Does Your Small Business Make These Common Marketing Mistakes?

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A small business needs to manage a number of operations on a regular basis to run smoothly. While some business operations might be common to all small businesses, others, like attorneys, might be on an as-needed basis. For instance, an attorney will be necessary if a small business has some intellectual property that has to be protected.

One of the most essential operations is marketing. It’s not something that would be nice to do to increase sales, it’s something that you must do to stay in business. Consequently, when it runs well, then leads are generated and sales are made. Conversely, when it does not run well, then, the business is in trouble because you will not have sufficient revenue to cover overheads.

Here  are some of the common marketing problems small businesses face:

  • They don’t have enough marketing resources.
  • They keep making the same expensive mistakes over and over again and campaigns flop.
  • They have no clear idea of how they should market their products or services.
  • They don’t have enough money to market.

Let’s take a closer look at what you should do if your business has any of these marketing problems:

1. What to do if your business has insufficient marketing resources:

When it comes to marketing, your small business may not have all the resources it needs for marketing. Perhaps you don’t have enough people to run the campaign or you may not have experienced staff to manage a particular type of marketing. Fortunately, there are B2B services like Allegra, that help fill in the gaps. Your small business, for example, may need a partner who has enough people and know-how to efficiently process mail pieces like self-mailers.

2. What to do if your business does not know why a marketing campaign flopped:

If you carefully planned a marketing campaign but got a poor return on your investment, then it’s important to figure out why it didn’t work out.

Simply doubling down on a campaign will only increase your loss and you might make the same mistake if you just launch another type of marketing campaign.

When faced with a puzzling situation, it’s helpful to use a conceptual tool from Six Sigma called DMAIC.

DMAIC is an acronym for define, measure, analyze, improve, and control.

First, define your problem. What exactly is not working out for you?

Second, measure how bad the problem is.  What do you need to measure to quantify your problem?

Third, analyze the root cause of the problem. What are things causing the problem?

Fourth, improve the situation. What solutions should you try?

Fifth, control future issues. How can you make sure that your solution stays effective?

3. What to do if you don’t have any clear marketing strategies:

Hire someone who has a track record of developing effective marketing strategies. This consultant will not only help you develop a marketing strategy but will also train your team on how to use it effectively until you get results.

4. What to do if you don’t have a sufficient marketing budget:

It’s essential that you market, so you must either find the money you need or find low-cost ways to market.

You might be able to improve your marketing budget by taking away money from other less essential operations.

You might also be able to borrow the money you need to fund your marketing efforts.

If you can’t come up with money for marketing, then you may have to use some guerrilla marketing techniques like a publicity stunt or making viral videos.

In conclusion, if your business is struggling with its marketing, then it’s time to troubleshoot your marketing. If it’s a question of resources, then outsource the work. If it’s trying to figure out why your marketing isn’t working, then use DMAIC. If it’s a question about how to market, then hire a marketing consultant. And, finally, if it’s a budgetary issue, then either find the money you need or opt for low-cost (but time-intensive) ways to market your business.

Modern Classrooms and Personalized Learning- A New Wave In Education

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In this age of globalization and technological determinism, every single thing is changing. Nothing is constant now but the change. Thus, we have also witnessed a series of changes in the educational system and the learning process. When the world is full of video games and with every single update the students are getting more and more addicted to it, modern classrooms with personalized learning emerged as a savior. With different types of technological invention, the classroom that only had traditional blackboards, tables, and chairs. But, in this modern age, a lot of things have come up to make it more acceptable to the students.

In this world of PS3 and Netflix, students’ engagement in the classrooms has become a challenging issue. Most of them find it a boring task to listen to long lectures and taking notes. Therefore, the attendance of students in the classes is also decreasing day by day. So, now let us know how the concept of modern classroom emerged and students got engaged in the system.

How classrooms became ‘modern’?

Anything that is visually attractive is likely to snatch anyone’s attention. So do modern classrooms. When you are disciplined in life in every sphere of the education, you are likely to get bored. So, modern classrooms have emerged with a notion of ‘not so disciplined’ one. The age-old traditional classrooms had proper sitting arrangements to blackboards. Now, the whole scenario has been digitalized to make the students aware of the technological up gradation. There are three main components of a modern classroom.

  • Usage of technology

We are heading toward such a time where the world will run more on technology than on humans. From mobiles, PS3 to other important high-tech stuff have become a part of our daily lives. Eventually, technology has also become a very integral part of the education system. Starting from the usage of computers for academic projects in handling Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives, technological implementation is not a new thing.

In modern classrooms, different approaches have come up like virtual reality to personalized learning. Everything is digitalized and thus the acceptance from the students is also very high.

  • Space

 

When a modern classroom is built, it has to be spacious. Otherwise, every single criterion cannot be met. Therefore, space should be well planned and also should be taken care of properly. According to University of Salford studies, it has been found that the physical design of a school can improve students’ performance by 25%. If space remains unclear or unused, it can even give a negative boost to the students’ performances.

 

Therefore, to give a proper visual treat to the students, the classroom should be maintained from different aspects. The layout should be done wisely, proper furniture, environmental issues like pollution etc should be taken care of.

 

  • Pedagogy

 

A proper modern classroom helps to make practical implementation for all the things that you learn in textbooks. Therefore, this gives a proper idea of the concept that they read. Many of them often could not decipher the meaning by reading the texts. For them, pedagogy is the best way to make things clear. Hence, it can be said that with these three components a classroom can be modern.

 

Now, let us understand how personalized learning with modern classrooms has become inseparable from each other.

             How personalized learning increased with the emergence of modern classrooms?               

As modern classrooms are open, flexible and also personal, most of the students who have really little connection with the classroom and education, also take part actively. The concept of personalized learning has also come up with the up gradation of technology in the classrooms and education system. Various assignment experts say that as the process has witnessed a drastic change altogether, it has also ensured a healthy development of the students.

Putting students at the peak of learning by taking initiatives on their own requires a lot of effort. Therefore, a collaboration of the students with their peers in personalized learning increased remarkably. It is said that modern classrooms and personalized learning make a good pair because without modern classrooms with every infrastructure, the learning process cannot be implemented. So, here are some of the ways that modern classrooms have to enhance the personalized learning process.

  • Big areas to use:- Personalized learning needs big areas to create such an environment. It is needed because when a personalized learning process is done through experiments, a small area is not appropriate for that. As modern classrooms are meant to be big, the process of such learning can be done flawlessly.

 

  • Collaboration with peers: – Modern classrooms ensure collaboration through personalized learning. This is because; the learning process needs a group for such practical implementation. So, it enhances collaborations and also interactions among the students.

 

  • Proper technical stuff: – Personalized learning process needs proper infrastructures for the same. Therefore, modern classrooms are the only place to practice such things. It also shows that how Google, Skype, and other technical products have become an integral part. So, such amenities can only be arranged in a modern classroom.

 

  • Exhibition of talent:- So, when the personalized learning is done in various modern classrooms, students get to showcase their own talent. This is because; there are different facilities that they can use and through which the talent is exhibited. But, without proper amenities, such learning process can fail.

 

So, it can be said that the modern classroom and personalized learning are inter-dependent to each other. This is the most popular and also positive technological change of this generation. According to famous online assignment experts, this can not only help in the education system but also a good mental health booster to the students who always remain stressed out for academic pressure.

The Product Decides the Marketing

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The world of product marketing is quite complex and fascinating. It typically involves intense research, testing, psychology, logistics, and maybe a little bit of luck. However, despite the many years it takes to study and master product marketing, there are basic principles that everyone can easily use when they have a product that needs marketing.

Do you have something you want to sell? How you go to market depends on two primary questions. What is your product? and Who are your customers? Once you can answer these questions, then you can get the ball rolling on the rest of the details, such as costs, pricing, how to get your customers to learn about your product, and how can you put it into their hands (and take their money).

What is your product?
It’s important to clearly define your product before deciding how to go to market. It stands to reason that the best way to sell baby clothes is very different than how to sell photography art prints. A seller of baby clothes will want their product to be on the shelf of clothing stores and baby boutiques. A photographer, on the other hand, will want to list their prints in art shops, reach out to interior designers, and sell on art-centric websites like Etsy.

This is a vital first step in the marketing process. Until you define your product — what it is and what it does — you won’t be able to determine who it’s for and who will give you money.

Who are your customers?
One of the most important steps in developing a marketing strategy is to define your target audience and potential customers. Who are the people who want your product and will give you money for it? Sometimes, extensive research is required to determine your target audience. Other times, it can be more obvious. If you sell baby clothes, it’s very likely that your customers will be younger parents, especially mothers. A manufacturer of a high end computer video card will likely try to target video editors and gamers.  Photography prints will attract people who want to hang art on their walls. Who are these people? Likely homeowners, business offices, and interior designers.

When defining your potential customers, the price of your product matters as well. After all, mass-produced photography prints in Walmart will have a very different target audience than the art galleries selling expensive prints in high-end frames.

What are your costs and prices?
Many factors come into play when deciding how to price your product. How much does it cost to make your product? What overhead costs are associated with running your business? Do you work out of your home, or do you rent office space? Do you have employees and pay for their health insurance? What do your competitors charge for a similar product?

It also comes down to the basic economics of supply and demand. How badly do people want it, and how much of your product is available? Hotels charge more for a room during the holidays since demand is up and fewer rooms are available.  Likewise, airlines charge more for holiday travel because seats are limited and the demand is high. A one-of-a-kind photography art print can be sold at a premium, compared to the low price of massively produced prints which are available everywhere in stores like Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

Product marketing is a complicated process and being an expert will certainly help. But there are basic concepts that can be applied without requiring an advanced business degree. When you have defined your product and its purpose, determined who your customers are, and calculated a pricing model, then you can set a marketing plan in motion.

Once you know your customers, you’ll know where to promote your product to make them an offer. If you can increase their demand while making it appear that supply is limited, you’ll be able to sell your products at the right price to make your business profitable.