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Small Business Commercial Insurance Overview: Understanding Basic Business Insurance Needs

It’s a given that all types of businesses require – at the very least – basic liability insurance. It’s always wise to safeguard your business against as much as possible. All industries are vulnerable to lawsuits for one reason or another these days. Even if you do most of your work from the home, there are still some risks you need to be aware of, such as copyright infringement. Luckily, there are custom small business commercial insurance policies are available, so you can look for quotes tailored towards your type of company and size of business.

You should take the time to educate yourself about the four primary coverage types general liability, commercial property, commercial auto, and workers compensation. If you don’t do any deliveries or use your car for anything relating to your business then you probably won’t need that coverage in your policy. If you don’t have any employees, then you won’t need workers compensation.

Even if you do have a few employees, you might or might not have to have workers compensation, depending on your state’s laws and the amount of risk involved with the employees. There is professional liability insurance for individuals such as attorneys, accountants, consultants, real estate agents, and so forth. General liability and professional liability are not the same thing.

There are some risks that are excluded under small business commercial insurance, despite the fact that they might involve large losses. For instance, floods and tornadoes require “specialized policies” This is because the insurance companies don’t like to have to pay out such a large amount of money to all of the businesses damaged within a small geographical area.

Small Business Commercial Insurance Coverage

Here are a few things from which a small business commercial insurance, in general, will protect your company:

• If someone gets hurt in any way while on physical property associated with your business

• If a customer has any property damaged by you or your employees

• If your products cause harm to someone or their property

• If you use a customer’s photo in your advertising and they try and sue you for copyright

• If your company is named in a lawsuit for medical expenses and property damages

What about your OWN injuries? What would become of your business if something were to happen to you? These are also things to consider when adding specialized coverage to your policy.

Just use the internet to help find the right small business commercial insurance for you, starting with Hiscox Business Insurance. Review your insurance each and every year to make sure it still lines up with your needs.

Benefits of Having a Website for Your Small Business

For a small business owner it is vital to have your own website up and running to provide the most successful opportunities possible for your business. In the face of social media it is important to make sure your small business is competitive with other businesses and takes the first step in getting your business name spread around with a website and connect it to various types of social pages. There are many benefits to having a website aside from just getting your name out there. These reasons include some of the following:

Be Visible

As more and more people turn to the internet for resources and research, your business name needs to be pop up when possible customers inquire about a similar or direct business type. A website makes your business name more commonly known.

Advertising

A website allows you to advertise your business including what you do and what is sold or the type of services you provide. This allows the customer to search through your pages to determine if they are interested or not. Therefore, you must make sure that your website is user-friendly and presents itself without the need of much explanation. You also need a website that will rank highly on search engines. This can be done with the use of SEO content in a blog or article section added to your website.

Connection to your customers

Having a website will allow you to connect better with your customers and draw in more customers. If you allow a page where orders can be made for products you are selling or for the customer to set up an appointment or reserve a date and time for your services then you will allow the website to do a lot of work for you. It will save you and the customer time and energy by allowing the two parties to connect without having to talk with each other directly immediately. People tend to like to save time in communicating via email or text these days, allowing a faster connection.

Make your website cell phone friendly

You will need to make sure that your website can be pulled up on all brands of cell phones. As more and more people turn to their cell phones for information, you will enable your small business to reach more people with your website as they can bring it up on their cell phones.

All of these reasons will benefit your small business with greater success when you value how important a website is in getting the word there. Consider all of the above benefits to having your own website to help make your small business successful.

Get all the information about how to get your own business website and brand exposure online from E-commerce website with help of website development company from India through internet marketing for websites at Bloom blog by LotusMedia.

Small Carrier Bags – A Strong Method of Advertising

Bags stand out as one of the most effective options for advertising. Small Carrier Bags too can be used very effectively to take a marketing message into the consumer world. Immaterial of the size of the bag, it yet offers high brand exposure and wide appeal. There are a variety of these bags which are manufactured for different purposes, and yet could be used for promotional purposes. Given below are a few types of these bags:

1) Small Brown Paper Bags:

These carrier bags feature sturdy tape handles and are extremely low-cost, yet practical in getting your brand name known in the market. You can either print on one side or both sides if you wish. Printing on both sides will cost slightly more.

2) Non Woven Small Gift Bag:

These Small Carrier Bags are non woven and feature handles. They are specifically produced for marketing purposes. The minimum order can take up to 5000 pieces which is ideal for a consumer company. This bag will look elegant with an imprint of your company logo. It is available in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours.

3) Small Paper Gift Bag:

This type of bag is more common during the festive seasons such as Christmas. It is made out of gloss or matte Art paper and brown or white Kraft paper. Sometimes they are made out of Ivory paper as well. The handle is made out of a variety of materials to suit the bag. It is an attractive bag which is manufactured on a variety of sizes with different inks and in a wide range of colours. Even though this bag is found only during season time, you yet can use it for promotional purposes.

4) Kraft Paper Small Gift Bag:

These are bright coloured Small Carrier Bags which are ideal to hold gifts. They are made out of recycled Art paper and features a hand length handle. You can imprint your company logo stylishly using the screen printing method. Its minimum order quantity is 5000 pieces, and they can be used for major events where large crowds gather.

Given above is just a few of the wide range of carrier bags that are found at online web stores. It is best that you visit these sites and select the most appropriate bag for your promotional campaign.

The web sites offer a personalised service, and the staff will assist you to select the right bag. Customising your Small Carrier Bags too could be done at these sites. If you have your own design you can upload it to the site, or the staff at these websites will help you design an elegant marketing message. Once your order is complete the products will be delivered to your office or home. Thus, with the development of technology this process is all so easy, when compared to a couple of decades ago.

With the use of this imprinted promotional product you can build brand awareness easily amongst your potential customers. Selecting a small and simple carrier bag or a much larger one, you will yet promote the same message, by doing your imprinting on both sides of the bag.

Importance of Having Mobile Apps for Small Businesses

The world has gone Mobile. The number of smart phone users globally has grown exponentially over the past 5 years. The number of Android & iOS devices sold globally has crossed a billion mark each. Hence, it is no longer sufficient to have only a website for your business. Any business, small or large must have a mobile app. Let us look at some of the most important reasons why you should opt for a mobile app for your business:

1. Branding – A mobile application is the best way to create brand awareness for your business. You can use your logo, your business’s tag line or a message that you would like your customers to connect with your business to create a brand recall. Every time a customer who has downloaded your mobile apps sees your logo in the form of the mobile app icon on their screen, they will recall you.

2. Increased Reach – Because of the sheer penetration of mobile phones and other mobile devices like tablets and the improved Internet connectivity in most parts of the world, the number of people you can reach through a app has increased tremendously. It is easier for your existing as well as potential customers to find out the right information about your products or services through your mobile app.

3. Create Customer Database & Profile – It is easier to collect customer data in terms of phone number and email id through a mobile apps. You can also allow your app users to login via their social media accounts like Facebook or Google. This will give you access to other valuable data like their areas of interest, their lifestyle choice, their shopping preferences, etc. This data can then be used by your marketing team to send out the right communication.

4. Increased Engagement – By building the right features in your app you can utilize it as a powerful way to increase engagement with your existing and potential customers. You can include features like social sharing and a help desk (for sales and service queries) in the app to improve direct communication with your customers. This will in turn help your business to connect closely with your customers.

5. Push Notifications – This is one of the biggest advantages of having a mobile apps. You can ask your Mobile App Development Solution provider to integrate a push notification feature in your app which will help you with your on-the-go marketing. Through this feature, you can send bulk messages to all the app users or specific messages to a sub-set of your app users based on the message. You can also communicate about the latest offers or discounts you are offering to your customers regularly through push notifications. Best of all, it doesn’t cost you a penny to send out these messages, unlike SMS or Email marketing.

With the above advantages of having a for your business in mind, it is imperative to identify the right Mobile App Development Solutions provider for your business app. Solution Analysts has been helping small businesses globally with their Mobile App Development Services to create great which will add value to their businesses. To get a free quote for your Mobile Application or to know more about us, please visit our website today.

Marketing Ideas For Small Architecture Firms

Small architectural firms have slowly dwindled, being unable to cope with competition from established larger firms. This makes it essential for the existing small architectural firms to have a well-thought-out marketing plan and effective marketing strategies to become successful firms. Some firms have selected a certain niche to specialize in; others have formed alliances with other services to stay in business. With a good marketing strategy they can attain their target goal more easily.

Some Marketing Ideas for Small Architecture Firms:

– Making use of the Internet is a great way to market small architecture firms. By creating a content-rich, visually pleasing and easily navigable website, you can attract a number of clients. You can make your small architectural firm visible to the whole world using the Internet; and if it is keyword-search optimized, your site can be displayed when keyword searches are done by prospective clients, thus making it highly target market-oriented.

– You can also start a free newsletter service asking those who visit your site to subscribe to it, generating leads as well as staying in touch with potential clients.

– Ask for your satisfied customers to put up their testimonials on your website as this may help persuade other clients to consider your firm.

– Permission-based e-mail marketing is a very cost-effective and easy way to market your services online.

– Use carefully planned advertisements that are well planned and that convey the right message to the clients extolling the benefits of choosing your firm. The TV, radio, newspaper, free newspapers, and magazines can be used effectively to advertise your services. Make sure you advertise regularly and effectively. Try advertising in magazines that deal in home decoration or building and construction. Infomercials on TV that are informative as well as portray your firm as trustworthy and capable can help, too.

– Form alliances with other services that complement your business, in which they can refer you and get a commission from you for doing so.

– Work out deals with local real estate agents who may recommend you to people who are in need of your services.

– Offer excellent customer service, since nothing can compare to word-of-mouth advertisements. Your firm has to appear dependable and experienced and promise them quality work, but make sure you keep your promise.

– Market research and competitive analysis have to be done frequently to stay ahead of your competition and to counter any of their strategies.

– Keep track of how your client heard of you, since it can help give you valuable insight as to which advertising media is working for you and which area is not that effective so that you can allot appropriate funds to the various media.

You can use these tips and many more for getting new clients for your firm. If required you can even take the services of professional marketing consultants and business management software for managing and developing your business.

From Small Business to Big Business – The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company which was founded on October 16, 1923 has a long and distinguished history. But it is a history that might never have existed if not for the perseverance of one man. That man of course was Walt Disney who together with his brother Roy O. Disney were the founders of The Walt Disney Company. Of course The Walt Disney Company has a long and colorful history that has had many books already written about it. So we’ll just cover one particular area of the story. Walt Disney’s perseverance.

You see Walt Disney was a man that would not give up no matter what. No matter how many setbacks he had he did not know when to call it quits. So how did he get started? Well early on in Walt Disney’s life he got into drawing cartoons first for his school newspaper and after World War I he began working for newspapers and magazines. He would draw cartoons and do advertising work for them to pay his bills.

It was through this work that he met a fellow artist by the name of Ubbe Iwerks. Together they would form Walt Disney’s first attempt at building a business. This was in 1920 and the company was known as Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists. Unfortunately the business got off to a rough start and soon had to be closed. But Walt Disney wasn’t finished there.

His next job led him into the field of animation. This of course is where he would really leave his mark on the world. Soon Walt Disney was ready for his next attempt at building his own studio. The one would be known as the Laugh O Gram Studio. The name came from a series of cartoons that Walt Disney was producing for a local Kansas City theatre operator. And it was nearly a success too. Walt Disney’s inability to handle money would be his downfall this time around. And so after the company went bankrupt. Walt Disney packed up his bags and moved to Hollywood, California.

This time around Walt would team up with his brother Roy O. Disney. Roy was a former banker so he knew how to handle the money side of the house while Roy would handle the creative side. And so the Disney Brother’s Studio was born. And it started off with a hit. Known as the Alice Comedies the studio began to turn out a number of short films based around the story Alice in Wonderland. They would turn out to be very successful and would lead to another character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Walt Disney though had one final bump in the road before becoming ultimately successful. You see Walt had made the mistake of selling the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to its distributor. And now the distributor wanted to cut the fees they were paying. Further pressuring the Disney brothers they threatened to hire the people that were actually doing the work on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit away from Disney and they would form their own studio to do the work. Walt Disney wouldn’t give in and so he lost both Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and most of his staff.

After what had happened to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Walt Disney found his studio in need of a replacement character. And so Mickey Mouse was born. The rest of the story you probably already know as Mickey would become extremely popular. But Mickey wouldn’t be here today if Walt Disney had given up. It was through his perseverance that The Walt Disney Company would become a reality. And millions of children can get a hug each year from a big furry mouse.

Office Tasks to Outsource For Small and Large Businesses

Many people make the mistake of thinking that they can only outsource complicated office tasks such as information technology. There are several other office tasks that can be outsourced and trust me, it is not going to cost you an arm or leg.

Outsource Secretarial Duties

Do you presently run a small one-person office? You will need to outsource secretarial tasks so that you can have the chance to concentrate on the money making aspect of your business. You need not worry yourself silly over carrying out secretarial tasks such as confirmation of appointments, appointment scheduling and travel arrangements. You can simply outsource these duties so that someone else can take care of all the aforementioned duties (and more). Thanks to modern technology, you can hire employees from any part of the world.

Every kind of business sure has very unique functions, and the good news is that these unique functions can be outsourced. For instance, you will find a company that can help you effectively handle your back office operations for your type of business.

Outsource Typing / Transcription Duties

Okay, you are very good at typing, but do you really want to spend precious time converting written words in a particular format when you should be doing other things that will make your business grow? All clerical work that has to be converted into written form in a particular format should be outsourced to an outsourcing firm that specializes in that area of service. For instance, legal notes that need to be converted into written texts need to be sent to experts in that field.

Financial Outsourcing

The field of accounting and finances is a pretty delicate area and not everyone s blessed with the ability to handle their own business finances. There many accounting outsourcing firms that are more than ready to help you handle your financial statement preparation and the following:

• General billing functions

• Pay roll processing

• Legal and medical billing special services

HR Outsourcing

This will also include all the necessary paperwork that is needed to employ and fire a staff. Outsourcing this area is particularly great for small businesses that actually have low hiring rate or turnover rate. You can also outsource the administration of staff benefits as well.

There are so many office tasks that can be outsourced so that business owners can concentrate on their company’s core business. As mentioned earlier, outsourcing these services will not cost you an arm and leg.

The Benefits of Regular Email Newsletters for Small Business

Sometimes, in the attempt of small businesses to target new customers, they tend to neglect the importance of other marketing strategies such as with email newsletters. Though, it is not considered one of the strongest, studies still shows that sending email newsletters is still one of the most efficient and cost-effective means of online marketing strategies that have provided high return of investments.

When it comes to numbers, emailing is still the biggest social network online. No one who uses the internet does not use any email. In fact, it remains one of the first things that anyone would have to enter when signing up online, either for their social networking account, or signing up for any website they want to be a member of.

Other sites also allow users to sign up using a social media platform, such as Twitter and Facebook, but what many do not realize is that business sites do this in order for them to have easy access of emailing newsletters for their new members. And while many social media platforms may come and go or swarm the business world, but email marketing will stay and is still such a powerful tool for small businesses.

Other benefits of email newsletters include:

Sending email newsletters is very economical.

Unlike Facebook where a business page needs to spend out first before all their friend’s list and followers can see their ads, or Twitter where updates are just limited to 140 characters, sending something promotional through email newsletters is very cost effective.

Plus, small businesses do not need any more to hire SEO or marketing experts to create any email campaign. Most email newsletter sites leave users with a blank template, and it would be up to their imagination and creativity to make their newsletters as informative and as enticing as they want it to be. Converting promotions into an email format is not only cost-effective, but it is also quick and easy, encouraging more business revenue.

Email newsletters can provide added value to the business.

The vast majority of customers make online shopping decisions right after acquiring information from a website. However, there are times that websites neglect to put vital information that customers might also want to know. For instance, an email newsletter can include history information, ingredients or materials a product is made of, and exclusivity of a service. All these can be sent through email newsletters together with a link that leads back to the website where the reader can purchase the product or service they just read about.

Sending email newsletter does not only build traffic back to a website, but it also fills up any empty spaces that most small business’ site misses out. It also provides customers a full understanding of how a business as well as their products and services can benefit them.

Email newsletters can increase sales revenue.

Most of the time email newsletters become an uninteresting flop of information that most customers tent to ignore, delete, archive, or unsubscribe. This is probably true to small business who does not know what customers like to be receiving from their newsletters.

Customers want to read about opportunities that would lead them into potentially purchasing the products or taking the services. These opportunities can be as big as contest raffles, down to discount coupons that only those who receive these newsletters can avail. Anything that readers can take advantage of to make their lives a bit happier, they will be more than likely to jump on board without hesitations.

Giving back what the customers desire through incentives is a great promotional strategy for them to make a new or additional purchase. However, business must take note that this can only be done either through a monthly basis, or twice a month at least, in order for customers to keep wanting for more and to build anticipation as well.

Company newsletters build brand awareness.

Brand awareness is something hard to achieve, especially if a business is still starting up or is competing with other similar products. By having a memorable brand stand out, a business can increase its chance that their customer will purchase from them when presented with another known brand.

So, how do businesses achieve this? First is through brand recall and brand recognition. The two can be incorporated into one through email newsletters. By sending regular email updates about relevant information, company’s tagline, visions, and anything that can attribute to the business will eventually demonstrate a connection between the customers. The more they know about the business, they more they become aware and trust and loyalty will suddenly follow. After all, customers will be likely to purchase items from companies they know, than those they barely are familiar with.

Company Newsletters fulfill expectations

Consistency is the game when it comes to email newsletters, which one of the benefits of hiring an email marketing company. The reason why most users subscribe to an email list is because they want to hear from the business. So, when a business promises they will send out email newsletters daily, monthly, or any schedule they vouched for, they have to keep it, because more than likely readers will be expecting it from them. Take, for example, the traditional magazine subscriptions most people have, if a magazine says they will send a new copy ever month; tendency is that a subscriber will expect it or would even wait in front of their houses for their mail, just so they can grab the newest copy; same goes with email newsletters.

One thing that small businesses should never miss out is to maintain a positive contact with their customers. Sending regular email newsletters builds trust between their audiences, and it is the same trust that can pitch any business into the pedestal.

Email newsletters give a huge presentation of a business, which is why; it should not only catch customer’s attention, but it should be as informative and generous as it should be. Promotions through incentive are a great form of generosity. Giving the customers back what they deserve in the first place will keep customers keep coming back. Nonetheless, the vital component of email newsletters is consistency. Sending email newsletters at a consistent pace will not only educate customers, boost sales, but it will also build lasting relationships with existing and potential customers while saving time, effort and money all at the same time.

Effective Suggestions For Marketing Small Business Start Ups

If you are the owner or manager of a new business, it is important to make potential customers aware of your products or services. There are various strategies and techniques you can use for marketing small business start-ups, it is essential to analyze various factors in full before drawing up a final plan. There are two basic avenues you can go down when it comes to raising the profile of your business. There are traditional offline methods that are useful dependent upon the exact sector and location of your company, and online concepts that can reach a wider audience.

You will need to set yourself a strict budget when it comes to marketing. As a general rule, online techniques are a lot more affordable than any other methods. In many situations you can even advertise and promote your business online without spending any money.

It is of the utmost importance, that a new business has an easy to navigate and professional website. Whatever the sector or industry you are involved with, a portal can offer a platform through which the market can come to learn about your business and services. As almost every home in the country now features a PC and a broadband connection, if you did not have a website you would be leaving a huge pot of gold untapped.

Consider how most of us use the net. There are three types of websites that consistently receive the highest number of visitors. If you can place information in these portals, you can boost your profile dramatically. Social networks, video sites, and the search engines are the most popular.

To receive a high placement in all the major search engines, you will need to familiarize yourself with the concept of search engine optimization. This is a technique whereby you integrate various keywords in to the content used on your web pages, which may be queried for by visitors to a search engine.

Do not underestimate the benefits of adding information about your business to a social networking site. If you could create a fan page or group page, soon you can have interest from a wide range of geographic locations.

Many people now use the net to check out videos. If you put together a handful of interesting and informative how to guides, and then add back links from the pages they are hosted on, you can increase the traffic to your own portal dramatically.

When comparing traditional marketing strategies, it is important to think carefully about the audience. Television ads are often too costly for a new business. Newspaper and radio advertisements can be cheap, though may not be seen or heard by the right demographic.

It is of great value to constantly up date you marketing plan to be more effective. Over time you will come to understand which strategies are the most rewarding, and which are a waste of time and energy.

How Can Mobile Software Development Companies Help Small Business?

Today, most of the businesses, be it an eCommerce website, or a bank, a school or a cab service provider, everyone needs a mobile app to expand their reach and grow their business. Even the business owners, who once did not consider having an online presence for their business, are now looking at creating one for it.

Mobile Experience to Users

Mobile apps offer a personal and quick experience to users. Eventually, use of desktops and laptops are getting replaced by tablets and mobile devices, for most of the activities, which people carry out online. Given the busy schedules of people, they prefer to have facilities like to book travel tickets, pay bills, book a cab for travel, or book a table in a restaurant right from their fingertips. Thus, without a mobile app, businesses are incomplete, and are always at a high risk of losing their customers to their competitor, for their businesses.

Role of Social Share in Mobile Software

Social media software has become one of the vitals for very mobile applications now. Anybody who owns an account in any of the social media networks, like Facebook or Twitter, are always on their toes, to share whatever they are passionate about, with their friends on the same social media network.

Social share feature in the Mobile app allows users to like, comment and share. This calls for a very good strategy to get customer feedback for eCommerce business owners. Based on the number of likes and shares for a product, they can easily find out, which are the products that are in high demand.

Apart from the eCommerce websites, social sharing is effective for news and magazine apps also. Even the news and magazine business owners, and bloggers, do prefer to have social sharing integrated into their mobile app, in order to encourage sharing of news and articles among their readers.

In this manner, social sharing plays a vital role in taking a mobile app wider and farther, ultimately increasing the users.

Vowing to all the aforesaid reasons, the earlier exclusively web development service providers, are widening the scope of their service offerings, by adding Mobile software development to them. These companies usually specialize in mobile technologies, which help in developing cutting edge mobile apps for every business requirement.

From business perspective, these companies very well understand how mobile apps can rightly complement with the existing web application or portal of a business, in order to increase the leads. They also do understand that social sharing is one of the enticing features, which should not be missed out on a mobile app at all.

They usually follow the right procedure for their mobile development process. They clearly understand your business requirement, and come up the best solution for the mobile. Of course, there are a few limitations, But there are many advantages as well that lack on the other platform. They analyse the most important functionalities within your website or online portal, which are most likely to be used by your site visitors on the mobile app.