We had a great turnout for our first webinar of 2021, “Small Business Habits for Success.” We covered the following main topics: website management, consistent content, building out your time, having a task toolbox, staying connected, and creating an environment of self-care.
Attendees were guided through the importance of website backups, security, design, and UX. They learned about the different types of content they should be posting, how to manage their time and tasks effectively, and why staying connected with customers, competition, industry, and trends is invaluable. We ended our session by focusing on self and employee care in the workplace, with a huge emphasis on how kindness and patience tie into increased creativity and productivity.
In case you were unable to catch the webinar live, we compiled some of the most popular questions attendees asked during the duration of the webinar. If you have any additional questions, please let us know in the comments below!
When should I hire my first employee?
If you find that you’re having a hard time maintaining the quality of your work, or that you’re so stretched for time that you’re turning down new money making opportunities- it might be time to hire an employee. Make sure that they’re someone you trust and someone that shares your vision and aligns with your business.
What are social media holidays? How do I leverage them?
Social media holidays are fun and whimsical holidays that celebrate a certain niche that can help you engage with people online. International Cat Day, Pizza Day, or Talk Like a Pirate Day are examples of social media holidays that are celebrated online. You can take advantage of these holidays by trying them into your own brand or product, and posting about them on social media. This will help to show a more fun and personalized side to your business.
I am concerned about the legal aspects of starting up a business. Can you offer any resources that talk about the legal essentials of starting a website and/or business?
With any business, it’s important to protect your investments. We always recommend consulting with a lawyer to get answers to any specific questions you might have. To get you started, check out these blog articles regarding legalities of business resources:
- https://www.bluehost.com/blog/learning-how-to-protect-your-business-investment-insurance-contracts-and-site-security/
- https://www.bluehost.com/blog/how-to-select-the-best-legal-structure-for-your-business-sole-proprietor-llc-partnership-or-corporation//
How often should a newsletter go out? Is it a good idea to have pictures and videos in a newsletter?
A newsletter should go out anywhere between once a month to once a week, with updates on any new products, services, or tools you may be offering. It’s a great idea to include content like blogs, videos, or any other content you are creating. Including attractive content will keep your customers engaged and informed. Newsletter “clicks” may pick up during the holiday season if you are offering any deals or discounts, as clients often look for these special deals.
How do I optimize my product and service pages?
One of the best tips to run a small business online is to make every page on your website work hard. Your product and services pages should do the selling for you. You can maximize your product pages by:
- Uploading high-quality photos of your products from various angles.
- Writing detailed product descriptions.
- Sharing information about product materials and dimensions.
- Using a call to action, like “Add to Cart”.
I’m new to managing a small business and am not sure where I should start with when creating my website, what’s most important?
You can keep it simple and start with these basic pages:
- About Page: Make a connection with customers by telling them about you or your company’s origin story.
- Products and Services: People need to know what you’re selling if you want them to buy it.
- Contact: Make sure visitors know how they can get in touch with you.
Staying connected to my customers is important to me. How can I develop better relationships with my customers?
Marketing connects products and services to the people who need them.
- Use Social Media to Spread the Word- An active social media presence adds credibility to your business and keeps it top of mind for your followers.
- Create a Newsletter- Social media is a useful marketing tool, but due to each platform’s restrictive algorithms that prioritize paid media, there is no guarantee that all of your followers will see your posts.
- Start a Blog- Blogging is a content marketing tool that establishes expertise and builds SEO authority. At a minimum, your blog posts should answer common questions your ideal customer is searching for answers to.
When it comes to website security how often should we change our passwords?
There’s no hard rule, but best practices suggest a password being updated every 60-90 days. Incorporating dual-authentication also can help increase your security.
If you are looking for additional support for your small business, Bluehost is here to help with professional services such as a custom email for your domain, expert assistance with your WordPress website, and premium theme selections for your eCommerce website.