Author: Steve Header

By Lolly Daskal President and CEO, Lead From Within

CREDIT: Getty Images

On some level, most of us want to be liked. Even if you work to maintain an appropriate distance from your team or employees, the more that people like you and want to emulate you, the more engaged they will be as team members. The best leaders are those who are genuinely liked.

Here are 10 things that likable people consistently do. None of them will compromise your credibility or authority as a leader–so give them a try and see what happens.

1. Listen without interrupting.
Become a great listener. That means no butting in, no rushing along, no asking questions until the speaker is done. Listen not to frame your own rebuttal but rather to genuinely understand.

2. Smile without smirking.
Smiling and warmth make others around you feel good. It seems simplistic, but smiling is a lost skill of sorts. Master it and you’ll stand out.

3. Speak without dictating.
Speak and share your thoughts and ideas, but treat such conversations as a two-way street. Your voice and your wisdom have value, but set them forth in a way that respects the voice and wisdom of others in true dialogue.

4. Give without receiving.
As the adage says, we make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give. Don’t keep score; give with a genuine heart, because it makes you happy.

5. Enjoy without complaining.
Enjoy and be grateful for all that you have. It is gratitude that gives us the best reasons not to complain.

6. Trust without wavering.
Trust, someone once said, is like an eraser–it gets smaller and smaller every time you have to use it. When we can offer others our sincere word and they know they can trust us, that’s no small thing. Consistently doing what you’ve said you would do, and not doing what you’ve said you won’t do, earns you a huge amount of trust.

7. Promise without forgetting.
People with good intentions make promises; people with great character keep them. Keeping promises should be your highest priority–because when you give your word, there is no room to forget. Keep your promises.

8. Forgive without punishing.
I believe there are two kinds of forgiveness: the kind that also gives the other person a chance, and the kind that forgives but still compels you to move on without that person. Either should be used wisely, and neither should be about punishment. The healthy way to forgive is whatever works best for you without punishing the other person.

9. Be honest without deceiving.
The people we like the best are those who are honest, who follow their convictions and speak their truth. We like people who act on their beliefs. They may not always win, but you know what they stand for.

10. Be positive without reservation.
Negative, angry people drag down everyone around them. Work on maintaining a positive attitude at work and in life. Make an effort to look for opportunities and solutions instead of barriers and problems. Whatever the situation, focus on what can be done.

What about you? When was the last time you interacted with a truly likable person? (Or the last time you made someone instantly like you?) What was said? What was done?

By Ivy Lamb, Manta Content Editor

Tried and true marketing strategies for small business owners who want to build a Facebook following, generate new leads, and turn social followers into paying customers.

If there’s one social media platform that all small business owners should be on, it’s Facebook. The social network has come to dominate the online space with more than a billion users worldwide.

Finding success with Facebook marketing isn’t hard, but it does take a little time and know-how to truly engage your customers and drive more leads and sales. We asked social media experts and business owners to share their insight in this comprehensive guide to Facebook marketing for small business.

1. Why is Facebook Important for Small Business?
The statistics speak for themselves: Facebook has an estimated 1.8 billion monthly users worldwide, and according to the Pew Research Center, 68% of all U.S. adults use Facebook. For many, logging onto the social media platform is a daily habit—used for entertainment, news and connecting with friends and family.
Simply put, small businesses can’t afford not to be on Facebook. It’s an ideal platform for engaging with customers where they already spend time online.

2. How Do I Use Facebook for Small Business Marketing?
On the surface, Facebook marketing is relatively simple: Start a business page and start posting updates and photos about your company. However, your social media marketing strategy matters, since your business has to compete with lots of other friends and businesses for your customers’ attention. The goal is to post valuable information and built relationships with your followers.

“Generally, users on Facebook want to see content they care about from sources they care about,” said Simon A. Thalmann, digital marketer and writer for Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan. “Usually this centers on friends and family, but many people are also passionate about brands that offer goods and services they like or identify with, or that they in some way find value from following or seeing content from.”

Your goal as a small business owner is to figure out what your customers respond to, and deliver that value through your Facebook posts.

3. What’s the Difference Between My Facebook Business Page vs. My Personal Page?
The profile you create to represent your business on Facebook is different from your own personal profile. Business profiles are called “pages.” How can you tell the difference?

“If you can click ‘like’ on it, then it’s a page,” said Dennis Yu, chief technology officer for BlitzMetrics. “If you can log in and be friends, then it’s a user profile. A lot of people talk about their pages, when they are talking about their user profiles. If you want to grow your business, then you need a Facebook page for it. Only with a Facebook page can you boost content, get analytics to see how it’s working, collect email addresses, drive people into a call, and so forth.”

4. How to Create Facebook Account for Small Business
It’s free to create a Facebook page for your business. Start by selecting the type of business you own. You’ll then be prompted to fill out your business name, a business description, a cover and profile photo, and a call to action. Once you’re happy with everything, be sure to hit “publish” to make it public. After you publish your page, you’ll have access to Facebook’s business features, including messaging and analytics.

5. How Can I See My Followers on Facebook?
To see how many followers your business page has, simply click “Settings” at the top of your page, and then click “People and Other Pages” in the left column. You should be able to see a list of everyone who has liked your page. (Some may not show up, however, depending on the individual user’s privacy settings.)

6. What Should I Post on My Small Business Facebook Page?
What you post depends on your business and your customers. Before you start posting, it’s worth thinking about the most common questions and issue you hear about from customers, and use that as a guide for posting content that’s relevant to them.

But no matter what, try to keep things fresh. “Regardless of the industry you are in, or the audience you are trying to reach, nothing bores people more than the same old content shared time and time again,” said Gerald Vinci, owner of Vinci Digital Marketing.

Vinci recommends diversifying your strategy by sharing both written and visual content, including:

• Tips and advice
• Your own blog posts
• Blog posts from other relevant websites
• Posts from other Facebook pages
• Create a survey or ask a question to get a conversation going
• Share interesting photos or videos that your audience would benefit from
• Show people more about your personality by sharing things you and your team get involved with like community events, office parties or celebrations

7. When Should I Post on My Small Business Facebook Page?
Like the content you choose, timing also depends on your audience. However, a good rule of thumb is to space out your posts, rather than put them up all at once.

“The default approach that seems to work best for our particular audiences is a schedule focused around the average workday. Students and staff often seem to check their pages first thing in the morning at work or school, just before or after lunch, and just before leaving work or just after arriving home after work,” Thalmann said.

He added that a three-post schedule during the workday typically includes a post around 7:45 a.m., another around 11:45 a.m. and another around 4:45 p.m. Posts later in the evening, around 7 p.m. or so, often do well also.

8. How Often Should I Post on My Small Business Facebook Page?
The goal here is to get your posts in front of customers, without going overboard.

“I’d recommend posting between one to three times daily,” said Allison Baker, social media and marketing coordinator for H2O Media Inc. “You don’t want to bombard your followers, but you don’t want them to forget about you either. Having a consistent, daily presence is extremely important on social media. Even if you’re only posting something like an inspirational quote, your followers will still see your business name and logo, and this will keep you top of mind.”

9. What if I Don’t Have Much Time to Post on Facebook?
Does posting on Facebook one to three times a day sound overwhelming? If you don’t have much time throughout the day, you can streamline your process by setting aside time to create content in batches, said Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith.
“For example, write out the top 10 frequently asked questions from your customers. Make that into a blog post. Then, create ten short videos with each point or tip, as well as 10 image quotes,” she said.

If you can afford part-time help, it might be worth it. “Hiring a good social media assistant for even a few hours a week can make all the difference,” Smith said. “For example, you can provide your assistant with photos and video clips that you have on your phone anyway and they could use them to create many wonderful videos using a tool such as Animoto.”

Smith added that small business owners should take advantage of a social media scheduling tool such as Hootsuite, Buffer, PostPlanner or Edgar. That way, you can schedule your posts in advance, instead of stopping in the middle of the day to update Facebook.

10. How Do I Get Facebook Likes for Small Business Page?
When people “like” your business page, they’re also automatically opted-in to follow your posts. That means your content will show up their newsfeed, so it’s important to build the number of page likes your business has on Facebook.

“We’ve been working incredibly hard to get our Facebook followers up, as a majority of our referrals and sales come from social media,” said Amandine Liepmann, cofounder of Mitz Accessories.

Liepmann said building followers starts with good content. “Before posting anything I always ask myself, ‘Would I want to read this? Is this content engaging our followers in active discussions?’ The more activity you can show on your page, the better.”

Coverage of your business on other sites can help increase your Facebook following as well. “We were recently featured by UpWorthy and found that we had a lot of new fans on Facebook after the story was posted,” Liepmann added.

11. How Do I Find Good Photos for Facebook?
Images are arguably more important than anything you write on Facebook. Good images can mean the difference between a customer clicking your post or just scrolling by.

“Anytime I post anything on my Facebook business page, I make sure to include an eye-catching image. By having a bright, relative image to the topic of a blog post, announcement, or news article, a potential client is more likely to engage with my page,” psychotherapist Liz Morrison in New York City.

You can take high-quality photos with your smartphone, but make sure your subject is well lit and in the frame. You can also experiment with free stock photos from sites like New Old Stock, SplitShire, 1 Million Free Pictures and the Creative Commons. Take your photos to the next level with free design tools like Canva, which allow you to play with text and other graphics to create flyers, announcements and more.

12. How Do I Design My Small Business Facebook Page?
In addition to choosing photos to accompany your posts, you’ll also need to consider the profile and cover photo of your Facebook page. “Vibrant visuals will always win the day,” Smith said. “Work with a professional graphic designer to create your images. Or, use a tool such as Adobe Spark to create a compelling cover image.”

Your profile and cover photos should be related to your business, and represent your brand. For example, if you own a children’s clothing boutique, a playful, colorful cover photo would be appropriate. If you’re a legal firm, something muted and traditional might be better. Find inspiration by looking at other business’ Facebook pages.

13. How Do I Use Facebook for Small Business Promotions?
Some businesses run contests and other promotions to drive engagement of Facebook. (Be sure to check out Facebook’s terms before you run your first promotion.) The best promotions combine great content with an offer that’s relevant to your customers, said digital strategist Jason Falls.

“For example, instead of just giving away a spa treatment, do a video interview with someone who has had the spa treatment about how it made her feel reborn, refreshed, important again … connect those emotions,” he said. “Then target that post to women within the demographic you’re trying to reach. The content should grab them, then conveniently introduce them to the promotion.”

However, you should be careful with promotions—they can be useful, but they can also backfire. “While they can certainly drive activity, if it’s for a giveaway or prize, you end up driving a bunch of people to your page who don’t really want to buy from you, they just want the free thing,” Falls said. “Still, if you can create a contest but explain it using compelling content that grabs people’s emotions, you’ll likely find it to be far more successful than just saying, ‘Click here to win!’”

14. Ideas for Facebook Contests
Facebook contests may not be the best tool to reach new customers, but they can make your current social media followers feel special and help you reach other goals.

“We connect with our current customer base by offering our social media fans and email newsletter subscribers exclusive JUST4ME discounts,” said Claudia Montez, founder of Isabelle Grace Jewelry. “Every week, we put one of our pieces on a special JUST4ME discount and advertise it in our newsletter and to our social media followers. Not only has this resulted in new purchases from existing customers, but it has also helped us really grow our email list!”

You can also offer customers a chance to win free or discounted product if they:

• Like your post
• Comment on your post
• Share a photo
• Guess the answer to a trivia question
• Caption a photo

15. What Does Facebook for Small Business Cost?
Theoretically, nothing. You can start your Facebook business page and post for free, and if you focus on organic efforts, you’ll never spend a dime. However, experts and small business owners all agree that, thanks to Facebook’s algorithm, it’s tough to build your audience without paying to boost your posts.

“The mistake most small businesses make on Facebook is that they think it’s purely an organic play,” said Jamie Turner, author, CNN contributor and CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com. “The truth is that if you use the paid advertising feature on Facebook, you’ll get better results. Best of all, Facebook is inexpensive and easy to use, so don’t miss out on using it for as little as $5 per day.”

16. What are Facebook Ads?
“Facebook offers paid placement on their website and mobile apps,” said John Surdakowski, founder of Avex Designs. “Your content, special offers, website or posts can get in front of customers with a few simple clicks. What’s more, your ads will be targeted to a very specific demographic. Facebooks ads are very popular, since they can be quickly deployed.”
This video explains more about Facebook’s targeting capabilities:

17. How Much do Facebook Ads Cost?
The answer to that question depends on your budget and your goals. Cost of entry is low. According to Surdakowski, you can allocate as little as $5 per day or as much as $500 (or more) per day.

“Before putting your entire marketing budget behind Facebook ads, it would be best to test with a small budget and scale up from there,” he warned.
This video explains how Facebook Ads costs are determined:

18. What is the Facebook Insights Feature?
Facebook Insights shows you all kinds of statistics about your business page. It’s only visible to you, the page administrator, and it can help you judge how well your page is performing.

The amount of info can be overwhelming. Here are the metrics business owners should pay the closest attention to, according to Dennis Yu of BlitzMetrics:

• Your top posts (i.e. posts with the most impressions and engagement)
• Who your best fans are (where they live, what they like, how old they are, what they engage with, etc.)
• How you fare against your competitors
• In order to get insight on your competitors’ performance, you should find five other pages to benchmark against in “Pages to Watch.” Then you can look at how fast they’re growing in fans and engagement.

19. What are Facebook Tracking URLs?
It may sound technical, but tracking URLs aren’t that hard to use or understand. Basically, tracking URLs have a special combo of letters and numbers to identify the source of each click. They help you determine how many people actually visit your website because they clicked on the ad.

“Tracking URLs are used by Google Analytics to determine the correct referring source of a website visitor,” said Eve Mayer, CEO and owner of Social Media Delivered. “Facebook provides an easy-to-use tool, which allows creators of Facebook ads to create a URL that will provide Google Analytics with even more detail about how a visitor ended up at the website.”

20. How Do I Use Facebook Live?
Facebook Live is the social media platform’s live video streaming feature, and it can give your followers a more personal view of your business.

“Live video is perfect for really showcasing the human side of your business through storytelling,” Smith said. “With live video streaming, small businesses can take their audience behind the scenes, conduct product demos, introduce staff members, spotlight customer success stories, ​host Q&A sessions, invite feedback, do interviews and so much more.”

Smith recommends experimenting with your style at first—your videos can be rehearsed or impromptu. But she also stressed the importance of using a tripod and microphone so that your videos aren’t too sloppy.

Lisa Spector owns Through A Dog’s Ear, a company that produces music to calm the canine nervous system. “I recently did a live Canine Classical Concert and broadcast on Facebook Live so that people were invited into my living room,” Spector said. “While there were some tech problems, people still loved it and enjoyed sharing the calming time with their pups at home.”

21. What is Facebook Stories?
Facebook Stories is a new feature that allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. If that sounds just like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, it is. Facebook is trying to capitalize on the growing trend of using images and videos (rather than text) to communicate.

Right now, the feature is available only to personal users and can’t be used on business pages. However, it seems likely that if Facebook Stories becomes popular, it will be extended to businesses as well. Small business owners should keep an eye on this trend.

22. Can Facebook Generate More Leads and Traffic to My Business?
The short answer is yes. But your success with Facebook depends on your audience and how well you’re able to reach them. If you follow some of the best practices in this guide, you should be able to boost leads and traffic to your business.

“Children, teenagers and young adults will often be easier to reach on other social media platforms,” Mayer observed. (Snapchat, for example, caters to a much younger audience than Facebook.) “You will have to spend some money on Facebook ads and boosted posts to reach new people,” she added.

23. What Should I Never Say on Facebook?
“As tempting as it is to talk politics on Facebook, it’s best to avoid that subject altogether,” Turner said. “Also, if you ever get negative comments on Facebook, be sure to take the high road.”

Getting into arguments with customers on your Facebook page—whether about your business or something unrelated—is a bad idea because it’s a public forum. You could wind up alienating many more people than just that one customer. Instead, keep things professional and upbeat at all times.

By Lolly Daskal President and CEO, Lead From Within

CREDIT: Getty Images

Rational people sometimes have irrational thoughts that sabotage their success.

We all have irrational thoughts, often without even being aware of them. But these irrational thoughts keep us from the success we deserve and the happiness we want.

Once you’ve identified an irrational thought, the next step is to break it down and replace it with a positive rational belief. Here are 12 of the most common irrational thoughts, which can victimize even smart, rational people. If even one of them sounds like you, do whatever it takes to find a better way to think.

1. I must be competent in everything or I will never succeed. If you think you have to be competent in everything to succeed, you are setting yourself up for failure. You don’t have to be an expert in everything. Your strength lies in what you know, not in what you don’t.

2. My emotions are outside of my control. If you think have no power over your emotions, try to think in terms of educating yourself about those emotions. It’s possible to learn to manage your feelings–and in the meantime, however you feel, you can always control how you act and respond.

3. I can never make a mistake or I’ll be seen as a failure. If you think mistakes are not an option, think again. Mistakes happen and they happen often–and our mistakes have the power to turn us into something better than we were before. So instead of thinking you can never afford to make a mistake, know that mistakes are not only useful but necessary.

4. I must please others to feel good about myself. This belief is a certain way to set yourself up for failure, because no one can please everybody all the time. The only person you can please is yourself–and if you are happy and confident in yourself, that is where everything will begin to work for you. It’s nice to have other people like you, but it shouldn’t be at the top of your list.

5. If someone criticizes me, there must be something wrong with me. When you’re the object of criticism, always ask “Is this about me or is it about the person speaking?” Criticism may mean that you see things differently or have different opinions. The secret is not to take it personally and allow them to be what it is: just someone’s opinion.

6. I will never measure up to others so I should give up trying. If you think you’re not measuring up, remember it’s a feeling and doesn’t necessarily reflect reality. We sometimes struggle with insecurities because we fear being judged–but if you spend your time focusing on your strengths and building your confidence, you’ll be better able to hold your own.

7. If I do things for myself I’ll be considered selfish. If you pride yourself on always helping, enabling, fixing others, it may feel like you’re doing something wrong if you spend time and effort on yourself. But sometimes you have to focus on yourself to be selfless, because if you lose yourself you will only become a reflection of what everyone else wants you to be.

8. I must never take risks to make sure I don’t fail. if you think not taking risks will protect you, think again. The biggest risk you can take is never taking risks. In the world of business and leadership, everything changes quickly and the only strategy that leads to success involves taking risks. You don’t have to risk everything, but you do have to risk. If you win you’ll be happy; if you lose you’ll be wise.

9. If everything is going right, something will go wrong. When times are good, we tend to wait for the other shoe to fall. Nothing will ever be 100 percent right or 100 percent wrong; there will always be an ebb and flow between the two. It’s finding the balance to know that everything will be all right, but that doesn’t mean perfect and it doesn’t mean that things will always be the same.

10. I don’t deserve success. Thinking of yourself is unworthy is as irrational a thought as you can have. You must believe that you are worthy and you deserve the success you’re working for–no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done. Learn to accept yourself and allow yourself to feel deserving.

11. It’s easier to avoid problems then to deal with them. Unfortunately, failing to deal with problems doesn’t actually let you avoid them. The more you try, the more they persist. There’s no point in trying to run or avoid or deny or evade them. Remember, a problem is a chance to do better the second time around.

12. My past controls my future. Only if you let it. The past is there to teach you, and once you’ve learned its lessons you can apply them to the future–but that doesn’t mean they have to take residency there. Learn to let go so you can move on to the next chapter of your life.

Stay in touch with your inner voice so you can root out your own irrational thoughts and replace them with positivity and growth.

 

 

By Brooke Preston, Manta Contributor

These easy tips will help you attract your ideal customer by focusing on the things that make you different from everyone else.

What sets your business apart? In marketing jargon, this is also known as finding your “unique value proposition.”

In a nutshell, this helpful concept seeks to define what you offer customers that your competitors don’t, and how you can solve your customers’ problems or improve their lives better than any other business.

Determining your unique value proposition (and getting it down on paper) is a useful part of developing a business plan that will consistently inform your marketing strategy and tactics.

To help you get started, we asked strategy expert Alyssa Gasca, founder and owner of SPARK Executive Solutions, for her insights. She and her team have helped some of the nation’s leading businesses with strategic planning and coaching. Here are Gasca’s easy-to-implement tips on defining your business’s unique value proposition:

• Ask Around. Ask your clients if they would refer your business to friends, and what they would say about your product or service. These insights will help you figure out what customers appreciate most about your business.

• Find Your Intersection. Focus your unique value proposition on the intersection of three things:

What you do best.

What your ideal clients value (and will pay for).

What you love to do.

Once you’ve defined what makes your products or services unique, you’ll have a clearer idea of how to market them to customers and how to beat your competitors.

By Steve Header

Credit: illustrationsources

Like the gunslingers of the Old West – they appear out of nowhere, save the day, and then just as quickly disappear into the sunset – Business management consultants are the hired guns of the small business world

Entrepreneurs start a business because they have a passion for what they do, and usually are quite good at what they do; and want to make a living at what they’re good at and enjoy doing. Then why do 50% of small businesses fail within 5 years?

Is it because they chose the wrong product, field or industry?

Nope. That’s not it. According to the Bureau of Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics – the rate of failure after 10 years is approximately 80% for all businesses across all industries (see below), and that statistic hasn’t changed for 20 years!

Why, or perhaps a better question is, how is it possible that 8 out of 10 small businesses will no longer be in existence 10 years from today? We’re talking about the most passionate, the best of the best, the best bakers, the best carpenters, the best fill-in the blank; in every industry, in every economy and in every political landscape.

The answer 
The answer is simple. What is the one common thread in entrepreneurship that has no connection to any one product or field or industry?

For instance, take the hypothetical example of a renown neurosurgeon who has a 100% patient recovery rate. There is little doubt she is the absolute best at what she does, but would she know how to administer the anesthesia? Could she perform the surgery and monitor the critical life support equipment? Could she even tie her surgical gown, search for the next instrument or dab her forehead, and still keep her concentration? Of course not. Her focus would be diverted in so many directions that her true passion for saving lives would soon be compromised.

Yet, this is exactly what most entrepreneurs are trying to do with their small businesses. They are the best at what they do, but many lack the support staff or skills necessary to run their “operating room” efficiently. They are lacking the business management component required in today’s uber competitive marketplace.

This is not to say they do not have the ability or gravitas to succeed and should hang-up their metaphoric scalpels. On the contrary. Granted, they could go back to school and study for their MBA or find a successful business and get tight with the managerial staff for a few years. Or they could hire a business management consultant on an as needed basis.

Level the playing field
All large businesses have full time business management consultants, they just have different titles, such as: product managers and directors. Unfortunately, most small businesses will not have the budget for a full-time product manager. Oh, but take heart, because this is the exact scenario for a business management consultant to ride in and save the day.

Business management consultants normally have formal educations, most have MBA’s, and at minimum 5-10 years’ experience working in a business environment. They have been trained and conditioned to spot areas of concern that are or could become roadblocks. From simply “how the books are managed” to a “convoluted competitive strategy.” Uncovering these flaws early can potentially save entrepreneurs huge $$$ and more importantly, save their business from the 80% statistical going-out-of-business sale.

Small business management consultants are like “hired guns.” They can be hired for one month or one hour depending on your need. When your problems have been identified and corrective actions ascertained, they are no longer part of your payroll. And, if you ever need them to save the day again, they are but a text or phone call away.

Published 29 June 2017

 

 

Image credit: Morsa Images | Getty Images

By Carly Okyle

There are many different working styles out there. Entrepreneurship is no different.

While some ‘treps are all about the hustle — makeup maven Mary Kay Ash, for instance — others thrive on innovating and challenging the status quo, such as Zappos CEO Tony Hseih. While Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is a prodigy that can rely on innate intelligence and instinct as well as a higher degree of emotional stability, Apple’s Steve Jobs was constantly trying to look ahead and plan his next move.
The Founder Institute, a launch program for startups, tested more than 30,000 entrepreneurs to discover what qualities and priorities were common in each of the six categories: Hustler, Innovator, Prodigy, Visionary, Machine and Strategist. Each classification boasts successful, household-name entrepreneurs.

Check out the infographic below to discover which profile resonates most with you.

 

A successful person is not someone in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of smart attitudes.

By Lolly Daskal
President and CEO, Lead From Within@LollyDaskal

CREDIT: Getty Images

It’s interesting to wonder why some people are more successful than others, especially if you yourself are aiming high.
What do people like Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates have that feeds their ongoing excellence and propels them to the highest levels of success?
The answers are complex, of course. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be learned. Each of these successful people shares certain smart mindsets–mindsets that any one of us can emulate, that will do us good no matter what level of success we aspire to.
Here are seven of the top examples:
1. Successful people don’t take failure too seriously.
They see failure as the opportunity to begin again, but this time more intelligently. They know it’s not a defining event, and they don’t treat it as a problem unless it begins to become a habit. They win as if they are used to it, and they lose as if they’re enjoying the challenge.
2. Successful people accept who they are and what they are about.
If you keep putting yourself down, there is no way for you to move forward. Successful people know the smartest mindset you can have is self-acceptance–refusing to be in an adversarial relationship with yourself.
3. Successful people set goals and work to achieve them.
Having a dream is great, but having a dream and goals is smart, because goals are how dreams become achievable. The most successful people are constantly setting and working toward goals to make a positive difference. Goals turn the invisible visible; they let you structure your thinking to always be looking for something you can do to bring you closer to what you want to achieve. Goals lead you to ask every day, “What am I doing that will move me toward where I want to be and what I want to achieve.?” Successful people not only set goals, they set them high. And they don’t stop until they reach them.
4. Successful people don’t leave things to chance.
Instead of passively hoping for the best, they take control to make things happen. You always have a choice: You can control your mind or you can let it control you. Refusing to leave things to chance shows inner strength, decisiveness, and a strong will. Incredible things happen when you decide to take control of what you can control and let go of the rest.
5. Successful people don’t let themselves get sidetracked by problems.
If your mindset is negative, problems will grow in strength and constantly pull you down, sending you on detours of thought into some bad neighborhoods. On the other hand, with a positive mindset you will think of problems as a reason to be creative and come up with innovative solutions. The biggest problem is thinking of problems as problems. Successful people know that when you focus on problems you have more problems, but when you focus on possibilities you have more opportunities.
6. Successful people are decisive.
The most successful people are deft decision makers. They don’t waffle or second-guess themselves. They take in the information they need, then clear out their mind and pick the best option based on what they know. If it turns out to be wrong, they learn from it. But they won’t be guilty of not deciding at all.
7. Successful people are continually learning.
If you want to go far, borrow the mindset known in Zen Buddhism as shoshin, or learner’s mind. That means you don’t pretend to know it all but are open to learning and growth and development, with a mind that’s fresh and enthusiastic and free of bias.

Experience holds lessons for us all, but you have to remain teachable to take advantage of them.
If you’re serious about being successful, cultivate these smart mindsets and see where they take you.

 

By Brian Lindamood, Manta Content Director – 10 18 2016

Learn how your small business can use Instagram to share photos and videos, reach new customers and grow sales with a social media marketing strategy.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, Instagram might be worth 1,000 new customers for your small business. The social media platform lets you easily share photos and videos with your followers and interact with their photos of your business. With an Instagram for Business account, you can also advertise and promote posts on the platform and get detailed metrics on how you’re engaging with customers.
With 500 million monthly active users—and growing—there are a lot of potential customers on Instagram. Yet most small business owners are missing out. According to a Manta poll, only 24% of small business owners include Instagram in their social media marketing, and of those who do use the platform, only 20% pay to promote posts or place ads. Unfortunately, the biggest hurdle is that 39% of business owners say they simply don’t know how to use Instagram.
Don’t be intimidated. Instagram is easy to use, and paid promotions are simple too. With so few other business owners using Instagram, this is a great time to jump ahead of your competitors and start connecting with customers now.
How can Instagram help your business get more customers?
As with any social media effort, a smart marketing plan is essential. You should decide what your goals are and how much you want to spend (in time and money), then make sure your Instagram strategy supports those goals. With advice from social media and marketing experts, the 27 tips below will help you use Instagram for Business to connect with customers and grow sales for your small business.
1. What Can Instagram Do for Your Business?
Instagram allows you to connect with followers, share updates about your business, and potentially turn followers into customers. If that sounds like a lot of other social media platforms, the big difference with Instagram is the focus on photos and videos rather than text.
“Small businesses should be embracing Instagram Stories along with photos that can be distributed and shared on Instagram,” said digital strategist and entrepreneur Ross Simmonds. “If you’re selling a product that is visually appealing, it’s likely that your customers are using Instagram to see photos of your product before buying. One of the easiest and most effective ways to stand out on Instagram is to be consistent with uploading high quality content.”
Instagram is primarily a mobile platform. As smartphone users increasingly rely on images to get and share info, you should harness the impact of photos and videos to promote your small business.
“Instagram allows you to directly engage and communicate with your customers in a visual way,” explained Colin Cheng, senior marketing manager for digital agency MintTwist. “Images and videos are immediately more engrossing than text. Small businesses can use it to engage with their existing customers, as well as trying to identify new ones.”
2. What’s the Difference Between Instagram for Business vs. Personal?
Instagram for Business gives small business owners access to features and capabilities that personal users don’t have. With an Instagram for Business account you can add directions to your business to your profile, let followers contact you with one click, access Instagram’s analytics tools and promote your posts with ad campaigns.
When it comes to content, you probably want to keep the personal photos you share with family and friends separate from the business posts you share with customers. While social media can feel friendly and informal, don’t forget that your Instagram for Business account represents your business and its professional reputation: Don’t share anything you wouldn’t post in your workplace or say to customers’ faces.
Small business owners who want to get started with Instagram can find inspiration by following the accounts of others in their field, said Deborah Sweeney, CEO of online business document service MyCorporation.com.
“Check out what influencers in your industry are doing,” she advised. “Do they post every day? What kinds of hashtags do they use? How do they engage with fans? Observe their accounts from the start to see how they have grown and use their tactics as a jumping off point to getting your own account up and running.”

3. Why You Need a Facebook Page to Use Instagram for Business
Instagram is owned by Facebook, and the business accounts and advertising capabilities on the two platforms are integrated. That good news is, if you already have a Facebook page for your business or if you use Facebook Ads, you’re well on your way to setting up an Instagram account and advertising on the photo-sharing platform. If you don’t yet have a Facebook business profile, make sure you set one up before getting started with Instagram.
“The merger of Facebook Business Pages with Instagram profiles has made it a great visibility tool for businesses, especially since Instagram now has 500 million monthly users,” said Aristotle Eliopoulos, social media specialist with digital marketing agency 9thCO. “Most importantly, Instagram’s addition of a ‘Contact’ button for business profiles means a contact email, map or phone number can be added, making it much easier for users to contact businesses. The ability to call or email is as easy as one tap.”
4. How to Set Up Instagram for Business
It’s easy to get started on Instagram. Download the free Instagram app from the iTunes app store or Google Play.
The first time you launch it, the app will walk you through the steps to create a basic account. Choose a profile name that will help customers identify your business; it could be the same as your other social media handles or, if you have a common-sounding business name, it could incorporate your city.
Once your basic Instagram account is set up, you need to upgrade to an Instagram for Business account:
Tap the gear icon at the top right of your profile page.
From the list of options, tap the button “Switch to Business Profile.”
After tapping “Continue,” you’ll be prompted to connect your Instagram account to your Facebook account.
The business info on your Facebook page will be imported into your Instagram account; make sure this info is complete and correct.
Tap “Done” to save your Instagram for Business profile.

5. How to Use the Instagram App
When you launch the Instagram app you will see your main feed; these are the photos and videos posted by people you’re following. In this feed, tap the heart icon (or double-tap on the photo) to like a photo; tap the word-bubble icon to comment on a post; or tap the forward arrow to share the post with another follower.
To follow another user, simply tap the “Follow” button next to their user name. If their account is set as private, you’ll see a clock icon to show that your request to follow is pending their approval.
At the bottom of the screen you will see five navigation icons:
Tap the home icon to return to your main feed.
Tap the magnifying glass icon to get to the search page, where you can find other users or hashtags to follow.
Tap the camera icon to create a new Instagram post.
Tap the heart icon to see which users started following you or liked your posts.
Tap the person icon to see and edit your profile info and all the posts you’ve created.
6. How to Use Multiple Instagram Accounts
You can add up to five Instagram accounts and manage them from the same app. This is useful if you want to maintain separate business and personal accounts, or if your small business has accounts for multiple locations or distinct product lines.
Lindsay Klix, owner of Off Your Rocker Pottery, publishes a blog of healthy recipes in addition to crafting handmade pottery. “I saw that my Instagram followers that were interested in my pots were not as interested in my recipes, but others were,” she said. “So I launched a separate account showcasing just my healthy recipes that is attracting new and different followers, increasing my overall following.
“Don’t just focus on the number of followers, (focus on) the quality and overall exposure,” Klix added. “If you have several accounts with different loyal followers, it doubles your company’s following.”
To add multiple accounts, go to your Instagram profile and tap the gear icon in the top right corner. Tap “Add Account” to enter the username and password of the account you’d like to add. To switch between accounts, go to your profile page and tap your username at the top of the screen, then tap the account you’d like to switch to.

7. What to Post on Instagram for Business
Instagram is a visual platform, so you want to think of ways to market your business using photos and videos. Beyond that, there are few rules. However, all of your posts should be consistent with your social marketing strategy. Consider your goal, and make sure everything you post on Instagram supports that goal.
Is your social marketing strategy to demonstrate how your small business supports your local community? Post videos on Instagram from community events, or post photos previewing the big local festival or high school football game.
Is your social marketing goal to show off your strong customer service and put a friendly face on your team? Post behind-the-scenes photos of your employees hard at work, or post videos of your team members talking about why they love working with your customers.
Some common subjects of Instagram posts include:
Your products
Behind-the-scenes of your products being made
You or your employees at work
Your storefront, office or work van
Before-and-after of projects or contracting jobs
How-to photos or videos of home repairs
Decorating or remodeling ideas
Happy customers with your products or completed services
Local attractions or community events
Coupons, contests or promotions exclusive to social followers

8. How to Post a Photo on Instagram
Sharing a photo on Instagram is almost as easy as taking one. When you tap the camera icon at the bottom of the screen, you will be given the option of selecting an existing photo from your “Library,” or taking a new photo or video in the app. If you select a photo from your library you will have the chance crop the photo before proceeding. Taking a new photo is even easier; the only options here are whether to use flash or the front-facing selfie camera.
Once you have a photo or video you like, follow these steps to share it on Instagram:
Take a new photo or select a photo from your library, and tap “Next” in the upper right corner.
Select a preset filter from the horizontal list at bottom, to tap “Edit” to manually adjust the color and exposure settings. Tap “Next.”
Add your location (optional but recommended if this is your business location).
Tag other people by using their Instagram user names (optional); they will be notified that you included them.
Choose if you want to post your Instagram photo directly to Facebook or Twitter at the same time you share it on Instagram (optional; make sure it supports your social marketing strategy on those other platforms).
Write a caption for your photo; include a brief description of the post, and include a few hashtags.
Tap “Share” at the top right to publish your post to Instagram.
9. What Are Instagram Filters?
Instagram Filters allow you to easily apply visual effects to your photos. When you take a photo with the Instagram app or post a picture from your photo library, you can select from preset filters (Claredon, Willow, Lo-Fi) and, with one click, turn a snapshot into a work of art. You can also tap “Edit” to manually adjust the color, contrast and warmth and create your own look.
Filters let you look like a pro, adding interest to your plain snapshots—from high-contrast black-and-white pictures to the desaturated colors of vintage Polaroids.
“People often scroll through their feeds fast, so you only have a second to grab their attention. Use Instagram’s editing tool to stand out. There are lots of different options, filters and add-ons that can turn a dull photo into a piece of art,” said Nathan Barber, digital analyst with Digital Advertising Works.
“If you can grab users’ attention, they are likely to engage with your posts more,” added Barber. “This sends signals in the algorithm that you should be promoted more in the feeds.”

10. How to Add Your Business Location to Instagram Photos
When you are drafting an Instagram post within the app, you have the option to “Add Location.” You should do so. This associates the name of your business with the photo, allows followers to see other photos taken at that location (which could include posts by you and your customers), and see the location of your business on a map.
Underneath the “Add Location” prompt on the post you will see a list of five nearby locations (you can scroll through this list horizontally). If you don’t see the name of your business, you can click on the “Search” button or “Add Location” button for a longer list of suggestions.
If you still can’t find your business, you may need to add the location to Instagram—but you need to use the Facebook app for iPhone, iPad or Android. (It’s another of the integrations between the two platforms.) This is how you can add your location:
From your Facebook News Feed on a mobile device, tap the “Check In” button.
If you don’t see your location here, click “Add [New Location]” and provide your business’ location info.
Tap “Done” or “Create” and you should now find your business location in both Facebook and Instagram.
11. What’s an Instagram Photo Map?
If you click on the location name of any Instagram post (in small type under the user’s name, above the photo) you will see that location pinpointed on a map along with all other photos or videos taken at that location. It’s a great way to see photos that customers have posted at your business location.
In the past, users could get a similar view of all their posts with a Photo Map of their personal account, but Instagram no longer offers that feature.
12. How to Post a Video on Instagram
Recording a video with Instagram is much like taking a photo. From the video screen, press and hold the record button to take a video (don’t tap separately to start and stop). You can pause and add nonconsecutive segments to the video as you record it; for instance, you could create a time-lapse effect by recording several brief snippets over a period of time. Adding filters, a caption and location info is similar to the process for photo posts.
Selecting an existing video from your library is also easy. You do have the option to trim your library video clips, which is helpful to meet the Instagram video time limit of 3 to 60 seconds.
13. How to Use Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are slideshows that combine photos and videos. They are meant to be temporary—Story posts disappear after 24 hours—so they are useful if you are promoting a timely event or sale. By combining multiple images, videos and adding text, Stories also allow you to tell a more complete story than you can with a single image.
For instance, contractors could create Stories of before, during and after photos to show off the progress and results of a successful remodeling project. A service business could create behind-the-scenes Stories that introduce your staff members with photos and videos showing your team at work.
This quick video demonstrates how you can create Instagram Stories:

14. How to Create an Instagram Photo Collage
You may have seen photo collages shared on Instagram: two or three (or more) photos combined in a single post. Collages can capture the energy of event (say, a layout of multiple photos from your grand opening) or provide an interesting way to photograph a product or service (like side-by-side before-and-after photos of a remodeling job).
To create a collage, you need a separate app that works with Instagram. Instagram has its own collage app called Layout, which you can get to by tapping the windowpane icon on the post screen. Similar third-party apps include Photo Grid and PhotoFrame. Each of these apps will walk you through the process of creating a collage; it’s just like posting a single photo from your photo library, except you get to choose multiple pictures.
15. How to Increase Instagram Likes
You can like an Instagram post by double-tapping on the photo or tapping the heart icon just underneath the post. The number of likes you get on your posts is a measure of engagement. It shows that followers are enjoying and responding to your photos and videos on Instagram.
How do you get more likes on your Instagram posts? The best way is to simply post engaging content that your followers like.
“My advice to small businesses using Instagram would be to focus on authentic images showcasing your business, what you do and how it fulfills the mission of your organization,” said Asaf Darash, CEO and founder of software company Regpack. “Just be real and honest. These posts tend to resonate best with people, especially those who aren’t your followers and who are ‘shopping around.’”
16. How to Use Hashtags on Instagram
Hashtags are the words or phrases you see following the “#” symbol. It’s a way to categorize your posts on Instagram and make them easy for others to find. When a user taps on a hashtag in a post, they see a list of all other photos with that hashtag. When you tag your photo #KitchenRemodel, anyone who searches for #KitchenRemodel or taps on #KitchenRemodel from another user’s post will find your photo.
You can make up any hashtag you want, but it will only be effective if others use it as well. By tapping on the search icon at the bottom of the screen in the Instagram app, you can look for common hashtags related to your industry or city; by using a hashtag that’s already popular, your posts are more likely to get found by others.
You can create your own hashtag with your business’ name, slogan, or to promote a specific contest or promotion. Encourage your customers to use this hashtag by sharing it on your website, email newsletter, invoices or in-store displays. You can also search for common hashtags related to your industry or city. When you use a hashtag that’s already popular, your posts are more likely to be found by others.
You should also think about what makes your business or products unique, said Andy Tracewell, marketing director at furniture maker Caretta Workspace. “We utilize hashtags and make sure that we post pictures that are ‘on theme’ with our company,” he said. “All of our products are made in America, so the #AmericanMade and #MadeinAmerica hashtags are very popular and increase engagement.”

17. How to Regram Others’ Posts on Instagram
“Regramming” is the equivalent of sharing a friend’s post on Facebook or retweeting a post on Twitter. For instance, you might want to regram photos that customers have taken at your business, or share entries you received to a photo contest. Unlike those other social platforms, however, Instagram does not make it easy to share others’ posts.
There is a manual workaround: Simply use your phone to take a screenshot of the photo you want to regram, then post it to Instagram from your phone’s photo library. Whenever you regram someone else’s post, make sure you give them credit in the caption by including their Instagram user name with the “@” symbol (e.g. @caretta_workspace).
There are also apps available to streamline this process, such as Repost for Instagram, which you can download from your app store.
18. How to Engage Followers with Comments on Instagram
As with any social media platform, Instagram isn’t a megaphone. It’s a conversation. You should listen to your followers, respond to their comments and comment on their photos. Look for notices that your account was tagged in a post, and regularly search for uses of your hashtag, so you can like and comment on customer photos taken of your business.
“It seems simple, but you need to do more than just post pictures and expect people to engage with you,” said Stefanie Parks, founder of DermWarehouse. “You have to start conversations, make comments, reply to questions and compliments and like what other people are posting. Not only will staying engaged with your Instagram following help to build it, you will see that your followers become very loyal to you as well.”
Make sure your comments are sincere and relevant to your business, advised Megan Monroe, growth team expert at marketing platform OntraPort. “Don’t mindlessly like and comment on irrelevant posts,” she said. “Like and comment on posts and accounts that relate to your content. You own a small surf shop? Find similar accounts and posts while searching through #surf hashtags.”
You can also start conversations on Instagram by asking your followers to respond to your posts. “Interesting or provocative questions tend to create a lot of interactions, and we try to mix that with showcasing our work and services,” said Larissa Pickens, owner and creative director of design studio Float.Design. “It’s a very supportive and highly interactive platform. Even when we first started and had no followers, I was pleasantly surprised how many people would like and comment just based on hashtags.”
19. What are Instagram Ads?
Advertising gives small business owners the opportunity to expand their reach on Instagram and add measurable calls-to-action to their posts. Instagram ads can be photos, videos or carousels of multiple images. Instagram Ads can support multiple objectives:
Clicks to Website, to generate traffic to your site
Website Conversions, to prompt a specific action on your site
Mobile App Installs, to generate downloads of your app
Mobile App Engagement, to get activity on your mobile app
Video Views, to tell a story using video
Page Post Engagement, to get users to engage with your ad
Local Awareness, to reach potential customers near your business
By promoting posts on Instagram, small business owners can expand their reach and drive more results. Thanks to the powerful targeting tools, you can connect with specific audiences based on age, gender, location and interests.
“Instagram is a perfect place to run ads to highly targeted users because Instagram is owned by Facebook and it shares powerful targeting options inside of Facebook’s Ad Manager,” said Scott Sundblom, marketing manager with digital marketing agency Big Leap. “Whether a small business’s social media objectives are to enhance brand awareness or drive sales and revenue, Instagram ads can be effective at any budget.”

20. How Much Do Instagram Ads Cost?
You can advertise on Instagram for as little as $1, and for as much as you want to spend. When you set up your Instagram ad campaign using the Power Editor tool, you can set a daily budget, a budget for the campaign, or a budget for some other time period.
The real question might be: How much should you pay to advertise on Instagram? There are probably as many answers to that question as there are small businesses advertising on Instagram.
The key is to make sure you’re getting a return on your investment, and to calculate your ROI you need to have a clear understanding of what your goals are and how much that’s worth. Is your goal to get visitors to fill out a lead form on your website? If that lead is worth $100 to you, then you know exactly how much you should spend to get it.
“You can set a number of goals for promoted posts and ads, such as driving traffic to your website, call or visit your business, increase followers, increase reach and generate leads,” explained Bethany Griffiths, content and social media marketer at digital marketing agency Bowler Hat. “You should set a goal for each promoted post and use Insights to track the goal and assess whether your post helped reach your goal. You can then use this to refine your strategy for your next ad.”
Paid advertising on Instagram isn’t necessary for every small business. Many experts recommend instead spending your time focusing on organic engagement—the likes and comments you get naturally by posting compelling content—which could boost your placement in followers’ feeds without a cash investment.
“The smart small businesses avoid paying for sponsored Instagram posts—which inherently are trusted less than an organic post—and instead focus on content that is interesting, emotional or useful enough to have viral lift on its own,” said Brad Hines, founder of NerdPlaythings.com. “Posts like this are free, shared more than sponsored posts, and have more credibility.”

21. How to Create Instagram Ads for Your Business
It’s easy to create promoted posts from within the Instagram app. Tap on a post that you’ve already shared on Instagram and tap “Promote” underneath the photo. You can select an advertising objective—such as getting website visits, or getting calls to your business—which will help you pick a call-to-action button to accompany your ad.
Next you need to select the targeted audience for your ad. Instagram can suggest targeting for you, or you can manually pick an audience based on age, gender and location.
Then you enter a budget for your promotion and decide how long you want it to run. Tap “Promote” to confirm your ad. After your ad is approved, you’ll see “Insights” on your notifications page; from here you can follow the status of your promotion and see how it is performing.
You can create more advanced ad campaigns in Facebook Ads Manager or Power Editor. From the Manage Ads tab, you can create new campaigns, choose an advertising objective and manage your budget in more detail.
22. How to Track Instagram Analytics
Instagram for Business includes access to Insights, a free analytical tool that can help you understand who your followers are and what they’re interested in.
From your profile page, tap the bar chart icon in the top right. From the Insights page you can see:
How many times your posts were viewed
How many people your posts reached (swipe left on number of impressions)
Your most popular posts (tap “See More”)
Video views
Engagement (number of likes and comments)
Followers’ age, gender and location
When you pay to run advertising campaigns on Instagram, you’ll get detailed analytics on the performance of your ads in the Facebook Ads Manager or in the Power Editor tool. The metrics will vary depending on the type of ad campaign, but you can look for:
Engagement
Total reach
Total amount spent
Cost per result (e.g. cost per video view or cost per website visit, depending on your campaign goals).

23. What’s the Best Time to Post to Instagram?
The short answer to this question is: Post when your customers are using their smartphones. As you might imagine, that’s pretty much all the time. You can get specific info about your followers using the Instagram Insights tool from your profile page; it will tell you at what times your followers are most likely to be active on Instagram.
24. How Many Instagram Posts Per Day are Best for Business?
The trick on all social media platforms is this: You want to post often enough so that your business stays visible in your followers’ feeds, but you don’t want to post so often that people get annoyed and stop following your account.
“I suggest posting a least once a day to stay top of mind,” said Sue B. Zimmerman, the Instagram Expert and author of “The Official 2016 Instagram Strategy Guide.”
“Only post if the photo is a ‘North Star’ photo, shining bright to pull you in. Otherwise don’t post just for the sake of checking it off your to do list,” Zimmerman advised. “If you want to have success on Instagram you have to have an Instagram mindset, which means thinking about your feed like a magazine and posting content that aligns with the vibe and theme of your business.”
25. How to Get Instagram Followers for Your Business
Your engagement efforts will be pointless if you don’t have Instagram followers to engage with. To get more followers, start by linking to your Instagram account from your website and promoting it on your other social platforms and enewsletter. You can share your Instagram posts on Twitter and Facebook directly from the app, letting your followers on those platforms know that you also have an Instagram account.
You can promote your Instagram account in the real world as well, by adding your user name to business cards, print ads, invoices or other handouts.
“I created two-sided business cards that use one side to promote logo, hashtag and brand awareness and the other side to share social media links,” said Jennifer Boaro, COO of The Cat Ball. “When we ship our products, this card is placed in a very visible location. Customers have often taken and shared photos of the product as they un-package it and you can see our card right there.”
You can also get new followers by following them on Instagram. “The most important way to gain new followers and engaged fans is to follow, like and comment on other people’s posts,” said Harrison Vigersky, founder of the pet blog Bone & Yarn.
He suggests looking at the list of followers on your competitors’ Instagram accounts and following their followers, then liking some of their photos and commenting on some. (Instagram sets limits on how much following you can do at once, so set aside 10 minutes every few hours to do this.) “If you are dedicated, hundreds of people will follow you every week that will be engaged with your brand,” Vigersky said.

26. Should You Buy Instagram Followers?
No. You simply can’t fake social engagement on any platform. Buying followers is a waste of money at best, and at worst it could harm your reputation on social media.
Since the fake followers you buy aren’t really your customers, it does absolutely no good for them to fake-see your photos or even fake-like your posts. Paying to advertise your business to fake followers is even worse. Plus, it’s not hard for your real followers to see through all the fake accounts following your business, which could make you look less-than-reputable in their eyes. If you’re not engaging with actual customers on Instagram, you’re just wasting your time.
27. Why Instagram is Important for Your Business
With an audience of more than 500 million active users—and growing—Instagram is one of the most popular and powerful social media platforms.
“It’s important to stay relevant, in-the-know and active on as many social channels as your business can handle, and this is definitely one of them,” said Kristi Gramlich, social media marketer at digital marketing agency Scorpion. “It’s a great way for a business to add a humanizing touch…without being intrusive to their audience.”
Instagram’s location-based tools and mobile-friendly design make it especially important for small, local businesses. According to Blanca Valbuena, co-founder of Socialdraft, a social media scheduling and engagement tool, Instagram functions as a search engine as much as a social network.
“Just imagine a tourist coming to New York City. They want to see things to discover so they begin to browse content tagged #NewYork or #GreenwichVillage,” she said. “Smart businesses who geotag their content are basically creating links to make it easier for customers to discover them.
“This is the same for ecommerce,” Valbuena added. “People who are shopping will use Instagram to search for inspiration. If your posts are structured right—with beautiful images, an impactful write up, and a clear call to action—you’ll be able to convert those eyes into paying customers.”

Avoid the most common time management mistakes and learn how to keep your leadership on track.

By Lolly Daskal  President and CEO, Lead From Within@LollyDaskal

For most of us, it seems there’s never enough time in the day. We all have the same 24 hours, so why is it that some people achieve so much more than others?
The answer lies in good time management. High achievers know how to use their time effectively, and they avoid the common mistakes that most of us fall prey to.
Learn how to master your time by making yourself aware of these time-wasting traps:
1. A DIY fixation.
Do you insist on controlling or doing all the work yourself because you can’t trust anyone else to do it correctly? Time to learn the subtle art of saying yes to the person, but no to the task. This skill helps you assert yourself as the leader and manage your time.
2. Operating without a goal.
If you don’t have clear goals and well-defined objectives, odds are that your work lacks direction and purpose. When you have goals, you know how to work hard and to achieve those goals. But when you just go from day to day doing whatever comes your way, you end up with poor results (or no results at all).
3. Misplaced priorities.
One of the easiest ways to waste time is by failing to distinguish between what’s important and what’s urgent. When we make everything urgent, we cannot get to what is important. Start with what’s important instead. Hack away at the inessential and the inflated emergencies, and make what’s important a priority.
4. Distraction.
One of the most important tools for gaining control of time and doing your best work is knowing how to minimize distractions and manage interruptions. Learn to turn off your phone and stop the pings from social media and email. Practice focused work and improve your concentration so you know how to mange your distractions.
5. Busy-ness.
Some people think being busy is being productive. But if none of it is helping you to meet your deadlines or give attention where it’s needed, there’s not much value to it besides an adrenaline buzz. “Busy” isn’t a synonym for “effective,” so slow down.
6. Multitasking.
When you’re doing more than one task at a time, it’s a near certainty that you’re not doing any of them well. A more effective approach is to take things off your to-do list one item at a time on the basis of priority and deadline. You’ll be less scattered and produce better work.
7. Procrastination.
When you put off important tasks, you feel guilty and stressed, with a growing sense of dread. Eventually it catches up with you and you end up slamming something together at the last minute, which hurts the quality of your work and leaves you feeling unsatisfied with what you’ve done.
The way you manage time is the way you manage your leadership. Spend a little effort identifying and overcoming your most common time management challenges. The benefits will be significant, immediate, and sustainable.

By Kristen Schmidt, Manta Contributor – May 10, 2017

When it comes to maintaining healthy cash flow, every little bit counts. These tips will help you save money on everyday expenses for your small business.

While it’s true that you need to spend money to make money, you don’t want to spend any more than is absolutely necessary. We asked four small business experts to share their tips on how to keep routine expenses in check:
1. Revisit Recurring Expenses
“Go through all of your professional subscriptions and decide which ones you truly need and which ones you don’t,” said Phil Reames of Reames Financial. “When things are going well, it is easy to sign up for things thinking, ‘It’s only $50 a month.’ When things tighten up, it is good to go through and decide if you really need them. Cutting expenses and improving cash flow isn’t rocket science. It just requires making hard choices.”
2. Compare Prices
“Once a year, review spending with your top five to 10 suppliers and let them know that you’ll be doing an annual price comparison among their competition,” said Bob Shoyhet, chief financial officer at Melillo Consulting. “At the very least, they’ll sharpen their pencils and give you the best pricing possible. Plus, going through the process will give you peace of mind that your expenditures are aligned.”
3. Ask for Discounts
“I schedule ‘ask days’ into my calendar every six months or so. When the time comes, I make a list of all my most common monthly expenses from tools and software, everything from bookkeeping to hosting,” said Liz Froment, a freelance content writer and strategist. “I then get on the phone or shoot a quick email asking about a reduced rate. I’ve been able to lower my bills a couple of times doing this, and you’d be surprised at how many small discounts can add up.”
4. Save Paper & Postage
“Make the transition to a paperless office,” said Marc Roche, co-founder of Annuities HQ. “Request all your billing be done through email or online payment portals, and save receipts and other important documentation to an external hard drive. Not only will you save money on toner cartridges and paper, you’ll cut down on desktop clutter and be environmentally responsible.”