by Taylor McKinney

As a solopreneur, you know that no good business can run without a solid digital strategy. After all, failing to plan is planning to fail. With a carefully curated approach, you can anticipate increased sales, new and returning customers, and long-term growth. Here’s what you need to know about creating your digital strategy as a team of one.

Determine your mission

This is the foundation upon which your entire business is run, so consider this one carefully. For example, Patagonia’s mission statement isn’t just about selling outdoor clothing and gear, but to “build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Ask yourself what’s at the heart of your business and what made you pursue it in the first place? These core values will be echoed and maximized in all parts of your brand and marketing, so make sure it’s authentic and something you’re proud of. It should be about more than revenue, but how you’re planning to make your place in the world and make the lives of your customers better or easier, no matter how small the scale. Look to bigger companies for influence if necessary, and especially these inspiring mission statements.

Identify Your Goals and Measure Them

Key Performance Indicators and targets goals—it’s all business-speak for the most important part of growing your business, which is identifying where you want to be and tracking your performance to get there.

If you’re just starting out, choose “stretch goals” or achievements that won’t be easy, but are still realistic. Make sure they’re quantifiable and able to be tracked, whether it’s getting 100 email subscriptions or 500 followers on social media.

If you’re already in the business, consider increasing your lead generation by 25% or to increase time on page by 20% in the next month. Google Analytics and other web analytics tools are great to help measure your conversions, social media analytics will track your engagement. Content marketing software can measure the success of your content marketing.

Develop Audience Personas

A successful business speaks the language of their customers or buyers. And just like with the mission statement example, chances are you have an idea of who’s using your services or buying your products, but why settle for a roundabout guess when you can use data to find out the nitty-gritty of who they are and what they need?

To start with, record all the demographic information of your customers. To find out how they best like to engage, determine how they find and interact with your content through Google Analytics. If you don’t have access to this information, add form fields or surveys to your site to capture all pertinent data. You can even determine trends and personas through feedback and communication via your social media sites. These persona templates will help you get started.

Strategize with SEO—and Update it Frequently

You’ve put countless hours into your content creation and overall marketing strategy—and it’ll all be for naught if no one sees it. If you’re just starting out here, make a list of themes or topics that are most relevant to your brand—both descriptions of your product or services, as well as possible blog topics—and conduct keyword research (both short and long tail) via Google Keyword Planner to see what terms you should be targeting in your page structure, as well as anchor text, meta description, h2 tags, and titles, etc.

You’ll also want to initiate a link building plan to get backlinks, so reach out to relevant sites and offer to write content for them in exchange for a link back to your site. Once you’ve optimized your site and all associated content and marketing materials, continue to monitor your progress, as well as that of any direct competitors.

The best part is that this digital marketing plan is scalable, no matter how many people you add, or how many moving parts you add to your vision. These steps are a solid core of the business plan to help you stay ahead of the curve, keep ahead of digital marketing trends, and fully achieve your business goals.

Taylor McKinney is a Marketing Specialist at TrustRadius, which has become the most trusted website for B2B software reviews. When she is not writing about the latest tools and small business trends she is enjoying Austin’s beautiful scenery with her family.

I stood in the traffic jam at the entrance of Zurich. It was a Sunday night and a lot of people seem to either have returned from the holidays or from their weekend homes. I had been in Germany to see my family and I noticed that on the left lane cars were moving a lot faster but I did not dare to change lanes for a while. At least fifteen minutes I followed the masses in slow track.

After a while, I thought I’d give it a try and despite all the cars coming at the faster speed I found a hole and could change lanes. Then I noticed that the traffic jam was not for the cars moving into the city. All the cars on my lanes had a different direction and did not manage to enter the lane on the right side.

When I finally was in the flow again and reached my target a little later than expected and noticed that we often do exactly that in life and profession too. We stay in a lane because we are scared to change, we follow people who have a different target than us and while we think about what to do lifetime and quality runs through our fingers.

We get stuck in thinking about change, in being annoyed at ourselves for not changing until we have invested too much to quit the lane.

I realized yesterday that once I overcame my fear, an opportunity came up. Other drivers also needed a bit of encouragement to change lanes, so you let them in and support their choice. It took a truck driver about ten attempts before anyone would give him a chance, but he (or she) persisted.

You have choices every day and you can change lanes a lot easier than you might think. Start small and if you need a little encouragement you join our RockMeRetreat and see me for coaching.

Guest post by Brooke Faulkner

An international assignment to Japan is one of the most rewarding achievements you could reach in business. Nothing feels better than to be wanted overseas for your talents and your accomplishments.

However, most of us, unfortunately, have a habit of acting culturally unaware when we visit new places, especially if we don’t have a lot of interaction with diversity within our home country. While that’s a broad generalization, it happens enough for us individually to be aware and check ourselves before traveling overseas.

I want to focus on business in Japan specifically right now because there is a lot of room to do international business with them. According to Alliance Experts, alternative energy, gaming, music, engineering, and healthcare are all fields thriving in that country, as well as ours.

Combining forces can be a really good thing. However, when you enter someone else’s home, you need to be aware and respectful of their way of life.

Careers in project management are highly sought after in the Western world right now, but to be a project manager in Japan requires cultural awareness, good communication skills, and a willingness to learn. For this reason, I want to cover some basics for those of you heading over there soon to manage projects. Stay ahead of the cultural curve so things go smoothly, and you’ll find yourself in a much better situation than if you hadn’t been able to!

Navigating Culture

Workplace culture is very important, and that can be hard to navigate even more so in a new country. The importance of respect transcends cultural differences. However what’s considered respectful and what isn’t changes from place to place.

For this reason, it’s important to know a little bit about Japanese culture before you get to Japan, especially if you, as a team manager, are working with and managing new people.

For some guidance, I pulled some information from E-Diplomats and Business Insider, who point out some cultural differences regarding workplace conduct and respect in Japan. Here are a few notable ones:

• Business cards are often used the way Americans use handshakes.
• Group work shows no pride in different members: you’re all in this together.
• Treat your employees like their work is important, and show as much pride in your work as they do in theirs. Pride in your work and efficiency in the work process are very important. This is roughly translated with the word “shokunin.”

You can check both resources for more information, but workplace respect doesn’t stop at workplace specific differences — not by a long shot.

Communicating Past a Language Barrier

Body language is of the utmost importance when traveling to a new country. This is especially true if there is a language barrier like there probably is if you’re a typical white American. For instance, Japanese culture tends to be less touchy than American culture and values personal space differently. Eye contact and staring are similarly regarded as personal and rude if overdone. Another example that you may have heard of: When you enter someone’s home, always take your shoes off.

Keep in mind that silence is natural and is considered to release tension — as opposed to the U.S., where it builds tension. These things are important because not only should you understand how to communicate effectively with your team but how they’re communicating with you! Read up on Japanese culture so body language and social cues can speak for you when your mouth can’t. Things will go much smoother for you in doing so.

Willingness to Learn

Not to sound too redundant, but the Japanese tend to value learning and education. You won’t know everything going over there for the first time. If you show respect for the different cultural cues and customs, your team members and colleagues will appreciate you.

You may “mess up” here or there, but if your intentions are good and clear, you will hopefully avoid mistakes that are difficult to come back from. It requires an open mind.

You need to understand this because, at the end of the day, some things are just different. The public transit system, the food, the media, the social cues — they all differ due to a different place and culture. But that doesn’t mean these differences are bad or that you’re bad for not knowing them right off the bat. If you’re willing to learn about different cultures and how to respect them, your experience may thank you.

Have you ever worked overseas in Japan? Have you ever managed a team over there? What was your experience like? We’d love to hear about it — please share in the comments below!

About the author:

Editor’s Note: In my experience, an open mind is helpful, but not enough. Moving into another culture requires focused learning and intercultural coaching too. If you wish to work on your global competency right now you might want to work with our RockMe! App right now.

I procrastinated on this article for too long but today is the day where I need to write it. Why? Because I almost fell into the trap, the trap of self-exploitation, self-damage and nearly ruined myself in the process. I was wondering for a while why many female entrepreneurs and freelancers allow themselves to work for little money or even free. I came across seven reasons that I want to share with you. I’m hoping for a discussion on how we can avoid exploiting ourselves as female entrepreneurs

If you are the partner or husband of a female entrepreneur maybe you also want to know how you can support her.

Here are seven reasons why you are not making enough money

1) Your basic needs are met

Guess what, if you are having a roof above your head and food on the table you are privileged. If you can openly express your concerns you live in a great country. Still, how will you pay for your old-age pension? What if something happens to your partner and your savings are eaten up too quickly?

2) You are wealthy

You were born with a silver spoon or your parents already gave you an inheritance that won’t make you worry about your bank account anymore. You can actually work for free and volunteer for good causes because you are a princess. Well, congratulations! Maybe you could consider helping other women get their business off the ground.

3) Imposture Syndrome

You think deep down inside that you do not deserve to be paid adequately for your work and that everything you have achieved so far happened by luck or by an alignment of the stars. You are worried that one day you will be called out an imposture.

4) Fear of Competition

You keep your prices low, because you feel that there are hundreds of other women in the canton of Zurich or around the globe with a similar skill set and with similar profiles. You are working in a space where competition is high because you have not found your niche. Your brand is not recognizable and you are not even proud of yourself.

5) You are not clear about your potential clients

You have not defined your client group narrow enough and you think you can work for everyone and with everyone. Potential clients don’t feel that they are in the right place because they are not sure you can cater to their specific issues.

6) You lack tech skills

You don’t understand digital and social media marketing and you are worried about putting yourself out there because it could create actual work for you. You are afraid of using the Internet, your name and photo because of scammers, stalkers and robots.

7) You don’t have a network

You rely too much on tech, digital and social media marketing and potential clients are used to freebies and free-everything. You cannot get out of a place where everything is thrown at potential clients for free into a space where clients are prepared to pay for your products and services. You lack a good offline network and former clients who are willing to give a reference for you.

How can you solve this issue for yourself? As a first step, I would suggest to have a chat with me so we can discuss what is really blocking you from success.

Cheers

Angie Weinberger

So you got the job as the new manager. Congratulations! Scared? Of course, you are.

Entering a new company in a senior role is one of the most daunting experiences you can undergo during your career. You may experience feelings of intimidation and apprehension due to the heavy duties and relationship building coming your way. Knowing how to behave and getting your team on your side is one of the most crucial elements to surviving as the new manager in a new job. You also want to prove your skills in your chosen field. With our comprehensive guide – we’ll show you the skills and attributes you need to make joining as the new manager a breeze.

Common new manager mistakes

Making the leap to a managerial position (whether as a new employee at a firm or through progression) takes a whole new skill set to ensure your team and seniors trust you. Whilst most managers grasp not bragging about their skills quite easily there are still some subtle mistakes most new managers make which can lead you off to a bad start.

Here are the common mistakes a new manager needs to be aware of:

Leading from a position of power or ego

A new manager who feels the need to dominate all decision making and fellow employees is a manager who feels the need to lead by fear. This can encourage bad practice such as micromanagement – a management style that is often very autocratic and decreases morale. By constantly being the dominant character, especially in a self-promoting manner can come across arrogantly. You might be giving your team the impression you lack the ability to recognize the achievements of other people or let them make decisions of their own.

Not listening to your team and others

Listening isn’t just about hearing what others have to say, it’s being able to respond in the best way possible that takes their ideas into account. By not actively listening to your employees you encourage a lack of respect, which can come back around two-fold. By not listening to your team you decrease your approachability – which increases the likelihood of miscommunication amongst your team.

Not providing feedback

Feedback should be constant with every project you work on. Waiting for a bi-annual review can leave your team in the dark and discourage them if they’re told to improve in areas they assumed they were excelling at. It’s also worth noting that there’s a very fine line between criticism and actionable feedback. By telling your team what’s not working as opposed to how you can fix it is highly discouraging – the last thing you want your team to feel at the workplace.

Not making time for employees

You’ll be stretched thin trying to learn the ropes as the new manager, however, if one of your employees requires help then schedule a date and time you’re free to train them as opposed to refusing the offer to help. In terms of being approached for personal issues – it can be hard to relate to every single situation going on in someone’s personal life, but simply being there to listen and offering your time can help an employee feel listened to and will increase your approachability.

Skills and attributes needed to survive as a new manager

Build decent relationships with your seniors

Like any job you pursue – having a good relationship with your seniors is important for relationship building, career development, and job satisfaction. By setting a good impression earlier on you’ll be highly remembered for being a positive, hard worker and inspire trust amongst people within your workplace.

Get to know your team on a personal level

Dismantle the wall between employee and boss by asking your employees about their day, exciting things outside of work, friends, and family. When new managers take the time to do this it eliminates the strict persona that comes with being a manager and helps people feel at ease.

Clarify your expectations from your team (and your boss)

By setting expectations of your role and what you aim to achieve – you give your boss an idea of how to direct you and go about progressing in your new role. Your boss will understand how daunting managing people can be and can help diffuse your worries.

Adam Chapman is a Marketing Executive for Armstrong Appointments – a leading South African recruitment agency with over 10 years in the field. They recruit for roles ranging from Engineering to Mining and are passionate about placing the right talent with the right companies.

PS. Editor’s Note: If you are a new manager and struggle with your international team talk to us.