tylie eaves, Author at Vertū Marketing

Negative Nancy Probably Never Found Her Purpose

July 25, 2015 by tylie eaves

Still convinced that you will never truly find your purpose? Well, with that attitude, you probably won’t. Admittedly, it can be disheartening to watch friends and loved ones succeed and truly live their passion while still struggling to find your own, but there may be few things in life that can mask a person’s purpose better than the fear that he or she simply does not have one.

Ready to flip the switch on your attitude and discover the purpose for which you should be living? Here are a few tips to get started.

Stop fearing judgment.

Judgment is one thing that most people will never truly escape. Love your new shoes? Well, the lady on the bus thinks they look awful. Ready for that new haircut? Your boss might not like it. And you know what? That is okay! Living your purpose means living for your own sense of self-worth, so go ahead and get those bangs.

Stop living cautiously.

A quick aside, please continue to stop at red lights and look both ways before crossing the road. After all, you know it can be somewhat difficult to start taking new chances if you are not around anymore to take them. Instead of always avoiding risk taking, push forward in life and dare to take new chances! Accept a new job offer or finally get the process rolling for that business you have been dreaming about for years.

Stop doubting yourself.

Remember the first day before starting a new school or job? Chances are you were probably fraught with nerves the night, or even hours, before stepping foot inside. Thoughts of “What if no one likes me?” or “What if I’m not good enough?” might have been bouncing around in your head. There is no guarantee that those worries will ever vanish, but to truly succeed at finding your purpose, you will have to learn how to have enough confidence to do new things and engage in new experiences.

An attitude change might not happen over night, but with some time and dedication, the right attitude can reveal a purpose that has been right there all along.

How to Grow Wealth With Different Price Ranges

July 24, 2015 by tylie eaves

Is your business steady with a core group of customers and a solid inflow of cash? Great, here’s where the real fun can start.

Most businesses start out small with one, maybe two, products. With so few products there is really only room for a single price range, and the only way to ever earn more or build any type of real, sustainable wealth is to continually grow the customer base. Of course, bringing in new customers at a steady rate is often part of the business plan, but can it really make up for no variety in pricing?

Not convinced? Let’s take a look at three common price ranges that every business should be using.

1.The Low Range: Keep in mind that low ≠ cheap. What kind of products should be listed in the low price range? Consider these the kind of products that can be manufactured or created at relatively low costs that customers need or want, but might not be willing to invest too much to purchase them. The final goal of a low price range product should always be to encourage your customers to consider making future purchases.

2.The Medium Range: Customers expect more from products in this category, so make sure the value is appropriate. Personalized services — including web content or an online course — tend to fit well here.

3.The High Range: High range products and services are not just tossed in as a way to make a quick buck. These types of products should have real, substantial value that is unique and difficult to find elsewhere. Some business owners use their high price range to offer customizable products to customers, while others reserve this area of their market for personal service.

Products in the high price range might be out of reach for some individuals in a customer base, but it is important to understand that this is normal. It can be tempting to simply lower the price of products to rake in a few extra sales, but there is little to be gained from giving away something of true worth and value.

As business owners expand their companies and begin to incorporate new products and lines, the real value of each product and how each product contributes to the company and benefits the customers should be carefully evaluated.

Build Your Brand With 3 Easy Steps

July 23, 2015 by tylie eaves

A solid, well-established brand is perhaps the most under-utilized asset when it comes to marketing for small businesses and startups. A business’s brand should be immediately recognizable and understood and should conjure certain attitudes and feelings with customers. Much more than a single logo, mission statement or piece of copy, a brand can encompass all of these and combine them beautifully to portray what a business actually is.

Not sure how to shape up a brand for the business? Take these first three steps to set the process on the right path.

1.Decide how customers should view the business. Is the company all about sports, fitness and nutrition? Or maybe products are geared more toward relaxation and having a good time. A good brand should give the target market the feeling of what products are offered without ever actually showing a single one.

2.Start the design process. No, the business statement is not the brand and, contrary to popular belief, neither is the slogan. Hold on, do not toss them out just yet. These are examples of marketing and branding tools that help support a company’s brand. The copy on the website, any blogs and all marketing efforts should be carried out to help support the brand.

3.Make sure customers experience the brand on a personal level. Ever visited a Starbucks and been given the wrong drink? Was the whip left off or decaf added by mistake? A quick stop at the company’s website reveals an important part of their brand. “Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for results.” Remember that wrong drink? Next time, let the barista know, and he or she will promptly remake the drink on the house.

All of the marketing and branding in the world is not enough to convince customers that a business stands for one thing if they refuse to act on it. Want customers to believe your brand? Make sure they feel and experience it during every interaction.

Of course there is more to brands than this. Truly successful brands require updates from time to time and should be monitored for consumer reactions. As businesses bend and adapt with the times, brands should be flexible enough to change with them too.

First Impressions Count

July 22, 2015 by tylie eaves

In the age of Google and Facebook reviews, businesses can no longer rely on outdated and poorly built websites to meet the needs of the average consumer. As a consumer myself, I frequently visit websites simply to get additional information about an exciting new product or service, only to be discouraged from actually initiating a transaction because the site is slow, confusing or lacks basic information. Marketing experts would agree that first impressions are paramount to building and sustaining a thriving online business, making website design a critical component to your success.

If your site is outdated, tired or only marginally acceptable, consider some of the following elements as possible additions:

Video backgrounds: These can be a great way to capture the attention and imagination of your customer. Video backgrounds can add an element of excitement to an otherwise straightforward website.
Large images or fonts: It is vital to capture a customer’s attention within the first few seconds of arriving at a site. Using large fonts can draw the eyes to critical information that needs to be communicated quickly, such as “SALE” or “Now offering new services!”
Updated information: When sites are not updated and improved on a frequent basis, potential customers will notice. Keeping websites as up-to-date as possible is critical for practical purposes, but also communicates a sense of pride, urgency and excitement to those visiting the site.

Many business owners do not have the skills needed to professionally update a site’s design and function. However, that is something that we do at Virtue Marketing. Members of our team are uniquely skilled in providing the services needed in order to improve a site, update the design and make it more navigable for customers. First impressions count, more than ever before in the business world, so it is vital that a business’s site makes a strong opening statement.

Scientists Confirm That Telecommuters Really Are More Productive

July 22, 2015 by tylie eaves

Science has spoken, and there is good news for the owners of online businesses: working at home is actually more productive than wiling away the hours at an office. Stanford University came to this conclusion after comparing two groups of workers against a base of approximately 12,000 employees at an overseas travel agency.

Researchers divided a total of 508 employees into two groups, giving one group the green light to start working from home while sending the other group back to the workplace. Each employee’s work was then monitored, with factors including hours worked, phone calls answered and overall productiveness. Non-work factors, such as happiness, were also included in the study.

So, what were the final results? When it came to productiveness, the telecommuters blew their commuting counterparts out of the water. The study concluded that the telecommuting group was happier and more productive while working at home and that they were even less likely to quit. With the cost of training a new employee, business owners might be especially happy to learn of the benefits that workers can get just from being allowed to work within the comfort of their own homes.

Of course, there are many telecommuters who do not work solely from their homes. Some employees still go into work a few days a week and telecommute on the others, while other employees might be full-time telecommuters who prefer to set up base at their favorite coffee shops or cafés. Although this study did not examine that aspect of telecommuting, it is fairly reasonable to assume that telecommuting might be less about being at home and more about working in an environment that makes an employee feel comfortable and relaxed.

What Wealth Really Is, and What It Isn’t

July 17, 2015 by tylie eaves

Before a business owner begins to grow any type of wealth, and, actually, before he or she even starts the process, exactly what wealth is must first be established. Many people continue to labor under the misconception that wealth is simply having tons of money stashed away in the bank, but this myth ignores some of real wealth’s most important aspects.

Wealth is personal. No two individuals share the same financial situation, making comparing financial statuses with the neighbors next door more than just useless, it can be harmful.

Wealth is freedom. Most people who live paycheck-to-paycheck simply want enough money to pay for groceries, keep the lights on and to maintain an engaging social life. Sure, this might be nice, but with wealth comes the freedom to choose between grocery shopping and eating dinner out without having to worry about the price or cost of either.

After an entrepreneur understands what it is he or she wants the freedom to be able to do, he or she needs to understand two last things about wealth.

Wealth is not saving every penny. While a savings account with money set aside for emergencies is almost always a smart idea, it might not always be the best idea for every entrepreneur. Banks have notoriously low interest rates on savings accounts, so money not in use is typically better off being invested at higher rates.

Wealth is not from one source. Wealthy individuals did not make it by cashing in a paycheck every two weeks. While a steady paycheck is important, other lines of income must be utilized in order to reach true wealth. Investments and even secondary businesses are often the way to go for extra sources of income.

Wealth is not the unattainable goal that so many people seem to believe, and this is most likely because the true meaning of wealth is often misunderstood. Understanding what wealth entails is the first step to enacting a successful business plan that will lead to real, true wealth.

Stagnant Growth? Consider Not Working in Your Busines

July 16, 2015 by tylie eaves

So, you are ready to build your business up to the next level, which is great! Ready to get to work grinding out hours of hard work on your business? Just make sure Melanie Duncan, founder of Custom Greek Threads and inspiration to countless entrepreneurs, does not find out. Of course, it is not that Duncan does not want other entrepreneurs to succeed, she just wants to make sure they are doing it as best they can.

“If you don’t learn how to effectively work ‘on’ your business, instead of ‘in’ your business, you won’t be able to strategically grow and you’ll sacrifice the quality of life you deserve.” – Melanie Duncan

So, what exactly is the big deal about working on your business rather than in it? Think of it this way, exercising at the gym is putting in the work and effort as dictated by the machine, class or schedule. This is the “in.” Conversely, most people do not just show up at the gym and wander around until something strikes their fancy. Instead, they work “on” their routine before ever arriving so that they have a clear and direct goal in mind.

Let’s translate this back to the business world. Working in your business consists of all of the necessary tasks: accounting, marketing, customer service, etc. This work is crucial for maintaining a business and its reputation, but it is often not enough to help it grow to the next level. For that, you will need to work on it by stepping back and reevaluating the business plan, products and other areas of potential improvement.

Time is an understandably precious commodity for entrepreneurs, and working on a business is not a five-minute task, but this does not mean that owners have an excuse to send it to the bottom of their to-do list. For those who want to see real, sustainable growth within their business, it might just be time to step out in order to see the bigger picture.

Jeff Walker Strikes Gold with Internet Alchemy

July 15, 2015 by tylie eaves

Before Jeff Walker founded Internet Alchemy, he and his family were more than just a little stressed about their finances; they were barely covering the grocery bill. So what drove him to $20 million of success? According to Walker, “He who dares, wins,” a saying from the British Special Forces helped drive his success. To even have the chance to successfully start his own company, Walker knew that he had to stop dreaming and start doing.

Although he was a stay-at-home father at the time, Walker spent a significant amount of time studying the stock market, and he understood what it took to be successful when buying and trading. Within this, he had both his product and his target market: stock market advice for less-informed online users.

On Internet Alchemy’s very first day, Walker sent out 19 emails advertising his services. Each day he sent out more and more until, gradually, customers began subscribing.

Walker credits his own unique abilities, business relationships and patience as helping shape and craft Internet Alchemy. He understood not only what his skills were, but he also took the extra time and effort to truly understand what he could offer that was unique to him and not offered by any of his competitors. Even today, Walker still spends three days a week taking time to reflect on this premise. However, the time spent on introspection does not mean he snubbed other people. In fact, he did exactly the opposite and threw himself head first into the business world. Those relationships helped score Alchemy many of its clients and the vast majority of its traffic.

Lastly, Walker was patient. He knew that with his unique product and with the relationships he had built that success was inevitable, but it would not be immediate. Logically, most business owners realize that the idea of becoming an overnight success is not rooted in reality, but it can be difficult to ignore the emotional desire to wake up and find that all that hard work has instantly paid off.

Internet Alchemy’s overwhelming achievements are no doubt the product of Walker’s business-savvy and dedication to his craft.