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KISS!!

I'm sure most of us are familiar with the acronym, KISS or "Keep It Simple Sweetie" (my version). This little concept that can be applied successfully to so many areas of our lives is a must in marketing. Customers like things EASY. Really, REALLY EASY!

 

This hit home for us early on as we saw the response to a minor change in our Times Tales website. We offered our Original and Deluxe programs and, sometime later came out with an inexpensive "mini flipchart" so a child could have a chart of their own. We used an "add to cart" button for the mini flipchart right next to both the Original and Deluxe programs. We were pleased with sales results and felt they were selling well. One day, however, we decided to remove the separate button for the mini chart and instead offered a "Deluxe Program" or "Deluxe with Mini Flipchart" as well as an "Original Program" or "Original with Mini Flipchart". We didn't offer any discount and continued to list the mini flip separately further down the page.

 

Sales on the mini flips increased immediately! The only difference was that people now had to hit one button rather than two to add it to their order. Perhaps sales improved because the customer only had to click  once rather than go back for another item, therefore making the process easier and less time consuming. Perhaps it's more of a psychological factor of feeling like they've ordered one item rather than two. Whatever the reason, we can't argue with the results.

 

Be sure to capitalize on sales by making it as simple as you can for your customers to purchase with the greatest ease possible. Peruse your website to see if you can offer bundles or packages. What items naturally go together? Without even offering a discount, you can increase sales by adding a purchase option to buy both with one click. Now, how simple is that?

 

Dena Wood

Research Consultant

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC

Small Business Saturdays: Goal-Setting for Your Business

With January 1st right around the corner, it’s that time of year when we all become a little more reflective. Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution, a new diet, an exercise plan… we’re all thinking about what we hope to accomplish in our lives over the next year.

What about your business? This is the perfect time of year to contemplate the past 12 months and how far your company has come. Don’t just reflect on the past, look ahead to the future.

 

If you don’t know where you are going or where you want to be, how will you be able to measure your achievement? Goal-setting is vital for the success of any business, no matter what the size.

 

I encourage you to sit down with a pen and paper and set goals. If you have a family business, talk this over as a family. Where do you want to be in three months, six months, a year? What about two years or five years down the road?

 

Set specific goals which you feel are reachable and then set some goals which might seem out-of-reach right now, but that you can at least start working toward. After setting these goals, write out a basic plan to achieve them. Save this paper in an important place (maybe even display it on your wall or bulletin board by your desk as a constant reminder and motivator!) and review it often.

 

My husband and I sat down almost a year ago and did this for our small business. At the time, our business was just getting off the ground and many of the goals we set seemed like a very long shot. We went ahead and set them anyway. My motto has always been, “Better to aim high, than to not aim at all!”

 

A few weeks ago, we reviewed our business goals and were shocked to find we had reached every single one of them!  In some cases, we had even gone above and beyond what seemed like a far stretch a year ago. Wow! It was amazing to look back and see how motivational a simple listing of goals on a piece of paper had been for us.

 

Just think...we would never have realized how much our business had grown had we not set these goals in the first place!

 

~Crystal Paine

Marketing Manager

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC

Small Business Saturdays: A Family Affair

One of the nicest parts of operating a small or home-based business is being able to incorporate your family, including your children, into your entrepreneurial efforts.  Some home-based business owners actually consider this to be a large part of why they choose to work from home. 

 

As a homeschooler telecommuting myself, I see all of the advantages, and disadvantages, to this concept daily.  As a parent and a business person you are able to teach your child(ren) your own business ethics first hand.  You are able incorporate older children in the running of the business, whether it be in customer service or fulfillment, or even web design or product creation.  On the other hand, you must figure out ways of keeping younger children busy in order to maintain a professional demeanor when dealing with clients or colleagues. 

 

Having grown up with a parent who owned and operated a home-based business, I happen to have been on both sides of the fence.  I can agree personally with the benefits of working side-by-side with a parent, whether in developing ad copy or selecting products to stock in a shop or catalog.  Gaining these skills at your side, whether as an apprentice or as a paid employee, will allow your children a foothold in the workforce that others their age will wait years to have.

 

How, though, do you deal with the rough days...the days when the baby is teething (and letting everyone know about it!), the toddler is feeding the dog something he shouldn't, and the preschooler wants to be included in each and every phone conversation (business call or not)?  What do you do when a child falls ill and you need to pack boxes for a shipment?  What happens when YOU are sick and you're the sole proprietor?

 

Here are just a few suggestions for making it through the tough days, so you can really enjoy the triumphs of the good days:

 

• If you have older children, recruit them to care for their younger siblings.  This may be just as helpful to the business as if they had their finger in the pie on the actual running of the company!
• If you only have little ones, try keeping an easel in your office, or creating space near you with quiet toys, books, and games.  Perhaps you've upgraded your computer system recently...consider allowing young school-aged children use of the old unit so they can "work" while you do.
• Even preschoolers can help out by carrying paperwork to the recycle bin, putting packing peanuts in boxes, or taping shipping containers closed with you.  Incorporate lessons such as weighing, measuring, and counting when shipping items or performing inventory counts.
• Older children's interests may well turn into something that will build the family business.  Let web-savvy tweens or teens help design (or redesign) your company blog or website.  Ask your budding writer to help with ad copy, brochures, and the like.  The child with an eye for color and design may be the one who is best to help create that new catalog you've been thinking of.
• When all else fails, use voicemail and email to your advantage.  Single parent entrepreneurs have to make the most of this one, as do those whose spouse is working outside of the house while you're running a home-based business.  If there's not another adult or dependable child to help out, it's time to remember these two words: Family First.  Let the incoming calls go to voicemail and kiss the knee with the "owie" on it or rescue the dog from the knight in shining tinfoil armor.  (The dog will thank you, I promise.)

Looking for more suggestions?  I enjoyed Working at Home While the Kids are There, Too by Loriann Hoff Oberlin (ISBN 1-56414-305-8).  As every small business operator or sole proprietor knows, there's a lot depending on you every day.  This includes your precious little ones...try to make the most of all your options so both your business and your family can thrive!

 

~Melonie K. Murray

Director of Public Relations

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC

Small Business Saturday: The Blog is Your Friend!

One of the nicest things about operating a small or home-based business is the personalized customer service you can offer.  Your clients or customers will frequently come to know you, up close and in person, instead of some faceless voice on the other end of the phone.  The personal touch makes a WORLD of difference when it comes to the growth of your business.

 

What do you do, however, if you own a website and are gaining most of your business from it?  You still want your visitors to feel like they "know" you, but it's hard to reach across the desk and fill up their coffee when you're, well, offering them a cyber-cup!

 

Enter the weblog, or "blog".  As you can see, PRMama happens to believe in the power of the blog.  (You're getting to know me, right?)  As blogging becomes more prevalent in today's techy society, more and more business entities (from freelancers to sole proprietors to multi-billion dollar corporations) are beginning to see the many uses of the blog.  Some businesses are creating blogs on their main sites, others are just dipping their toes in by only using a blog...and still others are linking offsite from their regular domain to their blog.

 

When it comes to PR and marketing, the blog can be a killer or it can be a lifesaver.  As I'm sure you can imagine, there can be serious ramifications if a well-known blogger posts about the lousy product he got from XYZ Company, or the horrible customer service she experienced at the ABC Bank in Town.  (All the more reason, folks, to make sure your customer service skills are up to par.  You don't want that nasty conversation you just had with Joe Client ending up all over the blogosphere.)

 

I was honored to have an incredible conversation with La Shawn Barber, one of those aforementioned well-known bloggers, at the GodBlogCon earlier this year.  You can see what La Shawn had to say in the Winter 2006 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  (Frankly, I think you should subscribe, too, if you plan on marketing to homeschoolers!)

 

One of the things that I know only too well is that you, the home-based or small business operator, may be on a budget.  That's one more place the blog comes in.  Through free blog hosting services (like this one, HomeschoolBlogger.com!), you can set up a free weblog.  Use a template provided by the host or, if you're tech-savvy, tweak the offerings and design your own business blog.

 

Don't just listen to me, though...take a look at the kind of exposure you can get from a blog for free.  The following visitor numbers and information are for HomeschoolBlogger.com, JUST for the month of November. 

 

Almost 75 THOUSAND uniques for November!

Well over 3 MILLION page views!

Close to TWO MILLION total visits!

Main countries linking in (in this order are) US, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Japan, EU, Great Britain, New Zealand, China, Netherlands, Germany and South Africa. But that's nothing; there are 12 more countries linking in, too.

 

I suggest that you take a few minutes to create a blog, post your first entry, and start toying around with your template and the options available to you.  Sit down and plan out some interesting blog entries and make sure you blog at LEAST three times a week.  Share some newsy information about your business, some personal information, and some of the fun stuff about why your products will appeal to your market.  Don't forget the spell check...and have FUN with your blog. 

 

Just like that voice on the telephone, it's easy to tell when someone is smiling.  Even in the blogosphere...over a cyber-cup of joe.

 

 

 

(HomeschoolBlogger.com Stats courtesy Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC)

 

 

Small Business Saturday: Resources for Entrepreneurs

You've weighed all the options, you've considered your strengths, weaknesses, and passions, and you've decided that the time has come to build your own business.  The entrepreneurial spirit is beginning to flow through your veins and you're all keyed up and ready to rumble, right?

 

As returning readers know, PRMama is quite convinced that continuing education is vital to the growth of any business, and business person.  This is especially important for sole proprietors or owners/operators of small businesses.  Unless you've got a very generous silent partner or recently hit the lottery, your budget is not likely to match those of the "big dogs".  Every entrepreneur strives, however, to be one of the big dogs, and there are plenty of ways to learn what those folks know.

 

Whether you're just starting out in your field or are just in the mood for a refresher course, or perhaps have decided that the time has come to change the vision or pace of your business or organization, there really are plenty of places to find good, solid information.  Look to websites and trade publications focused on your passion or niche for up-to-date information that really pertains to your needs.  In the case of companies marketing to homeschoolers, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is the highest-quality "trade" journal you will find.  You'll be able to learn more about the various methods of home education, the many resources available to the homeschooling community, and you'll begin to "meet" the top publishers and product providers in the marketplace.  Information like this is VITAL to the continued growth and prosperity of any small business.  You cannot compete in a market that you have not taken the time to research.

 

This concept applies to all markets, of course.  Then there's the larger issue at hand: what do you do if you are brand new to being the one in charge?  How do you create a business plan, if you're still in the idea stages?  Where do you find resources for leaders when you are accustomed to being the one following orders?

 

First of all, hit your local library or favorite bookstore.  Ask your librarian or bookseller to point you toward the business and management sections.  Don't just hone in on general business and accounting items, although those are important too.  Since many sole proprietorships or small businesses are home-based, you might look for books such as Working at Home While the Kids are There, Too (ISBN 1-56414-305-8).  Titles along these lines are obviously focused on those who are parents, but they offer suggestions that all home-based business owners can benefit from.

 

Be sure to look for items that discuss public relations, marketing, and retail opportunities.  Online "storefronts" are increasingly popular, so don't forget to look into ways to build your business at a fraction of the cost of a brick-and-mortar storefront.  This may be one economical way of creating your own business on a shoestring budget!

 

While you're at the bookstore, don't forget the newsstands.  Publications I personally enjoy are Fast Company (not only for their interesting articles but for the fun, slightly irreverant tone), BusinessWeek SmallBiz (in fact, the Fall 2005 issue has a feature about web business!), and Worthwhile (gotta love their tagline: "Work with Purpose, Passion and Profit").  If you sign up for a subscription to any of these publications, do me a favor...spread the word about PRMama!  Tell them you heard about them HERE.

 

Then come back and tell me what your favorite small business resources are!