Reasons Your Content Marketing Program Isn't Working

Many businesses are getting more strategic with their content marketing program. That's good news for all of us content consumers. Unfortunately, many more businesses are frustrated with content marketing and wondering why it's not working for them.

Sound familiar? If you're spending lots of time and energy on content marketing but not seeing the results you expected, it may be time to take a step back and review your content marketing strategy. A few tweaks to what you're doing-and not doing-can make a huge impact. With that in mind, let's take a look at eight reasons your content marketing program isn't working for your business:

1. You haven't defined your goals. It will be difficult to implement and measure the success of your content marketing strategy if you don't clearly understand your goals before you get started. Want to engage more customers? Repurposing content in an email newsletter should be part of your program. Establish yourself as a thought leader? Your articles better be well researched and well-written. Want to drive more traffic to your website? Better have a strategy to leverage your social media channels. Whatever you do, take the time to identify what you want your content marketing program to achieve for your business. Then develop a plan and stick to it.

2. You don't know your target audience. Sure, you're an expert when it comes to your product or service, but how well do you know your target audience? What challenges do they face? What problems are they trying to solve? What are they interested in learning about? What would make them want to buy your product or service? Understanding-and anticipating-your prospects' needs helps you craft content that truly appeals to them.

3. Nobody's reading your content. You may be writing great articles, but if your target audience isn't reading them, all of your hard work is going to waste. Those of us who don't have tons of regular visitors to our blogs know we can't simply post an article and hope for the best. That strategy never works. Your content marketing program needs to include a plan for smartly (no spam, please) sharing your articles with your social networks and republishing them where your prospects are hanging out.

4. Your content isn't optimized. Google's algorithm changes haven't changed the fact that you still need to make sure you're using the right keyword phrases. It goes without saying that you should use them naturally within an article, but don't listen to the hype that keyword choice and placement within an article no longer matter. It does.

5. You're not being consistent. Consistency is the key to any effective content marketing program. Regularly publishing high-quality articles on your company's blog builds trust with prospects and engages your customers. It shows them you're interested in solving their problems and sharing valuable information, not just selling your product or service. Many companies start out strong but their content creation efforts fizzle out when they don't see immediate results. Don't be one of them. Be consistent and publish articles often so you can beat your competitors to prospects.

6. Your content isn't very good. Poorly written articles can cost you more than just your reputation as a leader in your field. They will also cost you customers. Do yourself a favor: Focus on your core business and outsource your content marketing program to an expert.

7. You're not repurposing your content. If you're only publishing an article on your blog, you're missing out on the opportunity to repurpose and leverage your content through other channels. Consider compiling a series of articles into an eBook. Turn an eBook into a month's worth of social media posts. And don't forget to reach out to other publishers to repost your articles so you can build awareness with a wider audience.

8. You're not dedicating resources. Regardless of the size of your business, you can't do everything by yourself. What's more, you shouldn't be trying to do everything in-house. Set aside the appropriate resources-including the people, time, and budget-to give your content marketing program a chance to succeed.

Now let's put it all together: Use the right resources to consistently write and distribute high-quality content your target audience wants-and can find. Sure, it takes some time and hard work to do it right, but the payoff is well worth it. Your business will start to be seen as the go-to resource in your niche. You'll build awareness and, even though prospects may not be ready to buy the first time they encounter you, they'll probably be back when it comes time to choose between you and your competitors

Management Skills

Many small business owners find that they have endless energy, ideas, and opportunities, but they are missing one key resource - time. There is no time machine that can add eight hours to the day, but there are ways to better utilize the time that is available to free up valuable hours for productive use.

Here are a few tips to improve time management for yourself and employees:

Set goals and monitor progress - Establish clear business goals and how they will be achieved. Create tracking mechanisms for measurable components and keep employees informed on a regular basis as to the progress of each. Identify and address deviations early before they become major problems. Small departures from anticipated results are much easier to fix than major issues that take considerable time and effort to resolve. And, it never hurts to celebrate progress!

Keep a prioritized to-do list - Brainstorm about important items that need to be accomplished to achieve established business goals. Identify four or five major areas of focus for the day and list all the tasks to accomplish those items. Rank them with letters (A through E): A - Urgent, must do; B - Important, should do; C - Worthwhile, nice to do; D - Valuable, able to delegate; E - Unnecessary, eliminate if possible. Work on the A's and B's first when your energy level is high and you have total focus. If you spend the entire day taking the easy path working on C, D, and E items, before you know it, your workday has passed without any meaningful accomplishments.

Avoid distractions - Technology offers mixed blessings... don't we all know that! The positive side of the equation is increased productivity, but the negative side is wasted time and attention spent answering personal emails, surfing the Internet, social networking, texting, and cell calls. Interruptions generated through modern technology create a loss of continuity in thinking that prevents the ability to totally focus on what has to be achieved. Some individuals can multi-task better than others. As a countermeasure to these issues, establish timeslots during the day with no interruptions and distractions so you can focus on one task at a time.

Delegate - A small business owner cannot do everything. As a business grows, talented individuals have to be hired to manage functional areas allowing the owner to work on higher-level management and planning activities. Micromanaging must be avoided to achieve maximum efficiency. As employees demonstrate their competencies, additional responsibilities can be added.

Invoice Factoring for Contractors Explained

Tracing its roots all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, invoice factoring is backed-up by a history as old as that of banks, or even merchandising in general. It has evolved through time by virtue of trade and has since remained to be a popular option for small to medium-scale businesses in need of some ready cash-at-hand. Today, invoice factoring for contractors is often viewed as a quick fix for sudden shortage in capital. But first, how does factoring work?

What Follows the Purchase Order?

Everything starts with an agreement between a supplier, often called a "contractor," and a client. Whether the contractor provides supplies or specific services, the way modern financing works has eliminated the need for a quick exchange in cash. For bigger projects, clients could opt for a longer period of payment, which usually varies and ranges from 30 up to 90 days. A purchase order is usually followed by an invoice, a piece of legally binding document which serves as a promise of the client that payment would be given to the contractor on a specified date, which is normally not that soon, at least from the supplier's perspective. This is where invoice factoring comes in.

The Third Party

Invoice factoring for contractors occurs when the supplier decides to utilize the invoices issued to them, the accounts receivables that they have on hand, to advance a portion of the payment that is not due until some specified time in the future. This is where the third party financing company enters the picture. Banking on the credit worthiness of the client's customer (the one which issued the invoice) instead of the client (the one "selling" the invoice) itself, the factoring company then takes over the responsibility of waiting for the full amount to be recovered in due time. In the meantime, around 75% - 80% of the total amount is advanced to the client, while the remainder is given back once the payment has been settled. The factoring company does get a small percentage which they bill the client as part of their services, which is exactly how they earn their profit.

Ready Capital

Once the invoice has been "bought" by the factoring company, it simply means that the burden of waiting is no longer a concern of the contractor. Now that most of the amount has been liquidated, this new inflow of capital could be used for whatever urgent financing dilemma the company is facing. A bank loan is usually hard to secure given the collateral required, as well as the stringent guidelines setup by banks. This is why invoice factoring for contractors is a viable option because it makes the whole process way easier for such small or medium-scale enterprises. In effect, they get to enjoy almost the same benefits they would from getting a loan, but with less hassles and a quicker turnaround time. For important money matters that need fast solutions, this is truly an option worth considering.

What is Business Plan

A business plan is an essential roadmap for business success. This living document generally projects 3-5 years ahead and outlines the route a company intends to take to grow revenues

1. The point of business is to make money and improve quality of life. The business plan is designed to help reveal this purpose by means of financial and analytic, and to show prospective business partners and investors how their money will be used and when to expect a return on their investment. If reassure investors are an important part of the success of your business, do not skimp on this important element.
2. Well-written plans can help forecast future financial needs. While nothing is certain, knowing at least where to take your business for it to be successful is a good start in the right direction.
    
3. Resources, especially when economies are tight, may be few and far between. Knowing how best to spend scarce resources is important for the longevity of any business. Business plans can help to outline essential spending needs when money is tight.
    
4. Poor planning often causes the death of many great ideas. In order to ensure that your business ideas do not result in failure, a business plan can help keep a business on target and ensure that you're spending money efficiently to keep things moving. A business plan can also help you delineate ideas and work through some of the potential pitfalls before you or others make big investments of time and money.
    
5. For start-ups, a business plan is absolutely necessary. Most funding sources won’t even consider making an investment these days without one. The reasons for this are clear – businesses that take the time to build a solid business plan are more apt to stay on target and spend wisely while money is tight as the business grows. There is plenty of time later for fancy upgrades and improvements; when starting out, it is best to think small and grow large.
    
6. While a business plan may be a necessary component of success for many businesses, don’t think of it as only a one-time affair. Business plans should be re-addressed annually and updated based on new circumstances and fiscal realities. Using a business plan as an organizational road map helps ensure long-term business success and keep leaders focused on the mission, goals and long-term growth goals of the business.
    
7. A comprehensive business plan includes marketing projections. Research data can help leaders identify and focus on target markets and the best ways to reach them. Businesses should keep a keen eye on demographic changes and update their business plans regularly to keep up with changes.
    
8. A business plan can help to channel resources, in terms of both time and money. This focused direction helps ensure success by helping leaders capitalize on expenses to meet long-term goals.
    
9. Don’t forget to consider a business plan as an indispensible business tool for future product and service plans. Business plans help leaders stay focused on the best decisions for today, tomorrow and well into the future.
    
10. Having a formal business plan says a lot about how seriously a company takes its business. For investors, consumers and potential business partners, this means that business leaders recognize the company's potential for success and are serious about fostering an environment that will help it to grow. Consider these players when developing a business plan for a complete and rounded business approach

Lead a Successful Sales Team

Does a good salesperson make a great team leader? Many companies will simply promote an existing member of their sales team into the position - then wonder why their sales figures aren't increasing, their staff turnover soars and morale starts to drop.

Not everyone is able to motivate and lead others. A good manager needs excellent interpersonal skills - the ability to encourage their team to take direction, be motivated and committed.

Managing a sales team effectively takes dedication, leadership training, experience and clear, shared vision.

If your company is looking to recruit a new sales manager, consider these tips to ensure you choose the best person with the right knowledge, skills and attitude from the outset. This person after all, will play a key role in driving sales and nurturing team motivation.

1. We often hear of sales managers who believe they should be solely responsible for sales performance. In actual fact, a great leader should be aware that excellent results are achieved through leading and developing others. It's vital therefore that specific targets, aims and objectives are made clear to the rest of the salesforce. A team without shared vision and goals is a team without motivation. Encourage them to take responsibility for their own performance and share both individual and team objectives.

2. An inconsistent approach will usually lead to uncertainty, a drop in motivation and inter-team conflict. Trust in the manager is as vital as respect if they are to lead their team effectively. This calls for consistency in both message and approach, along with honesty, openness and proactive, regular communication. Together, these will in most instances, result in a team which shares responsibility for vision and actual performance.

3. Of course, in addition to looking to the future, a salesforce must also be kept aware of where they are with regards to performance, if they are to have a clear idea of what they need to do individually and as a team, to get from A to B. For this reason, it's vital that regular meetings are held to review performance and results shared, with strategies amended where necessary.

4. Being able to adapt their communication style to suit the style of the individual team member is one of the most difficult skills for a sales manager to develop yet is without doubt, the most important. Adapting styles is how individuals are kept motivated and how they retain buy-in to that shared vision and expected level of performance. Adopting what might be perceived as an aggressive approach by a more reflective type of person or reversely, communicating in anything less than a positive, confident manner with a dominant individual, is not likely to have a constructive impact on sales performance.

5. Finally - how many times have you heard the complaint that someone feels they aren't included in decision making? What they're really saying is that they don't feel valued. Don't forget that they are the ones who receive direct feedback from customers and those within in the industry, so their contribution could prove very useful. By seeking their opinion or advice on relevant matters, you'll also help to develop a culture of belonging, feeling valued and shared ownership for performance.