#Social Media Marketing Tips and Strategies I have always felt that gathering information on a particular topic is made easy when you visit the top influencers’ #social network profile in that particular niche. And people are willing to part with useful information now-a-days as it helps them establish trust amongst their followers and also convert them into returning customers or audience. That way Twitter is a great info platform where you are able to locate a topic in a jiffy since the gist has to be limites and catchy as well. That is a blessing in disguise as it helps us to hit bang on target. Social Media Marketing is now synonymous with sales and every marketing firm is in a position to find the best social media #strategy that suits its business activity. Follow @managementguru1 There are lot of social media marketing tools that facilitate the vendors to generate more leads which in turn can lead to conversions. Customers are the focal point and products and services are customized to suit their taste. Data also plays a big role for marketers to capture leads from each and every possible source. Major social media platforms are on a high taking full advantage of the situation by targeting the marketers to leverage the huge traffic to sell their products or services. It becomes a win-win situation for both sides and the customers are flushed with information on new commodities along with product reviews and competitive price info. Read the Social Media & Marketing Daily Here is a curated version of nine tweets from top social media influencers in the Tweeting Circle that gives insight as “How to leverage consumer psychology, how to generate leads, how to reward your social followers, how to boost your #social media engagement, how to carry out a successful email marketing campaign and the essential skills a social manager neeeds!” Curated from Write to Right on Twitter: “How to use the psychology of reviews to improve your social media marketing http://t.co/TwK7y6aYIZ socialmedia http://t.co/BXyPB7alyI” Curated from Jonathan Gebauer on Twitter: “7 Great Ways To Generate Leads From LinkedIn – And They Are Personal http://t.co/g7IFZ7tkTu http://t.co/mTWqnIzd9p” Curated from Kerry Butters on Twitter: “3 Great Ways To Reward Your Social Followers: http://t.co/d2dNJILphi  SocialMediaMarketing SocialMedia http://t.co/5j9FIl3rMh” Curated from Jay Baer on Twitter: “Top 3 Mistakes Brands Make with Influencer Marketing via @Insightpool http://t.co/hNTdBIr24z http://t.co/AbTM9RDEkI” Curated from Marketing Technology on Twitter: “6 Ways to Maximize Social Media for Event Marketing http://t.co/83juwyTBao infographics social http://t.co/rjeTXUicPn” Curated from Tim Fargo on Twitter: “4 Steps to Boost Your Social Media Engagement growthhacking socialmediatools smm http://t.co/nwQj3G2Deg http://t.co/chGgVSTdok” Curated from Qualaroo on Twitter: “7 Email, SMS, & Push Message Hacks To Convert Trial Users Into Customers http://t.co/9LjuGMcfui http://t.co/lGwSjN6iU5” Curated from GrowthHackers SMB on Twitter: “3 Steps to Convert Followers into Users and Customers http://t.co/JxJwTWuriI http://t.co/pLyTb2Icgq” Curated from Jeff Bullas on Twitter: “10 Essential Skills a SocialMedia Manager Needs @somerocontesthttp://t.co/VkOeojHjtH smm marketingtips http://t.co/3eGbHKbByv”...

As Halloween the beloved festival observed in many countries is fast approaching, the retail market is like steaming hot. Manufacturers and Marketers are on a constant roll to maximize the sales volume with a decent margin. Christmas follows suit and the market enthusiasm is never going to boil down. People will be on a “Shopping Spree” and will definitely not mind spending a few extra bucks on their purchases. So, how the retail market which is going to be the shopping hub react to this “Mega Holiday Shopping?” Holiday #ecommerce sales are important for many online retailers In some cases, small business owners might see a significant portion of total annual sales in just a couple of months. Understanding what to expect in terms of growth or trends may help with planning your holiday season. The holiday shopping season will start long before #Black Friday or #Cyber Monday. In fact, at least 25 percent of holiday shoppers in the United States will purchase a Christmas gift before Halloween. Year after year, online retail sales outpace retail sales overall, and 2015 will be no exception. But regardless of where a product is sold, it will be a good year for retail. 4 Predictions for the 2015 Holiday Shopping Season Early shopping, Ecommerce Sales Growth, Improved #email marketing, and #mobile commerce will be among the most important ecommerce trends during the 2015 Christmas shopping season, which lasts from the end of October through December 24. Two things will make email even better this holiday season First, expect to see more companies automate email messages, so that when shoppers make a holiday purchase they will see follow up messages that are designed to make additional sales and retain those holiday customers all year long. Second, email marketers are getting better at segmentation and personalization, which, in turn, should make an already effective #marketing vehicle even better. Three factors will continue to push growth for mobile ecommerce First, even more sites are responsive and mobile optimized. Having a responsive website is not a competitive advantage in 2015; it is a competitive requirement. Second, as smartphone screens get larger, mobile ecommerce becomes easier. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is 5.65 inches tall and 2.78 inches wide. The iPhone 6 Plus is 6.22 inches tall and 3.06 inches wide with a 5.5 inch HD display. On devices like these, it is simply easier to shop. Third, mobile payment options are improving, again making it easier to shop from a smartphone. Curated from 4 Predictions for 2015 Holiday Shopping Season | Practical Ecommerce How to prep your ecommerce store for holiday shoppers Even though it’s only early October, if you’re online #retail business isn’t already gearing up for the holiday season, you may miss out on revenue. So what should you and your staff be doing now to ensure your ecommerce store is able to handle the extra holiday-related traffic? Don’t make any drastic changes to navigation or layout right now Make certain your site can handle the additional holiday traffic  Ensure your site is up to speed Show that your site is secure Ensure you’re properly stocked – and can re-order inventory quickly if necessary Staff up Make sure people can shop from a variety of devices Optimize images and give your site a festive feel Showcase top-rated items – and offer gift suggestions Alert customers to holiday shipping deadlines Offer live chat Add a gift-wrap option Offer free shipping Provide hassle free exchanges/returns Make checking out easy Provide a self-service option so customers can check on shipping and get answers to FAQs Curated from How to prep your ecommerce store for holiday shoppers | CIO Ultimately the customers must leave...

    As entrepreneurs, business owners and marketers, we are obsessed with growth. You must be agile and capable of coming up with intelligent, reasonable solutions that will put you ahead of your competitors.     Writing business plan for investors 6 questions you must answer. 1. How big is the business opportunity and is it growing? The first question is how big the business opportunity is and is it growing? To answer this, you need to provide information on the size of the market in which you’re competing and trends affecting the market.     2. What are the financial implications of investing in your company? How much money are you asking the investor for? What are you going to do with that money? What are the projected financial results? For example, what do you expect revenues will be in year one, in year three, in year five? What is expected net income in year one, year three and year five?     3. What is your exit strategy? Your exit strategy is critical when writing a business plan for investors, since the exit strategy dictates how the investor will ultimately receive payback for their investment and get their money out.     4. Who’s on your management team? This is key because most investors, or at least the smartest investors, are betting on the management team as much as they’re betting on the market opportunity. You see, even if you have the greatest business idea in the world, if the management team can’t execute on it, then the business will fail.     5. What risk factors have you altready overcome? Every business has risk factors, and the earlier on in your business, the more risk factors. For example, if you currently have an idea for a new product, the risk factors include, Whether or not you will be able to design the product Whether you could cost effectively manufacture the product Whether  consumers/businesses want/will buy the product Whether you can cost effectively market the product Whether you could build a quality management team that can execute on the opportunity     6. What are the barriers to entry? Specifically, once you start growing your company, what is there to prevent others, individuals and companies from stealing your customers?   Part 2 of this series is coming through….     Here’s another humble attempt to showcase India’s ‘Most preferred Startups to work for’, startups that promise a great deal of work, value and learning to the professionals and freshers out there. 1. Ola – Founded in Jan 2011 by IIT Bombay alumni Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola is not only India’s most popular mobile app for personal transportation, but also one of the most talked about ‘startups’ from India. Ola has also emerged as the top preferred startup to work for in our survey. The Billion Dollar Unicorn has surely caught the imagination of the young employable population. 2. Zoomcar – At No. 2 is another startup that is solving the problem of urban transportation. This self-drive car rental company raised $11 million from Sequoia Capital, Empire Angels and NGP, a week back. 3. FreeCharge – FreeCharge occupies the third position on the leaderboard. Earlier this year, FreeCharge was acquired by Snapdeal in one of the biggest M&A in the Indian internet ecosystem. 4. Freshdesk – It is encouraging to see a B2B startup occupying the fourth position on this list. Freshdesk is steadily appearing to be one of the best product startups built out of India. Perhaps a testimony to this was its latest $50 Million Series E funding from Tiger Global, Google Capital and Accel. 5. Housing – Unscathed by the myriad controversies surrounding it,...

When you write your business plan, start with the basics, and write the things that you have already thought about. The name of your business, your goals, your team and the products/services you propose to offer. This gives a clean headstart to further evolve your business plan. A business plan should mainly focus on the future fund flow that will pique the interest of the bankers you are trying to pitch for a loan or investors whom you want to genuinely impress. Here are a few Business Plan Starter Questions 1. What is your mission statement? Your mission statement is what you want to do now, and your vision statement is what you want to do in the future. 2. What are your top keys to success? Don’t write a laundry list of keys, keep it simple, and focused. 3. What is your value proposition? Why should someone do business with you? 4. What are your core competencies or skills? 5. What is your start up budget? Write it like a grocery list, at first, and add up the numbers. 6. The executive summary is written last; after the entire business plan is, absolutely, finished. Think of the executive summary as your movie trailer, build to attract interest in your business. Writing a business plan is a huge undertaking, and if you have never done it before, it is down-right scary. Planning to start a small business? Think no more.. You’ve hit the right spot and we have compiled all that is necessary to win over the challenges of a new startup. This guide will serve as a jump start for your new venture and make it exciting. The web has loads of sample plans, but how do you, really, write your own business plan, your own way? How do you write the plan that accomplishes the goals that you want to accomplish in your business? This Business Planner will make your process simple and hassle free! How to Start a Small Business at Home – Read on to find out the Benefits and Advantages of a Home-Based Business Ask Yourself the Right Questions First things first, you have to start thinking about what you’re not thinking about. Ask yourself the right questions, about your business and put it into your plan notes. The best way to write a business plan is to write it in small segments or pieces. Forget trying to consume, writing the entire plan as a large, mammoth, assignment. It is, too, overwhelming, give yourself a break, and write small bursts, of information. It is easier, to write your top three to five business objectives, clearly and concisely when you are not looking down the barrel of a twenty-thirty page business plan....

So you want to know how to be successful in sales and want to know how to become a better salesperson?  Sales success begins with attitude, it’s directly connected to understanding that the sale is not about you; It’s not about commission, It’s not about moving an item of off the shelves, and it’s not about the hefty paycheck. It’s not about you – it’s about the customer. Sales Pitch is the Key: Nowadays, an effective sales pitch is a two-way street — a conversation where you listen to the buyer, ask real questions, and offer them a solution to a challenge they’re experiencing. A good sales pitch starts with a great first impression. Sales professionals work hard to make a memorable and positive initial impact by creating laser-focused one-liners, but it’s just as important that your short, snappy delivery also resonates long after you’ve delivered that opening line. You want a presentation that holds your audience’s attention — the longer you’re able to keep that attention, the higher your chances of winning them over. And captivating your audience involves being prepared with relevant buyer information, and a pitch that actively includes the buyer in the discussion. At its most basic level, the sales pipeline represents your company’s sales process and how your company tracks progress through each stage of the process. Knowing that, here are a few tips to get you on your way to a more effective sales pitch: Do the Due Diligence Give Them the Answers To Your Homework You’re Listening, But Are You Hearing Your Buyer? A Call for “Call to Actions” If you are engaging your customer over the phone, to achieve sales success, be upfront about the reason for your call, vouch for the integrity of the product or service you are selling, and draw comparisons between your prospect and satisfied customers. When leaving voicemails, emails or follow-up messages, it’s important to reiterate the reason for contacting them, as well as summarizing your intent. Finish up the message with an suggested action either on your part or theirs. Pipeline #Management: Pipeline management includes everything from the way the sales pipeline is designed to how it is measured and how it is used to drive sales-rep performance. Without a clearly defined sales process, the pipeline has no foundation. We found that sales forces were most effective at managing their pipelines if they invested time in defining a credible, formalized sales process. In fact, there was an 18 percent difference in revenue growth between companies that defined a formal sales process and those that didn’t. https://youtube.com/watch?v=PvZ-Ky3xrW0%3Flist%3DPL5B53174B0151071A Track the Source: For optimal sales effectiveness, you need to provide employees with a tool that captures information about each and every interaction with your prospects and customers. This includes integrating your different channels, such as your website. People most often hear about your company and products and services through ads, referrals, online banner ads or some other form of advertising. You need to keep track of what actually caused these suspects to raise their hands so you can better determine what works and what doesn’t. Curated from 3 Best Practices of Sales Forces Are you a Problem-Solver; then you have a streak of sales person in you: Great salespeople also tend to be into solving problems and driving for results. They’re positive in their attitude, powerful and authoritative. The traits that make them so great at sales also can lead to traits that present difficulties for managers. They can be impulsive, demanding and unrealistic in their expectations. They may lack attention to detail and are often disorganized. In order to motivate and lead salespeople effectively, you want to think about what’s important to them...