Blog for Small Business Owners

Get ready for some serious online Christmas Shopping

10/26/2020

This year has made us all think about what we spend our money on and where we spend it. Many of us have become more aware of those who make and bake and create things. Having tapped into nature more and more this year, it certainly has given me food for thought. And no doubt the creators and makers have been busy making more too.

However, with COVID lingering the opportunity to sell face to face has become more diminished. I am a member of a massive ladies business group here in France and every year we have an ‘in house’ Christmas Market so that those who have spent time and energy creating and making can sell directly to a ready made audience. And while these talented ladies have their own Facebook pages, Etsy shops and websites it never hurts to give a helping hand and get their details in front of others.

Please take this as your very extensive catalogue of hand made crafts and gifts. Grab yourself a pot of tea and a cake and peruse through. There’s something for everyone. Appreciate the time and energy and love that has gone into many of these wonderful items. And if anything takes your fancy, please do help a small business where you can. You will be pleasantly surprised at the choice and variations and compelled to make a purchase or two! And please do feel free to share this article with others who are also looking to be inspired by authentic and creative makes.

Happy shopping!

How to effectively use Facebook Live as your route to market

10/20/2020

Having recently been invited to help plan a virtual summit via Zoom, this got me thinking of how small businesses can make the most of digital/online events to help ramp up sales as we head toward the festive season. With less and less face to face events for sellers to attend, it makes sense for small business owners to consider creating their own sales party directly from Facebook. If you can’t get in front of people offline, get in front of them online! Don’t lose out on sales, step outside of your comfort zone and do things a little differently!

Now is the time for small business owners to take the bull by its horns and start planning virtual parties. I have mapped out a few things to get those Facebook Live Virtual Product Parties rolling. Start now and get a series of sale dates on your calendar and your Facebook Page so that you have plenty of time to prep.

OK so you can’t physically pack up your wares and head off to a market or fayre, so take the market to Facebook. Facebook loves live video so it makes sense to take advantage of this platform. While Covid has us using a variety of platforms, Facebook Live is where a lot of people feel familiar and comfortable using. There is no need to give your fans another link to click when you can interact with them directly from Facebook.

Planning is key for a successful event like this, so here goes with the preparation.

Getting Facebook Live ready

Now going live in front of a camera can give many people palpitations, but relax! Think of it as being no different to being at a trade show, fair, market or networking event. YOU know your products better than anyone else. Share that passion and let your personality shine through.
Plan your broadcast [introduce yourself, your business, what the Live is all about, your products, how people can buy them? Explain postage/shipping costs how can people get in touch with you after the Live etc]
You can practice beforehand by operating only me mode. Do this as many times as you need to, so that you are comfortable with what you are saying and what you are doing.
Get a tripod for a more stable stream, so that your hands are free for your products
Check your connection speed and use your Wi-Fi whenever possible
Pick date/time when you know your audience is going to be around

Some useful links to read through to help you get Facebook Live ready!
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/facebook-live-guide
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/07/31/facebook-live-guide

Get promoting

Create invitation posts on your page. Give them as much pow wow as you can! Don’t just post once, repeat, using different visuals – save the date, Launching Live Party with Me!
Maybe do a pre-live Live, let people know through an Facebook Live when you are hosting.
Share to other group pages and your personal/professional networks
Include in any email newsletter that you send
Add to your email signature

Getting your product pitches ready

The idea is to showcase your wares and give them as much ‘air’ time as you can.
Have product knowledge to hand: what order will you present them, colour, sizes etc
Have some products ready as giveaways
Have a background that is festive so your participants can feel festive too
You know your products better than anyone, let this shine through.

Useful link in prepping your wares
https://cuttingforbusiness.com/how-to-host-a-facebook-live-sale-event-in-your-craft-business/

The big day[s]

Be ready as if you were going to a market or fayre
Get space set up phone fully charged and stable for the duration of your Live. Your products at the ready. Time to Lead your Live!
Allow time for people to join in. Don’t zoom straight in, have a bit of hello/welcome and for fans to give a thumbs up or ask questions or let you know where they are tuning in from.
When you are ready - Do your thing – walk/talk through your wares – new products.
Let people know how to purchase from you and how they can connect with you after the Live
When all is done end your Live thanking everyone and reiterate how people can buy, keep in touch/follow up with you.
Follow up on messages etc, process your orders and confirmations
Most definitely Celebrate!
And possibly think about doing it again [if you haven’t done so already].

Next Day
Create a visual/post for your page to thank everybody for joining you, [and share advance notice of your next one]. Wear a permanent grin on your face, be proud of doing this especially those who have stepped into new territory with Faceboo Lives!

Now the beauty of hosting your Live from your page is that you can use the permalink to share across other platforms. [My clients regularly use them to upload to YouTube and include in tweets and newsletter updates]. So make use of your link and share.

Idea
And you needn’t do it alone. Several of you could team up for a Facebook Live Fest. Working with the formula above, each host having their time to pitch and wrapping up by tagging in details of the next Facebook Live Party and making sure everyone heads off to the next one.

Some more useful links
https://www.cinchshare.com/how-to-setup-successful-facebook-parties-a-guide-for-direct-sellers/
http://savvynetworkmarketingwomen.com/blog/use-virtual-parties-facebook-sell-products-recruit-leaders/
https://postcron.com/en/blog/how-to-host-a-facebook-party-techniques/

If you need help in planning and creating your own Facebook Live event, or simply want ears and eyes to to scan your plan, please get in touch.

I am looking forward to seeing lots of Facebook Live invitations coming my way!!

Yours socially
Micala

Understanding the power of community in your business

10/12/2020

No business is an island. Not one single business owner can say that they are not part of a community. By being in business you are 'community', you create them, you are surrounded by them.

You participate in communities numerous times a day, a week a month, from your suppliers, interactions with other local businesses and your own professional and personal interactions within your local and extended communities. You are part of an industry community, a customer community, your local community. The longer you are in business, the more enriched these communities become. They are all interconnected like a solar system.

There is none so important as being part of a community of fellow business owners, where you can bring ideas, concerns and questions that other communities that you participate in need to know nothing about. After all, it is not always plain sailing running a business and it’s easy to think that you are alone in your situation. But that is not the case.

When you are head down focused on work and external things knock you sideways, it might seem that there is no support and no one will see it how you see it. Or you simply don’t have time to raise your eyes above the parapet to breathe, as so much is going on, that’s when a business community can serve you. To help pull you up, see what you don’t see, offer wisdom from a variety of experiences and let you know you are not alone. By chewing the fat and listening to others, there is usually a real gem or word of wisdom that enables you to move forward with an idea or issue. The more time you spend within a business community, the more you grow, you start to be able to impart your own words of wisdom and knowledge and therefore able to help others.

A community’s survival and strength rely on everyone doing their bit. While communities are great spaces of resource and support, everyone needs to put in just as much as they take out. So don’t forget to give back where you can.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” - Helen Keller

And maybe being part of a ‘business community’ is not your thing, preferring to muddle through and not divulge what’s going on in your business. But if COVID has taught us anything during this year no business is an island. We all need to be aware of and participate in the communities that we find ourselves in.

Yours socially
Micala

What you need for a simple business plan

9/23/2020

Running a business here is in France is not easy. Knowing what your business is about, how you are going to get business and understanding if you are running at a profit or loss are vital components whether you are a start up or established business. A business plan is your map throughout the working year. It helps you prepare for opportunities and helps you prepare for the negatives that could strike your business. And let’s face it 2020 has been a year! Not only have many had to navigate through Covid19 but many of us need to adapt to Brexit!

Here are a few essential elements to include in your business plan. If a yearly business plan is not something that you have done, create a quarterly plan that you can work too. Many pay bills quarterly, so you an align your business plan alongside your quarterly payments. A regular review enables you to adapt sooner rather than later. The plan should not be set in stone, change is inevitable, so expect change. A short one or two page document is more than adequate to review on a quarterly basis. Then at the end of the year you will have information ready and available for a more in depth review to prepare for the following year.

Your business
Why have you set up in business? How have you set your business? Where do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years time? What is your product or service? How are you different from the competition? What is your USP? What is the focus this year? Who are your customers? Why would they need your product or service? What is your pricing? Is your pricing sustainable?

Customers
Customers are important to your business, without them you have no business. Who are your ideal customers? Where are your customers? Where do you need to be seen? Where should you be spending money in promoting your business? What activities do you need to budget for? Are they working? What enquiries/business has been generated? Are you retaining existing customers?

Financials
What are your costs? What do you need to run your business? What are your regular outgoings? Insurance, equipment/tools, petrol, supplies, business tax? What do you need to live on each month? What do you need to put to one side to buffer a downturn? When you see what your outgoings are you can see what you need to be earning each month. Do you need to prepare for major costs in the future? I.e a new vehicle, or equipment that you need for your business.

If 2020 teaches us one thing in business it is keep an eye on the plan and try to at least buffer a downturn should the inevitable happen so that we have time to either pivot our businesses and weather the storm and at the very least survive!

Yours socially
Micala

How to promote your business without using social media

8/16/2020

The recent pandemic has certainly got the world flocking to the internet. During the pandemic 6 million google searches take place every day!! And social media platforms, as forward moving as ever, have become the driving force for keeping humans connected.

It is likely that this will be the new norm. We will adapt to an ever increasing use of digital technology for both professional and personal reasons. Could we see a demise in face to face connection? On researching this topic there are pages and pages of articles geared toward why your business needs to be seen online, and how to stand out in the Internet ocean.

But what if social media did not exist? What if for whatever reason, platforms were banned or stopped. What if the internet just couldn’t withstand any more data upload [never likely to happen] and buckled. How would you continue to promote your without social media? As someone who works within the world of social media, I am responsible for managing and creating content that enables clients to have a consistent presence, I cannot imagine a world without social media. Those clients also have a healthy mix of activity that support and weave with their digital efforts.

Many business owners create profiles and then struggle to maintain their presence on them. And not all businesses need or want to grow massively via social media. And not everyone uses social media. The reality is that social media is here to stay. But a well rounded healthy mix of activity and not just relying on digital methods means that your business is seen offline and on. Should the insane ever happen and social media was not accessible, the suggestions below will serve your business well.

By far the best method is actively working your word of mouth activity. If you have a product or service that others can rave about, let them. And then support those ravers by introducing loyalty or referral programs so that these ambassadors can continue to support you.

“Advertising brings in customers, but word-of-mouth brings in the best customers.” - Jonah Berger

Which blends nicely into picking up the phone to speak directly to your customers personally. In a world where communicating is done online, your customers will appreciate the human connection via this medium.

“The best marketing strategy ever: CARE.” - Gary Vaynerchuck

You yourself have to get out there and use opportunities to talk about your business fluently [and hand out your business cards] whether that is professional or social networking [of course, be covid conscious].

A business card is a time served favourite, so don’t leave home without them. Plus well curated succinct flyer with a bonus discount to boot always goes down well too.

Stay at the forefront of your customers minds by sending a freebie now and then. You don’t have to spend a fortune in putting a smile on a client’s face.

Remember there are guidelines and protocols around using client data, but when used properly and regularly, connecting via email marketing and newsletters enriches the relationship that you have with your client.

Advertising your business through a reputable and regular magazines create communities, that become a source of advice. Ads in magazines are not as intrusive as ads that pop up on your computer screen and people still love to flick through at their leisure and take their time reading a magazine as opposed to reading something online.

“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.” - Steuart Henderson Britt

Never underestimate the power of visual reach of a sign written/wrapped vehicle, it’s a moving advert!

Yours socially
Micala

Exploring Digital Literacy

6/17/2020

The recent covid challenge has certainly changed the way we do things. Not only were we/are we spending more time online, thank goodness for Facebook, but also how we communicate with clients, how we market to them and how we get paid has got us all thinking! The availability of free or low cost platforms has been a huge benefit to small business owners over recent months. If ever there was a time for crash course in using a plethora of digital platforms, the last couple of months have been it! Covid had the power to disrupt, but it gave us an opportunity to learn and use new tech quickly. But also begs the question how digitally literate are we?

What is meant by digital literacy?

Digital literacy means being able to understand and use technology. It relates to the ability to find, use and create information online in a beneficial and useful way.Digital literacy also means knowing the limitations of technology and understanding the dangers and precautions that the use of technology requires - Google

For example: A small business owner creates a Facebook page. They will need to know how to create content and how to post/schedule content, understand etiquette and policies of that platform as well as understanding how to use from a laptop or mobile device. Or they have a website. They will need an understanding of data management – how they using client data, how they are keeping it safe? Topics such as GDPR are not going to go away.

Just this year alone TikTok took the internet by storm a platform avidly used by the younger generation and continues to enjoy huge success and is still a platform that leaves the older ones baffled. While a youngster knows how to download and have fun with the platform, their digital literacy may go no further than the download. There’s more to using an app and having fun with it, they too need to be aware of its dangers.

And there’s so much to be mindful of when running a small business. Twenty years ago we were still picking up the telephone to talk to people. We were using faxes to send information. You spoke to the local paper to discuss your ad, gave them the words and left it to them to produce. You had a filing system in your office. You had a diary, a roladex system.You knew what you were doing and why. Nowadays technology has replaced many of the ‘old school’ ways of doing things. Now we send emails with attachments. Where’s the attachment, which folder, did I press send? Work is backed up into the cloud! What’s the cloud? [A virtual filing system where you can access data from a virtual server].

The way we do things today has changed forever. Many business owners are still clinging to the ‘old school’ rather than become digitally savvy. They are quite happy doing what they have always done. The flip side is that your competition has an all singing all dancing website, he’s got pay per click sorted, a landing page keeping him busy with leads. His Facebook Ads are going great guns. His office sends an SMS when his team are on route. His team are out and about with mobile technology at their finger tips ready to email invoices over in an instant. He’s got them doing quick TikToks. He’s able to buy supplies and upload his purchasing details straight to his accounting system in the cloud. His business is digitally savvy, but does that make him digitally literate?

Personally I love technology and I love old school. Yes I have a Filofax! My digital journey started back in 1993 working for a Building Society which was migrating from written ledgers to Microsoft. I put myself forward for train the trainer and was part of a 4 month training program teaching staff how to use it, and I absolutely loved it! There was a lot of resistance back then. Staff just didn’t understand it. They had been so used to writing in ledgers seeing the columns of money in and money out that it was completely alien to see this information be input and used in a technological way. Computers were seen largely in offices but then became accessible for home use. Mobiles became fashionable and boy how they have changed over the last two decades, so much sophistication has enabled them to be part of our every day lives. From waking up to going to sleep and everything in between from banking to dating, entertainment and shopping. Our lives have become so entwined with technology but do we know what is happening with our data and digital footprint?

I use technology every day – I know how it threads and weaves together – but I am a front end user. Understanding behind the screen to me is like opening a creaky door to a dusty engine room. I know enough to be able to talk about it and of it to be understood [bit like learning the French language!!], which has got me thinking about my own literacy levels.

As a business owner with a website, suddenly I’ve got responsibilities! I have to let people know how I am gathering their data, what I am doing with it, how they can approach me to remove data. I now have to have an understanding of customers rights and be aware of the implications should data be breached. I have to have privacy policy – that can be a jargon jungle in its own right. I need to know what my cookie policies are – mine would be – eat as many as you like! There’s a very lengthy Wikipedia explanation of a cookie – but still of all the words cookie!

Sometimes the language around digital is confusing that it puts people off from improving digital literacy. Rather than be put off, we need to ask questions and research so that we can improve our understanding that supports improved digital literacy as technologies will continue to develop and affect our lives both professionally and personally.

Should you want to think about your own digital literacy, here are some useful links to get you going.

https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/digitalliteracy/home
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/digital-literacy-succeeding-digital-world/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab
https://alison.com/courses/core-it-skills

Marketing in the midst of Coronavirus

4/22/2020

Small business owners will have been severely impacted during the Coronavirus epidemic. With little or no customer interaction one question small business owners ask – should I continue to market my business? YES!! Now more than ever you should be actively keeping your business awareness high and keep connecting with your customers. Maybe even think about different ways of marketing your business that previously you haven’t had time for before. It certainly means we have to think outside the box and divert how we communicate and what we communicate. And digital marketing has never been more in demand! We have seen lately how printed magazines have pivoted and taken advantage of technology to enable users to read their content but just not in print.

Now that going out is limited, the use of the internet and social media and other platforms is providing people with an outlet to keep in touch with friends and family. And an ideal time for you to keep in contact with them too!

“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H Schuller

Here are some things to consider:
Social Media
Keep your social media platforms busy!! It isn’t about being salesy, it’s about communication. Have you been avoiding doing a Facebook Live/Video – now’s the time to consider it. Many businesses are ideal to diversify and offer tutorials and distance learning online! Revisit your blog content – refresh it and post it! Be mindful of what you are posting. How does it entertain, inform, educate or benefit your audience? Do you follow other pages that are relevant to your audience? Share their content – this not only keeps your visitors interested but helps another small business owner in the process.

Website
Is your website as fresh as it can be? Can you add new content? Add that blog? Refresh images? Are you all your contact details up to date Can you add offers that will be applicable – loyalty programme, a discount? How can you improve payment methods? Can you work on some SEO? Have you refreshed your google my business space?

Email
Are you making the most of your database or list? Now is a good time to keep connected and share more than what you would in a social media post. What is happening in your business and how it affects your customers? Direct them to your social media platforms and your website. Think about what people might need from you right now. Don’t use this opportunity to drown your recipients inbox.

Traditional Telephone
While there are plenty of platforms to keep in contact with friends and family and teams… google hangouts and zoom spring to mind. There’s nothing quite like picking up the phone. Check in on customers via the telephone. Might be time to tap into collating feedback from them, and perhaps encourage them to share their experience via any online platform that you use. Sometimes a good chat with some of your most faithful customers can unlock some great ideas too!

This down turn also provides us with an opportunity to spring clean our business and up skill. There are many digital marketing courses available offering free content that you can tap into and learn a new skill.

How are you managing to market? What new skills are you learning?

Yours socially
Micala

Why your email signature is a great marketing tool

4/8/2020

How often do you send emails? Over the year it amounts to quite a lot!! Your email signature is a massive marketing opportunity. When used properly your email signature plays an important part of your marketing efforts when linked with strong and clear call to action. It is an ideal way to share that little bit extra about what's going on in your business with who you are communicating. Subtle but powerful.

Many will be relevant now, but others will be dependent on what’s going on in your business. So change them regularly. Consider sharing these in your email signature:

Link to your website
Links to your social media platforms
Link to your latest blog article
Link to a special offer [landing page or website]
Got something free to give away
Link to a competition
Link to your newsletter sign up
Link to your latest newsletters
Link to testimonials [google my business / website / Linkedin]

Many email providers allow you to create a signature but some may be a little lacking particularly if you want to incorporate visuals. If you want something more, then there are many email signature maker sites to choose from www.designhill.com/design-blog/15-of-the-best-email-signature-generators/

Yours socially
Micala

Businesses love to be appreciated too! ♥♥

3/25/2020

credit Sylvia Duckworth

I think it is fair to say 'hats off to all small business owners and independents who have taken a huge risk and leap of faith to set up a business'. Particularly here in France. Let’s face it it is not easy! A lot of heart and soul goes into a setting up a business, finding clients and managing the many bureaucratic hurdles that manage to manifest just when you think you have got it sussed.

Customers don’t get to see the heartache, the pain, the planning, the issues behind the scenes, the administration, the sacrifices and to be honest, why should they? Customers have their own set of needs to be met.

Although as a customer when you use the services of a small business owner or independent who has gone above and beyond or is generally a great business to deal with, do let them know. The smallest act of appreciation will put a huge smile on any business owners face whether it is customer to business or business to business.

As a customer when a business owner takes time to build a relationship with you, and goes that extra mile when things go wrong, is easily accessible by phone and/or you know you will get a reply to your email when compared to other much larger organisations that often lack simple customer care skills. All of this adds up to a business owner treasuring their customers.

Some things to consider. Small businesses and independents:

are run by real people not CEOs
have what it takes to show sincere and authentic behaviour
often provide employment
appreciate the support for keeping their livelihoods going
are often the life blood of small communities
know that every single customer matters

By supporting hard-working small business owners/independents, you as a customer are helping keep someone's dream alive and food on the table.

If you are reading this please do think about the small business and independents that you have used and let them know you appreciate them.

Send them a thank you card
Pick up the phone and let them know
Leave positive reviews on Google or Facebook, trip advisor
If you are asked to leave a review by a business owner do try to action the request
Tell your friends and family
Shop with small business owners/independents whenever you can

Yours socially
Micala

Time to TAG your business

3/21/2020

During these unusual times, many businesses are unable to sell BUT you can build stronger connections and create a collaborative environment through tagging.

I did this yesterday on my personal timeline and tagged in Arbres et Abeilles as I had purchased a number of shrubs & trees before Christmas and the good weather of the past few days meant I could plant them in. So I tagged them in to give a bit of exposure and they responded.

First though your page needs to be taggable. Head to settings and click on Others Tagging This Page and make sure you have ticked the box to enable other people and pages to tag this page. Click save.

Think about what you want to ask? Create the question on your own Facebook Business page and be cleart that they share on their own timeline and tag your business page with @nameofbusiness.

You may want to include in your post why you are doing this – it’s about keeping your business out there. You as a business appreciate your customers and followers and during these unprecedented times as a business you are keeping in contact and their participation is hugely appreciated.

If appropriate share that post to your personal timeline.
If appropriate share to groups – customers may have come from groups. [Be respectful of group rules and only apply to any relevant themed posts that they may]

By them posting on their timeline and tagging your business page in, it will be seen by their friends and family and by you!

Here are some suggestions – you may well have others, but this is just to get those creative juices flowing:

Share a picture or a memory of a time that you stayed with us - it could be a place, or food related and tag in your page [be mindful of the kind of content to be shared – respecting privacy of certain types of pictures]
Have you planted something from us? If so, share a picture on your timeline of what you have planted and tag us in @nameofbusiness
Have you purchased one of my paintings? Share a picture on your timeline and tag us in @nameofbusiness
Have you purchased one of my handmade crafts? Share on your timeline and tag us in @nameofbusiness
Share a picture of your pooch that has been groomed by me and tag me in @nameofbusiness

By asking your fans/customers to share like this you are expanding the reach of your business. So be sure to respond to every single tag and keep the conversation and engagement going.

Have other creative questions ready to post out over coming weeks, ideally once a week if appropriate. And over the next week or so, I am going to give some thought to other businesses that I have collaborated with or purchased from, post about it and tag them in. Every little helps.

Let me know how you get on.

Yours socially
Micala

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I am a business owner, just like you and my advice and article comes from experience and knowledge having run my own business in the UK and here in France. I have mentored dozens and dozens of small business owners. Sharing knowledge and experience as we all experience similar concerns and issues along our self employed journey. I am passionate about helping fellow business owners create valuable presence in their business, online and off.

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