Small Business News

The secret to a successful and efficient company culture is transparent communication. This is especially true when you need to announce big news to your team in a way that will make them feel confident about the company’s direction and decisions.

To help you do this, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

“How can small businesses be more transparent when communicating big news (key hires, funding, etc.) to their employees? What’s one strategy they could use?”

Here are some methods they recommend you follow.

“This team collaboration tool is perfect for sharing news with employees. Create a channel in Slack for all employees to keep up on company news. It can take time to pull together a company-wide meeting, particularly if employees work different shifts or are spread across locations (or working remotely). A Slack channel used for this purpose keeps everyone in the know in a timely manner.” ~ Jonathan Prichard, MattressInsider.com

“Honestly, if you are a small business, many of the employees you would be ‘sharing’ this news with should be in on the decision-making process in the first place. If you have a culture of sharing and inclusion, then you won’t need to blast big news via email; your employees will have been on the ground floor of making such an important decision and will be excited about what this means for the company.” ~ Ashley Sharp, Dwell with Dignity

“One way small businesses could be more transparent when communicating big news to their employees is by announcing the news via Facebook Live. It can be hosted by the CEO of the company and they can invite all employees to participate and ask as many live questions around the topic as they feel necessary.” ~ Alfredo Atanacio, Uassist.ME

“Try to create a continuous information-sharing loop with your team. Find a time and place that works for everyone, that allows the team members to vent and relax, and use it as an opportunity to also discuss and share the latest announcements. Using that time to both laugh and address issues will create a stronger, more transparent culture in the long run — and a loyal team.” ~ Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker

“Shoot the news straight to them. Give them a link to the article or otherwise give them the actual source. That way, they won’t think that it’s been watered down in some way, shape or form.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

“Our company communicates big news via our website hub. This includes other important information such as holidays, onboarding documents, organizational charts and more so everyone’s on the same page and knows what to expect. It’s one place with all the information our employees need to work with us.” ~ Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

“Have a specific day in the week or month that you can use to make announcements, talk about big decisions, share updates and goals, celebrate milestones or have a general face-to-face conversation with your employees. We generally do that in Townhall. Having such a system helps you create a continuous information-sharing loop and keeps things transparent.” ~ Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite

“This is pretty simple. When you have a mixed remote and in-house team, do an email blast. Be concise and clear about the real changes in, say, chain of command, job title or personnel. Sometimes the most important details can get lost in the mix if you call a meeting. Play to a short attention span and be clear about the real impact of the changes.” ~ Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts

“One way we communicate with our team is through a monthly newsletter. We include all of the latest updates from our various brands and what we have in store for them next. We also include a section about new hires, partners and acquisitions. At the end of the email, we encourage our team to respond if they have questions or want to know more about a specific topic mentioned in the email.” ~ John Turner, SeedProd LLC

“It is important to have different modes of communication to effectively communicate with your employees and allow them to respond in an appropriate fashion. For example, we have a weekly newsletter to the entire organization for weekly organization updates, while we also hold monthly Zoom meetings with the entire company to introduce the new hires and have discussions around larger updates and news.” ~ Ryan D Matzner, Fueled

“First, big news should be discussed in advance with key members of the company. Get buy-in before the event happens. After the event happens, start filtering the news out during team meetings, email, in-person meetings or a web conference. If it is positive news or bad news, then plan a specific meeting to discuss. Be ready for questions and answers.” ~ Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design

“In our company, we like to hold a quick company-wide meeting whenever we have to announce any big news to our employees. This gives you the chance to talk to your employees face-to-face so they can clear any questions or doubts right there if there are any. Also, I believe it’s better to announce any such news on your own instead of relying on any third-party communication channel.” ~ Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

“Businesses can be more transparent with their employees by welcoming regular feedback. Whether anonymous or not, feedback can give you vital information about how to improve the company’s transparency and how everyone can be more open with each other. You can hold a meeting to specifically address the issue or send a more casual email to collect employee feedback and do better.” ~ Jared Atchison, WPForms

“Telling your employees about important news early on is important. Before you make major announcements to the public, it’s good to share them with the people in your business first. In this way, you show that you value them and that you’re transparent. Also, you can ask them to support your announcements by engaging with them via social media and other means.” ~ Blair Williams, MemberPress

“If you don’t have one, start building now. You want to have a way of collaborating with your team members on projects while getting feedback during the process. How else are you going to know a team member has a better way of executing an idea? Or that your plan is bad? You build such a level of trust that can withstand hard times.” ~ Samuel Thimothy, OneIMS

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "Follow These 15 Strategies for Better, More Transparent Communication About Big Company News" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmallBusinessTrends/~3/dunP08wH3s8/sharing-big-company-news.html

One of the best ways to showcase your chilled items is by using a countertop display refrigerator. In addition to keeping the product fresher, longer it is a great way to increase sales with impulse purchases. From drinks to baked goods and sandwiches a good counter display refrigerator is a great addition to your store or bar.

Look for units that can keep the products you are selling at the optimal temperature as well as a display with no obstructions. After all, you want your customers to see all your offerings so they can quickly pick an item and make a purchase.

Top Pick: Housed in bright LED lighting and four-sided glass housing, this KoolMore unit can easily fit in a small space. You can control the refrigerator on a digital display with a temperature range of 32 to 53 Fahrenheit.

There are two adjustable chrome-plated rust-resistant shelves to display products of different sizes. And it is constructed from stainless steel and double pane tempered glass.

This unit has 4.6 cu.ft. of storage, a dimension of 34.4 x 22.4 x 27 inches, and weighs 121.2 pounds.

KoolMore – CDC-4C-BK 27″ Commercial Countertop Refrigerator Display Case Merchandiser with LED Lighting – 4.6 cu. ft, Black and Stainless Steel

Buy on Amazon

Runner Up: With temperatures ranging from 32 to 53°F, this refrigerator has two adjustable chrome-plated shelves to showcase your products. It uses an Embraco compressor for the refrigeration with an enlarged vent for long operation, and all the parts are UL/ETL approved.

A digital control panel allows you to adjust the temperature and auto defrost function to ensure your food is fresh and your display is clear of fogs. The double tempered glass retains the set temperature, and the LED strip lights provide bright illumination inside.

This unit has 3.6cu.ft. of storage, a dimension of 26.8 x 17.7 x 26.6 inches, and weighs 95 pounds.

VBENLEM 3.6cu.ft. Commercial Countertop Display Refrigerator White Bakery Dairy Show Cooler with Automatic Defrost LED Lighting

Buy on Amazon

Best Value: An automatic defrost feature with a digital control and display lets you maintain consistent temperature ranging from 32 to 53°F in this countertop display refrigerator.

A durable double pane front curved glass creates a sleek design along with a black exterior. The interior has two adjustable wire shelves and bright LEDs providing strong illumination for your products.

This unit has 3.6cu.ft. of storage, a dimension of 26.8 x 17 x 26.6 inches, and weighs 86.2 pounds.

KoolMore CDC-4C-BK Commercial Countertop Refrigerator Display Case Merchandiser with LED Lighting – 3.6 cu. ft.

Buy on Amazon

A front curved design and a ventilated cooling system with a stainless-steel maintenance-free condenser keeps this unit cold. And a digital controller keeps the temperature between 32 to 53°F.

The interior is illuminated by LED lights and there are two fully adjustable chrome-plated shelves that can support up to 33 pounds each.

This unit is 5.65cu.ft., has a dimension of 22.5 x 35 x 22.5 inches, and weighs 156 pounds. The company provides a 1-year manufacturer warranty on parts and labor, and 5 years on the compressor.

OMCAN 27157 RS-CN-0160 Commercial Countertop Refrigerated Display Case 44630

Buy on Amazon

A maintenance-free condenser powers this KoolMore refrigerator to keep the temperature between 32 to 53°F. You can control the settings on the digital display to keep your food fresh.

The interior has bright LED top lighting, and it is all housed with curved glass in the front and a full-service rear sliding door to load the cooler. And the shelving consists of two adjustable chrome-plated rust-resistant shelves so you can showcase products of different sizes.

This unit is 5.6cu.ft., has a dimension of 27.4 x 22.8 x 26.7 inches, and weighs 145.5 pounds.

KoolMore – CDC-5C-BK 35″ NSF Commercial Countertop Refrigerator Display Case Merchandiser with LED Lighting – 5.6 cu. ft.

Buy on Amazon

Using its air-cooled technology, this unit locks the internal air-conditioning more evenly and effectively. This is in part made possible with the double-layer hollow heat-insulating glass doors which also block strong light and heat from the outside. The inner layer of the glass has a heating electric wire. This can be heated to remove the fog on the glass to keep the inside clearly visible.

The digital temperature control has an adjustment range from 32-53.6°F running on a more stable compressor. There are two adjustable wire racks capable of holding up to 33 pounds each along with a white LED for illumination.

This unit is 5.6cu.ft., has a dimension of ?34 x 34 x 28 inches, and weighs 150 pounds.

HayWHNKN 28inch Countertop Display Refrigerators Cake Showcase Bakery Display Cooler Cabinet Automatic Defrost White LED light

Buy on Amazon

This is another KoolMore with some of the same features as the others in this list. It also includes digital controls for automatic defrosting and ensuring a consistent temperature range between 32 and 53°F with its bottom-mounted compressor.

It has LED lighting on both sides of the glass and two adjustable and removable wire shelves hold your products. The front is a durable pane curved glass.

KoolMore CDC-3C-WH Commercial Countertop Refrigerator Display Case Merchandiser with LED Lighting – 3.6 cu. ft.

Buy on Amazon

There are different factors in choosing the right countertop display refrigerator for your business. This includes the products you sell, location, and amount of space to name but a few. Identifying all your needs will allow you to find the right unit for your Business.

One of the ways a countertop display refrigerator optimizes the display of your products is by making it easy for your customers to both see and even grab the items in there. And more than anything, the key is to display your products at eye level.

The good thing about a countertop display refrigerator is the entire unit is close to the eye level of most people. And this allows every product in the case to get the direct attention of your customers. This will not only make it easier to find what they are looking for but also promote impulse buys. From a cold bottle of water to juices and fruits, customers won’t think twice if they see it in front of them and they are in the mood for a quick drink or snack.

Beyond the sales potential, a countertop display refrigerator also saves floor space, it is both easy to restock and clean, and it allows you quickly identify your best sellers.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Images: Amazon

This article, "Check Out the Countertop Display Refrigerators for Your Store or Bar" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmallBusinessTrends/~3/A5ai_3LJTf0/countertop-display-refrigerator.html

Twitter can be a useful tool for businesses, but there might be times when you want to delete your business Twitter account. For example, your business could be going through various scenarios where the Twitter account just isn’t needed, and it’s more useful to start over.

However, actually trying to delete your Twitter account is a bit harder than it might seem – but by no means impossible. Our guide will walk you through everything you need to know about how to delete a business Twitter account.

Before we get into the step-by-step details, we first need to establish whether you want to delete your Twitter altogether or deactivate your Twitter account. The main difference between the two is permanence. Deleting your business Twitter account is a permanent decision, and you cannot bring back your old tweets, followers, etc. Deactivating your business Twitter account simply means that it will not appear for users, but you can log back in and pick up right where you left off.

If your business has fundamentally changed in its services or products or no longer exists, then deleting your business Twitter account is the better decision. You can then start fresh and build back a more relevant following to what you are currently doing while using the latest Twitter hacks and tricks.

However, if your business still offers the same products or services but is going through internal changes or new branding, deactivating might be the better route. You can keep your followers and tweets this way and update your business Twitter account whenever you’re ready.

Please note that Twitter automatically deletes a deactivated Twitter account within 30 days of no activity. So if you would like to keep your account, make sure to log in to ensure your account is safe periodically.

You can delete your business Twitter account quickly and easily on Android or iPhone using the Twitter app. Here’s how:

iPhone and Android:

If you would rather delete your business Twitter account on desktop, that is possible too, and it’s a similarly easy process. Here’s how to do it:

Note: To delete a Twitter account, you must first deactivate it. After 30 days with no login activity, Twitter automatically deletes the account. That applies to desktop and mobile.

So now that you have deactivated your account, what’s next? You’ll want to then delete the Twitter mobile app from your phone and desktop. You can also uninstall the Twitter app on your desktop if you have a Mac.

Once that’s done, you won’t need to do anything else. Your Twitter account will automatically be deleted after 30 days of inactivity.

If you would like to reactivate your Twitter account, you do have some options! If you log in before the 30 days are up, your account is restored. However, your account is permanently deleted if you do not log in within 30 days.

If you’d like to reactivate your Twitter business account, here is how to do it:

Yes, the company will permanently delete your Twitter. However, your data will be kept in the Twitter archive for 30 days after deactivation in case you would like to reactivate your account. Twitter automatically deletes accounts from their system 30 days after the account is deactivated, and that cannot be reversed, so your data will be lost after that point.

After you delete your Twitter account, you will not be able to access your data or the account itself. However, Twitter retains the license to your deactivated account content. This includes account visibility and the data in the archives, so your profile may continue to show in search engine results as Twitter cannot control what search engines index.

Yes, you can save data before a Twitter account is deleted. To do so, click the ‘More’ button, and select the Settings and Privacy section. Next, navigate to ‘Your Account, where you will see an option to download an ‘archive of your data.’ Once that is selected, you will need to re-enter your password to confirm. You will then select the “Request Archive” button under “Twitter data.” You will then receive a download link to the email connected to the account.

You can delete a Twitter account even if you are unable to access it or log in. There are a few different options for gaining access to the account.

Account deactivation on Twitter cannot delete a Twitter account from Google. The content will continue to show as Twitter cannot control search engine results during the deactivation process or after. To permanently delete your Twitter account from Google, you will have to submit a request on Google’s page to remove outdated content. You will have to provide specific Twitter URLs as they appear in Google’s search results for your request to be considered.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "How to Delete Your Twitter Account" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmallBusinessTrends/~3/CE7LNjQRWww/how-to-delete-your-twitter-account.html

The holidays are coming, and that means increased opportunity for many owners of e-commerce small businesses. Savvy owners should take this opportunity to draw as much traffic as possible to their sites and — most importantly — convert as much of that traffic as possible to customers while they’re there. 

During the holidays, business spikes for nearly everyone, but e-commerce has been growing each year over the brick-and-mortar competition — and the pandemic has only increased this growth. In 2020, retail e-commerce sales skyrocketed, with a 35% year-over-year increase over the 2019 season in the United States. 

Even in 2021, email remains one of the most effective marketing tools available to businesses — especially small businesses, where owners need to make their dollars stretch.  

In today’s crowded marketing space, the email statistics are staggering:  

Clearly, email is a powerful tool for businesses of all types and sizes — including e-commerce small businesses.  

Email marketing comes in a variety of forms, from new customer nurture sequences to abandoned cart emails reminding shoppers of items they might still be interested in. Emails can also be used to let customers know about promotions and limited-time offers, like those you might have around the holidays.  

The downside of email is that it can take a lot of work. Preparing the emails, maintaining your contact list, and determining which customers are in which stage of your sales funnel can be a tremendous amount of work  — especially for small business owners, and especially around the holidays.  

Email marketing tools can take a lot of that pressure off. These tools offer a range of features to help businesses utilize email more effectively and to automate as much of the process as possible.  

There are two major players in the small business email marketing space: MailChimp and ConvertKit. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, but the general advice tends to be that MailChimp is better for e-commerce stores, while ConvertKit is better for creators. That said, ConvertKit also tends to have the better automation tools and more flexible segmentation, so you can send the right emails to the right person. It’s hard to go wrong with either.  

The customer experience (CX) on your site can be the difference between a satisfied customer and a tick on your bounce rate. As you prepare for the holiday surge, make sure you take some time to consider the customer experience on your website and any other storefronts you have. 

For an e-commerce store, CX starts and ends with your online shopping experience. Physical, brick-and-mortar stores give owners the opportunity to help their customers find items and experience the element of human interaction. These interactions and experiences can be missing with an e-commerce store, leaving the shopping experience feeling cold. 

Shop owners that can provide a higher level of customer experience can give themselves a powerful advantage over their competitors — and when the competition is so numerous and fierce, that’s huge. Fortunately, there are tools available that can help you create a better experience for your customers, with no coding knowledge required.  

Dialogue is one such tool. It uses AI and natural language processing to track and analyze customer behavior in real time. It then takes that data and uses it to automatically provide personalized recommendations to your customers. This enables you to not only provide your shoppers with an improved experience but also offers upsell opportunities that you might not otherwise get.  

Dialogue helps e-commerce store owners remove friction and give customers a truly personalized shopping experience. Additionally, it works with all the major e-commerce platforms — including WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce — and offers plug-and-play integration with a Shopify extension.  

Getting the right emails to the right customers at the right time is important. So is providing an excellent customer experience. However, if the shoppers come to your e-commerce store and leave empty-handed, you may need to work on your conversion optimization. 

Any time a visitor takes an action on your website: whether that’s making a purchase, subscribing to emails, or anything else that moves them along your sales funnel — that’s a conversion. The conversation rate, then, is the percentage of overall site visitors that convert. Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of adjusting your site to maximize the conversion rate.  

CRO can be tough. That’s where a tool like Unbounce can help. Unbounce originally started as a landing page builder that helped small businesses build landing and sales pages designed to convert.  

These days, it’s evolved into a whole suite of tools to help business owners optimize their websites for conversions. Unbounce has features specifically for e-commerce stores, like email capture forms, customizable Buy Now buttons, and more. 

Whether your e-commerce brand is in the early stages, or you’ve been around for years, the holiday season is an exciting and challenging time. Competition is fiercer than ever, but there are also more opportunities for small business owners that want to try new things.  

By adding automated email marketing, focusing on the customer experience, and optimizing for conversion rate, you can give your store major advantages over the competition. Any one of these would be huge, but all three together can help ensure you have your best holiday season yet.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "3 Tips For Ecommerce Small Business Owners to Prepare for the Holidays" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmallBusinessTrends/~3/SUJ2FC2AcD4/e-commerce-small-businesses-christmas-2021.html