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Any startup is going to experience worries over finances at some point, that is not to say that this concerns will be necessary, but with change and growth come the figures that can cause jitters. It is an understandable issue because money is the driver in any business, without it you can’t do what you need or want to. So, here we are going to discuss some of the ways that you can make some savings to avoid those worries over finances creeping in too early or when they aren’t required.
Utilities
Everyone likes to save money on their utility bills, not just businesses. And thanks to technology advancements there are more and more creative ways to cut back on how much you are paying energy companies. For example, installing slimline water tanks will allow to collect and use rainwater. You might wonder what can you use rainfall for, but there are many options open to you. For starters, the most obvious one is that you can set up a filtration system which makes it drinkable. However, there are practical uses as well such as using it for the water in the toilet and looking after greenery around your offices. Before you think that using rainwater is a bit out there, bear in mind that this is free water that you can use for a number of things around the office to cut back on your water bill.
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Smart technology has also contributed to the reduction in our payments to utility companies, and installing some of these around your office will help you too. You can monitor your energy consumption and how much it is costing you through gadgets that provide you detailed data about usage. Depending on your current size and set up you may very well have an office or facilities manager, if you do this is a piece of equipment for them, but if not assign it to who it seems most applicable to. It might seem like something more useful for homes, but offices should be aware of how much they are spending on energy and looking for ways to cut back. Questions like do you have too many computers on that are not being used or are lights active in parts of the office that aren’t? Smart technology means that you can understand your workplace’s practices even when you’re not there, in addition you can control lights and power from anywhere using your phone as well.
Utility bills are a necessary evil, but that doesn’t mean you should be paying the highest price. As well as employing different types of technology, make sure you have someone dedicated to regularly checking with comparison websites and speaking to your supplier to get the best deals. If your service is inadequate your business should be making that clear and demanding compensation. Being strong with utility companies is going to be vital to your bills not running away from you and causing problems further down the line.
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Marketing
So often a marketing budget is given as something that can’t be afforded. And for good reason, speculating to accumulate may be an old a saying as time itself, but that doesn’t make it easy to do. However, the internet has made promoting your business through online channels much easier and cheaper than ever before. Here are some ways that you can go about advertising your business without spending huge sums on extensive marketing campaigns.
We will start by discussing search engine optimization (SEO). This should be top of any digital marketing campaign that you have planned. SEO is how you prepare your website and various web pages for optimum internet visibility, specifically on search engines. The reason this is so important is because how your web page appears when someone searches for what you’re selling could be the difference between featuring on the first page of unpaid search results or below that. Bear in mind that websites on the first page are selected 95% of the time, so it really is where you want to be.
You might be wondering how do you prepare your website for search engines. Well, first and foremost you should be doing keywords research and making sure the ones that relate most to your business appear on your web pages. Fortunately, there are free services like Google Keyword Planner that will do most of the work for you – that means you can ask it to look into what words and phrases you should be using and it will tell you based on the information you provide. Ideally, your website will be optimized for search engines when it is launched, but staying on top of this process is important because digital marketing changes regularly.
Another aspect of free online advertising is the use of social media. Now, most of these websites will offer you the option to promote your content, but we are going to focus on the other aspect of social networking – that it is free.
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Before you start creating profiles here there and everywhere, you should make sure that you are spending your time building up a social media presence on the relevant sites. That means researching market trends such as who are using what networks and for what purpose. If you are selling a product that has a unique selling point based on its visuals, then utilizing tools like Instagram and Facebook should be top of your list. Whereas Twitter can come later when you are looking for more interaction with customers.
That last part is an important part of digital marketing that can often be overlooked. You may think that interacting with customers is the role of the people dedicated to customer service, but on social media everyone can see these interactions. Good replies and helpful tweets will be better for your social media brand and therefore your brand.