You may sit blankly staring out a window most days pondering, ‘If only there was a way to streamline my business operations and experience joy again.’ The reality is, your business doesn’t have to merely survive day-to-day. You can put systems in place that allow you to run your company more efficiently and finally feel like the boss you are (both literally and in the 80s lingo).
Enter Zoho, the one-stop shop for business automation goodness.
As official Zoho Partners, we are obviously huge fans of the platform and we see how its integrations improve business operations big and small.
We’ll also show no shame in admitting that Zoho is (beautifully) complex. It’s a platform that takes time to learn and ultimately, conquer.
Enter The Workflow Academy–where Zoho One begins to make a little more sense to the everyday user!
Afterall, every time a bell rings, a Zoho user becomes a Zoho Master (or something like that).
In a nutshell, The Workflow Academy is the superior spot for Zoho training. Whether you’re the team’s Zoho Admin or are all-in hanging out in the deep end of the platform, The Workflow Academy has a course with your name on it.
Have you been on the fence about getting Zoho for your business?
Here’s your sign to go for it!
Oh, and a helpful statistic to drive the benefits home–92% of employees say having technology that helps them do their job efficiently affects their work satisfaction, according to a study by Ultimate Software.
Now that you know you can have an amazing platform to help run your business and learn how to master, what is there to lose?
Go ahead and make your free Zoho One account here.
We’ll wait for you!
[cheesy elevator music]
Congrats! You’re officially in the game with Zoho One now.
Let’s continue to walk through the perks of TWA and get you enrolled in their free course.
At Woggle, we see clients that don’t realize the areas they’re losing valuable leads, revenue, or customer satisfaction until they start using Zoho and see the data roll in.
Spoiler alert: sometimes it’s areas they least expect or think they’re excelling in.
Not only does your business thrive when problem areas are identified and remedied; employees are able to focus on what they do best with a little help from their friend (automation).
So, what does The Workflow Academy help Zoho users perfect?
Here’s what we love about the courses over at The Workflow Academy:
✅Their online courses are free to Zoho users (yes, please!).
✅Learning is made easy to access across all devices.
✅There are so many courses to choose from! (Zoho One, Zoho Books, Zoho Projects, oh my!)
✅Empowering your staff to understand Zoho on a deeper advanced level
✅Get a better understanding of how Zoho works on the backend
✅Learn how to properly architect a solution that will work for your company
✅Diagnose needs and find a partner that will work well with you to create a customized solution
Pro Tip: Read our blog post on why hiring a Zoho consultant is the right move (objectively, of course).
As we mentioned, The Workflow Academy allows your business to pinpoint issues in your workflow that may be damaging customer satisfaction results. All businesses aren’t created equally and learning how to use Zoho will guide you to championing the unique nuances of each aspect of your business.
For example, your ideal client or customer may not need an extensive onboarding process, but setting it on autopilot can still save your company time (and time is money).
Still eager to learn more about how Zoho is an all-inclusive super machine for automation?
Read more about how Zoho SalesIQ’s Customer-First Approach Can Boost Your Business here.
We’ve mentioned (obsessively) how Zoho integrations can skyrocket revenue, customer satisfaction, and daily operations. The real beauty of Zoho is the compatibility it has with both B2B and B2C models.
The Workflow Academy equips your Zoho agency to know every small nuance of the platform as well as how to troubleshoot and personalize it for your unique business needs.
This means you become an expert on all things Zoho including:
The list goes on!
Zoho can feel like a complex beast, but really, it can be tamed! Investing in your knowledge of how your chosen CRM platform works is the best thing you can do for your business!
Read more about Zoho’s magical features like Zoho Surveys and Zoho Social in our other blog post.
The main gist?
Your business can run as efficiently as you’re willing to invest in automation.
The Workflow Academy takes you from out of the loop to expert. Don’t be the person who invests in a phenomenal tool, but doesn’t learn how to use it.
Eager to learn more about The Workflow Academy? Check them out here!
Jump in head-first by opening a free Zoho account.
Now that you’re convinced CRMs are more than worth it for your business, you’ve probably consulted the almighty Google and encountered your worst nightmare: options.
Okay, okay- options are good to have (most of the time). However, when deciding what’s worth paying for and what’s not worth the risk, multiple options can get a bit overwhelming.
Yummy options at the Thanksgiving table? Good. Many restaurant options when deciding where to go for dinner with your partner? Bad (very bad).
Lucky for you, we are here to make one choice a little easier! Recently we took a look at Zoho CRM vs Hubspot’s CRM, and today we are diving into Zoho vs Salesforce Sales Cloud. Who will come out on top? Let’s see!
Salesforce and Zoho have both created CRMs that help your business continuously grow and run smoothly. With that said, their focus over the years has been a little different. Zoho has placed more of an emphasis (and more of their budget) on research and development, while Salesforce focuses more on marketing and promotion.
Zoho has found it important to develop a CRM fit for small/medium businesses all the way to enterprise level. Salesforce has focused more on the enterprise level and gradually worked their way to more mid-market ventures.
While both approaches are absolutely fine, choosing between the two will depend on the size of your business and your goals!
In terms of user-friendliness and how much experience you would need to operate the platform, Zoho CRM seems to be easier. Not that Salesforce is difficult to utilize, but Zoho truly caters to users of all experience levels. We noticed that Salesforce would probably be optimal if operated by a dedicated team.
Both CRMs include a high level of customization capabilities (and you know we like that!) Salesforce’s Lightning App Builder seems to be top notch, allowing users to create custom layouts and records. A similar feature in Zoho would be Canvas. One customizable feature that is exclusive to Zoho CRM would be custom buttons, which is seemingly unavailable in Salesforce.
It’s worthwhile to note that with Salesforce, many of the customization features seem to only be available for higher packages. Customization for Zoho is much more accessible to all user levels.
Lead gathering and nurturing is a huge component behind CRM usage, so both Zoho and Salesforce have solid process building and lead scoring features. In an all out feature battle between Zoho and Salesforce, Zoho seems to have a more comprehensive set of lead tools in their toolbox. Salesforce’s lead tools seem to be more basic, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with perfecting the basics! Again, choosing between the two will largely depend on what you and your business are looking for.
One cool feature to mention? Sales representatives can scan a business card and Zoho CRM will easily convert the information into a contact! Zoho CRM can also create leads from social media platforms, which you cannot do with Salesforce unless you pay for the Social Studio plugin.
Although a little weaker with the social media integrations, Salesforce can generate solid leads by integrating with Outlook and Gmail, which is definitely a convenient tool.
It’s no mystery that Zoho has some excellent integration capabilities (we talk about it constantly)! Unfortunately, this is where Salesforce really fell short for us.
With Zoho CRM, you can seamlessly integrate with over 40 other Zoho products like Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, and Zoho Sign; Salesforce doesn’t have that perk.
One thing that really suffers from this lack of integration power? Team collaboration. Zoho CRM has Workplace, a convenient way to effectively communicate with coworkers and employees. Through apps like Cliq, Meeting, and Workdrive, you can share documents and updates with the click of a button. With Zoho CRM you can also incorporate third party applications like Microsoft Teams and Slack for ultimate team collaboration!
While Zoho users can integrate with third-party applications no matter the CRM edition, Salesforce only allows this in the top packages. You can’t utilize popular applications like ZenDesk, MailChimp or Quickbooks until you pay for the Professional or higher Salesforce Sales Cloud packages.
Ah, the inevitable price discussion. In a side by side comparison, Zoho is indeed cheaper than Salesforce Sales Cloud. Zoho also offers a free version of their CRM (with limited users), whereas Salesforce only has the free trial. Both offer a 30 day free trial.
Both pricing models are centered around standard (essentials), professional, enterprise, and ultimate packages. Each CRM bills you per user, offering monthly or annual subscriptions. So, again, depending on the size of your company and your ultimate goals, either could be the better fit- you’ll just have to decide which one is worth the investment!
So, as an epic entrepreneur, what is your CRM focus? Leads? Integrations? Customization? Don’t worry, we’ll quit asking you questions (eventually)!
Whether you are just starting out or you’re a well-established business, there’s a CRM out there for you. It’s all about finding the one that suits your needs the best! Even though it requires a little bit of research, we are confident one will be a perfect fit.
Let us know if you end up choosing Zoho CRM or Salesforce Sales Cloud- we’d love to hear your opinions on the topic!
Sometimes things seem just too darn good to be true: Why is that priced so low? Why does this guy have so many open appointments? Why is this hotel so much cheaper than the surrounding hotels? Sometimes it saves you time and money to be skeptical (or it might just save you from being the subject of a horror movie down the road).
Well Woggle friends, it just so happens we have done what we always do: tons of research about all the advantages and disadvantages behind a product. But guess what? We found something where we simply could not find a reason not to use it, no matter how deep we went digging! So, today we’d love to introduce you to this bundle of perfection: Zportals!
Zportals gets its name from being aligned with one of our favorite companies: Zoho! We never thought using Zoho could get any easier, then Zportals entered the scene!
Zportals is a web portal plug-in that integrates with Zoho CRM and several other commonly used Zoho applications; it’s a one-stop shop for users to access all their Zoho products in one place. Instead of multiple apps and logins, users can simply go to their website and use Zportals for a unified and consolidated experience.
Although Zportals only currently integrates with 8 Zoho products (plus Google Maps), the options are endless for future integrations! And it’s worth mentioning that Zportals only works with WordPress sites– BUT there are ways around this if your site is not through WordPress. We’d explain this to you further, but to be honest, we just aren’t techy enough for that (so we’ll leave that piece to the experts).
Okay, finally– a con! Zportals would not make a great name for a bandwagon! Anyways, we have compiled some (but certainly not all) advantages of using Zportals:
No need for coding skills here! Zportals makes it easy for you to set-up your portal and customize it to your liking. Set-up is a breeze, and there are a ton of resources on their website (and YouTube) to get you started.
While we are on the topic of customization, we might as well discuss how Zportals allows tons of it! You can customize individual client access and “sub” portals. You can also choose to allow clients to self-register or have to wait for an invite from your CRM.
Your portal can be built to fully match your current website, ensuring brand consistency and avoiding confusion. Create an appealing summary of data for a client’s profile or embed videos. You can even incorporate links within a profile that are unique to that client’s history/information.
Tweak the layout, add banners, adjust the colors- you name it and you can customize it to your preferences. And if you happen to shift your brand around, the portal won’t be a nightmare to fix!
Zoho takes pride in their emphasis on data security, and Zportals is no different. Information is encrypted as it travels between your website and Zoho, plus you don’t have to worry about other data storage options and fees. Zportals customers can control what their clients can access and edit, giving them even more control over information.
There isn’t just one use for Zportals! No matter the type of business you have, you can probably utilize it in some way. Here are some great examples of business types that can benefit:
Marketing firms- Need to access a client’s social media account or other password protected accounts? Skip using something way less secure like emails or texts– Zportals allows secure transfer of sensitive information like this through the use of Zoho Vault. Additionally, the client would be able to access analytics and other valuable insight through their portal.
Subscription-based services (like cleaning services and yard maintenance) - Through the clients portal, a company can share task lists and distribute invoices. The client can also easily manage their payment information and subscription details.
Human resources- Companies can utilize Zportals for training and onboarding, as well as access to documents and getting contracts signed.
Ecommerce- A product-based website can use Zportals to help clients access purchase histories and other information. It can integrate with Zoho Inventory, keeping track of what’s in stock and what to reorder.
Portals can also be used for customers to register product serial numbers for a rebate/coupon. Zoho can determine whether that serial number has already been registered or not and keep track of all information along those lines.
Real estate- If you’ve ever purchased a house, you very well could have utilized a portal through your realtor. A portal like this allows for easy and efficient communication and timely updates on new properties. Plus, being another document-heavy process, a portal could easily make this portion simpler.
Accounting firm/CPA- Avoiding the never-ending paperwork that comes with managing people’s finances? A solution like Zportals may help with this! Integrate with Zoho Books and keep all the numbers easily accessible in one place. Subportals can be created if a client does both their personal taxes and business taxes through the same CPA (because who really wants to sift through that potential mess?)
Who wants to build brand loyalty, increase website traffic and manage all their Zoho products in one place? We certainly do! If that sounds like something that may interest you and your company, you may want to consider Zportals. We can almost guarantee they have a solution that is just what you and your clients need! Check them out today!
Want to find out how we can help you? Book a free consultation with our team, and we’ll see how your business can go from striving to thriving.
We have officially entered the era of data-backed decisions and online solutions! Yes, gone are the days of endless file cabinets and office trinkets most millennials wouldn’t be able to identify (we’ll let you use your imagination on that one).
It’s 2022– you probably wouldn’t be where you are without a solid website or some kind of SaAS running behind your operations. What tactics and strategies have you added to your business that has helped with sustainable growth and continued success?
If your answer doesn’t include a CRM, but you have seriously contemplated utilizing a CRM, you’re in the right place! We definitely encourage business owners to give CRMs a try, and we imagine managing your customer relationships (along with just about everything else), all from one place is pretty tempting!
The right CRM solution is going to be different for every business. So, for the indecisive entrepreneurs or the biz owners that just can’t commit, we have done a quick comparison between 2 top CRMs: Zoho and Hubspot!
One main similarity between Zoho and Hubspot? Both CRMs are popular and help people effectively run their businesses every day! Now for some more technical similarities:
User-friendly- When considering customer feedback, both seem to be very user-friendly. New to the CRM world? No problem! Both are known to have interfaces that are decently simplified and easy to figure out. According to our research, Hubspot seems to be slightly easier to use overall, but Zoho has tons of accessible resources if you can’t figure something out.
Preferred by certain industries- If you ask other professionals within your business niche, they may very well have the CRM that’s worked best for them. Keep in mind that business owners have probably not tried multiple CRMs to give a fully fair comparison! With that said, Zoho CRM is a pretty clear front runner in the real estate industry, while Hubspot seems to be favored by the insurance industry. With a quick Google search, you may find some useful insight about the best CRM for your industry!
Plenty of options- Both Hubspot and Zoho have multiple plan options, giving you the ability to choose what best suits your business. They also both offer free trials so you can see if it’s even worth your time in the first place!
One thing we often talk about on our blog is customization. We love a good customization situation! The one-size-fits-all mentality is just not for us; we’d rather be able to pick a good fit versus overpaying for features we’ll never use or items we can’t tailor to our needs.
With that said, Zoho CRM seems to be immensely better on the customization front. Sure, you can customize things on Hubspot, but Zoho allows you to customize buttons, user experiences, record designs, and even sales stages. An added benefit? Sandbox- a testing environment that allows you to test out changes without immediately causing all kinds of disruption (hey, you may change your mind).
And remember when we mentioned data-backed decisions? This kind of data gets to you and your team through reports, and Zoho allows you to access customized reports no matter the plan! With Hubspot you can only do this with the Professional and Enterprise plans.
Zoho has an entire product devoted to social media: Zoho Social. This product comes integrated with Zoho CRM and easily connects all social accounts, including your Google profile. Unfortunately, Hubspot lacks most social media analysis and integrations.
Both Zoho and Hubspot come with a whirlwind of third-party integration options. However, you have to seriously consider what applications and software you already use (or plan to use) before making a CRM choice. This is because each CRM has a lengthy list of integrations, but that list might not include what you need. For instance, Hubspot does not integrate with Google Analytics or PayPal (and that could be problematic).
Fact: Automating processes saves you time and money. Therefore, you’d expect your CRM to be decently helpful in this area, right? Good news: both Zoho and Hubspot allow you to automate many things, from lead scoring to de-duplicating contact data. However, a lot of these features are only accessible with Hubspot’s top plans, whereas you can access with Zoho for far less money.
Zoho also uses AI to do all sorts of things, including identifying patterns, analyzing data, and making workflow suggestions. Although Hubspot gives the ability to automate items like email alerts and triggers, it lacks AI and its tremendous contribution to automating tasks.
If you take a look at pricing for Zoho vs Hubspot, you’ll initially be shocked at the difference, However, you have to take into consideration that Zoho CRM is priced per user and Hubspot is not.
Zoho’s free CRM plan allows up to 3 users, while Hubspot is seemingly unlimited. But even with unlimited users, you will be much more limited on Hubspot's free and starter plans. Zoho gives access to a lot more features at a much lower price point, making it great for smaller businesses on a limited budget.
Zoho’s pricing plan also allows better scalability, given that growing businesses could quickly be priced out of Hubspot. Not to mention, a lack of automation options can make smooth scalability even more difficult.
It’s no mystery that both CRMs are solid options. Whether you go with Zoho or Hubspot, just make sure it suits your business needs and gets the most out of your hard-earned money!
And as always, let us know what you think of your experience with either CRM– we’re always curious!
Want to find out how we can help you?
Let’s chat.
The ‘customer is always right’ ideology has been a staple in businesses for quite some time. And in case you are wondering: yes, this even includes the more…difficult customers (we figured we’d have to clear that up sooner than later).
When it comes to the success of any business (no matter the size), listening to customer opinions and feedback will never lose importance. That’s where the rising emphasis on the Voice of the Customer (VoC) comes in– businesses have to constantly consider customer feedback and figure out how it should/can be incorporated in future actions and changes.
While not exactly a brand new concept, there are new and fresh ways to tackle the VoC challenge, especially within CRMs like Zoho. Let’s dive a little more into this concept of VoC and why it’s important to your business!
When we use the phrase Voice of the Customer (VoC), we don’t just mean customer feedback! VoC refers to methods of collecting feedback, analyzing this feedback, and figuring out ways to improve your business with what you decipher.
In reality, will our businesses truly succeed without considering customer opinions? The answer is a definite no; no matter how hard you try, you cannot properly operate without taking feedback into strong consideration.
And let’s face it, you are there to serve your customer base, right? The success of your business heavily depends on customer satisfaction! There’s no sustainable way to ignore feedback.
Placing a bigger emphasis on the VoC will:
Now that you are convinced to more seriously consider the VoC, let’s take a look at some tactics!
What is the best way to approach the VoC? There’s no surefire method that will work for every business! You have to figure out the right message and how to effectively communicate with your customer base, so not all methods are necessarily equal.
A great place to start (and one we often recommend) is Zoho’s CRM. CRM = Customer Relationship Management– you can’t go wrong with something that has the words customer and relationship right in the title!
No matter your situation, it’s best to first take a look at all the products Zoho CRM has to offer and decide what would best suit your business. Then, you can choose your own set of applications and create a model that will best cater to the voice of your customer.
Zoho Social- Social media is a scary challenge to tackle– so many platforms and so many things you might miss! Does social media tend to leave you overwhelmed? (It definitely overwhelms us about 98% of the time!)
With Zoho Social, you can manage DMs (direct messages) from all your platforms all in one place. Zoho will even gather contact details from these conversations and create a work ticket if necessary.
Zoho Social keeps track of Google reviews and questions, social mentions, and wherever your biz is the hot topic of conversation! Pretty appealing to have an app track this kind of thing rather than scroll and search for hours on end!
Zoho Surveys- You know where we are going with this! What better way to understand the VoC than asking customers directly? Zoho Surveys allows you to create customized surveys, even offering over 250 templates to make the process that much easier for you.
Want to ask some questions on Facebook? Okay! Want to send an email survey? Zoho has you covered! Reach customers in whatever way you need to and get the valuable feedback you seek!
Zoho Desk- If you let it, this product can contribute a large piece to that customer service puzzle! Just because you have a small business, you shouldn’t be limited to low-tech options. Zoho Desk helps you simplify customer service operations and build a lasting relationship with your customers!
Zoho Desk utilizes AI to tag tickets and send them to the correct employee. It can also identify customer sentiment and set aside issues that caused a negative reaction for further research down the road. Track agent activity, automate follow-ups, and integrate with applications you already use.
Zoho Desk will analyze data and patterns to well-equip you for future decisions. Plus, even though it’s high-tech, your customer will still have a super personalized experience!
Zoho Sales- Sure, the name seems simple– but we all know the strategies behind ‘sales’ are much more complex! A key part of sales is catering to your audience and cultivating a relationship with your customers. With Zoho Sales, you can analyze content performance, where site visitors spend their time, and figure out the best way to start conversations with prospective customers. Sync data with Zoho CRM and create a fine-tuned message for your audience!
The Voice of the Customer may seem like an overwhelming and complicated adventure, but it doesn’t have to be. You already consider the voice of your own customers on a daily business whether you realize it or not!
The key takeaway here is figuring out how to use the data behind the VoC and tailor your operations for ultimate customer satisfaction! There’s always room for improvement, and Zoho’s CRM is ready to help, and so are we!
Sales orders may be something you never thought you would voluntarily read a blog post about, but boy are we ready to rock your world!
Okay, let’s be honest here: There’s no surefire way to make the topic of sales orders exciting, but there are definitely some undeniable reasons for why you should be using them in your product-based business!
Is it hard to imagine incorporating more forms and steps? Does it seem overwhelming to alter/add to your current process? These concerns are all understandable! We totally get it, and we’re here to show why a little extra virtual paperwork might not be such a bad thing for your biz!
All the terms within a sales process can get repetitive and confusing. So what is the difference between these terms you hear all the time? Well, let’s start with the first part of most sales processes: the quote.
A quote is the estimate a potential buyer/customer would request from a seller. In return, the seller creates a quote consisting of prices and other pertinent details about a potential purchase.
Next, you would have a purchase order (if the customer decides to make the purchase based on the quote). A purchase order is an official document and details what the customer plans to buy from the vendor.
Following the customer’s intent to buy, a sales order comes into play. A sales order will accept conditions laid out in the purchase order and reflect other details about the transaction. A sales order will contain items like delivery information, timelines, and payment method. It also includes prices and quantities.
To sum up the whole process, an invoice is sent. Invoices reflect information confirmed in the sales order, but focus more on collecting payment from the buyer.
For starters, sales orders are the only piece mentioned above that reflect the interests of both parties involved. A quote is controlled by the seller. A purchase order is controlled by the buyer. The invoice is for the seller’s benefit (gotta get that cash!).
A sales order, however, represents what both the buyer and seller need from a purchase; it reflects both sides of a sale.
Does the sales order accurately line up with the purchase order? Does the seller have the inventory needed to ship immediately? A sales order keeps both parties in the loop and ensures a successful transaction.
Sales orders can give you some extra beneficial data for reference down the road. No one wants to be audited– but it’s just a part of being a business owner. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few extra bits of information for peace of mind and an easier process? Wouldn’t it be convenient to have a better trail with less likelihood of getting lost combing through years of sales? Sales orders give you more precise documentation that can really help with compliance and save you major hassles.
Back to the less scary stuff: this extra data can even help your business grow and succeed! Yes, you read that right, a simple sales order is better for your business!
Sales orders can help you better track inventory and make helpful projections about future needs.
For instance, if you have a frequent customer that keeps making multiple purchases within a short time frame, you can use sales order data to optimize and properly manage your inventory process. Know when to order items and know when to hold them for customers. Not to mention, you can create multiple sales orders for this customer and only send out one invoice! Save yourself some time and effort, while continuing to collect useful information.
Aw, did that sentiment give you the warm fuzzies? Well, we aren’t lying: you have the support you need to run a successful business! So if you are overwhelmed about dealing with this sales order stuff alone, have no fear- Zoho Books is here!
No, but seriously, Zoho Books can truly guide you through a potentially confusing process. Not sure how to even create a sales order? Zoho has templates. Have multiple brands that are getting hard to juggle? Zoho Books can juggle them for you! You can personalize your sales order and create a separate style for each of your brands.
Zoho Books also makes it super simple to convert a quote into sales order all in one place. Then once it’s time to collect payment, easily convert it to an invoice! All it takes is one click from a drop down menu.
Only have the inventory for part of the order? Zoho Books can help you send a partial invoice so you can go ahead and send the stock you have! Make the customer feel appreciated and build a trusting relationship by not making them wait forever for their order!
Zoho Books even lets you switch sales orders to purchase orders so you can buy that inventory you’re missing! And like with all things Zoho, you get valuable insights and information as you go. Plus, you can easily communicate anything you want to your sales teams and coworkers.
Now that you understand why sales orders are important, we hope you feel better about incorporating them into your business! Make that sale and keep those customers coming back by continually improving your sales processes!
Zoho Books is a great way to manage this crucial aspect of your business, and we can’t wait to hear how some simple changes will benefit your biz!
Want to find out how we can help you? Book a FREE consultation!
If you have missed the email campaign train (excuse the rhyme), then you have missed a major marketing opportunity. Businesses of all types are building their email lists and utilizing this method to communicate updates, sales and so much more!
Are recipients guaranteed to open every email? Nope, but they are on that list for a reason- whether they already made a purchase or expressed some sort of interest in your company!
So, what is your business missing out on by not catering to a well-established group of subscribers? Good news: it’s not too late to jump back on that email campaign train! And with some additional clarification on different types of content and campaigns, you’ll be an expert in no time!
Did you know over 4 billion people use email on a daily basis? And by 2023, that number is only expected to grow. A majority of email users check their inboxes more than once a day and it’s how they find/receive the most coupons and promotions.
Businesses of all sizes and niches utilize email campaigns, so don’t worry about your business not being a “great fit” or not being “big enough”. It’s all about testing out what works the best for your specific situation and catering your content for optimized results.
Speaking of content, that leads us to our next pertinent topic: types of email campaigns and the content they include!
In case you’re wondering if you accidentally clicked the wrong link, this isn’t an article about trees. However, it just so happens that the term is named after evergreen trees, considering they don’t lose their leaves and remain consistent no matter the season!
When we refer to evergreen content, we are talking about content that remains relevant and relatable for a long period of time. Ideally, you can use evergreen content for years without it becoming outdated or irrelevant.
Evergreen content is great because of its ‘one and done’ vibe, which ends up saving you a lot of time and effort. Create some evergreen content once and use it over and over again. It’s great for editing a bit and repurposing down the line (with minimal work required).
If you take this concept and apply it to email, you have (drumroll, please): an evergreen email campaign! It’s consistent and does a great job with helping you build a relationship with subscribers.
Let’s look at some things that would fall into this category:
What to avoid:
× Anything seasonal
× News articles
× Anything considered trendy
Broadcast campaigns are quite the opposite of evergreen campaigns, and (in our opinion) much easier to understand and create.
Broadcast campaigns are your standard time-sensitive emails where in a month or even a few days they can have a totally different meaning. This is probably the bulk of what appears in your inbox, especially from stores and restaurants.
Although broadcast campaigns aren’t going to be part of the “one and done” mindset like evergreen campaigns, they are good ways to get attention quickly.
Some examples from this category would be:
With broadcast campaigns, you don’t really need to worry about what to avoid. Honestly, the options are endless with this one! They are a great way to attract attention and create a quick uptick in revenue.
So, all this information is great, right? But what about how to proceed? Which type of campaign is working better? How will you know what to change or what to add? How will you know if this email stuff is worth it??
That’s where Zoho Campaigns comes in! You don’t have to be alone in this email maze, paying for multiple services recommended by multiple blog posts. Zoho Campaigns is a one-stop shop for your email marketing needs!
Not only will it automate processes for you and cultivate a growing subscriber list, but Zoho Campaigns allows you to conduct A/B testing and determine what’s actually working the best!
Test out types of content (ahem, like evergreen vs broadcast) while tailoring your intended audience.
Zoho Campaigns will track who is opening your emails and all kinds of other helpful subscriber stats that will move your email marketing right along. You no longer have to fear that you’re wasting time on something that isn’t working– Zoho has your back!
Email marketing can be super effective and doesn’t have to be a headache. Hopefully we have convinced you it’s not that hard to get started on your email campaign journey, and that there’s always resources ready to guide you out of a conundrum!
As always, we’d love to hear about what works for you and what you can do without– after all, we care about your success! Until next time, Email Explorers…
Want to find out how we can help you? Let’s chat.
Annnd we are back with yet another great episode of Zoho Books: Accounting Software Extraordinaire! Boy is this a series we could easily binge-watch… Ok, maybe Zoho Books and chill doesn’t seem all that appealing- we get that. Something that does seem appealing? Another great Zoho Books integration that makes the tax side of your small business seem like less of an obstacle: Avalara!
With this handy integration, Zoho Books not only has your accounting under control, but you’ll be able to rest easy knowing you are sales tax-compliant!
Growing your business takes a lot of time and energy; why not focus on what’s important while Zoho Books and Avalara take care of the nitty gritty money details? Makes perfect “cents” to us! (Don’t worry, that’s it for the puns for today.)
If the accounting world had high school superlatives, Zoho Books and Avalara would 100% win the cutest couple title. Now you may think that’s a bit extreme, but hear us out!
First of all, Zoho books allows you to automate all your business’ accounting needs for a very fair rate. Invoices, reports, inventory-tracking– Zoho Books has a feature that covers just about anything you can think of.
However, one thing we are missing from this accounting equation: the expansive and mysterious world of sales and use taxes. (Does reading the word ‘taxes’ make you cringe? Because it sure did make us cringe as we wrote that.)
That’s where Avalara fits in perfectly: they offer cloud-based software that can help just about any size business remain tax-compliant. Whether small, midsize, or enterprise– your business doesn’t have to continually battle the confusion and overwhelm that taxes can cause. Struggling with keeping track of all the new regulations? Confused about the categories your business falls under? Avalara is built for businesses with questions just like these!
Sick of manually entering everything and doing the math yourself? Does it make you nervous to count on free applications and websites to take care of such an important task? Avalara is a great way to automate your sales tax situation while you focus on everything else that’s important!
Plus, Avalara can truly be a ‘set it and forget it’ scenario, because they will add updates and automatically keep everything compliant no matter the random changes.
Do resources on taxes often create more questions, rather than answering the ones you came there for? Don’t worry, it happens to us all the time. (It may have even happened to us as we wrote this very blog post…)
So, we’ve accumulated a list of things that we wanted more clarity on, and that Avalara just so happens to take care of for you:
Did you know you have to register your business before collecting sales tax? Any state where you make sales, you have to register your business with that state. If it sounds like a hassle (and too much paperwork), that’s where Avalara steps in and not only simplifies the process, but makes sure you have registered in all the right states.
Does your state offer tax exemption holidays? Do you know who qualifies as exempt? Does your product/service qualify for exemption? If you’re like us and don’t have time to worry about details like this, Avalara knows all the answers to these questions and more.
Like we mentioned before, you won’t have to worry about any new laws or changes with Avalara around. They do all the research for you!
Location is important when it comes to sales and use taxes. Do you understand your jurisdiction? Are you charging the right amount of taxes for your jurisdiction? Turns out your jurisdiction is way more than a zip code! Avalara can determine all of this for you (or confirm you have been doing it correctly).
If you conduct a certain type or amount of business in a given state, you have possibly created a nexus in that state. This means you must collect sales taxes and pay them what you collect. Even better, every state has different rules (yes, we’re serious). Sounds like we’ll let Avalara handle that potential nexus chaos!
Does your business involve more than just straightforward retail? Are you unsure of how to proceed with sales taxes? Are you unsure if you even need to collect sales taxes? With things like short-term rentals, you may be missing some tax items, whereas you don’t have to worry about it under a marketplace facilitator like Etsy. Avalara will look at all these factors and determine what you need to consider!
If you run sales through your site and use an ecommerce solution like Shopify or Squarespace, you have to collect your own sales tax. Thankfully Avalara can seamlessly integrate with your ecommerce platform and make that way easier!
Avalara is just one giant confidence boost for business owners, and that’s something we can get behind! Put your mind at ease and walk away feeling:
Honestly, we keep thinking of more and more great things about the Zoho Books and Avalara duo, but we want to keep this short and sweet. Head on over and check out what options are a great fit for you and your business!
Emails are so fun! They are the highlight of my day! (Said no one ever).
How do I start this email? How do I sign this off? Is this too formal? Did I use too many exclamation points? Did I put in the correct address? HOW DO I LEAVE THIS EMAIL CHAIN?
Emails get a bad reputation because they are associated with work and that’s just no fun! However, they have become a communication staple and most organizations can’t conduct business without them.
What’s our point? Maybe it’s time to stop hating email! Since it’s pretty much inevitable, maybe it’s time to embrace the things that make email a little easier (and possibly more enjoyable)!
That’s where our lovely friends at Zoho come in with another awesome product: Zoho Mail!
Let’s talk about a few ways Zoho Mail can make emails a little less nightmare-ish for you and your business!
If it’s not customizable, it’s more than likely not going to be Woggle-approved. Lucky for you, Zoho Mail has passed our rigorous tests and is more than capable of becoming an all-star email solution for your business!
Zoho Mail allows you to easily manipulate basic items like password policies and spam filters. Set conditions and create guidelines that are optimal for your business; You can even create groups with specific group moderators and assign roles all from one convenient control panel.
One of our favorite Zoho Mail features? Custom domains! Ever get tired of the same old domain options? Have no fear– you can create your own domain using your company name! For example, we could claim wizards@woggleconsulting.com as our very own! (Maybe we should seriously consider this…)
But in all seriousness, you can use a custom domain and create an email for different departments or individuals. You can also create multiple email aliases. As an added bonus, there’s no limit to the number of custom domain email addresses if you choose a paid plan!
Streams is another great aspect of Zoho Mail that keeps things running smoothly. Communicate with the team on a shared wall, start a group chat, or even collaborate within an email. Yes, you read that right– Streams allows you to consult people about a draft before you even hit send!
Instead of a lengthy, confusing, and time-consuming email thread, Streams allows everyone to easily tag each other and collaborate in a more “social media-esque” way.
Data privacy and security– that’s what we like to see! With the topic of email, data is an especially important topic that no business should ignore!
Are they selling my data? Who can access my data? Where is data security on their priority list?
Thankfully Zoho takes this very seriously and offers an abundance of features that make your email super safe. Zoho is GDPR compliant, ensures emails are encrypted, and even includes unusual activity reports among their lengthy list of features.
You can also enjoy an ad-free mailbox (yes, ad-FREE) and rest assured that they aren’t using your data to tailor ad campaigns.
Zoho makes sure none of their own employees can access your data/emails unless there’s a very specific reason or help request! You can even set your own password policy and have all users reset passwords as consistently and often as you please.
Like other “suites” out there, Zoho Mail offers a handy Calendar feature along with Tasks and Notes.
Take a peek at their website for more details, but there are five incredibly convenient ways to create tasks, including directly pulling info from within an email. You also have the option to create subtasks, along with notifications and email reminders.
Worried about transitioning to an entirely new email service? Zoho Mail has you covered with their migration tools: move over your emails from any provider with Zoho’s migration wizard! (We’ve talked a lot about wizards in this blog post…)
Use the mobile apps or access everything on your desktop– whatever is most convenient. Zoho Cliq is another great option that will sync all your Zoho information on all your devices!
Have multiple tasks created within Zoho Mail along with tasks from other products? You can easily see all your Zoho tasks all on one convenient screen! Access your control panel wherever, whenever and with offline mode, you can work in Zoho Mail even when Wi-Fi’s not the most dependable.
We could talk about the wonders of emails for days..
Okay, that’s actually not true– but we could easily talk about the wonders of Zoho Mail for days! Like any other great Zoho product, Zoho Mail has tons of great features at a great price point. (And if your business has 5 or less employees, you can actually use Zoho Mail for free!)
Reasonably priced, accessible, and tons of awesome integration options– Zoho Mail may just be the perfect email solution for your business!
Want to find out how we can help you? Let’s chat.
We all have a bit of DIY-ness coursing through our veins, pushing us to take the “cheaper” route. Why consult an expert when we can YouTube it, right? After all, so much information is right at our fingertips! But what about when it comes to accounting?
This DIY attitude may work in some circumstances, like with minor home repairs or starting a business, but let’s face it– we’ve all gotten halfway through a project and wished we had just hired someone to help.
We’re not saying you shouldn’t take it upon yourself to carve out ‘cat doors’ throughout the house you are selling (ahem, we may have witnessed this)--but we are saying it could be beneficial to consult an expert first.
Small business owners like you are extremely busy people! It may seem wiser to go a cheaper route and do as much as possible on your own, but you could waste quite a bit of time (and money) in the long run.
Perhaps it’s time to look into some of the many great options out there, like Zoho Books and SurePayroll– they’re ready and waiting to make your small business routine and accounting a little easier!
If you visit our blog often, you are no stranger to the wonders of Zoho! Zoho Books is just another great Zoho product to add to your list of small biz must-haves. Accounting can be a messy venture, and “mathing” may not be your strong suit, but have no fear: that’s where Zoho Books comes in!
Invoicing, tax calculations reports– you name it, Zoho Books can help. For a very fair rate, you can automate all your business’ financial processes with this handy online accounting software.
And just like all other Zoho products, Zoho Books’ integration game is on point! Seamlessly integrate with services like Avalara, Shopify, PayPal, and Slack. And while we’re on the topic, that leads us to the most important Zoho Books integration of all: SurePayroll!
SurePayroll is a game-changing payroll service for small businesses like yours. Specializing in companies with less than ten employees, SurePayroll may be just what you need when you aren’t interested in committing to a much more complex service.
We get it; you aren’t a massive corporation and don’t have a huge budget! SurePayroll is excellent for small businesses- they offer many advantages at an accessible price point. Not to mention, the amount of time it can save you (especially when partnering with Zoho) will make a huge difference!
Let’s circle back to our ability to DIY all the accounting and payroll processes: it’s doable, but it can be risky!
Here are a few reasons why skipping a full-service solution like SurePayroll may be unideal for your business:
Increased risk of errors: You are human, so mistakes are practically inevitable, especially as your business grows and you gain more and more employees. With the labor market being so competitive, the last thing you want is to mess up someone’s paycheck. Let SurePayroll handle the nitty-gritty!
Ever-changing laws: Do you read all about tax and labor laws on a daily basis? You are not alone! Tax and labor laws are complex, and it’s hard to stay compliant on your own!SurePayroll keeps track of pertinent laws for you!
No additional help/resources: SurePayroll comes with live support and HR solutions. It takes care of tax filing mistakes! If you get lost in the payroll process, someone has your back. If you don’t utilize a payroll service, you could have costly and time-consuming issues to handle on your own.
Now that we’ve sufficiently scared you, let’s talk about the benefits that go along with a payroll service like SurePayroll:
Live Support: We have to mention this again because it’s important! US-based support is at your fingertips, even during the evening and on weekends. Vital resources are only an email, phone call, or live chat away!
Time-saving: Your time as a small business owner is an extremely valuable asset. Imagine the time you could be saving by only accessing payroll when you have to make changes or double-check something. SurePayroll could save you hours to spend on something more important!
Convenient Access: Access SurePayroll on your phone or any other device with one click or tap.
Skip the Calculator: SurePayroll can calculate overtime rates, bonuses, mileage, PTO, and just about anything else you can think of! Making a minor mistake on these calculations could cost you some major moolah, so why not leave it to the experts?
Handy Reports: Easily access and download customized reports. Simple, yet essential!
Sorry to rain on your DIY parade, but we are just fans of consulting the experts! Hopefully, we’ve given you some great reasons to make your life a little bit easier with accounting software like Zoho Books and SurePayroll!
And you know what? If we haven’t entirely convinced you, here’s a great deal so you can personally see what all the fuss is about!
Contact us if you have any questions!
