​In grade school children are taught PEMDAS, an acronym meaning Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, Subtract. It is a tool to ensure that the correct solution is found when solving complex math equations. That is the role of Sales Operations teams. 
 
Sales Operations work as a brain or a logic board in a computer. They take in complex data, analyze it, synthesize it, and return output intended to keep things running smoothly. Sales Operations teams achieve this by examining training, sales teams, and system management and then implementing strategic plans that streamline the process from marketing all the way to closure of sales. 
 
First, a sales Operations team analyzes the company itself. What is the product? Who is our target market? What are our company objectives? Using these questions, the process is begun. They analyze the market trends, the metrics of how the company is performing in relation to the above questions. They then take this preliminary data and work towards addressing blockages in the flow of sales and effectiveness of tactics across all components of the various branches of the company. This often begins with the sales teams. 
 
Sales teams need to be efficient, prepared, and capable of carrying out their practices and procedures. Sales Operations will often begin with creating hiring procedures with Human Resources in order to create an excellent talent pool. From this baseline they then move towards providing that talent with everything they need to stay motivated, skilled, and on top of their market. 
 
Sales Ops will help sales agents with product knowledge, backed by quality content, so that they can better inform their clients which leads to trust and loyalty. Sales Ops will then structure territories, incentive programs, and training programs to keep employees happy and competitive in their market. As the sales team moves forward with these various elements and strategies, Sales Ops will analyze the incoming data and adjust over time so that the sales team can remain competitive. But Sales Operations work with the sales team is not just about the human element. 
 
Sales Ops is in charge of what tools of the trade the team will utilize to make their work efficient. This includes proposal building software, automated email scripts, CRMs, and other technological aids that allow the sales team to not become bogged in the minutiae of daily operations. The important balance that Sales Ops also needs to strike however, is not then bogging the team down with too many, or too complicated, technological aids. The goal is always efficiency in the system. Though sales, and the sales team, is the chief focus of Sales Operations they must also work closely with other company elements.
 
Sales Ops needs to be in consistent communication with all high-level members of the company. This includes C-level executives to heads of marketing. Communication in the company community ensures that the procedures Sales Operations is trying to enact do not break with company objectives or cause friction with the departments sales works closely with. Sales Ops can also help create marketing strategies with the marketing team based on the data they receive from sales, keeping everyone focused on the right target even as it shifts over time. 
 
The goal of Sales Operations is efficiency. The product of the modern age, Sales Ops teams are becoming more prevalent and more skilled with each passing year, and their importance cannot be overstated. By working with all levels of company management, analyzing the data, and organizing the company marching orders Sales Operations are designed to help keep everyone on target, on message, and most importantly in the black. 
 
Come back soon for our future breakdown of roles in a Sales Operations team and common tools of the trade.
 

Is your business keeping up with the digital revolution? If you want to generate more leads and increase your customer base, it's best you create a website. If you’re not tech-savvy the prospect of creating a website may seem daunting, but we’re here to tell you that you don’t need to be a tech geek to build your website. 

Weebly takes the coding out of website design and building so all you have to focus on is dragging and dropping templates and text to create a website that represents your business in the online world. There’s a reason that over 40 million people and businesses use Weebly to power their websites.
 
Here are 7 reasons to like Weebly websites:
 
1.  Ease of Use
Weebly is the simplest website builder out there. Using its drag and drop format to build a professional website could feasibly be done in just a few hours. Even the most advanced templates and tools on Weebly are simple to understand and easy to use.

2.  Flexible Templates
Not only are Weebly’s templates up-to-date, eye-catching, and trendy, they are beautifully presented on all screens.  No matter if a visitor is viewing your website from a home-based computer, a laptop, a tablet, or a mobile phone, the website will always display the appearance that you created.

3.  SEO 
Every business wants their website to show up on Google and other popular search engines. Weebly provides its website builders with a tab dedicated to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which has all the options and advanced settings that makes it easy for Google and other popular search engines to find your site.

4.  Widgets and Tools 
Weebly’s widgets and tool make your website more interactive and user-friendly, which keeps people on your site longer and increases the chance of visitors becoming customers. You can place the chat widget on your website, making it convenient for visitors to communicate with you or other representatives of your business. Weebly tools like Accordion and Tabs allow you to format your website in ways that are visually appealing and comprehensible.

5.  Powerful Blog
Blogging is one of the best ways for businesses to build their online presence. Using keywords in your blog posts can even improve your SEO! Thankfully, Weebly has bloggers covered using the same easy-to-use drag and drop format. Weebly’s blogs can stand alone or be incorporated into a larger site depending on your needs.

6.  E-Commerce
“What we set out to do is empower smaller merchants to have the same checkout experience as Amazon. Let’s give them the tools to effectively compete," David Rusenko, Weebly’s CEO says it all. Not only are Weebly-based e-commerce sites easy to build, they have a smooth user-interface, making it easy for customers to get the products they need and want.
 
7.  Visitor Statistics 
Every business owner knows to track their stats. Weebly provides a free Hit Counter, which accurately tracks the amount of visitors to your site by their IP address. The provided statistics help you run your business more easily, giving you data that reveal which of your marketing tactics work best and bring in more traffic.
 
If you’d like more information or any business consultation to help your business grow to its potential, feel free to contact us!

Weebly Websites Charlotte, Weebly Websites Austin

They lurk in the shadows. They feed when no one is watching. And you invited them in. 

They are your monthly and annual subscriptions and they are here to suck you dry. 

For many people, both professionally and personally, keeping track of where money goes is a universal concern. With the rise of auto-renewal and subscription services it has never been easier to lose track of who is getting paid what and how much they are being paid. 

“Vampire Debt” is the process by which these subscriptions and auto-paying services begin to accumulate and drain your bank account of money, but are done quietly and slowly enough that it goes unnoticed. Thankfully there are ways to kill vampires. 

As in many circumstances the first step is identifying the problem. In this instance it begins with a series of questions. 

•    How many subscriptions or auto-pays are currently operating?
•    Who and what are they and what value do they provide?
•    How much do they cost?
•    Are they all being paid from one account or from several? If several, how many?

These four questions should begin to frame the problem fully and allow for ample understanding of the current situation. From here the problem can begin to be addressed fully. 

Following the diagnosis comes the decision making process. Examine the items and determine what services or subscriptions are critical. If it is used daily or is the cornerstone to the system, designate it as “Keep”. From there take any other service or subscription and weigh its value to its cost. Systematically move through each service and designate it as “Keep” or “Cancel”. 

Once everything is labeled it is time to consolidate. Begin by shutting down all services or subscriptions designated as “Cancel”. Then take all the services marked “Keep” and place them under as few payment accounts (credit cards) as possible. If they can be moved to a single card do so. That will make it easier to manage and maintain monthly. 

With the vampires removed the final step is vigilance. At least twice a year re-do the process as needed and make sure any new services stay within your current system. In no time at all your Dracula sized will be reduced to little Vampire Bat. 

By: Paul Davis, Jr.

With everything you have on your plate, why should you prioritize reputation management? Because 81% of online shoppers conduct research before they make their big purchases, and your company won't make the cut if it's dogged by dissatisfied reviews or negative journalism. Here are 4 ways to keep your online reputation strong and attractive.

1. Address false claims. Do regular online searches on your company name and products. See what the competition and your customers are saying about you.  If it's not true, intervene, and don't forget to involve your legal team if necessary.

2. Correct misinformation. If you see false information published about your company or its products, don't just call it out. Provide the correct information and request that it replace the false material.  If this is impossible, request that it be displayed as an addendum where it will have maximum visibility to site visitors.

3. Answer common questions accurately. Potential and existing customers often ask the same questions repeatedly. Draft a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document and post it on your website. Make sure it's available to your customer service staff.  Making your answers consistent makes misunderstanding far less likely.

4. Appreciate positive feedback.  When you get glowing reviews or testimonials, make sure to offer your thanks.  Satisfied customers are your reputation's lifeblood, and they are (unfortunately) less likely to take time to write a review than someone with a gripe.  Make sure you show your gratitude!
Reputation management is a key element of any digital marketing strategy, and these 4 concepts will help your company shine in the online marketplace.  Do you have more questions? Let us know, and we can help you build a strategy tailored to your organization's needs.

Tags: The Importance of Reputation Management, Online Reputation Management, Reputation Management a Digital Marketing Strategy

Today's online marketplace is highly competitive and most businesses that are looking for growth and ways to attract potential customers will need to establish a strong online presence. Having a good online reputation is key to attracting new clients or customers to receive products or services from prospective companies.

What Hurts An Online Reputation?
There are many ways in which an online reputation is negatively impacted. This includes false claims that someone has placed online, misinformation that is dissuading, and complaints. Any of these linked to a particular business can hurt the overall impression that online viewers have regarding a company. Taking steps to minimize the impact that negative information has on a business through reputation management is highly effective.

Steps To Take Control
Managing an online reputation consists of more than simply addressing negative information. It also incorporates the use of positive customer interaction. For example, it would benefit a company to leave a thank you to customers that leave positive feedback. It is also a great idea to interact with customers that have questions about products or services that a company may offer. Answering questions appropriately can also drive traffic to a website. Closely monitoring all of these interactions and occurrences is the best way to improve and maintain a positive online reputation.

Reputation is critically important for all sizes of business. Preserve online reputation by using an experienced company that can monitor and address concerns that could affect company image. For more information contact us. Incorporate every advantage for boosting image and reputation to boost website traffic and sales.

Tags: Importance of Reputation Management, Reputation Management Services, What Hurts Online Reputations,

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. These are all household names that harbor a dark secret. Reputation. That's right. Your reputation is built around your image on social media sites. This is the first place in which people search your name and you wouldn't want a bad rep to ruin your business image. With our Reputation Management, worrying about what you post on social media becomes a thing of the past. 

Here are 10 Quick Tips About Reputation Management.

1. Have a social media presence:
Having no social media presence can be just as bad as having a negative presence. Facebook, Twitter, etc. can all help your business succeed and grow with positive reviews and engaging content. It also helps customers connect in a way that is preferable for them, resulting in more customer loyalty. 

2. Blog:
A proper blog will help drive traffic to your website. Using the proper SEO tactics can make or break your blog. Once there, clients can read more about your business and how you can help them. 

3. Ignore the trolls:
Too many times, well-meaning businesses allow themselves to interact too much with customers. Arguing with the public is a big no-no and will only hurt your credibility. 

4. Apologize:
That's right. Apologize. Apologizing not only shows that you are in control of your actions, it shows that you care enough about your customers and clients to make things right.
 
5. Listen:
If a client complains about a product or service, listen to them. They could be voicing something that other customers are feeling but are too afraid to say. Listen to complaints and come up with a way to rectify the situation and keep the client satisfied. This is how you gain a loyal following. 

6. Originality:
Be bold, be creative. Adding a bit of flair to your online presence can do wonders for separating you from the competition. People will remember that you stood out as a leader and will return to you because of it. 

7. Rep Watch:
Have someone check all your online presence frequently, to catch any mistakes as they may come up and to deal with any negative reviews swiftly. 

8. Press Releases:
Writing press releases for new products and services can be a great way to get the world out quickly across all platforms. You'll have a definite edge up on the competition that doesn't. These also rank high in Google keyword searches.

9. Wikipedia:
Wikipedia should never be ignored. With the ability for people to edit a page at a whim, it's imperative you keep an eye on your Wikipedia page (if you have one) almost daily. 

10. Hire a Reputation Management Company:
Social media and online web presence in general can be a hard thing to manage on your own.  Please contact us and we can help you optimize your web and social media presence so you can focus on making the most of your business. 

NextStep Marketing Reputation Management
 

Reputation management is a tricky business. With the growth of social media platforms, businesses have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a positive presence on these platforms. For many, striking a happy balance between social media involvement and a positive reputation is tough, especially considering the amount of time it takes.
However, there is now an easy way to create and maintain a strong and positive presence online. Thanks to reputation management services, brands and businesses can carve out a niche for themselves online. Here are three reasons why we love reputation management services.

1) Help you fix PR disasters...or rather, avoid them completely
Reputation management services can help businesses solve crises in a timely, and efficient manner. No business is safe from a public relations nightmare or two, but having a service to help actively prevent these incidents is necessary. Everyone makes mistakes, and no business is immune to that.
Having the right team to help manage a crisis when it arises is a major stress relief for many. Employing the right reputation management services ensures that you can operate your business free of PR disasters since they are able to help you actively avoid those.

2) They help you establish a consistent voice for your brand
Businesses often struggle with creating a personality for their brand. Some prefer lightheartedness, while others prefer a more serious tone for their business. Reputation management services can tap into what your brand's personality is, and keep it consistent across the board.
Rather than trying to tackle it on your own, let the service make your brand stand out. By having a clear and consistent voice, your brand can stand out and attract and retain loyalty from customers to cement your positive reputation. 
​
3) Provide key insights on engagement with customer base
Reputation management services are on the forefront, engaging with your customer base. Since they are interacting with them so much, they can give you valuable insights on what content resonates with them so you can tailor your strategy accordingly. Use their feedback and observations to carve out a marketing strategy tailored to your customers and what they are interested in for a more personalized experience.
For more information on reputation management and how it can help you, please do not hesitate to contact us.

NextStep Marketing
Carolina Reputation Management
Charlotte Reputation Management

Even though the boom in digital marketing is often attributed to improvements in web and social media tools, email marketing - - the backbone of online business for a generation now - - is alive and well. Per DMR, “Email marketing has spanned the various stages of digital marketing evolution and is still growing stronger than ever.” As email users and platforms have become more sophisticated, so have the fertile minds of marketing experts.  
 
Back in the old days, email was such a novel medium that users read everything that came into their inboxes, which was a gold mine for marketers.  Now that practically all aspects of human life involve email, savvy users delete more messages than they read, and are careful who has their email addresses.  Their email software helps them by pulling messages that look like marketing directly into a "Junk" folder. These two major developments have led some people to steer away from email marketing--but they're making a mistake. Here are two key ways to make an impact in this brave new world of email.

Bring your audience to you.  Use inbound marketing techniques to persuade your customers to engage with you based on the content you provide on your website or social media, whether it's blogs like this one, links to research and related resources, humor, analysis or reviews.  When they are interested enough to give you their email addresses, you can personalize your outgoing emails based on what content they focused on during their visit to your site/page.

Get creative with your message. Since inbound marketing is about appealing to the customer prior to engagement rather than making a sale, your follow-up emails need to keep the momentum going. If you are emailing customers who enjoyed the side-by-side reviews on your website, save a couple to add to your outbound emails.  If you are reaching out to individuals who wanted to know more about the specs of your product, don't just send them the link to a specs list; create an infographic that shows the advantages of each spec. category in an easy-to-remember visual format.

Email marketing has shifted from the primary outreach tool to the follow-up, the "hook" that transforms an interested web or social media viewer to a potential customer. It's the outstretched hand of the relationship that you are trying to build. Let us know if you have any questions about how targeted, individualized email marketing can help your business.  By making it a seamless part of your overall digital marketing strategy, you can make email marketing work for you better than it ever has before.

NextStep Marketing Your Email Marketing Expert

​With more and more companies and businesses establishing a presence on social media, it's more crucial than ever to make sure your LinkedIn profile shines. It's not just about filling in your information -- even though that is a big part of it. It's about using the right information in the right places. Having a great LinkedIn profile takes some hard work and the proper knowledge, but it's worth it. A properly filled out profile can help you find new clients or land that new job.

• Use your full name. Using your full first and last name will help people connect with you better. It's best not to use nicknames here. 
• Craft your headline wisely. Make sure it describes you as a professional, and helps you stand out in your field. Get creative, but keep it short!
• Profile Photo is a must! Having a great photo is key. Keep it professional but friendly -- you want to appear approachable but not too casual. No duck face, crazy backgrounds, or family pets -- you want to appear as you would if you were at work. 
• Fill out your background summary and experience. Tell people what you've been doing, how you've been doing it, and where you want to go in the future. Adding social media links, awards, video clips, screenshots, slide shows, or even links to articles that mention you or your work is a great way to back your information up and show that you are who you say you are. 
• List your skills, projects, awards, certifications, and education. This information helps mesh with everything else you've included, and showcases who you are and where you've been in your professional life.

LinkedIn is your social media version of a resume, so it helps to remember that if you wouldn't put it on your resume or say it in an interview, then you don't want it on your profile. Keeping the tone creative but professional will help you tremendously. You can find more great tips to help you maximize the impact of your profile in this great article. 
If you have any more questions or would like feedback, please feel free to contact us!
​
NextStep Marketing
Digital Marketing Charlotte
Sales Marketing & Business Development

In today's web, content truly is king and without your own original material, it's very difficult to make your site stand out from the rest. Creating content seems simple but there actually quite a few common challenges you might face when trying to come up with your own. Below are some tips to help guide you along the way to creating original content that sticks and makes people want to come back. 

1. Writers don’t understand their audience
When a writer doesn't know their audience well, the writing always suffers. Knowing an audience's likes and behaviors can help craft writing into a piece that resonates with them better. 

2. They Lack in-depth knowledge about the business
Just because someone is a great writer doesn't make them qualified to write the best content for a business. Without a comprehensive understanding of the business, the writing can be hollow and be a waste of time for readers who may not come back to read more after considering it of little value. 

3. Create content that is full of fluff
Content that is full of fluff is one of the worst kinds there is next to clickbait. Readers want to be feel respected so when they spend there time reading nonsense, it's almost certain they will not want to come back for more. Make sure an editor that understands the business looks at a piece before it is published to ensure that it's of some value for readers. 

4. Overselling and telling the same story
Overselling is something that happens a lot when it comes to the content that business produce. Save the overselling for other industry sites. You don't want your content to sound like propaganda and something out of an infomercial. 

5. Don’t provide enough facts
If you don't provide enough facts in your content, it won't seem believable. People are comforted by statistics and studies so make you try to incorporate it as much as you can when it's relevant. 

6. Don’t quote sources or provide references
Similar to #5, without sources to cite, the information provided may not be trusted by readers. Most people probably will not check the source material, but they do recognize when it's been listed. Doing so makes a piece seem more authoritative and less like "sales-speak"

7. Provide uninteresting headlines
Just like newspapers, a good headline is everything. A good headline should be able to capture attention immediately and spark interest. Sometimes headlines are too long or provide too much information due to SEO efforts but if you are going to be posting content on social media, its better to have a evocative headline than marketing phrases. 

8. Inconsistent schedule and blog post
For a blog to be successful, the single most important thing you need to do is ensure that it is consistently updated. Try planning posts in 2 week intervals to keep things on a schedule and topical. The best blogs are updated daily but for businesses that may be a bit much. Instead try 2 posts a week. 

9. Don’t have enough guidance from management
Sometimes top management are not heavily involved on the content side of the business. Without a company's management team treating a blog or social media channels as a serious endeavor, the content can flail. Be sure to always have someone responsible for content that interfaces with upper management. It adds a layer of accountability to it. 

If you need help creating content, please don't hesitate to contact us today and visit our blog daily.