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 Ideally, you can use evergreen content for years without it becoming outdated or irrelevant.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.
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.
Here on the Woggle blog, we talk about all kinds of solutions for your business, from the uber complicated to the most basic fixes. Today we are heading back to the basics and discuss the foundation of any successful business: customer engagement.
Customer engagement includes the more sales side of operations and the customer support side as well. You can have all kinds of bells and whistles, but without an effective way to offer the right resources or help with concerns, your business will struggle.
That’s why our friends at Zoho have stepped in and created SalesIQ, AKA the ultimate customer engagement solution.
Let’s talk about what all Zoho SalesIQ can do for your business (and why it might be a great fit)!
Zoho SalesIQ has the ability to track important information about website visitors and can distinguish hot leads from lukewarm leads. Through SalesIQ, you can figure out where visitors are spending their time, what they are clicking, and even what led them there.
Are they returning customers? How did they find your website? Did they run into problems? SalesIQ can give you insight into all these things and so much more! It can even create a contact “profile” from the information gathered. If you have a B2B model, it can identify companies that frequent your site from something as simple as an email address.
Increase your conversions by gathering pertinent insights in real-time!
We’ve all been there: you visit a website and encounter a chat function with automated answers and resource links. Have you ever thought about what runs that chat? Or who set it up?
With Zoho SalesIQ, you can easily place this kind of chat function on your website! Through this application, you can speak with customers in real-time whenever you (or your agents) are available.
On top of a live chat, you have the ability to screen share (both ways) or launch voice calls when a simple chat isn’t exactly doing the trick. Customers also have the option to reference previous chats, which can come in handy if they don’t feel like screenshotting an entire conversation.
Plus, if you have customers contacting you through other sources like Facebook or WhatsApp, you can connect it all to SalesIQ and handle all communications from one place!
What if a customer has an issue at 2 am? Well, that’s why Zoho SalesIQ created non-live chat features!
SalesIQ allows you to create your own helpful articles that can be auto-shared through chat; you can also do this with FAQs you’ve encountered. Set triggers within chat that will automatically give them relevant information or redirect them to another department.
Zoho SalesIQ doesn’t force you to use generic templates and responses– you get to personalize the chat until you feel it’s appropriately serving your customers (and making your life a little easier).
We’ll clear up one of the most asked questions: Can I customize it to my liking?
Zoho is great at offering customizable solutions, so of course, SalesIQ is no different.
Like with most Zoho products, you can seamlessly integrate Shopify, WordPress, Salesforce, and other commonly used applications that you already pay for. You can even pull information from these applications through widgets and use them while you chat with customers!
With these widgets, you can have whatever data you need at your fingertips! Yep, that’s right: close out those 55 tabs in your browser– SalesIQ will let you conveniently pull up what you need inside the chat!
Control lead-creating criteria, chat triggers, and what data fields are displayed. You can even add criteria for blocking spammers and other digital nuisances.
Zoho SalesIQ not only helps you set up a great customer support system, but it also helps evaluate how well it’s working!
If business operations involve more than just you engaging with customers, you can easily monitor agent performance. Figure out shortcomings and areas that may need a little spruce. Monitor chats as they are happening to give real-time feedback or jump in and assist. SalesIQ even gives you the option to set up surveys for additional customer feedback.
B2B? B2C? B2…alien? Whatever your business model or product/service, SalesIQ has probably encountered something similar.
To boost your confidence on this subject, visit the Solutions tab on the SalesIQ website and read all about the variety of businesses they’ve assisted. Realtors, travel agencies, colleges–you name it, SalesIQ has created a tailored solution.
PS: Visiting this page even gave us ideas we never would have thought about otherwise!
Can you perfect customer engagement? No. Can you optimize customer engagement in a day? Also no.
What can you do? You can use Zoho SalesIQ to try out some new approaches, tweak existing processes, and brainstorm fresh ideas.
At the end of the day, It’s all about the customers! Utilizing SalesIQ to improve the customer experience will boost their confidence in your business and give them a reason (or several) to keep returning to you.
Want to find out how we can help you? Let’s chat.
It’s no mystery that the business world has moved more and more into the digital space. What is the point of having physical files and mile-long contact lists when you can access anything you need with one click? Companies like Zoho cater to this uptick in online solutions, supplying everything you could possibly need to run your business all in one place. With everything from website design to marketing support, Zoho places customizable and easy-to-use applications at your fingertips.
As we head into the most wonderful time of the year (tax season), there’s no better time to talk about a Zoho solution that makes it all a little less painful: Zoho Books. Forget about your tax specialists, endless paper receipts, and financial paperwork– Zoho Books is your one-stop-shop for all things accounting.
Let’s face it. We live in a world where convenience is king. Lines, leaving the house, locating our keys - it all takes up time– and whatever allows us to spend more time on the couch binging Netflix is our friend! (Just know, if you would rather spend your free time working on your business, that’s okay with us, too.)
Either way, there are a lot of great things about Zoho Books. In our opinion, the best thing is that it makes running your business so much easier. All the accounting aspects are handled, from inventory to banking. Zoho Books even has a convenient time-tracking feature that you would probably just use a separate application for!
Stay organized and virtually paperless. Save time on minor details and tasks that you can otherwise spend on growing your business. Allow Zoho Books to step in and take some inconvenient and time-sucking tasks off your plate!
Zoho Books has a client portal that allows you to keep all client communication within one application. Send quotes, discuss estimates, and exchange feedback all in one place. Not only will this be a better experience for your clients, but it will keep your business running much more efficiently.
Even better, the client portal allows your clients to manage their own experiences. They can make payments, access invoices, and change personal details all without assistance from you. Not only is this incredibly convenient for them, but it saves multiple steps and mishaps on your end of things. It sounds like a great bargain to us!
Avoid the pile of forms and the last-minute panic when you can’t find the paperwork you mysteriously misplaced three months ago.
Zoho Books makes tax season a breeze, keeping up-to-date with IRS guidelines and ensuring your sales tax liability is in check. Access all the transactional documents you could possibly need with the click of a button.
Zoho Books even takes the work out of hiring contractors and the tax season headaches that come with it. Soon you’ll be talking about a 1099 form like it was your college major!
Before you know it, taxes will be taken care of and you might even be ready for the year ahead!
As we mentioned before, Zoho Books doesn’t come alone- it is a part of Zoho One, a group of over 40 other customizable applications that help out your business. On top of Zoho Books, you can utilize a wide range of marketing tools, collaboration-boosting applications, all your online business solutions and so much more. Why pay multiple other companies for the same services you can get under Zoho?
Zoho applications and services are intended to fit your needs. They understand the importance of customized business solutions and don’t force you to purchase a one-size-fits-all package. Find everything you need in one place without overpaying for things you won't use.
Not only does Zoho One supply tons of online business solutions and tools, Zoho products (like Zoho Books) have forums and other great resources where you can easily find the answers you need. Zoho has a great customer support system ready to answer any questions you may have, but you can also easily access experiences and tips from other users!
If the idea of creating accounting appointments or hunting down 7-month old documents puts a knot in your stomach, Zoho Books would be an excellent solution for you. Take the stress (and endless hours of wasted time) out of your accounting tasks– we know you have a million other important things on your to-do list! Let Zoho Books do the work for you.
Book your free initial consultation today and we can tell you more about the wonders of Zoho Books! We’d also love to help you with anything else that could make your life as a business owner just a little easier.
Chances are your work team has its fair share of conflict, problems and miscommunications. It wouldn’t be “work” if everything ran smoothly all the time, now would it?
There may seem like there are way too many problems to fix. It also may seem like there are way too many solutions to choose from!
So, what issues have been causing conflict within your team? If you can quickly answer that question, but are stumped when it comes to the right fix, it’s your lucky day: We’ve rounded up a few common issues and the platforms that can help!
Smooth processes are key to serving your customers. They’re also important in establishing a decent work environment. No one wants to work at a chaotic job where operations are shut down every 5 minutes for an issue that was already fixed three times last week.
Errors happen. If your company is not working to reduce errors from a process or eliminate certain errors altogether, something is wrong. Continuous improvement is necessary for the success of your business and ultimately employee retention.
Programs like Zoho Flow can lend some help with workflow. Flow can assist with process automation and project management. Zoho Analytics is another level of double-checking what’s really going on in your business, and providing a further understanding of the problem. Allow Zoho to help you work out the kinks and keep things running smoothly.
Many things can go wrong when starting a new job. A few examples: A lack of thorough training, a lack of training altogether or receiving different training than your coworkers received.
Onboarding new employees should be consistent and effective. They should be given the tools to assimilate into their new environment and contribute to the team. Additionally, it not only needs to be a smooth transition for the new employee, but a seamless transition for the whole team.
How can businesses keep the onboarding process consistent and efficient without wasting time and resources? Zoho Recruit and Zoho People are applications that assist with Human Resources processes, along with applications that provide learning/training resources. Other options can keep procedures and paperwork all in one accessible place, like Zoho Writer and Zoho Workdrive.
Communication issues should probably be at the top of the list...and in the middle..and then maybe reemphasized again later. Our point? Communication is truly the root of many problems (and solutions). Why not invest in a platform that can make communication more effective? A solution that makes managers more reachable and updates more easily shared?
One great platform that comes to mind when we think of communication is RingCentral. Video conferencing, team messaging, secure communication- what more could a business need? Connect with coworkers no matter the time zone. Stop disruptions in communication from continuously disrupting workflow!
Gone are the days of constant in-person meetings, presentations and brainstorming sessions. Thanks to the pandemic, it has become more crucial than ever to have plenty of online resources that enable collaboration. Working remotely should never mean you have to work alone in every aspect!
Platforms like Zoho Sprints make team projects a breeze, creating a board for everyone to easily contribute to and access. Zoho Projects is another great option where the entire team can work on an organized list of tasks and projects.
Zoho Workplace offers additional options, with applications like Zoho Writer, Zoho Cliq, and Zoho Workdrive. It’s a one-stop shop where the entire team can upload information and easily share with their coworkers.
Sometimes there’s just not enough manpower behind what needs to be done. Your team may already be stretched too thin. Don’t add on to their to-do list and create more stress over an already tough project! It may be time to hire a freelancer or contractor that specializes in the task at hand. Or maybe your business would benefit from a consultancy (like us) guiding you in the right direction.
An even simpler solution? Utilize a platform that has no issue doing most of the work for you! Shopify is a great example of a platform that takes some weight off your shoulders: why put the time and money into becoming a website expert when Shopify makes it easy to jump right in to the ecommerce scene?
Let’s take a journey back in time. Before wifi and social media. Before YouTube tutorials and the “there’s an app for that” mantra. How did businesses cope? How did they troubleshoot problems? Well, since they couldn’t always Google the solution, they had to rely on professional connections and resources. They had to seek help outside the company or hire staff that could handle these problems. Much like today, no single business could do it all themselves!
That’s where services like Zoho step in. Zoho is more than a CRM- they have an application for anything you could possibly need. They have created more than 45 apps for your business to utilize! Need help with recruiting new employees or scheduling current ones? They have an application for that. Need help building forms or managing social media? Zoho has an application for that!
Imagine you are a business owner. You look down at your phone one day and among Candy Crush Saga and your weather application, you suddenly notice 45 additional Zoho apps. Where would you begin? Would you be overwhelmed? Personally, we would probably panic-delete everything.
Zoho is a perfect all-in-one solution for any business, but where’s the best place to start? This exact question is why Zoho consultants exist: to assist businesses with effectively using the services they purchase. Consultants take the overwhelm out of the process, while allowing business owners the chance to focus on whatever else they need to.
Although taking away some stress and overwhelm is a great reason on it’s own, we’ve compiled 5 more reasons to consider a Zoho consultant!
Consider your company and the amount of people who have been hired. How many of them walk in and get straight to work? Skip the training, they’ve got it! Probably doesn’t happen much (if at all) does it?
Zoho consultants are no different. They aren’t your run of the mill helpline- they have been specially trained to handle your situation and identify what your business needs from Zoho. Consultants have the expertise to tell you what software you need and what you can skip. They have the capability to guide your business in the right direction, while saving you from getting bogged down with small details.
Zoho consultants have worked with many businesses. On top of being trained, they have the experience to back-up their suggestions. It is entirely possible that they have worked with a business similar to your’s in the past- whether it was the same size, same industry or encountered the same types of challenges.
They can guide you away from making mistakes other companies have made and give you valuable insight into what they’ve seen work! You’re paying for Zoho, why not invest in someone who truly understands how to use it?
As you may know, Zoho is not just a one-time, one-package deal. You don’t get stuck with software you’ll never use or services that don’t make sense for your business. You can truly customize what you get and tailor your experience to your business needs. Consultants cater to this- they get to know your business and evaluate what pieces of Zoho would work best for you.
On your own, you may have a general idea about what you need, but you might forget about a few details or not realize all the types of applications available. A consultant can help you make the best customization decisions!
Alas, the question that always shows its ugly head: Who has time for this? And honestly, no one in your company (especially you) has the time to sit down and thoroughly research anything, let alone research 45+ Zoho applications. Plus, there’s rarely (especially in the current workforce climate) a person within your company to delegate this task to! So, who does have time for this? A Zoho consultant, of course!
Consultants can get to know your business and then put together a plan without you having to stress over it. This gives the opportunity to focus on whatever else you need to focus on. After all, when running a small business, there’s no shortage of problems to fix and issues to consider, right? Fitting Zoho into your business should be a helpful advantage, not another item on your to-do list.
At what stage do you need a Zoho consultant? There’s no right or wrong answer here! It would be helpful to have their expertise from the beginning, but they will join you mid-process as well. Consultants don’t dictate when they can help- you have the ultimate say!
They also stick with you through your business journey. There’s no time constraints, which means one less thing to worry about. If you have questions months after they get you set-up with Zoho, your consultant will still be willing to find answers for you!
Choosing where to spend your time and money is a daunting task. There’s no completely straightforward or risk-free business plan in existence But the one thing that’s alway beneficial? Some solid, old-fashioned expertise. Consider hiring a consultant so you can get the most out of the wonderful things Zoho has to offer! After all, one less thing on your plate is never a bad thing!
We have an important topic to discuss: clutter. No, not the type of clutter that lands you on a TV show with giant garbage bins outside your house. We are talking about something even worse: digital clutter.
How many unread emails are sitting in your inbox? And even more importantly, when was the last time (if ever) you cleaned out that inbox? How many “organization” apps have you downloaded? Are you ignoring any rarely-used apps that take a few bucks from your bank account each month? We know you may have been super triggered by these tough questions- we also definitely know that our inbox does not currently have 1,045 unread emails (insert nervous emoji here).
Sadly, we are not here to help with your inbox issues. We are here, however, to show you the advantages of utilizing a business application suite versus individual applications.
People utilize all types of software to run their businesses, which can involve a number of individual applications. If you think about everything it takes to run your business successfully, that is a pretty long list. Business application suites combine all types of necessary applications and programs in one place. Having all these aspects of your business (whether your business is small or large) under one umbrella is useful for a variety of reasons.
An undeniable fact is that every business has unique needs. Dealing with each need individually/manually is not only time-consuming, but limits growth. For instance: billing, payroll and other financial matters are bound to use a specific application or website. Then there’s the huge marketing realm, which could require several programs on its own. Having a business application suite that integrates all these software solutions into one place increases efficiency and accessibility.
Business application suites can also improve process automation. Automating tasks so that they don’t constantly need attention leads to more time to focus on everything else. Automation means smoother scalability and the ability to run a bigger operation without getting lost in the weeds.
Business application suites like Zoho One not only make things easier by improving accessibility, but they can automate processes that should be automated. Some examples would be:
Not every business will have the same requirements or use the same tactics. Some businesses will emphasize marketing aspects more than others. Other businesses don’t have a huge staff that constantly communicate with one another. Some have no need for fancy presentations or contract creation. Suites like Zoho One allow customization for instances like this, so business owners won’t have to worry about paying for something they won’t use!
One thing is for sure, bundling (especially with the option to customize) will more than likely be the most cost-effective option. Paying for necessary programs and applications individually can add up.
We did some research on popular solutions for everyday business needs. Here’s a list of pricing that we compiled:
Email marketing software: $9.99 a month (increases as the number of contacts increase).
Social media management/automation: $49.00 a month (increases with more accounts)
Team communication: $8.00 a month
Billing/Payment management: $12.50 a month
This list more than likely does not include all business necessities, but you get the picture. So far we have reached $79.49 a month with mostly standard/basic packages. Zoho One includes all four items listed, along with many other options and costs $45.00 a month ($37.00 a month if you sign up for a year).
Utilizing multiple programs and applications from different companies not only clutters any process, but it puts your data and privacy into the hands of a lot more people. Since it’s all under one company, a business application suite gives you much more control of how your data is being used and stored. One company = one data protection policy. A great thing about Zoho is their transparency about data and privacy policies. They prioritize data security and recognize online security challenges companies face every day.
Speaking of data security, how do you keep all your passwords organized and easily accessible? Hopefully your answer to this question doesn’t involve making all your passwords “password123”. Taking some extra steps for better password management (although it may seem insignificant) ultimately leads to better data security. Thankfully Zoho One includes Vault, a safe and convenient feature that manages all those pesky passwords!
Looking to simplify your business routine? Declutter your digital world? Hoping to not be the first person submitted for a digital hoarding show? A business application suite is a great way to accomplish all of these things. Create a more efficient, secure and cost-effective business with just the click of a button.
Our team is here to help answer your questions and get you out of a disorganized rut. Reach out anytime.
What’s one thing that we have seen in headlines more and more? Data breaches. Big companies are coming forward and revealing data breaches where tons of personal information may have been compromised. Who’s personal information? Consumers. And not just specific consumers, but consumers from all over the world. More than 98.2 million individuals were impacted by the 10 biggest data breaches in the first half of 2021. Every person who has any online presence is at risk with these types of incidents!
Data privacy and protection is becoming more highlighted, especially in an increasingly digital world. Hackers are focusing less and less on stealing individual identities and focusing more on what pays the most: ransomware attacks and targeting unsecure databases. The average ransomware payout in 2018 was less than $10,000. In 2020, that figure grew to more than $233,000 per ransomware attack!
Ransomware is hurting individual companies more, but hackers targeting unsecured databases are affecting consumers. By hacking databases, cyber criminals could potentially access social security numbers, login credentials, bank account information and so much more. The bigger the company, the more data that is at risk.
So, what factors can lead to more unsecured databases? There are a few elements to look at:
Consider sources: As companies grow, there are more chances of collecting fake or useless data. This negatively affects any type of marketing analysis from the data, along with increasing disorganization within the database. Increased disorganization = increased vulnerability.
Consider security of stored data: If companies don’t place an emphasis on security measures for their collected data (encryption, firewalls, etc), it’s going to be susceptible to cyber attacks.
Consider data protection laws: Regulations have been put into place to protect data privacy/consumer privacy, therefore impeding cyber criminals. If a company remains cognizant of these laws and regulations while following suggested procedures, the outcome for their data protection will be far better.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was created in Europe to help govern the use of personal data. It’s a set of rules that controls what organizations do with collected data and also offers more transparency about the collection process. GDPR emphasizes securing data, along with encouraging companies to not gather more data than they truly need. Too much data means more to lose, plus less organization and security.
GDPR may be based in Europe, but it applies to any company doing business with European citizens. For instance, if a company based in Texas mainly interacts with Americans, but also has customers in Europe, GDPR applies and compliance is required.
So far in the United States, there are only three states that have created protective regulations involving data/personal information: California, Colorado and Virginia. It’s a good idea for companies to consider regulations like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act when building their own data and privacy policies. With bigger businesses, there’s going to be customers from Europe and more regulated states. This means rules like the GDPR and CCPA will have to be considered no matter what. Companies should incorporate this into their plan, further progressing along with the ever-evolving realm of data protection.
It is a good idea to create a privacy policy that is not only informative for the customer, but complies with laws like GDPR. Not only will this create more trust, but it can also prevent security issues down the line.
A privacy policy creates more transparency between businesses and their customers. It lets the customer know what data is being collected and what’s being done with that data. It also tends to make it more clear how the data is being gathered, whether through cookies or a pop-up form.
Privacy policies can also describe things like data storage, how long the company will keep the data stored, and who may have access. Next time you go on a website and the privacy notice pops up, take a deeper look into what it involves! There are free privacy policy generators online and the Better Business Bureau is another free reference to get started.
A Customer Relationship Management solution is an important player in the big business and marketing game. CRMs manage customer data, analyzing the customer experience and supplying insight to what marketing tactics are working. They offer information to improve sales and lead acquisition.
What does this have to do with data protection and privacy? CRM solutions like Zoho take data privacy seriously and incorporate it into their business practice. Once GDPR came around in 2018, Zoho has been compliant in all aspects of their services. Zoho also offers much more than just the typical CRM options:
• Zoho SalesIQ: This option tracks and interacts with website visitors while remaining GDPR compliant.
• Zoho Assist: This option helps with remote support and controls remote access to your device. Without your consent, no access will be given.
• Zoho Vault: A secure and convenient way to keep track of company passwords.
The world is becoming increasingly more digital and data-focused. The risks to privacy and data protection are at an all-time high. It is more important than ever to stay ahead of the never-ending changes and developments, especially if you want to continue to grow your business!
Need a hand? Book your free consultation today.
What is a "Qualified Lead"?
Take a moment and think: Have you ever sat down to unwind in the evening, grabbed a cold drink, and pulled out your phone to browse Instagram, Pinterest, or your favorite blogs? Have you ever signed up for a free ebook? Perhaps a free guide? Maybe a coupon? If any of that sounds familiar, you have more than likely been considered a Qualified Lead!
A Qualified Lead (QL) is someone a company has identified as a potential customer. Figuring out who is most likely to buy a specific product or service is key. If companies do not attempt to focus on who actually has the best chance of going from a lead to a sale, they are wasting valuable time and resources somewhere along the way.
A specific definition of a Qualified Lead is extremely important for a sales team, and they should revisit and reconsider it often. According to Hubspot, only 34% of companies with no formal definition were able to advance a lead to a first discussion more than half of the time. When the companies had clear definitions, that percentage increased to 63%!
Every company will define their Qualified Lead differently because each company caters to a unique type of customer. Therefore, individual marketing teams have to consider what criteria will truly give the insight they need. To define the target customer, they may consider:
The marketing team encounters the potential customer first. With a solid digital marketing strategy, companies will attract attention from a variety of audiences. Qualified Leads will distinguish themselves through engagement with anything the marketing team puts out there. This may include podcast subscriptions, watching YouTube videos, or engagement with social media posts and ads . Qualified Leads may sign up for email updates/newsletters as well.
Many marketing strategies are depending more and more on providing free content. What better way to show expertise on a topic? For instance, say you are searching for more tips and tricks on marketing and increasing website traffic. You find a company with a free webinar giving you tons of useful information on the topic. You realize the company offers a fairly priced package with an analysis of your marketing approach and advice to improve your overall strategy. Now that you’ve seen that they know what they’re doing, why not go for the complimentary consultation? You have just become a Qualified Lead for the company, all because they earned your interest and trust through free content.
Customers need to show a certain level of interest in what the company has to offer. If this is not the case, is it truly worth the company’s time? Cold calling and prospecting is still a thing in the marketing realm, but it’s much more time and resource efficient to utilize leads. A Qualified Lead is based on actual market research and shows that the potential customer has already taken a few steps in the right direction. Research shows that people have often already made 50% of the buying decision before even talking to the sales team.
There are different types of Qualified Leads. When the marketing team has identified someone as a Qualified lead, they are decently confident this could convert to a sale. This is a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL).
Once they hold up their end of the bargain, the marketing team hands the MQL over to the sales team. The sales team further evaluates the likelihood of the MQL becoming a paying customer. Sometimes the customer will express specific interest in taking the next step, giving the sales team even more reasons to proceed. Often the BANT system is utilized at this point:
If the sales team decides to proceed with the MQL, the MQL transitions to a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL).
This whole process seems straightforward, but nothing will work smoothly unless the company sales and marketing teams are on the same page. It benefits everyone to agree on the criteria for a Quality Lead. Not only does a company need to establish a definition in general, but marketing and sales need to decide on the definition together. Agreeing on QL criteria will optimize conversion rates and digital marketing strategies. How will any company know what’s working best if sales and marketing function as two completely separate entities?
Quality Leads are important and companies are out there using these QL’s to their advantage! Instead of cold-calling or pursuing just any “potential customer”, consider what your business can offer to entice the customer to come to you. How can you adjust your online/social media presence to attract people seeking certain information? What is in your toolbox that could bring your company Quality Leads? Optimize the time of your sales and marketing teams while still finding the customer that is the right fit!
-Off you go! Your horizon awaits.
We’ve known that remote work has been on the horizon for a while, but the COVID-19 pandemic gave everyone a hard shove into the work-from-home lifestyle. Now that we’re starting to recover a bit, it’s clear that many employees want to stay home, and businesses want to avoid the hefty costs of keeping offices open.
Even if moving your staff to full-time remote work isn’t on the table, having a remote work software suite can deliver massive payoffs. Take a second and think of the companies that were “remote ready" in March 2020. Some companies only had to flip the metaphorical switch and send out a mass email telling staff to stay home.
Remote work offers a unique combination of benefits including raised morale and higher retention rates. So why didn't we all welcome remote work sooner? Companies reasonably were worried that working from home would come with security issues, kill collaboration, and cause communication struggles. In comes tech to solve the working world’s problems.
Now, there’s the issue of being overwhelmed with different tech tools and software that claim to be the key to making remote work, well, work. There cannot be one solution. But there are software suites that offer an array of tools and systems to keep your teams running.
We’re pretty lucky that Zoho has an entirely cloud-based remote system that ensures your team can always access the information and systems they need to get things done. You know, as long as they have internet access.
Zoho knows that you have concerns too. Yeah, your employees can get the information they need, but are they really going to work? Seamless reporting helps leaders know that teams are on track with sales goals and other performance metrics.
Worried about choosing the right combination of Zoho systems? Take a breath because Zoho already solved that problem. Zoho Remotely allows your office to function from anywhere with a winning combination of their best remote work apps.
Zoho keeps going. They connect with nearly all the other apps you need to keep your team working, such as:
If you have apps that you already love, chances are you can integrate them with Zoho while cleaning out the apps and processes that are weighing you down.
Because of built-in analytics, Zoho CRM can measure and manage metrics across all of your business operations. Give your sales team powerful tools with one clear path for customer handling in the CRM. Automate escalations to protect customers and support staff while standardizing approval systems to reduce bottlenecks.
Meanwhile, leaders can use customizable dashboards to track team progress, who is landing the most sales, and which campaigns have the most leads.
Remote work software solutions often focus on the CRM to protect the customers' best interest. But, what about everyone else? Don't worry. Zoho has over 45 applications in their suite, and unlike other unnamed software providers, these applications actually integrate beautifully. It's the software suite with apps that know how to work as a team.
So, what do you need to know about Zoho and its many apps?
It doesn't matter if your top talent wants to move across the country or if you need to work while you're on the go. Leaders and staff can collaborate and crush it without being in the same physical space.
Interested in setting up your company for remote working? We'd love to chat with you.
Schedule a Free Consultation today!
-Off you go! Your horizon awaits.
