In the month of April, we celebrate Teflon Day. Why do I bring that up? Well, for two reasons really. First, as the Weird & Wacky Holiday Marketing Guide's sister publication, Weird and Wacky Magazine suggests, this day is a perfect opportunity to market your business. Want to know how? Be sure to read on and get your copy of this insanely smart business marketing calendar of ideas.
Second, and the real reason I bring it up, is that it reminds me that we all need to learn how to make things easier on ourselves and run our businesses more efficiently, rather than doing everything the hard way.
In business, we are all faced with a myriad of challenges. We have choices that need to be researched, considered, and made before action can or should be taken. Then there's the decision of what action to take. As the saying goes, "Taking no action is an action. If you do nothing to move forward in the direction of your dreams, you are still doing something. You are making the decision to stay in the same place."
For some of us, we are so used to doing things one way that we fail to realize when technology changes, or that we are standing in our own way of progress. Let's take a look at a few examples of ways to make your business run as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.
Use Social Media Tools
The first thing that comes to mind is the use of social media. If you are in business today, it should be one of your first thoughts too. Could the time you are spending tweeting and messaging be better spent on productive tasks? Then it's high time you caught up with technology.
Just like auto-responders do for email communication with your target market, social media has tools that will help you better manage your social presence. Set it and forget it. Not only do you have the ability to schedule your messages and posts, but you only have to write your message once and then it can be automatically posted on all your social media platforms at the same time. This saves you precious time while making your task a whole lot easier.
The top ten tools are as follows:
- HootSuite
- Buffer
- SocialOomph
- TweetDeck
- Tweepi
- SocialFlow
- SpoutSocial
- SocialBro
- CrowdBooster
- ArgyleSocial
Each of these tools has features that you will find useful. However, some are just plain overkill for the novice business owner. The key here is to pick one and get started.
Create a FAQ Page
Another way you can ease your burden is to add a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to your website. Are there redundant questions that you find yourself and your staff constantly addressing? Put them all together in one document or web page. This makes it better not only for you and your staff, but for potential customers, as well. It cuts down on time spent returning calls and emails to answer basic questions and prevents frustrated customers from going elsewhere.
Register for Stamps Online
Now here's a suggestion that any business owner who constantly waits in line at the post office will easily see the value of implementing in their business. Sign up for Stamps online at Stamps.com. I can't begin to tell you how much time this one discovery has saved me over the years.
You can categorize your stamp purchases, print and mail any size package from your office or home, and keep track of your mailing expenses with this handy service. Recently, Stamps.com implemented a savings on postage agreement with the USPS®. As an example, when you use their service, you save a penny for each First-Class stamp you purchase through them as opposed to buying them at the post office. Make the smart move, like I did, and get started with your four-week trial and free $80 value starter kit today, and begin saving time and money!
Outsource
Lastly, give out-sourcing a try. Rather than trying to do it all yourself either partner up or outsource those tasks that you either can't do well or hate doing. This will save you time and headaches trying to accomplish tasks your partner or part-time help might be better equipped to handle.
Another plus is that you know the task is actually getting done! A word to the wise here: delegate and let go. Don't micro-manage.
I trust you have discovered at least one idea that will help make your business run more smoothly, thus making your life easier.
Now that you are aware of Teflon Day and how to make your business run as easy as Teflon, why not schedule your own Teflon Day event and share your new-found wisdom with others while promoting your business?
