While many big-box businesses can afford expensive, complex solutions, your business can stay connected for a fraction of the price.

Look into new and emerging technologies to help you maintain all your necessary communications without breaking the bank.

Related: Quickly get competing quotes for VoIP phone service

In the Office

Previous generations of small business owners were caught in a telephony catch-22. The phone systems they could afford didn’t have the professional-grade features they needed, whereas the systems with the features they needed were drastically out of their budget. This dichotomy was eased with the introduction of keyed and hybrid phone systems, and made obsolete by business VoIP phone systems.

By transmitting and receiving your calls digitally over an internet connection, you can take advantage of features like auto attendant, call transfer and forwarding, and multiple phone lines at a fraction of the cost of analog PBX systems.

• Another way to communicate effectively within the office: utilize a chat program, either integrated with your email system or as a separate program. This enables coworkers and team members to bypass phone calls and emails by sending a quick direct message. The less formal style of instant messaging enables team members to shoot questions and answers at each other quickly, without the social pressure of a formal email or phone call.

Related: VoIP Is Going Social

On the Road

When your employees are out of the office or on the road, they don’t have to go incommunicado. Between mobile apps and cloud software programs, your mobile team can be just as connected across the state as they are when they’re across the hall.

• Mobile VoIP: Installed on your employee’s smartphone or tablet, this app uses the device’s data connection to make voice or video calls. When the device is low on minutes – or using the data plan is cheaper than paying for more minutes – a mobile VoIP app can be a cost-effective solution to making long-distance or off-peak wireless calls.
• Installed either as part of your business VoIP or as a separate program, web conferencing programs can be installed on your employee’s laptop so that they can participate in meetings from any location with an internet connection.
• Concerned how team members can access important files and information from the road? Use a cloud-based file sharing program to share documents between team members no matter where they’re located. Cloud software programs are available to perform a variety of functions beyond file sharing; look into these programs if your mobile team needs frequent access to CRM or sales software.

Related: 5 Tips to Manage Your Business From Anywhere

Running a small business can be an exercise in juggling – you need to keep costs down while still maintaining effective business processes. Mobile and business VoIP, as well as chat programs, web conferencing software, and cloud-based systems, can help you keep in contact with your business partners, clients, customers, and vendors without putting a strain on your monthly budget.

Many of the highest-rated businesses have found that the key to finding and keeping good employees lies in offering prospective employees the benefits that they want the most.

Providing generous benefits packages improves employee retention rates and keeps your employees happy, healthy, and loyal.

Related: Provide employee benefits through one of  our payroll services providers

Paid Time Off

The U.S., on average, offers the lowest number of holidays and sick days of nearly every industrialized nation. The EU mandates that workers receive at least 20 days of paid leave per year, while the average American worker takes only 12 (Time). (Tweet this stat!)

However, some US companies have placed greater emphasis on paid leave, to positive effects.

• The software company SAS provides their employees with a paid vacation of up to four weeks, unlimited sick days, 11 paid holidays, and flexible scheduling. Small wonder that they’ve been named a top place to work by Forbes, Fortune Magazine, and many others.
• Recreational Equipment (REI) provides employees with a 4 week paid sabbatical after 15 years of service, after which they can take another sabbatical every five years.

Related: Forget High Salaries: 6 Benefits Millennials Want Now

Family Time

The Family and Medical Leave Act enables eligible employees to take 12 workweeks of leave per 12-month period in order to care for a newborn, newly adopted child, or seriously ill family member. This leave is unpaid, but some companies  offer a better alternative for their employees.

• Beyond offering perks like free meals for employees, Facebook provides four months of paid parental leave for their employees – but it doesn’t stop there. They also provide a $4,000 grant for new parents, as well as reimbursement for daycare and adoption fees.
• Southwest Airlines offers new adoptive parents 12 weeks of paid leave.

Health & Wellness

Changes in health care law has made insurance more accessible to millions of Americans, but many more are dependent on their employers for assistance with health benefits. Starbucks and Trader Joe’s lead the way in providing full health benefits to not only full-time, but to their part-time employees as well. Employees who work at least 20 hours per week receive full health insurance.

• Wegmans Food Markets, based in Rochester, NY, has enrolled nearly 2,000 employees in a free smoking-cessation program, and recently  opened a 24/7 health hotline. They also pay 85% of health care costs for their 16,000 full-time employees (HR Works Inc).

Related: 56% of Employees Say Benefits Extremely Influential on Productivity

Retirement

Many companies encourage their employees to save for retirement by offering a 401(k) savings plan and matching a percentage of employee contributions. US employers, on average, matched 3.95% of employee contributions in 2011, but some went much farther (Forbes). (Tweet this stat!)

• Southwest Airlines offers a retirement plan for its pilots that matches 100% of employee contributions up to 9.3% of their income. Southwest contributes roughly $16,500 per participant annually – a total of $94 million company-wide.
• It’s a good time to work for the airline industry. United Airlines contributes to each pilot’s 401(k) account 100% of the first 16% of eligible earnings – whether or not the employee makes their own contribution. On average, United contributes $20,000 per employee annually.

In addition to the many benefits outlined above, many companies offer additional perks like tuition reimbursement, travel grants, scholarship programs, and employee discounts. REI employees receive a 50-75% discount on apparel, free equipment rental, and an annual gift of gear. Starbucks employees receive free while on shift and a pound of coffee to take home each week. If you are interested in expanding your employee benefits, consider these best practices to ensure that you attract the best talent and earn their loyalty.

On a Federal level, penalties can include back wages, fines, interest, and liquidated damages.

In addition, employers with incorrectly classified workers may also be subject to penalties imposed by the state(s) in which their business operates.

Related: Search for payroll service providers to help you manage your employee payroll

The Department of Labor is responsible for the administration of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards. Shown below are three recent settlements obtained by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the DOL. These settlements may seem small, but it is important to note they are for local companies. Larger corporations such as Walmart have amassed penalties in the millions for various wage & hour infractions over time.

• Structural Systems Inc.: $17,154 for nonpayment of travel time and misclassification of workers as exempt, resulting in unpaid overtime.
• Rice Precision Manufacturing: $92,727 in back wages and liquidated damages for failure to pay overtime.
• Downtown Hilton Head Inc.: $23,155 for three restaurants found to have overtime and record-keeping violations.

Employment Classification 101

The Fair Labor Standards Act defines specific criteria for each type of employment classification. Both classification categories are governed by a set of requirements every business owner should be familiar with.

• Exempt:  Workers exempt from the overtime and minimum wage provisions of the FLSA.
• Non-Exempt: Workers subject to all FLSA provisions including the payment of overtime.

Related: Starting a Business: Contractors or Full-Time Employees?

To qualify for the exempt administrative employee exemption, all of the following tests must be met:

• The employee must be compensated on a salary or fee basis (as defined in the regulations) at a rate not less than $455 per week;
• The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers; and
• The employee’s primary duty includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.

Discretion and Independent Judgment

The first requirement implies that the employee has authority to make an independent choice, free from immediate direction or supervision.  Factors to consider include, but are not limited to whether the employee:

• has authority to formulate, affect, interpret, or implement management policies or operating practices
• carries out major assignments in conducting the operations of the business;
• performs work that affects business operations to a substantial degree;
• has authority to commit the employer in matters that have significant financial impact;

Matters of Significance

This refers to the level of importance or consequence of the work performed.  An employee does not exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance merely because the employer will experience financial losses if the employee fails to perform the job properly.

• It is important to remember that “all” of the tests mentioned above must be met in order for a position to be properly classified as exempt. If all tests are not met, the position must be classified as non-exempt and all FLSA requirements must be observed. Please see dol.gov for all Federal exemption requirements.

Related: Staffing Your Startup: 3 Steps You Can’t Miss

It is imperative to know if the state(s) your business operations in have their own requirements/tests to determine exempt vs. non-exempt status. For example: California has a much higher minimum salary required for exemption, which is currently $33,280 annually; the Federal requirement is $455 per week which on an annual basis is $23,660. You may have positions that meet the Federal requirements but do not meet the State requirements.

Bio: Article written by Michele O’Donnell. For over 30 years MMChr has been a market leader in the HR Outsourcing & Business Consulting Industry. MMC provides solutions to improve business performance, reduce risk, and better position your company for success. Contact MMC at aschwalb@mmchr.com

Successful marketing teams are using email to reach new subscribers, encourage upsells, and reengage customers who have been missing out on new products or services. One metric that really matters to email marketers is the open rate.

Is your email marketing program performing as well as it should or as well as it could? As you look to improve your email marketing efforts and open rates, consider taking these three steps forward.

Related: Get a free quote for email marketing

Satisfy with Subject Lines

The subject line and introductory paragraph of your email can make all the difference in open rates. If you’re offering a discount, limited or exclusive trial, or running a promotion, make sure to include that information in your subject line and/or intro. In the latest bi-annual report from Knotice, the digital marketing agency reported that 41% of commercial emails are now opened on mobile devices (Tweet this stat!). Subject lines and a brief intro are all that’s visible. In such a small window, you need to ensure your subject line and introduction quickly attracts the reader and engages them so they open the email.

• Tip: Focus on fascinating your audience. Whether it’s a teaser, a lust-worthy offer or an interesting question, the subject line and introduction paragraph must be attention grabbing. If you’re sending an email based on a trigger (an action taken by the customer that automates an email response), ensure your subject line and introductory paragraph tie directly back to that action so that this email is a fresh, yet easily associated, impression on the customer.

Related: 5 Secrets to Email Marketing Success

Timing is Everything

A 2012 report from Informz points out that emails sent in the morning result in the highest open rates. After analyzing more than 600 million emails sent by over 700 large and medium-sized enterprises using its platform, they found that morning emails saw an average open rate of 39.2% (Tweet this stat!), ahead of those sent mid-day (33.9%), in the late afternoon (32.1%) and during the evening (32%). Testing your optimal send time is crucial. From day of the week to a specific three-hour window, improving open rates starts with getting the email to land in a customer’s inbox at the right time.

• Tip: Segment your database at random. Then, send one segment the email during the morning, send another segment the email midday, and send the final segment the email at night. The results will differ from business to business but this is a great way to start optimizing the timing of your email blasts. Again, a triggered email should be timely (within the hour), so make sure your timing with email automation is on point.

Related: 5 Tips for Converting with Your DIY Email Campaigns

Pop with Personalization

Customers want to feel a connection. They don’t want to be just another name, email or face in the crowd. Personalizing emails is a great way for your business to increase its open rate. A case study conducted by MarketingSherpa reported that by adding personalization into its newsletter emails, C Spire Wireless was able to increase its click-through rate by 92% and its open rate by 537%. Eloqua found that in their sample of over 200 million emails, the best-performing emails include subject lines personalized with the recipient’s name and an additional data point, like location. Custom personalization in an email subject line can lead to a nearly 10% greater open rate (Tweet this stat!).

• Tip: Include personal touches in your emails to make an immediate connection with your reader. Segment your list separately by social data, such as birthdays and likes, and then include a personal touch and you’ll be able to foster the relationship that’s already begun. Be cautious of going overboard, but keep the conversation friendly and personable.

Email marketing is a key component of both B2C and B2B marketing strategies. As customers’ inboxes become flooded with massive amounts of businesses, how do you ensure yours stands out? A great subject line and a touch of personalization within an email sent at the right time are where you can get started ramping up your email marketing efforts and open rates.

Related: Track your customers with the help of our CRM and sales software providers

Winning Businesses

In order to win at CX, you need to put your money where your mouth is. 92% of businesses claim that customer experience is a “top strategic priority” – yet only 47% provide a dedicated budget for CX management. Those businesses who actively prioritize CX in their budget, business operations, and culture have already reaped the benefits of CX management. These businesses include:

• Chrysler. Rather than punish dealerships who under-perform on customer service, this car manufacturer turned the tables and replaced those penalties with incentives and assistance. Under-performing dealerships now receive customer experience management training, as well as access to company data, in order to improve overall company-wide CX.
• Delta Airlines. In 2011 the airline initiated the “Ideas in Flight” program in collaboration with TEDTalks. The short videos released by the initiative are used to inspire conversations, generate customer feedback, and engage customers in the experience design process.
• Lowe’s. Not only did the company form an internal experience design team to actively manage customer experience – they hired the former head of a CX design firm to head the team.

Related: Southwest Airlines: A Case Study in Great Customer Service

Losing Businesses

Although the majority of businesses claim to prioritize CX, 86% also claim that managing CX isn’t providing any value to them. What can explain this discrepancy? The truth is, most businesses are failing at adequately implementing the basic elements of CX management – and as a result, those efforts that they do make are failing as well.

• CX Tracking. Only 53% measure CX quality consistently, and 40% collect the kind of descriptive data that provides useful insight into how CX is perceived by customers. As with any business system, if you aren’t measuring your metrics, you can’t measure your successes and failures, nor can you determine what changes you need to make.
• Anticipating effects.  Your business is launching a new product or marketing campaign. Shouldn’t your first step be assessing how that change will affect customer experience? This seems self-evident, yet only 30% of firms make this consideration.
• Surveying Customers.  Again, a basic element of CX management is knowing what your customers are experiencing. The best way to figure that out is to simply ask them – yet only 60% of companies do so consistently. As far as implementing more in-depth research on their customers that goes beyond simple surveys, only 31% of companies make that effort.

Related: CRM Software Has a 47% Failure Rate, But What Happened to Yours?

The quality of your business’s customer experience has important ramifications for the lifetime value of your customers and the future success of your business. If you truly want to win at CX, you need to not only prioritize it in your overall business strategy – you need to back it up with forthright efforts to sufficiently track and analyze CX data, prepare for the effects of your business decisions on CX, and actively engage your customers about their experience with your business.

While this is a great moment for your business, you need to be careful. Don’t make the common mistakes novice business professionals are faced with when attending their first overnight event. One wrong step can hurt your business prospects and alienate potential clients, customers, and business partners. 

Related: Get travel rewards with a small business credit card provider

Pack Light, Pack Smart

It’s important to know your schedule before you even start packing. Know how many formal business meetings, informal happy hours and professional dinners you will attend. A good staple piece for your wardrobe is a plain black blazer. Why? Because you can wear it multiple times without raising eyebrows and it goes with everything!

• By having a few simple, well-made pieces of clothing that you can mix and match, you’ll have more than enough outfits without over packing. You don’t want to walk into a hotel with huge suitcases. You’ll give off the impression of being inefficient and difficult;  two things that can hurt potential partnerships or business relationships.

Consolidate Your Technology

No one wants to carry around all of their technology when traveling – phones, music players, laptops and tablets. On the other hand, no one wants to be without anything they may need. So what’s the solution? Consolidate.

• If you know you’ll need to access email during your trip, make sure your IT department sets up your tablet to receive work emails. Without having to bring your laptop you’re saving space and eliminating the risk of theft or damage.
• If you’ll need access to documents or presentations, make sure your tablet is set up to access and load them. It’s easier than ever to take notes with tablets, and built-in cameras make it easy to check in with loved ones during your trip.

Related: Great Ways to Make Business Travel Easier

Carrying around an unnecessary amount of technology can look excessive, especially when you can access everything you need from one device. Look practical and well-put together by having everything you need in one easy-to-access place.

Make All of Your Reservations Ahead of Time

There’s nothing more embarrassing than showing up to a restaurant with a client you’re trying to impress and the hostess tells you they’re booked for the night. Chances are you knew about this dinner meeting ahead of time, so why didn’t you make a reservation? Your time is valuable, and so is your client’s. Respect that.

Don’t Push Yourself

If you know that you don’t function at 100% without a full night of sleep, don’t take a redeye flight, or a long, early drive. This is your time to shine! Yawning in someone’s face or falling asleep during a presentation does not look good.

• Know your body and know that your company would rather pay for an extra night at a hotel than have you lose an important client for them. $200 could save $2 million in the long run.
• The same goes for staying out late. If you know you have a very early and very important meeting, don’t stay out past your bedtime because you want to make the most out of your trip. If you think no one will notice those bags under your eyes, they will!

Related: Take Flight with Savings on Your Business Travel Costs

Be Smart When You Book Your Travel

Just because your business is footing the bill doesn’t mean you should ignore costs. Have restraint. Join a Business Discount Travel Program – like Hertz’s Business Rewards Program. By using your company’s unique CDP to book your rental car, you will not only book at a lower rate, but you’ll earn your company free rental days.

It’s easy to get carried away when it’s your first trip as a business owner. Don’t lose out on opportunities by making rookie mistakes. Give off the impression you’d like to stick with your business, and keep in mind that perception is reality!

Bio: Breanna Wilson is the Director of Marketing at Allied Business Network, a business membership group that offers businesses travel discounts on hotels, car rentals and more from the leading travel companies in the US. Breanna is a travel thought leader who offers a unique perspective on the best ways to travel. She welcomes anyone to reach out to her on Google+ or Twitter.

Thanks to the infinite diversity of human beings and the unique ways in which we all go about things, there is always something to set one company apart from another.

Because of this, premiums for business insurance are rarely going to take a one-size-fits-all approach – and can be just as varied as the businesses themselves. With public liability insurance, however, there are a few factors that, in general, will always affect a policy’s premiums.

Related: Search for liability insurance through one of our approved vendors

The key to understanding your policy’s premiums is in understanding how that premium is calculated – and what changes you can make in order to reduce your liability insurance costs.

What Size Is Your Company?

The cost of your policy scales according to the size of your business’s workforce and volume of customers. The reasoning behind this is if you’re doing more business and you have the capacity to do more trade in general, then you are increasing the risks of inviting a public liability claim.

• Having more third parties on your premises makes it more likely that someone will have an accident as a result of your business – and hold you responsible.

What Kind of Work Do You Do?

What trade or profession you work in can have an affect on your premium. The public liability risks presented by a construction company are different from a freelance PR consultant for example. As a result, the premiums of your policy will adjust accordingly depending on the general risk of your industry or market.

Related: Business Insurance You Didn’t Know You Needed

What Are Your Specific Risks?

Some trades will trigger little alarm bells in the heads of underwriters and they’ll want to ask a few extra questions to get an idea of how risky your business processes are. Most tradesmen, for example, are asked if they work at heights or with heat to determine the risky nature of the work.

• Some business activities are simply more risky than others, so if you take part in anything considered high risk, it will bump up your premiums accordingly.
• Your business’s specific risks might even mean that you have to find a specialist insurer that deals with your particular line of business.

How Much Experience Do You Have?

One of the other general factors that can affect your premiums is the amount of time your company has been trading and the average amount of experience held by its directors, partners and principals. If you’ve been in business for a while, underwriters will consider it more likely that you know what you’re doing and are therefore less likely to cut corners, presenting less of a public liability risk.

• Is this a fair assessment on the competence of start ups? Well not really, but like all things to do with insurance it is about statistics as opposed to fairness. Statistically, those with less experience make more mistakes.

Related: Make It Your Business to Be Insured

If you have received a quote for your public liability insurance and it’s a lot higher than you were expecting, any decent broker should be able to give you a rough indication of why it is so high. It can be worth enquiring about, because they might have access to a policy more appropriate for your business’s budget.

Remember, the cost of business insurance should scale with the stage that your business is in, so if something seems wrong, check with your broker before spending money that you don’t have to.

Bio: David Hing writes for YOUR Insurance, a specialist broker that understands the importance of public liability insurance for small businesses.

Bad hiring decisions lead to poor performance and excessive employee turnover, costing you money – a lot of money – with each lost employee.

The US Department of Labor estimates that the expense of losing and replacing the average employee is one-third their annual salary.  For higher-level employees like managers, that number can be twice their annual salary.

Meanwhile, the upside of hiring a superior employee is immeasurable.  Why would you want Joe Schmoe when you could have the next Daniel Ek or Evan Sharp?

Related: Search for competing quotes on employee screening and background checks

10 Golden Rules for Hiring All-Stars:

1.       Always Be Recruiting

Keep your eyes and ears open, and don’t throw away resumes unread.  If someone truly exceptional comes knocking at your door, it’s worth your while to create a position.

2.       Don’t Be Afraid To Hire Friends And Family

Referrals from exceptional employees can be some of your most valuable hires.  The referrer has a vested interest in training, mentoring, and assisting their friend, and the referee feels a responsibility to do their buddy proud.

3.       Use Teams To Hire, Not Individuals

Hiring should never be in the hands of one person – candidates should be interviewed by a panel.  Individuals make snap judgments and can be swayed by petty personal preferences. Committee-members have to justify their decisions to the rest of the group.

Related: 3 Tips for Hiring Managers: What to Really Look for on a Resume

4.       Ask Specific Questions And Look For Genuine Answers

The more detailed and specific your questions, the more likely you’ll get a thoughtful and genuine answer.  If the candidate insists on answering questions like “what’s your biggest weakness?” with nonsense like “I’m a perfectionist,” then cut them loose.

5.       Hire The Person Truly Excited About The Opportunity

It’s better to hire someone who wants to work their butt off to meet the opportunity, versus someone experienced who thinks they’re “above” the position you’re offering.

6.       Pay Attention To Small Mistakes

If the candidate is late, poorly dressed, or makes off-putting comments, pay attention.  You’re seeing potential hires on their best behavior, so if they’re still giving excuses or making little faux pas, you can imagine how they’ll behave once they’re good and comfortable in your office.

7.       Value Personality Over Experience

Remember Eric Schmidt, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg – there was a time when they were up-and-coming employees with little experience.  But they had drive, passion, and vision.  It’s better to hire a go-getter on the way up than a turnip with 30 years of mediocre experience under their belt.

Related: 5 Tips on Hiring the Right People for Your Startup

8.       Check References

It’s incredible how many employers don’t bother to take this simple step, assuming potential employees won’t provide references that aren’t legitimate and positive.  Not all companies will disclose specific information about job performance, but at the very least you should confirm that a potential hire actually worked where, when and in the position they listed.

9.       Pay Generously

You get what you pay for: only mediocre employees will stick around for peanuts.  Shell out only the bare minimum, and your best people will jump ship for someone who will pay what they’re worth.

10.   Shun Job-Hoppers

To paraphrase Raylan Givens, “If you meet a jerk in the morning, you met a jerk.  If you meet jerks all day, you’re the jerk.”  If somebody quit their job, it probably wasn’t a good job.  But if they change jobs a lot, they’re probably not a good employee.

Hiring doesn’t need to be complicated, but it takes time to find great employees.  Like marriage, hire in haste, repent at leisure.  It’s better to wait for someone exceptional, even if the position sits empty for a while, because hiring the wrong person will cost you a lot more in the long run.

Bio: Ryan Kohler is an HR Consultant and the CEO of ApplicantPro – hiring & applicant tracking software for HR professionals.

A lot.  Twitter Vine is growing rapidly and landing its role as a staple of online marketing efforts.

Numerous large brands have adopted the easy-to-use interface as a way to create mobile friendly content and are on a mission to incorporate video into their marketing strategies.  While six seconds may not seem like much time, it is enough to show your fans about your brands communication and showcase your business effectively.  And with the 500 million registered users on Twitter, your business can use Vine to create a genuine buzz around your brand.

Related: Increase your online influence with help from our online advertising vendors.

Give Fans a Pleasant Surprise

Every Vine doesn’t have to be business-related.  Create Vine videos your target audience will enjoy.  Look at Dick’s Sporting Goods.  The company took its audience into the stadium to celebrate the Ravens appearance at the Super Bowl.

• This is a good example of thinking about things beyond just your products and services and featuring them with the help of Vine.

Show the Evolution of Your Brand

Think of ways to show your followers the history of your business.  Find something that will build their trust and confidence that you know your customers wishes when it comes to your products and services.

• The popular clothing store Gap does this with a six second clip showing jeans they’ve sold both past and present.

Related: The 4 Step Formula to Unleash Your Brand Voice

Invite People Inside Your Business

Businesses can use Vine to show their followers how great it is to be inside one of their restaurants or stores.

• Urban Outfitters utilizes its Twitter account to keep fans in the loop with events held in their local stores.

Educate and Fascinate

If you have the opportunity to teach your fans something amazing, you should do it.  It is a natural tendency for humans to feel curious and want to learn, so take advantage of this ingrained characteristic and educate people; they’ll eat it up.

• The best-loved San Francisco Zoo exhibits the 250 species of animals that reside within its 100 acres on Twitter with the use of Vine.

Pump Up Your Fans

Visual inspiration oftentimes really gets people psyched about new products you have in the work.  Businesses can simply cut to the chase and show the video, or use the six seconds as a snippet to tease their audience about soon-to-be released products.

• Think like Nintendo, which uses Vine to give fans a sneak peak of upcoming video games.

Related: 5 Tips for Video Marketing Success

What does Vine Mean for Me?

Once you decide you think Twitter Vine is right for you and your social marketing efforts, it’s essential to remember that personality, creativity, and wit are the characteristics that make up a memorable and successful post.  Keep in mind that these six seconds may in fact be the only time a person experiences exposure to your brand, so make sure your first impression is a lasting one!

Luckily, Vine makes it simple to create videos.  Remember to place focus on your service, product and other important elements of your brand that you hope to highlight, and the rest will fall into place.

How can you showcase your products or services in a Vine video?

Bio: Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

If you’re guessing what shipping rates to charge customers, estimating how much postage to use, and not purchasing insurance and tracking, then you’re probably failing both your business and customers.

Save Money with a Postage Meter

Postage meters are well-known for their utility in sending professional-looking bulk mailings directly from your business. However, they are just as helpful in mailing packages as they are in printing metered envelopes.

Related: Quickly get competing quotes on postage meters

• Instead of guesstimating the weight of each package, use the attached scale to determine its weight down to the ounce and choose your preferred shipping method and rate. More accurate weighing equals more accurate postage, saving your business money one every package you send. You can pass those savings along to your customers by charging them a more accurate shipping rate, as well.
• Fire your third-party shipping company. Your packages are metered right in your office, and your postal carrier will pick them up whenever you’re ready. Don’t want to wait? Drop the metered package in any USPS mailbox (size permitting, of course) or at the local post office. There is no charge for this service, and the cost of shipping is automatically deducted from your credit card, bank account, or pre-paid postage account.

Provide Improved Shipment Tracking

Postage meters cut down drastically on the number of trips you  have to make to the post office, even for special mailings like registered mail, mail tracking, and delivery confirmation. With the money you save on more accurate postage – not to mention the gas savings of not having to make multiple trips to the post office – you can provide your customers with package tracking directly through your postage meters.

• Shipment tracking is an excellent way to improve your customer service and the way your customers feel about your business. As soon as the package is metered, you can send customers an email or text message with the tracking code. They know when the package was shipped, where it is at any given moment, and when it is due to arrive on their doorstep.

Building positive customer service into everything your business does makes good financial sense. Two-thirds of consumers would be willing to spend more with a company – 13% more, on average – following an excellent customer service experience. In comparison, 55% of customers would cease buying from a company that provides poor customer service (The 2012 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer).

Related: 5 Steps to Deploying the Perfect Direct Mail Campaign

Offer Customers Free Shipping

If you regularly sell to customers online or through a catalog, offering free shipping can be an excellent way to attract and retain customers. When you and your competitor both offer a product for the same price, it’s your free shipping policy that is going to turn customer opinion in your favor. Ecommerce necessitates shipping. When shopping online, customers can’t walk into a retail establishment and walk out with their product in-hand – it has to come to them. Low online prices can often be offset by high shipping rates, frustrating customers who are looking for a good deal.

• Consider your product prices when deciding on a limit for your free shipping policy. How easy is it for customers to take advantage of your free shipping limit? Remember that while many online retailers offer free shipping, most require shoppers to spend $50 to $100 before they qualify. Amazon sets that limit at $25, and $0 for Amazon Prime members.

Related: 6 Reasons Amazon is an Ecommerce Genius

In “The Loyalty Effect,” Fred Reichheld claims that a 5% increase in customer retention can result in a 25 to 100% increase in profitability. A large element in generating high customer retention rates is positive customer experience. How you ship to your customers – with package tracking, professional-looking postage, and lower or free shipping costs – plays into that overall experience. Improve your shipping procedures and watch your customers’ loyalty improve as well.