Dae Spradlin

     So, as we all know, social media is an incredibly crucial aspect to connecting and marketing your business to consumers; however, there's more to it than that. There's no point in having your company on sights such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Snapchat if potential customers don't know you're there. So how do you get your name out in front of consumers? There are several ways to get your page in front of potential customers, but some of the most popular and effective include paid advertisements, share competitions, and following and liking content of potential customers in your target market. First off, startups and established businesses alike both take advantage of paid advertisements on social media. These are commonly found on Facebook and Instagram. The price of the advertisements vary depending on the amount of people that the post will reach and the specifications placed on it; however, most of these advertisements cost as little as $5. Specifications

Have you ever wondered why the color red may make you feel more urgent or aggressive while blue makes you feel calm and serene? That's the effect of colors. Different colors can provoke different reactions or emotions in people, so that's why they are so important when it comes to advertising products and communicating a message to customers. More vibrant colors can draw attention more quickly and encourage action while lighter colors may invoke a sense of calmness and trust. The effect of colors is so real that even car insurance companies will charge you more for your policy if the car you drive is red because it can cause you to be a more aggressive driver. So knowing what you're trying to communicate through your branding and advertising can better communicated through the color scheme you choose to represent your brand. Red: As previously stated, red can create a sense of urgency or anger in a viewer. That's why it is used in stop signs and caution signs. It is a

     Almost every business, no matter what size, needs good employees. It may seem hard as a startup business to attract employees that will fit well within your organization. That's why it is so important to not only be able to market your business to customers, but also to market it to potential employees. Not every person will fit well with every business, and that's why recruiting and selecting employees with the skills, knowledge, and values that are in line with your organizational goals is crucial.      One of the first things to consider when attracting employees is how much you will pay for that position. While you must take into consideration how much your business can actually afford to pay, it's also very important to know the going rate for similar positions and compensate accordingly. If you pay a low wage but expect hard work to be done, you won't be able to attract or retain the high-quality employees you need. It's better to pay good employees a bi

So, it may seem obvious that having signage on your business front is important, but in a lot of cases it is becoming less prevalent as a lot of businesses are relying on e-marketing and other forms of advertisements. However, the importance of good signage remains the same, especially when it comes to small  businesses. Many small businesses cannot afford big billboards or TV commercials, so signage is an important advertising tool to consider. I plan on opening a coffee shop/music store one of these days, so clearly I have been doing research on the market and effective techniques. One of the major things I keep coming across is that the majority of new customers discover a cafe because they pass by its physical location. However, if you don't have an eye-catching store front with good signage, these potential new customers are likely to just keep walking without even noticing you're there. After learning this, it seems pretty obvious to me now, because whenever I visit a

     Distribution: the process of getting your product or service to the consumer. It's usually a pretty straight forward process when it comes to products and tangible goods, but what about when your business is a brick and mortar service? If you manufacture and sell a tangible good, your distribution process can be direct, indirect, or a mixture of both. You can sell directly to your customers over the internet or in your own store front, you can place your products in retail stores, or you can use a combined approach. If you offer a good or service like a restaurant, coffee shop, or salon, however, the distribution process is a little different. Usually your customers have to come to you, so marketing your product in a manner that will make your consumers feel that making an effort to come to your business will be worth it. However; many of these types of businesses like restaurants and florists have taken up deliveries. Is this an effective form of distribution? If approached c

     We all know the slogan "the customer is always right" (thanks Harry Gordon Selfridge), but is that actually the case? There is a fine line between satisfying your consumers and improving customer relations, and then allowing some customers to take advantage of your service. In many cases, if you make right of a wrong, then that will help improve your business's image and improve customer morale. However, if you're too lenient with your customers and give out free services and products like Oprah, then you only end up hurting yourself in the long run. Being a previous employee in the service industry, I saw many instances where orders were made wrong, or they weren't quite what the customer was expecting. In these situations it should be expected for the business to make things right and fix the problem with a smile. This makes the customer happy and will improve their chances of returning. On the other hand, I have also seen many instances where the customer