Running Your Own Small Business Franchise

Running a small franchise can be a great way to have your own business but with a little extra security. However it is worth being aware of some of the pros and cons to this type of business.

For those who have decided that they would like a home business or would just like a new business venture, you may find that setting up a small business franchise could be the answer.

It is however worth bearing in mind that with any type of business there are pros and cons and you need to make sure that you handle your marketing well. Be aware though that not everyone is suited to running a small business and you can never be guaranteed of its success, so choose something that interests you and that you will be good at. You should make sure that you always investigate the market thoroughly first to ensure that there is a demand for what you will be offering and minimal competition.

1 The Positives

Often with a franchise business you will be able to begin trading with a short turnaround time although this will depend upon the nature of the business. You should also find that if you have selected a name that is well known this may give you a good head start. The marketing will in many cases be organised and run by the franchise themselves which may include promotions, discounts etc. If you require a supplier for regular deliveries and good deals then being part of a franchise could help finding someone much easier as you have the reputation of the franchise to rely on.


2 The Negatives

Perhaps one of the main problems with this is that you may not have ultimate control of the business and will often need to meet the rules and regulations given to you by the franchise. It is also worth bearing in mind that you will need to give a percentage amount of your sales over to the franchise which means if you struggle one month you may not make a huge profit.

Should you decide that perhaps the business is not for you and is not as successful as you would have hoped, you could find that you have been tied into an agreement and will need to work this before you are able to leave. As far as marketing is concerned you will not be able to have much say in the types of deals or promotions on offer which can be a problem for some people.Choosing the right franchise business which suits you is key. Help from a business consultant could help define the right choice.
You can also find more information and ideas on my marketing ideas blog.

Working With a UK Marketing Consultancy Firm

If you've never considered utilising a marketing company in the UK when trying to improve your business, you may be surprised at what you can achieve. Every business sees success when a campaign is utilised to bring in more clients. However, there are a few companies that believe they can create their own marketing campaign without the need for consultation or advice from marketing professionals. And whilst some businesses will have success with a self-made marketing plan and implementation, most businesses would benefit from a little help.

What Can a Marketing Professional Do for Your Business?

This is probably the first question that comes to mind when a company or individual considers investing in professional marketing services. What can it do for me, and will it really work? There is no simple yes or no answer. It all depends on your desired outcomes for your business. The main outcome most companies want is to increase profits and gain more clients. You may also want to increase your online presence or become better known in your local area. No matter what you need, a marketing consultancy firm should be able to help you meet your goals.

Some of the things a marketer can help you achieve are higher rankings in the search engines for your website, a proactive marketing plan and implementation protocol, greater sales and profits from an increase in business, and the building and managing of an online business. A marketer will also advise you on steps you can take to improve your business, if it's already doing well but could use a little tweaking.

How to Choose the Right Marketer

So once you've decided to use a professional marketer, how do you know which one to choose? It's useful to research a handful of professionals rather than just picking one out of the phone book. Get suggestions from business friends who have had success with a specific marketing firm, and perform some online research to find professionals who offer what you believe you need.

Once you choose a few marketing professionals, start by giving each of them a call. You can easily tell if you want to work with someone by the way they handle themselves on the phone. Do they call you back promptly and seem easy to speak with? Are they in a rush to get you off the phone and move on to the next client, or do they take time to listen to your business concerns? After a short phone interview, schedule a time to meet with them and discuss in-depth their suggested strategy for your business.

The marketer should be willing to listen to your ideas and not just press their own. Make sure everything is agreed to formally. Once you have ironed out all the details, allow the marketing consultancy firm to work their magic.

Small Business Marketing - Trends That Can't Be Ignored

In our current market, changes are being seen everywhere and that includes in small business marketing. Small businesses realize that if they want to be truly competitive they must keep up with the trends and the main aspect of marketing that is getting a lot of attention is social media. Social media has completely changed the way that small businesses relate to their customers. It is becoming more and more obvious that small businesses need to adapt their marketing to become part of their customer's lives instead of intruding on their lives.

Small Business Marketing is Meeting People Where They Gather

Once, marketing meant finding your way into people's lives by intruding into their regular lives - while they were watching televisions, listening to the radio, or even the using the public washroom. It meant finding a way to get in front on them where they couldn't get away. Marketing is changing, though!

Businesses are realizing that there are other ways to get their message in front of people without being intrusive. In order to do that though, businesses have to go where people gather. Today, that means getting involved in social sites. Sites like Twitter and Facebook were created to connect people - old friends, classmates, and family. Businesses have realized that they can interact with people on social sites in a way that is almost like the relationship between friends.

Sharing Information and Giving Advice

Businesses are doing more than just getting a message across on these sites. They are developing relationships with their customers. How? One of the main ways is by sharing information and giving advice. People who interact with businesses on these sites are doing so because the businesses involved have something to offer them.

Businesses are not selling things on social media - instead they are giving away what people really want. They are giving them ways to use their products more effectively, ways to make comparisons, and ways to make decisions. By doing this they are building relationships. By building relationships with customers and with potential customers they are increasing the trust factor, which goes much further than just selling a product.

Small business marketing is taking advantage of every tool at their fingertips and the trends are all pointing at social media. Social media enables businesses to build trust and trust lasts longer than any sales pitch that a company can make. Businesses looking for marketing companies in the UK can find a number of experts to market their business in the UK.

Providing Great Customer Service

It is vital that you provide each and every client with outstanding customer service so that you can ensure they leave feeling satisfied with your work. This article will give you a few key areas to focus on which could see you needing to do less marketing in the long run.

No matter if you are working for yourself or someone else, one thing that you should always remember is that you must provide your client with good customer service. Failure to do so may mean that they choose to take their business elsewhere and may also result in bad reputation for you. By providing good customer service you also help to improve your own marketing as you will often get repeat custom and recommendations. Make sure that when you take on a job you are sure that you are 100% committed to it and carry out the project to the clients specifications.

1.Communicate

One area that you should always try to maintain is your communication with your clients. By remembering to do this your client will feel that their project is in capable hands and they will be able to keep track of your progress. It is important to remember that good customer service and communication go hand in hand.

You should also make sure that you let your client know the hours that you usually work so that they are able to contact you if needs be. It is important to make sure that the client knows exactly how you work and when they can expect the work. In some cases it may be necessary to explain exactly what you will and will not do and when you expect to be paid etc so that everything is completely clear to the client.

2.Be Amenable

If you want to really make a success of your home business then you have to make sure that you cater for a wide range of clients. This can mean being available to travel to meetings or simply answering phone calls and emails as required. Ultimately it really is about going that extra mile to make sure that you provide excellent customer service and commitment to your client.

3.Always Obtain Feedback

This may seem like an obvious one but you would be surprised just how many people with their own business neglect to obtain feedback. This is one of the most important parts of the service as you need to know if you went wrong anywhere and if the client is completely satisfied with the work. By taking the time to do this your client will realise that you are committed to your job and that you care about making sure that they are happy with the standard of work. If you do find that there are parts of your work they are unhappy with then you can rectify this situation. Often this may encourage repeat business and also means you are more likely to receive additional work through recommendations without costly business marketing

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Planning the Budget for your Home Business

Having a budget for your home business is essential to avoid overspending and getting yourself into debt. This article highlights a few key areas to consider to make sure you are prepared financially.

When you first start planning your home business it is important that you make sure you have some sort of budget that you stick to so that you can ensure you will make a profit. It can be all too easy to lose track of your finances and find that you have wildly over spent. Areas that you should think about are mainly the equipment that you need to carry out your job, premises and any extra expenses for marketing.

1. Equipment

The type of equipment that you will require depends mainly on the type of home business that you wish to run. In the main most professions will require you to have a computer, a printer and internet connection as well as any specialist equipment. This is so that you can email clients, carry out marketing and keep on top of your website.

Other professions may also require certain software packages, a fax machine, photo copier or a camera and equipment. It is advisable to have a budget for this and to make sure you stick to it otherwise you could find yourself spending more then you intended.

2. Marketing

This can cost as much or as little as you are prepared to spend. You will find that at some point marketing is an area that you will have to budget for as getting your name out there is incredibly important. Many people decide to have their own website which may cost you some money to set up and maintain. Although creating a website is easy to undertake the hard work begins in then getting your website found by your prospective customers so a samll budget maybe useful to employ an online marketing company.

Others will want to have business cards printed up to hand out to other local businesses and at networking fairs and this will require a budget. It could also be useful to print up leaflets and price lists if your work requires this, so make sure that you factor this and the cost of any postage into your budget too.


It is also worth keeping some money aside for any emergencies that you might find occur. This may be because you are struggling to find work or if you become ill or injured and cannot work for short time.

How Networking can Help your Busines

Networking can be a really great way of marketing your business, as well as meeting people that can offer you help and advice along the way. There are several ways in which you can approach networking and this article will give you a few ideas.

When you set up a home business you will soon realise that there are a number of benefits to networking and therefore marketing your business. You can choose to network either in a more relaxed social environment or more formally at a specific event. The key is deciding which of these two methods you are most comfortable with and which is most suited to your line of work. In this was you can then go on to find more work or pick up information that may be useful to you.

1. Formal networking

When you decide to network on a more formal level it will often be to find potential clients or to meet new colleagues within your line of work. This can seem a little intimidating if networking is new to you but eventually you will relax and find that it can be very useful. There are a number of professional networking events that aim to offer you news and information as well as courses and training. You will also find a number of formal business exhibitions that can offer you a great platform to increase your marketing by meeting potential new customers face to face.

2. Social networking

Depending on your line of work and how busy you are, you may find that social networking suits you much better then the more formal methods above. It can offer you a way to find work, contacts and help and advice for the day to day running of your business.

One great way of online marketing in this way is using forums as they can provide you with a really useful means of social networking online. You will find that people from all walks of life and with different experiences network online and it can be a great way of picking up hints and tips that you may find useful. Look out for forums that are particularly relevant to your line of work as you may be able to find work in this way. You could also try looking at social networking sites online such as Bebo, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter!

Using Link Building to Improve Website Rankings

It is vital for your internet marketing to get any websites you may have to rank well in search engines. This short article will give you a brief introduction to link building and show how it could help you.

Running your own business requires much time and dedication if you want it to be as successful as possible. For this reason it is important that any online content, such as a website or blogs, ranks high in an online search. With competition always increasing it can be difficult to keep your sites above those of your opposition. However there is one great way that may help you to improve your internet marketing rankings and this is something that is often referred to as link building; essentially this aids website optimisation.

1. Link Building Explained

You will no doubt at some point have used a search engine to help you find something online so you will understand that the majority of people will often only look at the first couple of pages of results. This means that for those ranking on pages three and lower they will often be overlooked. This is why link building can be incredibly useful as it enables you to raise the ranking of your website to feature towards the top. Although this is often viewed as being a time consuming way of internet marketing, the results make it worth the effort.

Link building essentially refers to the quality, quantity and relevance of the links that point towards your website. For example if a link to one of your websites is included on a variety of other websites then it will be viewed by a search engine as being of more importance. Therefore any link that points towards your website will be helping to raise the popularity of your internet marketing and therefore improve the ranking.

2. How Does this Work?

In general there are two key ways in which you can approach this. Some websites will ask for a reciprocal link which means that they will require you to place a link to their website on yours and you therefore assist each other. However you can also find one way links which do not require any help from you in this way. Some of these sites may charge for their help so it could be worth finding other small businesses or companies in a similar situation and helping each other.

Despite this sometimes being a slow and time consuming process of internet marketing it can provide you with great results and really help you to get more visitors to your websites and improve your business marketing.