will thrive. Without the right tools, however, this dream will remain just a dream. To compete favourably and succeed in this fast-moving business world, you must leverage the right resources.

Resources that can help you stand tall among your peers include project management software, optical character recognition tools, corporate travel websites, customer relationship management tools and HR management software. When you put these tools to use in your business, you will experience productivity and growth in the new year and beyond.

How Best to Take Care of Your Employees

It’s fair to say that employee morale is key to commercial success in the digital age, which is why hybrid and remote working has continued to become so popular since the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s even more important when you consider that the UK and Western Europe have the lowest levels of employee engagement across the globe, with this coming in at just 11%.

This may have much to do with the fact that 55% of the staff members working in these regions have higher life expectations. But what steps can you take to value your employees and show that you care?

1. Provide a Safe and Compliant Workspace

Regardless of the nature of your business and its primary office space, it’s crucial that you provide a safe working environment for your employees (and one that also complies with the relevant health and safety laws in the UK).

To achieve this fully, you may first want to consider carrying out a risk assessment in your workplace, with a view to identifying the most prominent threats and areas that may not be fully compliant with existing UK law.

If you own or operate a manufacturing or construction business, your employees may handle heavy duty machinery or work in potentially challenging conditions.

In this instance, you’ll also have to ensure that staff members have access to the required personal protective equipment (PPE), including prominent items such as action work trousers, hi-vis jackets and reinforced footwear.

2. Recognise Hard Work with Rewards

One of the key issues with employee engagement and motivation revolves around a lack of recognition, as employers fail to reward their development or contributions to the accomplishment of specific company goals.

So, it’s crucial that you’re quick to recognise hard work and employee achievements, both individually and collectively within specific teams (or across the company as a whole).

How you choose to reward employees is up to you, although it may be influenced by the achievement in question. For example, individuals or teams who achieve sales’ targets could be awarded tangible, one-off prizes, such as cash incentives or team-building outings.

Conversely, employees who continue to excel and exceed expectations over an extended period of time may want to be rewarded with career progression opportunities, as they look to improve their positions and subsequent earning potential.

3. Create a Coveted Package of Employee Benefits

On a similar note, you can further incentivise new hires and employee retention through the development of attractive and (where possible) bespoke benefits packages.

These should be as broad as possible to incentivise a large number of staff members, while packages can include everything from generous bonuses and cash incentives to discounted gym members and access to cycle-to-work schemes.

This way, you can actively help to improve your employee’s work-life balance through a number of different benefits, from target-based additions to their take-home pay to schemes that promote optimal physical and mental well-being.

We’d also recommend listening to your employees and their feedback on your benefits packages. This way, you can make incremental improvements over time and tailor individual packages as and when appropriate.

5 Ways to Attract New Leads and Increase Sales in 2023

Successful companies are constantly looking to explore ways to add to their customer base. Generating leads and converting them to buy their products or services and add to their bottom line is a primary key to doing this. 

Establishing connections, engaging, and assisting your sales leads in achieving their objectives while using your product or service is how you will be able to nourish leads. While engaging, building trust and credibility, and educating your leads are vital.

Different businesses build different marketing strategies blending traditional ones and digital campaigns. But establishing connections with your audience does not seem the same as it used to be. New analytics tools are available, along with real-time data on which efforts are practical and which must be modified or discontinued. Businesses are making it by employing evolving technology and relying more on real-time data. 

Being purpose-driven in today’s competitive scenario and improving your future marketing efforts is critical, as these efforts will impact your business’s ROI, set you apart, and increase brand recognition. 

Let us walk you through some important ways to attract new leads for your business to increase sales and enhance the bottom line. But first, let us delve deeper into knowing what leads are.

Understanding a lead

When a consumer converts from a visitor to a customer—in this process, they go through a broader lifecycle, which includes leads. Any individual who expresses interest in a company’s products or services in any manner, shape, or form is considered a lead. Simply put, a lead is an individual or organisation interested in what you offer. Typically, leads hear from a company or organisation after initiating contact by sharing an email address, phone number, or even a social media profile to demonstrate interest.

A lead, sometimes known as a prospect, is a possible customer who has been contacted in a sales setting. The definition of lead changes depending on the organisation. Some businesses define a lead as a contact that has already been identified as a potential customer—others define it as any sales contact. A lead has the potential to develop into a prospective client—sales teams must convert as many leads as possible to maintain a high conversion rate.

All leads are not of the same quality. Only some people will be a lead for some companies since people have various interests and requirements. 

5 Strategies to get more leads and increase sales in 2023 

Lead generation, typically the first stage in the sales process is essential to your company’s operations and supports long-term success and progress. 

You need to start a conversation with your sales leads to develop your brand. You must assist them in achieving their objectives using your product or service to grab their attention and persuade them to convert.

Here are some effective strategies to attract new leads, convert and retain them to increase sales once you have identified your target audience.

1. Create automated campaigns using email marketing tools

According to 80% of marketers, marketing automation fosters effective lead generation. Employ a marketing automation tool to handle incoming leads, and convert site visitors into customers. With the help of automation, you will be able to schedule emails depending on how your consumers behave and engage with your brand promoting consumer loyalty and trust. 

Marketing automation software will help you automate marketing procedures, including lead nurturing, social media marketing, and email marketing. There are a variety of automation software available out there like Moosend, you can also check out some of the best alternatives to Moosend that might be a better option depending on your objectives and goals. Create an email capture funnel and simply integrate email, SMS, chat, notifications, landing sites, and more to expand your lead generation.

Sending appropriate emails with the following triggers to the right subscribers at the right time using customized triggers will help to add up new leads to your list and turn them into potential customers. 

  • Join a newsletter or free trial.
  • Choosing to join your email list 
  • Purchase one of your products or service
  • Download a free report or lead magnet
  • Sign up for a webinar

When your visitors leave their carts empty, send them emails—bring them back and use a tempting offer to encourage them to finish their transaction.

2. Focus on niche markets

Avoid attempting to sell to everyone—resources are limited, and doing so is more of a desire than a practical goal. Choose a market sector where your solution will be most effective.

The common denominator throughout diverse sales methods is a focused approach. It is highly pertinent for teams with various product offerings that serve various customer groups. As a result, you equip your sales force with the appropriate training, pitches, and pertinent resources to share with the clients if you run such a firm. This is because you have many ICPs (ideal customer profiles) to cater to. It is not wise to cast a larger net to capture business.

Instead, it is better to consider moving to a vertical strategy where salespeople specialize in only one group of customers. Each vertical has a different training and sales process, which will seem like a lot of effort at first. Scaling up will be much simpler if your firm has been optimized for the vertical divisions. 

Every employee must know what sets their products apart from their competitors. Create a compelling value proposition using your unique selling propositions for the chosen niche target market—be short and precise.

3. Adopt flexibility

Leads are essential to you and your business and are challenging to get by. Flexible businesses will react to issues and embrace new opportunities as they appear. Learning about fresh strategies and ideas from experts in and outside the field of digital marketing is essential if you want to increase sales leads.

The finest marketing plan will only last for a while if it doesn’t enable you to seize opportunities or adapt your messaging to changing market conditions. If you want to add more sales leads, your lead generation approach must be as adaptable as the audience you hope to reach. 

By employing A/B split testing, you will be able to find out which CTAs work best, which landing pages convert the best, and which strategies best engage your target audience. To find something that works, experiment with different layouts, designs, user experiences, content, and advertising channels. 

Businesses must be flexible by modifying marketing strategies with the correct insights. By connecting various sources of customer data, a customer data platform (CDP) gives you a 360-degree perspective of consumer behaviour and preferences. It will help if you modify your marketing strategies based on recent developments or developing trends that are relevant to particular client profiles.

4. Keep an eye on your website analytics

Conversions are the end objective of digital marketing strategies. A conversion from a digital advertisement or piece of content often refers to an online purchase for businesses. A lead makes a purchase after clicking on a blog post or product advertisement link. 

Website analytics give you accurate data and analytics on how visitors use your site, including their age, gender, and location. They also show you how they accessed your site (traffic source), the most popular material there, the overall number of conversions, and other information. 

Marketers frequently include many lead sources in their digital marketing plans. The same promotion launch or strategy will incorporate pay-per-click advertisements, landing sites, blog posts, videos, and emails. These all gather leads, point viewers to the online store, and target different sales funnel phases. It is insufficient to consider total e-commerce sales of a good or service as the yardstick for achievement.

Connect your Analytics account with Google search console to track which search queries are driving the most traffic to your website so that you will understand what leads and current customers are doing on your website. It gives accurate information on the overall number of clicks, impressions, average CTR, and average position.

5. Use appropriate lead generation tools

The most effective marketing teams manage and store their leads using a structured framework. Lead generation software and solutions are useful in this situation. These technologies enable you to gather information about the visitors to your website, including their email addresses, the sites they viewed, their nautical patterns, and their actions both before and after submitting a lead conversion form.

Several available tools and templates will help you generate various lead-generating materials on your website. These tools include software for lead creation, CTA templates, form-scraping tools, visitor monitoring tools, and many others.

Increasing sales in 2023Finding your target group of ideal clients is the first step in lead generation. Have a thorough grasp of your target market and start activating them with the appropriate automation technologies to generate leads for your company.

Keep coming up with fantastic deals, landing pages, CTAs, etc., and advertise them in multi-channel settings. Combine and match several marketing channels for the best outcomes. Keep an eye on the marketing environment and make adjustments to your strategy, if needed. Most business owners need to be able to expand their operations by anticipating future trends and knowing how to counter them or take advantage of them.

How Effective Images Can Boost Brand Recognition

Brand

In today’s corporate world, brands are competing for the attention of potential customers across various types of media. From slick TV adverts and viral social media campaigns to how well-presented a company website is, images matter to the modern consumer. For example, digital menu items with images beside them enjoyed a 6.5% increase in sales compared to those without.

It’s important, then, to focus your attention on creating and producing visually impressive images across the board to boost your marketing ROI and improve the connection your customers have with you. Let’s look at the best ways to achieve better brand recognition through effective imagery.

 

Visual branding

Companies can use visual branding techniques such as images, videos, infographics and even logos or mascots to help create a lasting impression on their consumers. Research published by The Mill in 2021 discovered that brands with a mascot or character can increase profit and emotional connection with customers by 41%. But while a mascot or character isn’t a good fit for every brand, visual marketing does impact all companies.

From the font that makes up your company logo to your social media videos, every piece of visual content makes up part of your branding. To remain in the minds of consumers, establishing easily recognisable and memorable imagery is an essential step towards successful visual branding. Large companies are so effective at this they can convey which brand they are through little more than a colour scheme, particular font or just an element of their logo.

 

Consistency is critical

Continuing with the theme of building brand recognition, consistency is an element that cannot be overlooked and it should be a mainstay of your marketing strategy. Whether it’s thousands of pictures for your online store or your watermark for social media posts, keeping to a theme and style is critical for familiarity with your customers.

Chopping and changing your style every time you create an image can be confusing to those who associate your brand with a certain aesthetic only for it to alter the next time they see your visual communications. One of the primary reasons why boosting brand recognition is important to businesses is because it helps build loyalty within your customer base, which is a role that consistency plays significantly.

Changing the way you present yourself as a brand too often can muddy those waters and sets an inconsistent message and tone in your communications. Companies want their customers to view them as professional, reliable and trustworthy but if your marketing materials are not in line with each other, then you could be shooting yourself in the foot. Visual consistency is particularly important for businesses with a visual element at their core, such as a design studio or fashion brand.

 

Powering growth through social media

Digital marketing helps companies and brands to reach larger audiences than they would through traditional marketing means. Through effective SEO techniques and a holistic approach to your digital profile, brands can quickly improve traffic and conversions through smart digital marketing. When it comes to social media, companies must be able to strike a chord with their followers to stop them from scrolling past their posts.

That is where effective and creative imagery can make a significant impact and as a brand, you should aim to show people who you are, what your mission is and what makes you different through the lens of your photos. From visualising a new concept to adding a splash of colour, captivating your audience through strong social media campaigns increases your visibility, which strengthens brand recognition.

 

Effective product photography 

When it comes to digital marketing, the presentation of your products is essential because it is often the only way a customer can see it before they make a purchase. A staggering 93% of consumers consider visual appearance the biggest deciding factor in purchasing decisions. For that reason, it is important to take pictures of your products from multiple angles to ensure that consumers can build a better picture of what they are buying.

People don’t want to take a leap of faith each time they buy something online, and it can be a real barrier to building trust if your products are not presented well. With fewer people trusting in you, it becomes hard to grow your reputation and ultimately, brand recognition.

Thankfully, elevating your product photography doesn’t need to be complicated and there is just a small selection of key areas that make the world of difference:

  • Using proper lighting – This avoids dark spots and elevates your product photographs to a professional standard.
  • Finding the right background – Typically a plain white background lets your product speak for itself. Different styles and materials are also an option depending on how they work with your branding.
  • Adding details – You can add background elements that complement your product or help show it off in a more natural environment.
  • Quality over quantity – While you should have a range of images that showcase your product from different angles, you can overdo it. Focus on a short collection of consistent, high-quality product images rather than a cluster of randomly assembled photos.

 

Telling your brand story

Images can convey messages much faster than text so they are a great tool for telling your brand story quickly. In fact, the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text so they are a powerful tool for getting your brand identity across effectively. While some of your customers may wish to delve into the backstory of how you came to be, most are seeking a quick insight into what your company stands for, how you can help improve their lives and why they can identify with you.

Evoking emotions and setting expectations through strong visual storytelling ensures that potential customers align themselves with your brand quickly. Brands use colour psychology to quickly convey the type of industry they work in or to create strong emotions and feelings. For example, Coca-Cola uses red to evoke feelings of fun, energy and positivity.

 

Strong visuals power brand recognition

Brand recognition is important for sustained success and the images you use go a long way to cultivating it. From minor communications to marketing campaigns and product images, choosing the right visuals for your customers can quickly build brand loyalty, grab people’s attention and boost sales.