Online Salesman Opportunities: What Is It and How to Become One

As remote work continues to dominate the digital landscape, there is a growing need for online sales professionals. This career is very lucrative as there is often not a direct ceiling on potential earnings, and repeat business can drive your revenue sky-high!

However, there are downsides to a career in sales, as well. For business-related products or major financial purchases, the sales cycle can be very long. Immediate gratification similar to the retail sector is markedly delayed. For some people, this can be discouraging.

Business-to-business sales are notably more involved as people continually need to be in front of their potential clients. They must create a positive, memorable impression and engage in drip marketing campaigns to create and maintain engagement.

One never knows when customers are ready to make a purchase. Forecasting software helps keep sales representatives on task. However, it is the continual contact, personality, and reputation that makes the sale in the end.

As most business owners will inform you, the sale isn’t done until it’s linked!

What is Involved in Selling Your Own Product Line?

Depending on the type of product you are selling online, you may need a website. Some companies such as Mobile Disruptors offer resellers of their white label service both their own sales material and their own website! These types of reseller businesses are incredible because they are turnkey, make starting off so incredibly easy.

If your business requires selling a service, the sales cycle may appear to be different as you may be required to contact the individual and provide a quote based on their needs.

To generate sustainable income, a good salesperson will base their decisions and recommendations on addressing the consumer’s needs. They are not focused on the monetary value, but on fulfilling an actual need. They will not oversell.

Those that do oversell just to make a quick dollar will soon discover that they will not receive much repeat business. In a digital world, customer satisfaction is key. If word of mouth doesn’t kill your business, the online reviews most definitely will! People DO read them and consult them regarding your company.

People who are able to close sales effectively demonstrate superior listening and problem-solving skills.

They implement the knowledge of the latest online marketing skills and follow trends to ensure their success and sustainability of their company. It allows them to become more efficient and productive.

Technology, like video chats, is used to communicate with customers, helping sales associates determine their needs, current buying status, and when to follow up. With some products, they forecast what the sale is and set a reminder for a return call.

Some sales cycles are very long, and individuals should elect to incorporate a drip marketing campaign occasionally flooded with incentives to facilitate a purchase in advance. This approach serves two purposes: to place them front and center of the decision-maker (so they don’t forget you) and accelerate the buying process.

After all, you want to be there when they are ready to make a purchase, which can happen at any time!

By applying search engine optimization (SEO) skills, people can reach more clients, increasing their sales with minimal effort.

When you are not closing a sale, new leads should be acquired allowing the business to be sustainable and generate money.

You always want to have people to contact and move money into or through the sales funnel. As one sale closes or drops, you need to have a potential customer replace it. The individual also needs to know that closing sales are a numbers game. Good owners know their ratio to close statistics and how to work things. They know their numbers.

How to Sell a Product or Business Online

Most people usually have a background in business, marketing, sales, or promotions. Successful owners (38%) possess at least a bachelor’s degree in a related discipline and 4.3% hold master’s degrees. However, there are many people who simply come up with a product and successfully market it.

Education helps because it gives you a foundation upon which to start a business. It will give you the skills necessary to succeed.

If you have come up with your own product line, again establish an online presence. Become well acquainted with SEO and Google ranking. These all affect how many people see your business online. You want to rank on the first page consistently.

Online order has fast sales. All you need is to create inventory and ship products out. An inventory process- an accurate inventory process- should be always maintained. It is embarrassing to have to delay shipping or refund money because you ran out of product.

Online sales are also great for residual income. If you pair it with an effective email marketing strategy with periodic sales offers to loyal customers, you can expect a steady flow of revenue. Furthermore, by implementing “abandoned shopping cart” techniques, you also have an opportunity to save the sale. It is another attempt at closing.

In selling higher-end products or services, the contact is mainly one-on-one. It is setting up a meeting, conducting a presentation, and engaging in a long cycle of follow-ups. Marketing is the key factor in a business such as this. Self-promotion is the other.

Marketing should center both on promoting sales growth, but also incentives for return business. For example, if you did motivational speaking engagements, you would want to provide an incentive for people who promote you to other businesses. They are doing your marketing for you.

Some other people will also directly ask for leads to follow up on. It helps them to increase and grow their company.

Desirable Skills:

Ability to develop and maintain positive client relations
Superior negotiation abilities
Administrative skills
Analytical thinking
Leadership traits
Communication skills
Marketing capabilities/knowledge
SEO experience

What Can I Expect Financially?

Online sales vary from business to business. It depends on if there is a need, and how well you market yourself.

In terms of profitability, the average business turns a profit in 2-3 years. This is not to say that you will not make any money. Your salary is and should be calculated in your annual budget. Furthermore, many owners elect to re-invest money back into the business. This eliminates money spent on taxes.

This career field is anticipated to grow by 5% in the next ten years, with an above-average potential for growth.

Where Do I Go From Here? How Do I Begin?

Obtaining sustainable income in this field requires tenacity, patience, and perseverance. Networking and self-promotion go a long way into maintaining viability. However, people who are naturally gifted in this area thrive in this arena. They already know how to pursue opportunities!

Many people instead of creating their own opportunities will purchase an existing business. There are owners who wish to retire and are looking to sell their business. If you do your research well and have the business analyzed, you can capitalize and improve on an existing product.

They will have all of the processes in place, so often you are able to just step in and make it your own. Plus, you may already have someone to mentor you who knows the business intimately.

Mobile Disruptors is one example of a company that provides opportunities for people who are interested to work from home and start being their own best salesman. It is not a job, but the ability to generate income selling a specific product/service from the comfort of your home.

Select specific products that interest you, and you will be able to excel in. Working for yourself should be fun and enjoyable.

By following some of these suggestions, you can begin growing the company of your dreams! The potential for earning additional income is a bonus and working remotely is its own reward.

A Massive List of Remote Job Opportunities for Reliable Income

Due to changes in the way we utilize technology, remote work is rapidly expanding. It allows us to have the flexibility to work at home and create our schedules. Most people find this alone enticing.

However, not everyone can work from home. It takes a special type of individual to be successful at it. The individual needs to be self-motivated as it is easy to procrastinate from the comfort of home. People need to be able to work with minimal supervision and be able to budget their time well.

Remote positions vary from potential start-ups’ suggestions to established careers. There is a huge potential for work-at-home jobs and a plethora of benefits as well.

Sustainable Remote Job Opportunities

Online/At Home Business

The way we do business is evolving. Many people are electing to rid themselves of a commute to the office in favor of working at home.

The benefit is that often people can set their own schedule and work right from the comfort of their own home.

Many businesses establish an online store featuring their product lines. If it is a service, they highlight what they offer. Conferences are done via video as opposed to in person. You can easily close deals this way, and send documents electronically.

Products can be shipped as well, eliminating contact. Businesses are rapidly expanding more into the digital world.

Mobile Disruptors is one example of a company that provides opportunities for people who are interested in working from home in their own business. Mobile Disruptors doesn’t offer you a job, but the ability to generate income selling a white label and turnkey service. Their customers earn as much as $15-20k per month selling social media and other services to local businesses.

Animator

Creative and artistic individuals will enjoy this job! Effects are needed for movies, television, and other types of media. People who know how to create animation, visual effects, and content are in high demand. If you have your digital studio, this makes it quite easy to work from home.

Animators can earn an average of $25- $106 per hour. However, this is mostly on sights similar to Upwork.

Caterer/Chef

If baking or cooking is your passion, then consider establishing a catering business. Additionally, you can be a personal chef.

People who love to bake can generate money by selling goods to neighbors, friends, or in farmer’s markets.

Graphic Designers

Graphic designers generate visual demonstrations of ideas. They use either traditional artistic methods or, most often, computer rendering applications, working remotely in designing layouts, fonts, logos, advertisements, brochures, or any other design.

Improvements are made through client feedback.

People who are artistic, creative, and have an eye for design enjoy careers in this field.

The average salary is $3,444 monthly.

Travel Agent

This person would be responsible for booking travel arrangements, providing advice on various destinations/business trips, and creating itineraries/schedules. Travel agents can work remotely by using the phone or video conferencing.

They can utilize the internet to book hotels, flights, and entertainment for people globally. Remote agents tend to work for larger corporations that require individuals in several time zones.

If you are social, love travel, and are interested in new places, this is an ideal career.

Travel Agents earn an average of $42,933 annually.

Tutor

Tutors who work remotely can instruct people on any subject they have experience, education, or expertise in. Video conferencing is often incorporated for remote learning as it allows for interaction and screen sharing. Teaching software is also available.

Teaching people can be taught on a one-on-one basis or group setting.

Tutors can generate their lesson plans or teach from a well-established program. Remote tutoring allows for flexible hours. It is perfect for those with a love of public speaking and teaching.

The average salary for online tutors is $21.59 per hour.

Accountant

The responsibilities of this position include reviewing and preparing finances for individual and corporate accounts. Accountants provide financial advice. They aid in determining whether companies are viable based on operating and budgeting expenses.

Virtual accountants can begin in entry-level positions and rapidly advance.

This position is for someone who is analytical, logical, and who loves math/tax law. It is a very stable, lucrative, and high-demand position.

The average income is $55,915 per annum.

Digital Marketer

Digital marketers manage social media, email, and web content to attract customers to their client’s sites. They manage the client’s search engine rankings, websites, advertising, and blog strategies.

These activities permit them to work at home from any location. The only requirement is internet access, marketing skills, and an eye for design.

The skills required for a digital marketer are salable. The skills translate from small businesses to large enterprises. It is ideal for creative and ambitious people.

The average salary expectation is $61,719 annually.

Sales Consultant

The responsibilities of this position involve analyzing a businesses’ sales techniques. They offer suggestions for improvements, such as incorporating training programs for sales representatives and discovering potential clients.

Sales consultant positions can be very lucrative, especially in niche markets, because it requires specific expertise.

Salary expectations for this position are $67,558 yearly.

Project Manager

Project managers have the flexibility to work in multiple industries. They coordinate individual tasks and gear them towards the completion of a common goal. Video conferences are often incorporated as well as scheduling software to delegate assignments, train and equip employees, note progress, and assess results.

Project managers have a great sense of independence and are self-motivated. There are significant levels of responsibility that allow for tremendous growth within a company.

These are just some examples of the potential of remote employment. As things begin to shift and technology advances, we may start to see more opportunities emerge.

Remote work can be gratifying. It permits people to have control over their day and the flexibility to work around their schedule.

For parents, it is ideal because they can be with their children. They no longer necessarily have to arrange for after-school activities or daycare. They can be with their kids and watch them mature.

7 Simple Interactive Content Ideas You Can Steal

The whole point of social media is to engage with your followers. But how do you get your audience to start engaging with you?

Interactive Content

Interactive content is often fun and silly. You throw out questions to your followers in a way they’ll most likely want to answer.

Interactive Facebook posts, for example, may require you to type out an answer, use an emoji, or answer with a GIF. Perhaps your followers must piece together different parts of an image you’ve posted to come up with an answer.

Interactive content should be fun and allow your followers to engage with you and your page. This will make it much easier for them to interact with you again in the future. Plus, people associated with your followers will see these interactions and check out your page out of curiosity. This will result in some of those people becoming followers, leading to an organic growth of your social media followers.

So, what are some fun ways to use interactive content to promote engagement? Don’t worry, you don’t have to think of fun ideas from scratch, just search the web and you’ll find a ton of options. We’ve chosen seven simple interactive content ideas you can steal.

1. One Has to Go

An interactive “One Has to Go” post generally involves the content creator posting a picture of a numerous favorite – depending on the account’s niche – fast foods, candy bars, beers, woodworking tools, etc.

This strategy allows your followers to answer you and interact with other commentators. Everybody has different tastes and seeing some of the different takes on this type of post, even just among the followers themselves, can be entertaining.

2. What’s Your (Blank) Name?

While you can use “One Has to Go” for market research, the “What’s Your (blank)Name?” post is just for silliness. It could be your unicorn name, mermaid name, Halloween witch name, or your wizard name, among so many others. The type of name will generally derive from the poster’s niche, or what their audience is interested in.

In most cases, these posts will list the alphabet in two columns, with a silly word next to each letter. You’ll choose the first letter of your first name in the first column and the first letter of your last name in the second column. So, if your name is Jane Doe, you’ll choose the words next to “J” and “D.”

This is just meant to engage followers. There are some pretty funny combinations, which motivates commenters to share their results and help put a smile on their face. Sometimes people need a small break from their lives, and this kind of interactive post helps.

3. Answering a Question with Facebook Emojis

This kind of content, which you’ll often see used on a Facebook post, requires followers to answer a specific question with a designated Facebook emoji. This is a very easy way to have your followers engage with your content. Also, commenters will oftentimes leave a comment explaining why they voted the way they did, their thoughts on the question, or how hard it was to make a choice, leading to more interaction between your followers.

4. Using the Third Gif, Show Your Mood

This is just one example of how to use gifs as interactive posts. Here, you have followers select the third GIF on their phone to describe how they feel. This is another post that will have followers taking a few minutes out of their day to scroll through and comment. Not only do people loveGIFs funny, but many can find them relatable.

5. What’s Your Favorite?

This kind of post can be done a couple of different ways. For example, you can ask “What is your favorite potato form?” and then show examples such as fries, mashed potatoes, potato chips, etc.

You can also do this is with different types of fast-food chains, burgers, candy bars, board games, vacation spots, and so much more. It doesn’t always have to tie back to food – you can come up with just about anything.

6. Would You Rather

I’m sure many of us remember playing “Would You Rather” on long car journeys. For interactive Facebook posts, the account will publish a graphic asking a question with four options. Followers will comment with their choices and hopefully let everyone know why they chose the option they did.

7. Open-Ended Questions

Just a simple open-ended question is a great interactive content post. For example: If you could be any animal, what would it be and why? Which fairytale is your favorite? What food is your weakness? Again, you’ll probably notice that as people post answers, more will reply. Interactive content doesn’t have to be complicated.

8 Pro Tips on How to Start a Business from Scratch

With so many changes going on in the world during this past year, many people have found themselves rediscovering old hobbies or discovering new passions. At one point it seemed like everyone was baking bread. But for some people, falling back in love with an old hobby meant turning it into a small business.

Starting a new business can be difficult, but for those who had nowhere to turn to because of the pandemic, utilizing a skillset they could profit from was a way to keep an income flowing for their family.

But how do you establish a startup? It doesn’t matter whether you’re an online business or a home business, you don’t begin making money the day after you’ve come up with an idea. Here, we’ll give you eight pro tips on how to start a business from scratch.

1. Think of Yourself as an Entrepreneur

If you’re starting a business, you’re now an entrepreneur, so you need to start thinking of yourself as one. You must be professional, even when you’re not interacting with others.

It’s important to self-assess and see what type of business would be best for you. This could be easy. You might be a graphic designer who’s decided to start your own agency.

Not all cases are that easy. Some people want to start a business so they don’t have to answer to anyone or because they need to provide assistance to their family. So, part of your assessment should include why you’re starting your business.

2. Coming Up with and Researching Your Business Ideas

Always keep in mind that, as a business, you’re there to solve somebody’s problem. Do some research and make sure your niche/business model will work and be profitable.

You could have a great, unique idea, but it’s not a good business decision if there’s no need for it where you are. Opening a Gaelic school in the middle of Wyoming isn’t a good business idea.

Chances are that someone else is providing the same goods or services as you, so you need to come up with a way to outdo your competition. Some companies use price to attract more customers and beat their competitors. Figure out which course of action is best for you.

3. Test Your Idea

Make sure you test your idea out to see if it’ll work. Set up a one-page website with a logo, which you can get for under $10 through Fiverr, and have it look professional. Or you could use Wix or Bluehost and build a site yourself.

List your products and services and add a contact email or form. If you’re selling products, have a preorder. If you’re selling services, there’s nothing to worry about. Find emails of potential buyers and reach out to them.

Purchase some advertisements on Facebook or Instagram. Again, you can search Fiverr to have someone affordably do up your graphics so they look professional.

Testing your business will give you an idea of how much demand there is for your product or service. It’s much better to spend less than $50 to find out it’s not going anywhere then it is to jump all-in and find out the same result.

4. Create Branding and Marketing

After your successful test, you’ll want to come up with your permanent logo and branding. That includes what colors you want to use, the letterhead, the look of your website, etc.

You’ll also have to look at marketing materials and campaigns. What look do you want to create and how do you want the world to see your company and message? This might be something you can do on your own, get from Fiverr, or turn to an agency for.

5. Create a Business Plan

At this point in the process, you’ve figured some things out in your journey, crossed some items off your list, and perhaps added some on. Now you need a business plan.

This step is essentially getting your thoughts on paper for how you want to get your business started and how your business will look, including your expected outcomes. It’s important for you and essential if you plan on getting any loans or having investors.

6. Registering Your Business

There are different levels of registration, such as sole proprietor, corporation, etc. Each level of registry has its own set of guidelines, and in most cases, especially for a sole proprietorship, you need to register in each state you want your business recognized in.

The higher up the registration ladder you go, the further your registration is automatically covered, such as nationwide or globally. Always check the rules and regulations or registration where you live as they differ by country and state.

7. Business Finances and Taxes

Always keep your business finances separate from your personal finances. Even if you’re a sole proprietor and you’re living off all of the money you make from the business, it’ll be so much easier come tax season if you have everything in a separate account.

Just like personal taxes, you’ll now be responsible for completing your company’s taxes. You may want to hire an accountant, especially during the first year, to help guide you and explain what can and can’t be written off.

8. Protect Your Business

So much goes into starting up and running a business. Chances are it’s your largest asset, so you want to ensure that you keep it protected. Hire an attorney to take care of all contracts and other business interests.

You’ll also need to trademark your name and branding. Patent an idea, technology, or process and copyright creative work. Look into different types of insurances you may need. For example, there’s an insurance for product recalls, even if your company is fully online.

Protect your business and yourself.

Get Set, Go! How to become an Independent Business Owner

Are you looking to get started as an independent business owner? Being your own boss comes with huge perks and huge responsibilities. Mobile Disruptors gives you a leg up on the marketing that helps get you noticed. Keep reading for seven steps to becoming an independent business owner and the questions that should guide you through each step.

1. Why do you want to become a business owner?

Understanding why you want to be a business owner is a crucial first step in the journey towards independence and taking the time to think this through can save you a lot of time and effort down the road. Why do you want to start your own business? Are you entering a part of your life where you want greater control over your work-life balance, like beginning a family? Perhaps you’ve identified a niche in your industry that needs to be filled and believe you have the skills to do it? Are you looking for career growth and finding you have hit the ceiling in your current workplace? Consider all of these things and think through what success looks like in your venture. Maybe the goal is getting a business off the ground that allows you financial security and greater control over your hours and work-life balance. Or it could be building a business to a place where it could be franchised or even sold off? Answers to questions like these will help you discern along the way what projects and investments, business tools, and partnerships to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to. Planning also provides a point on the horizon that will help you stay focussed on the big picture and the end goal, rather than getting lost in the minutiae.

2. What do you want to do? How are you offering something different than what’s already out there?

Just like a writer is encouraged to “write what they know,” the same applies to business. A good place to start a business venture is doing what you are familiar with. Look at your experience and skillset and determine what niche you are uniquely qualified to fill. What sets you apart? We are in an age where you are a few clicks away from finding at least one business that offers what consumers want. So, what sets you apart? It could be ethical, social, or enterprise-focused. People are always looking to vote with their dollar. Perhaps you are fair trade, organic, Black-owned, etc. You could be subculture-focused or special equipment that is hard to come by. Consider your target audience as this will have ramifications on decisions you make down the line, like advertising, which we’ll talk about a bit later. When considering your ideal customer, consider who they are and what they are looking for. Do market research on your intended demographic so that you can make informed decisions about how to bring your business to market. Industry articles are a good place to start when learning about your intended market.

3. How are you going to finance your venture? Where is the money coming from?

Finances are easily one of the biggest hurdles to starting your own business. Be it small or large, all business ventures require some upfront cost. A Gallup poll surveyed Americans and found that 25% considered starting a business and decided against it. The top two reasons as to why were “needing a steady income” and “not having enough personal savings.” But your finances are not the only avenues for funding your dream venture. While you can ask friends and family for support, don’t be discouraged by thinking that you’re limited to making awkward elevator pitches at family gatherings. Get a realistic estimate as to how much your business will require. A lifestyle or e-commerce business will have the most accessible upfront financial costs. Franchises come with varying financial buy-in with other aspects of the business already taken care of. Anything high tech will require more financing, but look into different funding sources, like small business loans and grants aimed at growing the economy.

4. What format is your business going to take? Independent contractor? Incorporate? Sole proprietor?

Related to finances is considering what format you want your business to take. Do you want a brick-and-mortar storefront where you will need to factor in insurance, furnishings, rent, utilities? Or would you prefer to run your business online, which will require different costs such as domain, website design, and credit card fees? The paperwork side of the business can be time-consuming and boring, and there is a lot of it at the beginning when you’re just getting your business off the ground. Ensure you do it right the first time. If you want to incorporate or register as a sole proprietor, different paperwork is required. There are different costs and consequences on your business, liability, and taxation, so choose wisely.

5. Handle your administration: What licenses do you need? Certification? Applications?

Depending on what kind of business you have, there will be different licenses and certifications required. If you have a professional designation, such as a lawyer or accountant, think about how you can keep it now that you are your boss and not working for a firm. If you are working with food and drink, what certifications do you need for food handling and responsible liquor service? Consider reading through industry articles and your local chamber of commerce for resources for what paperwork and certification you need.

6. Who are you working with? Who is working for you? Are you working on your own? Additional to this, who is your support network?

It’s a good piece of advice not just for business but for life in general. Surround yourself with a robust support network and not just for moral support. Reach out to people who have been there before. They can give you good advice about how to get started and what pitfalls to avoid. They can make for good inspiration and advise you on business strategy and make introductions and help you network.

7. How will you market and advertise?

Now that you have determined how you are unique, what you are offering your customers, and who your customers are, you can begin to make focused decisions on marketing based on real metrics. Your target audience will dictate much of your advertising, as will your business type. Digital marketing vs. traditional marketing? Is your business primarily online? Then focus on digital marketing. Are you a brick-and-mortar business? Look at local marketing and connecting with community organizations that will introduce people in the community to you and what you offer. Social media is always a good way to introduce potential consumers to you and your offerings. And it’s free! Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth.

If you are interested in learning more about what Mobile Disruptors can do to help you with your business, reach out. Mobile Disruptors also has opportunities if you want to offer marketing services to small businesses.

Be Your Own Boss – Top 10 Self Employment Opportunities in 2021

Whether it is out of necessity or simply time to step away from traditional employment, you might think the time is right to transition to working for yourself as a business owner or independent contractor. Think about how you want to get yourself out there. Mobile Disruptors has so many ways to easily market yourself using simple tools like wifi marketing and geofencing.

Home Services: A great way to begin working for yourself with little more than supplies you can buy at the grocery store is to offer home services. You can make your own hours, and potential clients are right outside your front door. In the time of Marie Kondo, everyone is looking for some help with house cleaning and organization. Now that many people are working from their homes, a revamp of their personal space is even more relevant. If cleaning isn’t your thing, consider offering services like grocery shopping and delivery and running errands. Other options for home-based services could be home staging and cleaning out foreclosed homes.

Real Estate: If you’re intrigued by the housing market, consider working as a real estate agent. In many states, it takes little more than an exam to become certified as a realtor. Another way to get involved in real estate while working for yourself is to work in property management. Offering services to homeowners who are renting their homes out is something you can easily run out of your home.

Graphic designer, developer, coding: If you’ve already got a laptop and the skills, doing graphic design and backend computer work like coding and website design is a skill that is always in need. In the already vibrant online marketplace, more and more businesses are choosing to go online for some or all of their sales. Any business looking to differentiate itself will be looking to navigate the creation of a website, e-commerce offerings, event calendars, and interactive functionalities. Mobile Disruptors offers opportunities if you wanted to get into work providing marketing solutions for other small businesses.

Tutoring, Teaching, Information Products (ebooks): Tutoring is an excellent way to be your boss. Even before schools went online, tutors were always in demand. With an above-average competency at prime subjects, good communication skills, and good interpersonal skills, tutoring is a great way to make your own hours and put your skills to good use. Look at subjects that are part of the required curriculum or consider tutoring in special skills, like music or sports. If you prefer to offer your skills in a text format or have a niche skill, consider producing information products, such as ebooks or instruction manuals.

Childcare & Eldercare: If you love kids, or love working with the elderly, consider childcare or eldercare. There will likely be certification required based on where you live, but childcare is always in demand, and with the aging Baby Boomer generation, many seniors would prefer to live at home instead of a long-term care home and simply need someone to check on them or assist with medications and other care.

Catering & Event Planning or Personal cook: Do you love food? Home or event catering could be a great way to flex your culinary muscles. Meal kits and meal delivery services are increasing in popularity, and offering local, prepared meals would be a great way to compete with those services. You could also find work as a personal chef to busy families.

Freelance writer or Transcriptionist: Do you love to write and are looking for a day job to pay the bills while working on your novel? With the explosion of content marketing, many companies are looking for writers to help craft content they can post to a blog or website that their audience can engage with. Additionally, there is always a need for transcription skills, where you listen to a recording and convert it to a written format. Transcriptionists can offer their skills to legal and medical offices, in addition to general transcription.

Business Consultant, Social Media Specialist: There will always be a need for experienced consultants to help businesses craft strategies to grow. It could be hiring a social media specialist who can unify their social media channels, monitor engagement, and apply the best new tools to make sense of the analytics. Or perhaps they need a human resources specialist to consult on new tactics for managing their team that will provide growth opportunities. If you’ve got a specialty and are interested in working with a diverse range of business opportunities, consulting could be the perfect way to go.

Pet Services: Do you love pets? Offering pet services is a great way to begin working for yourself. You can start with something simple like dog walking or pet sitting and build a clientele in your neighborhood. If you have special skills, such as grooming or training, these are a great way to set yourself apart from the competition. You can offer your potential customers your ability to bring your tools and expertise to an environment where the pets already feel more comfortable.

Become a Licensed Reseller or invest in turnkey businesses: Making the decision to work for yourself can be an intimidating step to take. Make it easier on yourself by partnering with a franchise or turnkey business. Mobile Disruptors provides white label marketing systems, with state of the art tools to assist you with hosting, maintaining and updating the software for your business. They provide ongoing support and training, to help you get started, and get confident.

You can easily get started working for yourself in 2021! Look at the skills you have to offer, and you will be able to find a niche where you can get into the marketplace. Whether it’s getting certification for your state, or simply printing out some business cards, getting started working for yourself is a step in the direction of making your hours and being your boss. Marketing your new small business is an important step, and Mobile Disruptors gives you easy-to-use tools to help you do it.

Grow Positive Online Reviews – Negative and Positive Feedback Management

When looking to make a purchase, consumers trust the negative feedback, and positive feedback, of their friends and family more than any online marketing or advertising. Plus, according to a BrightLocal survey, 85% of consumers trust online reviews, both negative and positive feedback, as much as they trust personal recommendations.

Feedback, or review management, is an important part of business. If this feedback loop is managed properly, it can increase your body of positive reviews, customer engagement, and bottom line.

How to Ask for a Review

Some companies may not be familiar with the process of a feedback loop. The overall concept is simple enough, but how do you ask for a customer’s review without it seeming awkward? What if you receive negative feedback?

Choosing When to Ask for a Review

The feedback loop needs to be relevant based on the purchase or service. You could request a customer who’s made a purchase at your store to review their visit to the location. However, this feedback mechanism doesn’t make sense if you send the review request a couple of minutes after your customer’s online purchase, as the product wouldn’t have arrived. Nor would this request for a review make sense if you wait a couple of hours after using a rideshare service like Lyft or Uber; that feedback mechanism should be utilized once the ride is complete.

The More the Merrier

Just 50 reviews per product can mean a big increase in conversion rates. The more your company can ask for feedback, the more likely you’ll be able to establish a feedback system. You can have cashiers ask for reviews, which could provide a positive feedback mechanism. Or you could include requests in email marketing, ask for feedback on the bottom of receipts, and add review links on thank-you pages. Don’t count on the feedback being front and center on the customer’s mind; kindly ask if they’ll provide it.

Start with a Short Survey

Instead of directly asking your customers for a product review, start with a short survey of just a couple of questions to see if they may provide some positive feedback for the product. This is a good way to find out if they’re unhappy before leaving a negative review, which would result in a negative feedback loop. At the end of the survey, ask if they’d like to write a review.

Make Things as Easy as Possible for the Customer

Remember, the customer’s review, which could give you both negative and positive feedback, is doing this as a favor for you. The last thing you want is for them to get frustrated with too many Provide your customers with different platform choices where they can leave their review, be it Google, Yelp, etc. Make sure to include links exactly where to go.

Also, let them know the normal range of time it’ll take them to review the product and give them a prompt, so they’ll write the type of review you want them to (e.g., “Will you please take two minutes and describe the quality of the handmade gift you purchased.”)

How to Grow Positive Online Reviews

The hard part is asking for reviews. After you receive those initial ones, it’s time to grow your positive feedback loop.

Make sure that people can leave their feedback where they’re most comfortable. Yelp and Facebook are considered the most trustworthy when it comes to user reviews, so it’s important to be registered and up to date on those platforms to support your positive feedback loop. Google My Business is another important platform. The more places you can allow your customers to access you, the better, including your website. Leave links on your website to all of the review sites to make utilizing this positive feedback mechanism easier.

Think about creating different incentives for customers to leave positive feedback, or negative feedback, for you. Everybody’s time is valuable, and you can acknowledge that by providing your customer with a free coffee, a discount code, or a coupon for their time in contributing to your positive feedback loop, or your negative feedback loop.

Depending on the circumstance of the transaction, give your customers positive feedback first. For example, if you’re a driver for a rideshare company, give your customer feedback before asking for a review back. You can also recommend them on Linked In if they’re in more of a business role.

Sharing the positive feedback you’ve received will help keep the momentum going and contribute to your positive feedback system. You want to avoid using a negative feedback mechanism or contributing to a negative feedback loop. Highlight the positive reviews on your social media platforms or website as a positive feedback mechanism. Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor, and other sites can mark certain reviews as helpful. This social proof is a powerful marketing tactic and can create an effective feedback loop.

Managing Positive and Negative Reviews

It’s important to manage both your positive feedback system and your negative feedback system. Once someone leaves a review, including employee feedback, don’t ignore it or become defensive. Take action on every single one.

By engaging with your customers, others who come across the reviews know they’re legitimate, which makes your feedback system more trustworthy. It makes the reviewer feel seen, which is a positive feedback mechanism that can make them want to become a repeat customer.

If someone has negative feedback, it gives you the opportunity to find out why. It allows you to utilize a negative feedback mechanism to help improve your service. What made their experience a bad one? Maybe they received the wrong product or encountered bad customer service. By reaching out to them and utilizing a negative feedback system, your customer has that “real life person” to talk to. It could end up turning their experience around so that it ends up a positive one and contributes to a positive feedback loop.

For more information, visit MobileDis ruptors. They can help you start your own business and help companies grow positive online reviews through an effective positive feedback system.

What is Social WiFi Marketing – Everything You Need to Know

Most places you go to nowadays, whether a restaurant, retail shop, or airport, will have free WiFi available. When the internet was first available, you could only access a WiFi hotspot in a limited number of spaces, mostly airports, and it was extremely costly. Then, a few more spots provided access to guest WiFi, but it would still cost you. Eventually, more and more establishments offered unlimited free WiFi.

What is Social WiFi Marketing?

Your business may still require your customers to use a password to log in to the guest WiFi, but this doesn’t necessarily lead to extra profit long term. Chances are a WiFi user in your establishment is doing business with you anyhow. Providing them with a password doesn’t change that, and it doesn’t encourage them to return.

More and more establishments are giving up on passwords and having users sign in with Facebook, Google, email, or other forms of social media. This is called social WiFi Marketing. Once you sign in using whichever method you choose, you’re often taken to a splash page where you may see upcoming deals, coupons, and information about new products launching, which could entice the user back.

Not only are you able to provide your customer with news that may benefit or interest them, but you’ll also be able to collect a lot of information about the user, including contact details and their interests. This will allow you to target them through various methods such as social media and email.

How Does Social WiFi Marketing Work?

Most establishments will have signs hanging up, or another way of identifying how to get onto the internet through the network. Some places will offer a discount or other incentives for logging into their free WiFi network with a social media account.

After the user has logged in, they should be taken to a splash page, which is a marketing page set up by the establishment (restaurant, hotel, retailer, etc.). To make the most with your WiFi marketing, encourage the user to use Facebook to sign in.

Then, when they’re signed in, you can access certain information, such as how many times they return to your venue or how long they stay on the premises. If they sign in with Facebook, you’ll be able to access more information such as their likes, demographic data, and contact information.

These details will allow you to successfully market to your customer. You can provide them with incentives to return to your venue, have them fill out surveys, ask them to leave a Google Review, or conduct multichannel marketing through email, Google Ads, and Facebook Ads. Additionally, you can target customers through other means such as demographics and return on investment.

How Do Users Benefit from Social WiFi Marketing?

In addition to your business, how does WiFi marketing benefit your customers?

For one, it’s convenient. A user who repeatedly returns to the same coffee shop and uses their WiFi can easily log in with just one click. Additionally, sign-ins can often be remembered, preventing someone from having to continuously enter their log-in details.

Customized splash pages and offers through email and social media offer another benefit for users. Existing customers may appreciate getting a free latte every month, for example, or 10% off their next meal.

There are endless opportunities for companies to make sure their users benefit from signing in with their social media accounts. Many customers enjoy being the first to know about new products and events.

How Do Companies Benefit from Social WiFi Marketing?

Social WiFi marketing allows companies to connect with, and understand, their customers in a way like they never could before.

Gone are the days of the brick-and-mortar stores marketing to everyone in the hopes that someone driving by their store or listening to the radio would stop by.

Even when internet marketing started out, it was a broadly cast net. You weren’t quite sure where you wanted your boundaries to be, geographically or demographically, and you couldn’t be sure what your customers were interested in.

With social WiFi Marketing, companies don’t need to guess. They know their demographics, what they like, how often they visit, how much they spend, etc. This allows companies to increase their branding presence by sending out digital marketing campaigns to stay fresh in the customers’ minds.

For example, a company can look to see how it can benefit from its customers utilizing multiple locations. Offering a discount at a location that’s having a slow month might allow you to push some business that way. Chances are your customers will purchase more than required to take advantage of the promotion.

Companies have a real opportunity to build valuable relationships with their customers through social WiFi marketing. Create specific marketing campaigns for those who visit most often and thank them for their continued support. When it comes time to decide the next flavor, color, or dish, ask your customers for their input to make them feel valued.

Helping Companies Set Up Social WiFi Marketing

If you’re interested in learning more about social WiFi marketing, reach out to MobileDisruptors. They can also help you out if you’re interested in making a business out of setting companies up for social WiFi Marketing.

Geofencing Marketing Guide: The New Way to Market Your Business

There is no doubt that the cost of living and the way of living are vastly different throughout the country and that a single marketing campaign does not fit everybody. You likely already know you need to come up with multiple campaigns, but then what do you do? Where do you place them?

And what do you do if you feel like all of the technology for business marketing focuses on online marketing, but you have a physical location and want the benefits of digital marketing as well? Geofencing marketing might be for you.

What is Geofencing Marketing?

Geofencing marketing uses location-based ads that allow for specifically targeted locations. A geofence is the physical boundaries of the target location, which could be the block around a storefront, a postal code, or the western corner of a territory.

Geofencing Marketing Strategy

In online marketing, there’s a fine line when it comes to expanding your targeted area. It can backfire if you go too far, which is where geofencing marketing comes in handy. Many retailers open marketing to the internet, even when the majority of their customers are still local.

If you have a national company, marketing promotions may change based on the targeted audience. For example, you might not have the same promotion running in Toronto, ON as you will in Moncton, NB. The cost of living and way of life are drastically different in these cities, and you may need to adapt for the potential customer base in each location.

Geofencing creates an imaginary boundary that automatically switches when someone passes through it. Essentially, it is a smart marketing campaign that continuously adapts to the location of the consumer.

Ways to Use Geofencing Marketing

There are several ways in which geofencing marketing helps a business, too many to mention here, but here’s a look at some that you may have come across as a consumer:

A brick-and-mortar store sets up a perimeter around the business, whether it’s a block or a kilometer radius, and when you pass through that perimeter, you get a push notification on your phone.
A business owner may try to entice local customers away from competitors with better deals by setting up geofencing marketing perimeters around his competitors’ locations.
Companies may utilize geofencing ahead of time for marketing conferences and industry events to bring brand awareness to the places they will be visiting.
Service-oriented businesses can now geofence towards specific service areas as if geofencing has become the new ambulance chasing.

Just because geofencing marketing exists does not necessarily mean it is the best option for your business. It’s always good to do your research to be sure that the return on investment is worth it and determine details like where you should set up your geofences.

If you would need help with geofencing marketing, Mobile Distributors are social marketers that can help you get started understanding everything geofencing can do for your business.

7 Benefits of Geofencing Marketing

Some people are skeptical when it comes to targeting a marketing audience, thinking that a bigger audience is better. But having a smaller, local, dedicated base is much more valuable in the long run, and the long run is what you want for your business.

Let’s look at some of the benefits you can get from geofencing marketing when done correctly:

1. When you keep your geofenced area small, you target a specific local audience, which allows you to build personal relationships and ties to your community, and it increases the chances that the customer will return as well as refer to other customers.

2. You will have a better chance of creating higher quality content. You know your audience better, so you can speak directly to them with your content. If your geofencing marketing target area is too large, you have less of a chance to resonate with everyone within, and some may feel that you are speaking to uppity, while others may think you’re speaking down to them. Either way, people could get offended.

3. While your local customers will most likely be the majority of your base, you may get a lot of online orders as well. Geofencing marketing helps you expand your local following into brick and mortar stores in the future as well.

4. Geofencing marketing helps with timely offers. Michaels Arts & Crafts uses this on their slow days. It sends out a text message to local customers with a coupon to use to try to drum up sales.

5. If you have a Google Ads account, then you already have the tools you need to set up a geofencing marketing account. For no extra charge, you can use it with your Paid Ads account.

6. With geofencing marketing, you can gather much more data than you might otherwise, information such as spending, time spent in-store, message effectiveness, and more when customers respond to a geofenced advertisement.

7. Data from geofencing marketing campaigns help your marketing team develop content and promotions targeted towards your customers.

Geofencing Marketing in Practice

Each year, more and more industries and companies turn to geofencing marketing to draw in more customers, which is not just a marketing strategy used by larger corporations. Businesses of all sizes use geofencing to their advantage, and smaller ones often see the most value.

Several big corporations use geofencing already. If you have the Starbucks app and you drive by a location, you might notice that you receive a push notification on your phone notifying you that you are near a location.

Some companies have taken this further. For example, make-up giant Sephora opens its app if it is installed on your device and shows your previous transactions and other helpful information that may help you with your current shopping trip.

Coca Cola has one-third of vending machines connected to the internet with facial recognition and payment tracking tools. With this information, Coca Cola used geofencing technology to determine which products sell the best, which machines are used most often, and which need help.

There are several different uses for geofencing marketing and several ways to use it. Geofencing marketing can help you build brand loyalty and relationships with your customers, bringing them back again and again. The precise targeting of a geofencing marketing campaign is much more valuable than targeting everyone on the internet, in which return customers are statistically not very likely.

Online Brand Monitoring: Tips and Tools for Tracking What People Think of You

Nowadays, thanks to the internet, everybody has a platform to speak their mind, whether it’s true or not. Sometimes, it turns out great; but, other times, it can ruin a company. Either way, as a brand, it is important to know what people are saying online and how others perceive you.

While it was not the first to use social media, Wendy’s may have been the first big brand to bring brand monitoring to the forefront, responding and interacting with other accounts on Twitter with snarky remarks that gained attention. Other brands have since caught on, and now they interact on Twitter in similar ways, something that has become a customer favorite.

Word of mouth on the internet is how brand champions and influencers began. Someone likes a product and shares a tweet with their followers. Their followers check it out, becoming champions of the brand and spreading the joy.

When it comes to negativity, word travels exceptionally fast. Just one or two bad reviews or comments can hurt a business, sometimes to the point of no return.

What is Online Brand Monitoring?

Online brand monitoring is almost like spying on yourself, tracking different social media channels to see what people are saying about your brand. You learn a lot of valuable information through brand monitoring, such as knowing where people are talking about your brand, how they perceive it, and collecting feedback based on user comments.

You can prevent issues from turning into crises if you stay on top of things. People who have issues with a brand don’t always tag the brand in their complaints. If you are brand monitoring, you can find problems and help that person end up with a positive experience.

Brand Monitoring vs. Social Monitoring vs. Social Mentions

We mentioned what brand monitoring is, but some other terms that get thrown around are social monitoring and social mentions, and we want to clarify what those things are.

Social monitoring is a lot like brand monitoring. It focuses on searching social media sites for what people are saying about your brand instead of including other mediums, like online news media, forums, and print media.

Social mentions are relegated to only social media and are when someone tags you in a post. They are either talking directly to your brand or tagging you to make sure you see their post.

What to Monitor?

When it comes to what to monitor, the short answer is everything. Wherever people can talk and comment, that’s where you want to be looking. Remember, communication moves exceptionally fast these days, so be sure to monitor these accounts often.

Some key areas to monitor should include:

All social media platforms
Online forums
Online publications and blogs
Online review sites
Online news media
Print media
Broadcast media

What to Track

Tracking might not be as straight forward as some would think, mostly because people can be sneaky. Of course, you should track your business name and any variation that people might use. You should also look out for any products of yours, especially if you just launched something new.

If you have a face for your brand or other employees who are well known, monitor them as well. The last thing you want is to be side struck with something out of nowhere or to have your phone blowing up because of something they said on social media, even if it has nothing to do with your brand.

Also, watch out for incoming links and follow them back to see what is sending people to your site. The conversation may not include the brand name to try and avoid any brand monitoring, but you can pick up what the perceived issue was by following the link.

An effective strategy to find out where you stand in the bigger picture is following industry publications and influencers. This approach tells you if you’re doing something right, wrong, or not making an impact. It’s also a good way to find out what people expect from you next and enhance your brand’s reputation.

Brand Monitoring Tools

There are several brand monitoring tools available that range from free and easy to subscription-based and complex. Due to the complexity of the searches you need to monitor for your brand, you need to use more than one tool. You may be able to find one for social media, but it’s not going to cover other online news media. Here are some of the most popular tools to consider:

Google Alerts

One of the easiest tool to use, and you may already be using it, is Google Alerts. You can set up alerts for words and phrases based on your company, competitor, and any other information or terms relevant to your brand. Then, you receive an email with a Google Alert when those words and phrases appear on the internet.

SocialOwl

Social Owl is a great tool for social media practitioners as it can help local businesses monitor their online reputations on review sites like Yelp. Plus, it gives businesses automatic real-time alerts whenever someone comments or reviews their business online.

Reddit Search

Reddit might get overlooked as an online brand monitoring tool, but with 300 million active monthly users and 14 billion monthly views, you shouldn’t overlook it anymore.

Build Relationships

Online monitoring is scary as not everything said about your brand is positive; however, you might have the chance to turn negatives into positives, and you’ll only get this opportunity if you closely monitor what people are saying.

Your current customers are also a great source of information and ideas about what to do for your next products. Start conversations and see what they want, build relationships, and determine if there is anything they would like to be changed. It might not be possible to give them everything they want, but building that relationship helps build the business.

If you need help with your brand reputation, digital marketers Mobile Disruptors can help you get positive online reviews and manage your reputation.

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