Tag: Small business

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Success stories

Success Story | Melisa from Melisa Savickas Photography

Here we share the story of Melisa Savickas Photography

Starting a small business can be daunting. The stress of whether you’ll be successful, and what the right next step should be to grow can be overwhelming. We spoke with Melisa from Melisa Savickas Photography in Melbourne to hear her insights on how she’s approached running a small business, and how Oneflare was able to help grow her small business.

Melisa has been in the photographic industry for the past two decades working in a variety of roles, and decided to run her own business and register it with Oneflare less than a year ago. Since registering with Oneflare, her photography business has been hired on Oneflare over 73+ times and has over 33+ positive reviews and high star ratings. Here’s what Melisa had to say about how using Oneflare has helped her along the path to success.

Melisa uses Oneflare to help grow her photography business / Source: Stock image.

How much has Oneflare helped grow your business?

Since I got started, Oneflare has been instrumental in growing my client base. My business has more than doubled with Oneflare. I have a regular influx of new customers, and I find that some of my Oneflare customers are returning time and time again to hire me.

How has Oneflare helped this growth?

I have been able to access the general public as well as businesses that I would not otherwise have had access to. I am a sole trader and do not have a shop front, just a website and social media for advertising. Oneflare has become a very effective way for me to market my business and grow my customer base.

How do you think Oneflare helps small businesses?

Small businesses will get the right exposure to new customers on Oneflare, at a reasonable cost and a high strike-rate for professionals. It’s a really effective tool for small businesses to access the customers that they need to get started and keep going.

Do you find using Oneflare easy?

Yes, it’s easy and simple to use. The interface is intuitive and it’s easy for me to update my details, add new images or take old ones down, plus I can respond to my customers’ comments to thank them for their positive reviews. I get notified of new jobs easily through my email and the app on my phone so I can send my quotes quickly.

What is the most important feature of your Oneflare profile to catch a potential customer’s attention?

My positive customer reviews and high star ratings show what I offer my customers in a way that they will trust. I have completed my profile with details of who I am and what I do, plus I show evidence through images of my photographic skills. Being able to link my profile to my business website gives potential customers confidence in my work.

What advice would you give to someone starting to deal with their first customers?

Build up a portfolio of your work and take the time to create a professional-looking website that shows it off. Be reliable and polite with customers. Having good communication skills is essential and always be friendly when talking to customers and out on jobs.

What advice would you give to someone starting their business on Oneflare?

Read the onboarding emails and the Win Work Guide after you register, because these tell you how to correctly complete your profile and get started quoting on jobs. When communicating with a potential customer, provide as much information to them as you can.

Register your business

What should people who want to hire a professional photographer look for?

  • A good photographer will have taken the time to make a professional website and profile that shows a range of their work to a high standard.
  • Don’t go for the cheapest quote – professionals need to factor in high-end camera gear, photo-editing software and the costs of running a small business.
  • Explain a breakdown of the costs when giving a quote, so there’s no room for surprise that can end in getting a bad review.
  • Speak to the photographers that send you quotes to see if you feel comfortable with them since you will be spending a lot of time with them.

Having a small business can be stressful when you hit a quiet period and can’t predict when the customers will pick up again. That’s where using Oneflare comes in. The constant flow of job leads means you can grow your business from scratch, or maintain a steady stream of customers.

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News & updates

How to succeed in the small business world

Small businesses often struggle to gain visibility and get ahead of their competition. Many falter and face losses during the first few years of their existence. While it’s difficult to succeed in these times of intense competition, it’s not impossible. You just need to have the right ingredients in place to create the winning recipe.  You need a combination of luck, perseverance, timing, and a good strategy to succeed in any business.

Fact: 80% of all new businesses fail within the first 18 months of their existence. If you don’t want to be a part of that 80% you need to lay a solid foundation for your business. You also need to possess or develop some qualities as a business owner to succeed in this highly competitive world.

Qualities that small businesses need to have in order to succeed

If you observe successful small businesses and study how they work, you’ll notice that most of them have similar characteristics. They have that winning formula that allows them to survive the turbulent first few months of business. Here are some qualities successful small businesses have:

  1. Catering to a special or niche market – Small businesses can’t compete with large businesses unless they have something special to offer. For example, a small pizzeria can’t compete against Dominos unless it offers something unique like authentic Italian stone oven pizzas. Successful small businesses find a niche in the market that they fit perfectly and that helps them move past their competition. If you offer the same thing as well-established big brands, you’ll face tougher competition that might hamper your success at the outset.
  2. Personal relationships with their customers – Big brands can’t establish a personal connection with their customers because they’re too large and have too many branches. Smaller businesses have a better chance at establishing a rapport with their customers. Companies that succeed often develop a loyal and supportive customer base that can keep the business afloat even in times of uncertainty. You can use different channels to approach your customers, including the use of social media and smart marketing.
  3. Word of mouth – Successful small businesses rely on word-of-mouth marketing as well. They encourage their customers to offer referrals and even offer them incentives to promote their brand. If your customers are satisfied with your services and like your brand, they won’t hesitate to recommend you to others. Most large companies can’t take advantage of word-of-mouth marketing because they are unable to establish a personal connection with their customers.
  4. Structured for growth – Most business owners fail to consider growth when they create their business structure. They don’t leave any room for expansion and growth, which can limit a company’s potential. Even if you’re on a limited budget, you can ensure your business has room for growth by choosing the right employees and dividing responsibilities. You can also take advantage of modern technology like cloud computing and third-party data banks to ensure your business is scalable without investing too much money upfront. If you don’t focus on growth from the beginning, you’ll have to make big changes down the line that could affect your business and even jeopardise its success.
  5. Stepping out of the comfort zone – Just because you have a niche market doesn’t mean that you can’t push your business to the limit and introduce new products or services. For example, as a pizzeria owner, you can expand your business by introducing new dishes or even add gelato to your menu! You’ll still cater to a niche market but will have more sources of profit that will help you grow. Adding new products or services requires less effort and money than creating a new branch.
  6. Focus on your skills – Your business relies heavily on your skill and the skill of your team. Most small businesses succeed because the owners focus on what they can do instead of trying to do something they’re not familiar with. For example, if you’re not an app designer, you shouldn’t try to establish an app designing company. Even if you hire the right people, you’ll fall behind because your lack of knowledge will have an impact on the day-to-day operations. You should build a company that you can run on your own skill if needed, as that will keep it afloat during hard times.
  7. Delivering value – Does your business fulfil a need? Does it fill a vacuum in the market and provide value to your prospective customers? The answer to these questions will determine whether your business succeeds or fails. Companies that don’t deliver value or fill a gap in the market don’t survive for long.
Successful small business at awards event / Source: J&T Dale Plumbing

Most successful small businesses have these qualities and that helps business owners establish a strong foothold. If your business has a solid foundation at the beginning it is better equipped to handle any difficulties it may face.

Qualities of a successful business owner

Even a great business idea and set-up can fail if the business isn’t run well or run by the right person. These ventures rely heavily on the skill and ability of the business owner. If they don’t know how to handle a company or don’t take the time to learn, their business is likely to fail. Here are some traits business owners should possess in order to succeed in this competitive world:

  1. Leadership – This is the most important quality in a business owner because your team and employees will look to you for direction and guidance. Business owners set the course for the company and influence everything from the branding to daily operations. You set the goals, establish the culture and ethics, make sure the business runs smoothly, pay the bills, and help employees deal with uncertainties. Businesses without good leadership falter in the first few months and eventually fail. You can develop your leadership skills with the help of fellow business owners and mentors.
  2. Perseverance – The world of business isn’t easy and people who’re not willing to give their 100% will not succeed. You should be willing to give up your weekends, burn the midnight oil, neglect your social life, and work tirelessly to establish your business. You should also be willing to keep going even if your business seems to be faltering. All businesses go through ups and downs, especially in the first few months of starting. You need to look beyond your current problems and focus on your goals.
  3. Vision for the company – Your company should have a theme and brand for it to stand out from the crowd. That can only happen if you have a good vision and remain committed to it. For example, if your company is known for dedication to customers, you should build all your services and products around this. A vision also acts as a guide for your employees and gives them purpose. They know what your goals are and will find ways to reach those goals.
  4. Loyalty – The modern work and business environment is very different from the work environment that existed a few years ago. Employees and team members expect ample support from their employers and leaders. They expect you to be loyal to them and protect their interests. Employees and team members are the backbone of your business. If they’re happy and content, your business will thrive. Contrastingly, if they’re troubled and stressed, their productivity levels will drop and your business will falter. You should provide a good working environment to your employees and be loyal to them. They will repay your loyalty with dedication and hard work.
  5. Willingness to learn and accept help – Business owners and entrepreneurs have a tendency to overestimate their abilities and take on too many responsibilities. They also hesitate to take the advice of their team members and rely solely on their own judgement. This can cause the business to falter and ultimately fail. You should be willing to learn from your employees and team members and accept their help. Running a business can be stressful, but when you rely on your team you share the load and get more work done.
Successful small business / Source: Sparc Electrical & Air conditioning

How to succeed in the small business world?

  1. Set clear goals and milestones for your business and celebrate every achievement.
  2. Hire the right people for your start-up team and delegate responsibilities to them.
  3. Make sure you have a clear and distinguishable brand for your company.
  4. Be customer oriented and have a good customer service system in place.
  5. Embrace modern technology to make your job easier and reduce the burden on your employees.
  6. Hire mentors to help you in the first few months of your business.
  7. Manage your money well and ensure you don’t overspend.

If you keep these traits and recommendations in mind, you’ll be able to run a successful business. While luck and circumstances do play a role in the success of your business, a good foundation will increase your chances of succeeding.

Categories
Design & technology

How to maximize brand exposure for your start-up

Branding is a vital marketing strategy for any business. Branding can elevate you in a crowded market and help your company differentiate itself from your competitors and other brands as well. That’s why branding should be considered as early as possible, more precisely, during the startup stage of a company.

However, branding during the startup stage can often be a real challenge. The main reason is that startups usually lack the resources to commit to branding fully. Still, developing a brand is a long process, and you don’t have to do everything in one day.

Therefore, do what you can with the resources that you have and develop your brand further alongside your startup business. Once you begin the branding process, you can work towards maximizing your exposure and awareness one step at the time. With that in mind, here are a few simple tricks to help maximize brand exposure for your startup.

1. Get creative with your content

If anything can help with your brand exposure, it’s content marketing. Content is, indeed, the most effective form of marketing today. The main reason is that it provides true value to consumers.

  • Educate, inform and entertain your audience

Create content that is well-made and highly relevant to your audience.  No matter if you run a fashion blog, a cooking studio, a pastry shop, or a doggy daycare, you should know by now that your content can make or break your digital presence. To leave it all to chance would be the biggest mistake you could make for your reputation. Instead, take the reins and create a content strategy that will help you stand out in your local market, and if you run an international business, include your global image, too.

  • Consider various types of content

Stunning images and videos work well for audience engagement. Podcasts and presentations can bring your content closer to a broader audience. When you do your best to diversify through posting videos to your social media feeds, as well as YouTube channel, helpful tutorials, smart infographics, and not just stick to blogs and articles, you’ll have a much better chance to attract more attention and get more people to engage.

  • Location

Consider the best way to publish content that will boost your brand exposure as much as possible. For instance, social media contests and giveaways are an excellent way to promote your brand, your content and drive customer engagement with free samples of your products or services.

Consistent branding through web design / Source: Vibes Design

2. Utilize SEO

Whether your website is the core of your brand or merely its extension, your digital presence can completely transform your brand’s reputation and visibility alike. Depending on how well you approach your SEO needs, you’ll be able to get in front of the right people at the right time and establish yourself as a significant figure in your industry.

Some new business owners, however, might not have the skills or the resources to devote so much time and effort to crafting their SEO strategy. This may be the time that they turn to a white label SEO company, which enables them to focus on their core tasks while experts handle their digital presence. From continuously researching keywords, technical SEO, all the way to link-building, this is one of the essential parts of your strategy for better positions in the SERPs, and consequently more visibility in front of the right audience.

Contact local web designers

3. Leverage social media

Your first step towards establishing a strong online presence and brand exposure should be social media platforms. Social media is essential for brand awareness because you’re in direct contact with your target audience on various networks.

As you may already know, brands now have a more personal relationship with their customers, and social media can help you build such a relationship. However, to do so, you’ll have to be very social. Here are a few examples of what you should do to boost brand exposure on social media.

  • Identify your target audience and learn as much as you can about them
  • Determine the most relevant social media networks to build your presence
  • Consider your audience’s demographics to tailor your messages better
  • Incorporate your brand values, brand promise and a unique tone of voice into your messaging
  • Create a unique approach for every social channel you’re present on
  • Create top-quality and highly relevant content for your audience.
  • Engage with your audience frequently
  • Always remain consistent

Social media is a dynamic and unique environment. If you want to leverage its full potential, you’ll have to develop specific strategies and monitor your results. If things aren’t looking too good, you can always redesign your approach.

Device compatible web design / Source: VMA Web Design

4. Engage in word-of-mouth promotions

It’s no secret that startup businesses don’t have it easy when it comes to competing against well-established competitors in the market. However, you shouldn’t be discouraged just because you lack the resources to outrun someone.

Good brand exposure can work wonders when it comes to gaining a competitive advantage, and the key is word-of-mouth marketing. However, for your word-of-mouth to be successful, you must meet customer expectations, needs and demands. Here are a few ways you can do that.

  • Provide exceptional customer service and support
  • Ask for feedback and improve upon it
  • Keep your promises
  • Respond to negative feedback well and on time
  • Focus on customer value
  • Provide top-quality products and services

Once you gain the favour of your customers, you can ask for referrals and even reward customers for their recommendations. In addition, ensuring customer satisfaction will encourage them to become loyal. Loyal customers often become brand ambassadors, and they’ll further promote your brand to their friends and family.

5. Work with influencers

Influencer marketing might not be so new anymore as a concept, but it’s becoming more relevant than ever, especially for brands that have yet to establish themselves in their market. So, when you’re looking to increase brand awareness, finding an influencer that shares your values and has access to your target market can boost your visibility immeasurably.

Okay, yes, it’s measurable, and it’s amazing what you can do when you track the success of your social campaigns, but the point is that a single bond can make all the difference for your business.

Building brand exposure and maximizing it in the startup stage can be a real challenge. The main reason is that most of your efforts and time are focused on developing and growing your business. However, if you allocate enough resources to your branding strategy, you can start reaping the benefits early on.

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Top tools

Verified Badge

Businesses with a blue verified badge on their profile are more likely to be trusted, and hired.

Obtaining a verified badge on your profile shows customers that Oneflare has checked your identity, and confirms you are a trustworthy business – giving potential customers extra confidence in hiring you. It’s just another way you can show value, credibility and stand out from unverified competitors.

Register business

How to get verified

You can get verified on Oneflare with just a few simple steps. Once you’ve registered, you simply need to log in to your account and: 

1. Confirm your business details and we’ll check their validity against the Australian Business Register (ABR):

  • Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • Business name
  • Business address

2. Upload your personal identification and we’ll confirm your personal details:

  • Australian driver licence, or a passport; and
  • Current photo of yourself

Frequently asked questions

Categories
Design & technology

How to market your small business online

Getting a small business off the ground is a challenging, time consuming and costly exercise. After going through the effort of planning and setting up, the next thing you need to focus on is getting found by potential customers.

Usually, this means paying for ads. Thankfully though, there are ways that you can get around paid advertising, to begin with, especially when your budget may be a little low after paying for setup. Instead, you could invest in a professional graphic designer to revamp your logo or animation on your site. Or maybe you don’t yet have an online website and need to hire a qualified web designer or developer. Below, we’ve gone through the top 6 advertising methods that you can engage in to get your small business off the ground.

Source: Blue Platypus

Google my business

If you’re wondering how thousands of businesses manage to appear on Google Maps, then the chances are that they have a Google My Business profile. These are completely free and are a great way to help potential customers discover you.

Many internet users perform search queries which include terms such as “near me” e.g. “lawyers near me”. With an optimised Google My Business profile, you could appear in both Google’s search results and Maps for related customer queries.

Some of the key benefits of owning a Google My Business profile include:

  • You can get found on Google Maps
  • A potential customer can build their trust of your business through customer reviews
  • Information such as opening/closing and peak visit times is available on demand
  • An optimised GMB profile helps improve your search rankings

Google My Business also offers insights on how many people visited your profile, and whether they did so via Maps or a search query. If you see that it’s beginning to pay off, you can always pay to show up at the top of the maps pack, which will help your business generate even more enquiries.

Social media

Social media networks are visited by billions of people every day. As a result, they’ve become a mighty competitive space between businesses. In fact, social media websites Facebook and YouTube are the second- and third, most visited websites in the world.

It’s no secret that just about all social media channels have become a “pay to play” environment in terms of exposure to new customers. Though there are always ways to beat the system.

Generally, posting content across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are completely free, albeit with limited exposure. With Facebook in particular, though, you can take things one step further.

There are many neighbourhood community Facebook groups, each presenting an opportunity to reach a localised audience. Every time a new post is made within these groups, users are notified.

To find a neighbourhood community group, begin by typing in a suburb name in the Facebook search bar. Then, you will see a list of related groups under the “groups” tab. When you find your group, join and then you can begin posting away. Just be mindful of any community posting rules.

Another great way to increase exposure via social media is with the use of “stories”. This is a feature derived from Snapchat and has been adopted by Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Email marketing

The letterbox drop of the 21st century, email marketing is among the most effective online advertising channels. You can take advantage of email marketing platforms such as Mail Chimp who offer their services for free for up to 2,000 subscribers.

The trickiest part is building up a relevant subscriber list. Depending on how aggressively you want to generate subscribers, this could be a costly exercise, though we’ll keep to the free methods.

The easiest and cheapest way to acquire a new email subscriber is to ask a customer in person. If someone has engaged with your business already, then the chances are that they will be more open to receiving emails from you due to familiarity.

Another great way to obtain new email addresses for free is through the use of lead magnets. For example, if you own a pool cleaning business, then you can offer a free downloadable pool safety checklist in exchange for website visitor emails. This is something that you can ask your web design expert to setup for you.

The final free method that we’re going to is the method of blogging. Essentially, this is offering free and useful information to your website visitors. Take this article, for example. At the end of the article, you can place a newsletter sign up form. Then, users who find your articles useful might be inclined to subscribe.

Abandoned cart emails

If you own an e-commerce site, chances are you’ve experienced customers leaving your site before finalising their purchase or completing a form. This is can be referred to as an abandoned cart. A way to win back these customers is to implement an abandoned cart email strategy for your business.

Firstly, this involves capturing the customer’s right email in the early steps of your online form. As long as you can successfully capture your potential customer’s email, you can target them with a personalised follow-up email.

There are multiple reasons why a customer may have leave part-way during your checkouts process, from the shipping costs being too high to getting distracted. Strategies for your abandoned cart emails can include sending easy steps to complete their purchase or creating a clear call-to-action.

Another strategy can you implement is applying a multivariant split test on both your email campaigns and landing pages. By implementing this technique, we were able to convert 60% of users who landed on our abandoned cart landing page.

Local citations

Local citations are the digital version of those thick Yellow Pages books that were once delivered to your door on an annual basis. Here you can input your business details such as name, address, phone number, trading hours, services you offer, website address and more.

Admittedly, these have become less effective as free advertising methods, and many businesses have moved over to paid services such as ours where you only pay when you get a potential customer.

Online directories mainly apply to businesses with physical addresses. If you don’t operate from a physical address though, you can look for link roundups related to your services online. Then, ask these websites to include your site as well.

Contact local SEO and SEM experts

Review websites

Many customers turn to review websites to find out whether or not a business is worth visiting or not. Think of Word of Mouth. Not only is it the best way to get free publicity, but on this Australian site, customers can leave reviews about businesses such as restaurants and bars, dentists, beauty salons, doctors and more.

The best part about Word of Mouth is that the brand has built trust among its community members, meaning that all you have to worry about is getting some positive reviews. The Word of Mouth website receives thousands of visitors on a monthly basis, so this represents a massive opportunity in terms of reach.

Thankfully, Word of Mouth allows you to list your business for free. Using the free profile, you can respond to customer reviews, upload photos and even post your own deals. There are also paid options, which allow you to create targeted ads, including customer support and even remove competitor ads from appearing on your profile.

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Top tools

Directory listing

Featured Listing

We’re giving you the best chance of standing out from the crowd.

Grow your brand and receive direct calls from the customers you want with a Directory listing. Secure one of the top spots for your profession across up to 200 suburbs in our directory and draw thousands of new eyes to your business. 

Featured listingEnhanced listingUltimate listing
Professions112
Suburbs51025
Regions––1
Unique selling points –✓✓
Customer reviews✓✓✓
Business contact details ✓✓✓
Bundle discount*25%25%25%

*Speak to a Sales Consultant on 1300 441 593 for more information.

Register business


Build up your profile score and stand out as the best expert for the job with the help of our Customer Success Team. They’ll assist you with updating your opening hours, unique selling points, social media links, preferred payment methods, reviews, year founded and much more.

Benefits of a Directory listing for your business

  • Display your contact number
  • Highlight what makes you special

Frequently asked questions

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Finance

How to make the most of your business insurance

Aside from having the right cover, one of the top considerations with insurance is how to maximise your policy. 

Which cover you decide to buy is just the starting point. 

To protect your business against all risks and manage your insurance effectively, it’s essential to understand the policy and increase your chances of a successful claim. Business costs can quickly rack up. But by minimising risks and improving precautions, you’re able to save money and gain more benefits from your cover. 

Here’s how to optimise your business insurance for the most significant results. 

1. Choose the right cover 

Without the right cover, your business is at serious risk. 

The best insurance for your business depends on the industry, number of staff, where you work from and what risks are associated with the work you do. 

Choose the right cover by:

  • Conducting a risk assessment
  • Considering common business threats that apply to your industry
  • Determining what types of insurance coverage you need – for example; professional indemnity insurance (service-based, if you offer advice for a living), public liability insurance (protects against injury/damage caused by your products/services), business insurance (package option to cover multiple policies such as building, contents, theft and general property) and cyber-liability insurance (protects against online risks) 
  • Checking if there are any compulsory policies your business needs

Tip: One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is underinsuring. In fact, according to the Insurance Council of Australia, only 63% of businesses have enough cover. Make sure you weigh up your business assets, include the most valuable in your cover and reevaluate if you buy new equipment or extra stock. 

2. Review your business activities 

Activities grow as your business does, so it’s essential to make sure you’re protected if things change. 

If you have an insurance broker let them know when business activities differ. They’ll be able to review coverage options on your behalf to find the most beneficial one for you. 

Check your policy to see if existing coverages need changing. Or, you may need to buy more protection. Significant changes to report include if you move your business to a new location, change the amount of staff you employ or introduce operational variations like expand product/services offerings. 

Group of three people sit around a desk inspecting a document
A group of people inspect a document / Source: Beger & Co Lawyers

3. Regularly evaluate your protection and risks

The best way to lower your insurance costs is through a yearly evaluation. 

Checking insurance statements is usually on the bottom of the to-do list. But avoid the set-and-forget tactic to review every 6-12 months, so you know what you’re working with. 

Tip: Review your deductibles as well.  Set an amount you can easily come up with if you need to make a claim. Higher deductibles may be beneficial for lower-risk businesses, as they help discourage you from filing smaller claims. Some insurance companies offer discounts for policyholders who don’t file claims. 

4. Avoid bad practices

Bad practices increase the costs of your business insurance. 

Consider the actions you take (and don’t take) if you want to avoid out-of-pocket costs and higher insurance premiums. Failing to provide training to staff and not maintaining a safe workplace are just some of the culprits that can increase your expenses.

Contact local commercial law experts

Make sure you:

  • Keep adequate records for risk management programs
  • Take reasonable care to ensure your staff are safe at work and on the job
  • Provide staff with regular training to prevent accidents
  • Review geographic risks such as natural phenomena
  • Comply with employment laws
  • Choose a reputable insurer, licensed in your location and provides a good service 
  • Implement more robust risk management to reduce insurance costs
  • Understand the policy details, such as contract terms, what it does and doesn’t cover and how you get paid for each claim

Some business owners are better off working with an insurance broker who helps by providing risk management advice and increasing your chances of a successful claim. This prevents high premiums, under or over-insuring and uncertain claims as a result of paperwork not being filled out correctly. 

Getting your cover and policy right is the difference between being adequately insured or leaving your business exposed to incidents.

Categories
Design & technology

The do’s and don’ts of managing your online reputation

Having a positive reputation online can often mean the difference between winning the job, or losing the customer. Think about your own browsing habits when deciding on buying a product or requesting a service. How often is your decision swayed by the number of stars on an item listing? Do you look at how the product performs in the real world, beyond the advertised? 88 per cent of customers say that they determine the quality of a local business based on their reviews.

Here are the best practices of online reputation management and exactly how you can make your review forums work in your favour. 

The wider your coverage, the stronger your credibility

Firstly, ensure you’re set up on a number of trustworthy review platforms and forums such as:

A good starting point is to check out where your competitors are, chances are you should probably be there too.

Eliminate the barriers

Make it as easy as possible for customers to review your work online. One of the simplest ways to do this is to send clients a direct link to your business’ review page/s via email, SMS or even at the top of your invoice. The review process should be quick and streamlined, not long and tedious. Top-performing Oneflare businesses also suggest a follow-up call to ensure the client was happy with your work might be a good option and, if they are indeed pleased with your performance, it’s the perfect time to ask for a recommendation.

Determine the right timing of the invitation

Ideally, you should engage with your customer and ask them to leave you a review when they’re at their happiest. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, it might be helpful to ask for a review when you deliver the photos of the big day. Nothing wrong with taking advantage of peak customer satisfaction! If, however, you’re a builder and you’ve been delayed on finishing a project, you may be better off holding off asking until the service is complete.

Make it as easy as possible for customers to leave reviews / Source: Shutterstock

Incentivise

While you are not legally allowed to buy or pay for a review, you can gamify the process by:

  • Placing any one who leaves an honest review (good or bad) in the draw to win something; or
  • Organising a ‘surprise and delight’ for one lucky customer who has left an honest review. 

Find opportunities

If someone sends you a review via email, text message or over the phone, feel free to either send them the direct link to your preferred review platform or ask them if they’d be happy for you to copy and paste/type out the review on their behalf. Alternatively, you can post it as anonymous. 

Include the good, the bad and the brutally honest

A page full of glowing reviews is usually a red flag for prospective customers (fake alert!). Each comment is a useful insight into how your business is performing, so always listen and aim to do better! It is, after all, a valuable learning experience. The aim is to collect as many positive reviews as you can and turn each negative experience into a positive one.

Never reply to a negative review when you’re frustrated

Just like the old adage of never going to bed angry, resist the urge to bite back when you’re upset. Take a breath and take the time to process the comment before responding, you might find you’ll learn some valuable feedback. If you’re certain you’re not in the wrong, make sure to describe what you did to resolve the situation before the review was posted publicly. 

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Resist the urge to say, ‘I’m sorry you had a bad experience’

Instead, kill ‘em with kindness. Empathise and get on the front foot by showing prospective customers that you are a professional business willing to fix genuine mistakes and rectify the situation if required. Promptly offering an appropriate solution to their problem will likely eventuate in a return customer.

Avoid using emotion or sarcasm

Sarcasm and tone don’t necessarily translate well online. As an attentive service provider, you’ll need to give the customer the benefit of the doubt, while remaining rational, cool and factual at all times. 

Act fast

A negative review is a ticking time bomb, so ensure you address the complaint respectfully and appropriately in a timely manner. Leaving the review unanswered can turn away potential clients so make sure to prioritise a response. Interested in learning more? Our Oneflare HQ industry leaders in sales, marketing and SEO can tell you all about new technology and how to build trust with potential customers online. Check out the video here.

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Design & technology

The best apps for small businesses

Running a small business often means doing several jobs at once.

As the business owner, you are simultaneously the employer, employee, accountant and admin as well as anything else that pops up during the course of a job.

If you feel like your time is constantly being pulled in multiple directions, and it is hard to stay on top of your tasks, don’t worry, we have a curated series of apps to help get your time back under control.

General productivity

Google Keep – iOS/Google Play

If you find that you are always misplacing notes, then Google Keep is for you. Keep’s strength comes from its simple design and tagging system. Quickly jot down a note and then either colour code it to the job it is related to or add a label for easy searching at a later date.

Keep also has a handwriting to text feature. Which, while admittedly not perfect, is an excellent way to save your pen and paper notes to the cloud!

You can also add photos, audio files and video to your notes as well, ensuring you have all of your information readily accessible no matter where you are.

Time management

Toggl – iOS/Google Play

With the press of a button, Toggl will track your time down to the second. This app is useful if you have billable hours that you need to account for, as well as getting a measure of how your time is spent. You can track different activities, and, importantly multiple employees which you can then break down into smaller groups as needed.

Ensuring that you are making the most of the time you have on a project is an excellent way to minimise stress and manage your workload.

Toggl is free for up to five users. The paid version, however, allows an unlimited number of users to log time as well adding rates and sub-projects.

Project management

Trello – iOS/Google Play

If you work in a highly visual manner, then Trello is the to-do app for you! Trello is a digital version of the Kanban system. You create a board with a series of cards to move across the different stages of a project. From quoting, to in progress, to complete. You can also assign cards to employees ensuring that everyone knows what part his or her role is in the project and who has dependencies at the different stages.

Having an overview of the project’s progress will give you a much clearer idea of the remaining time and costs involved and ultimately keep you and your staff on task.

Trello is free for personal use but does incur a fee if you are signing up multiple people under the one business.

Accounting

Invoice2go – iOS/Google Play

Invoice2go makes your accounting simple. With a few swipes you can invoice a client on the spot. Either by emailing them or exporting a PDF and printing.

It also keeps all of your accounts in the cloud, meaning wherever you are you can access your invoices, estimates and purchase orders from your office.

Users, reportedly, spend an average of three hours a week less on their accounting, meaning that you can devote more time doing what you do best – helping the customer!

If you are feeling overwhelmed at the thought of all you have to do, being able to keep all your notes in the one place, track your time, plan and manage projects and invoice on the go by downloading a few apps to help streamline your business will ultimately save you both time and money.

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Finance

5 common small business myths

When you start your own business, it can be easy to fall into the trap of believing in myths. From bookkeeping to customer service, there are plenty out there – and some of them seem true enough to take seriously. The problem with this? They can steer your business in the wrong direction.

Put simply, it’s about time SMEs stopped spinning so many plates – especially when some plates aren’t worth the time. Here are five small business myths you need to stop believing.

Myth 1: Bookkeeping is just about the numbers

It’s a common myth that bookkeeping is a numbers game. While it’s true that numbers do have a big part to play, it’s actually much more than this. Essentially, a bookeeper is responsible for organising and storing accounting and financial documents such as statements, income tax records, ledgers and journals.

Source: Conveyancing.com.au NSW

In fact, there are many skills that a good bookkeeper needs to help keep a business afloat that goes beyond being savvy with numbers. Discipline, good communication and a high level of organisation are required. They also need to have a solid understanding of the bigger picture, which means, knowing how expenses or new staff hires will impact the business six or 12 months down the track.

Proper bookkeeping makes it easier to fulfill tax obligations, analyse and manage finances, make plans for the business, and abide by the law. Consult with a local bookkeeper for some professional advice.

Myth 2: Be active on all social media platforms

For small businesses, it’s important to be active on social media. However, it’s equally as important to be active on the right platforms in the right way.

The truth is, being present on every single platform can be overkill. While it might seem easy to use software tools to publish your content automatically across several channels, what works on Facebook doesn’t necessarily work on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Take extra time to optimise your content for each platform. Think about the tone, angle and word length of each post, making sure it’s appropriate for your different audiences. Do your research and find out where your customers are having promising conversations and narrow your presence to where this is happening.

Myth 3: You should be working all the time

Running a small business will certainly keep you busy. It often feels like there is so much to do and so little time to do it. So we overwork ourselves to keep on top of things. However, everyone is human – and everyone needs a break.

Need proof? It’s actually scientifically proven that prioritising your breaks at work will make you happier, more focused and more productive. Taking breaks gives our brains a much-needed rest, allowing us to get back to our tasks with renewed energy and focus. They also relax our brains, helping us retain information and make valuable connections, as well as reevaluate our goals.

Simply put, making time for breaks equals making time for your business.

Myth 4: Voluntary administration is the end of your business

While some people might see it as an extreme action, voluntary administration can be a smart move. The truth is, when your business is in a sticky situation where debts can’t be paid, restructuring your operations, creditors and assets is a way of potentially improving your financial position.

The aim of voluntary administration (VA) is always to get a business back to financial health if possible, or to make sure that creditors get a better return than if the business was liquidated.

If you’re up against the wall, going into VA can give your business breathing space, as an external administrator takes control of your business while its finances can be reviewed. It’s a simple process, and contrary to what some people believe, can help your business get back on track.

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Myth 5: The customer is always right

There’s no denying that customers are crucial to your business. However, it’s important to balance their needs with yours and your employees’ needs too. Here are three instances when the customer is actually wrong:

  • When they make you or your staff unhappy
    Nobody deserves abuse. Sometimes customers get angry and expect people to be held accountable. However, if you know you or your employee to be right, it’s best to hold your ground. 
  • When they’re bad for business
    If a customer is disrespectful for absolutely no reason – it’s better to let them go. It shouldn’t be a matter of finances, especially if it’s causing you or your staff unnecessary trouble.
  • When they’re not worth it
    Some customers simply aren’t valuable to your business, particularly if they’re giving your staff trouble time and time again. Instead, it’s better to focus on customers that deserve your services and are willing to work with you.

Be a small business myth buster

Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out myth from reality. While busting myths is something you’ll naturally do when running a SME, it’s always helpful to know what to believe and what to dismiss before going in.