Bartercard

If you are still wrapping your head around social media in your business, Bartercard can recommend three essentials when it comes to tapping into your market online and leveraging your brand socially, by choosing platforms that support your brand.

Platforms that fit your brand will always create better results when it comes to attracting followers and converting sales, and posting on platforms that feel authentic to you will come more easily.

Clothing retailers and fashion brands rely heavily on imagery and therefore Instagram works well for them, as there are no limits when it comes to creativity, and can achieve some incredible cut through in the market. Instagram now claims to have more than 400 million users and has expanded its tools to enhance reach and visibility, launching landscape and portrait modes and adding additional search options.

Brands can also add a link in their Instagram bio which allows users to directly shop the products in their feed. Platforms like Instagram can also leverage partnerships and collaborations through cross marketing a new concept or initiative to each partner’s followers, effectively putting complementary brands in front of new markets.

When it comes to platforms, Google+ can be effective in reaching technology-focused consumers, while LinkedIn is a stronger choice for the business to business (B2B) sector (entrepreneur.com). Facebook will support virtually any brand thanks to a diverse user base which has approximately 1.49 billion monthly active user’s world-wide (statistica.com).

As Bartercard say, it’s hard to build a base of following on your own, especially if you are a start-up. Leveraging influencers is a way to fast-track this, and tagging a well-followed brand or personality on Instagram who chooses to add you to their feed will reach millions of followers.This not only outreaches traditional print advertising but comes without the exuberant cost of a print ad in a newspaper or glossy magazine. For example, if a fashion start-up tags a celebrity who decides to add the photo to their feed; it will put the brand in front of millions of followers and launch it to the market.

The best social media marketers are sticklers for quality which means no pixelated photos and using the latest technology in phones and digital SLR cameras – as well as expertise in the information you disseminate to make your message stick. Research and follow what the best brands are doing to meet the industry standard, and post topical content and comment, share and repost openly and frequently and you will find other brands will do the same for you.

Find out more about how to increase profit, profit increase and their customer reward programme at http://www.bartercard.co.nz .

As Bartercard understand it, due to its complexity, the digital marketing space can be difficult to navigate for seasoned traditional marketers, let alone small business owners. To make matters more confusing, the digital landscape is constantly changing and there seems to be a never-ending and growing list of service providers, all claiming to be ‘the best’ in their respective fields. This combination makes it difficult and potentially dangerous for small businesses owners to choose the right service and provider without the appropriate guidance or education.

To help you wrap your head around the digital marketing space, Bartercard offer an outline of the four main services available and the potential pros and cons of each.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of improving your website’s search visibility within search engines such as Google or Bing. In other words, improving your website’s ranking. SEO is perhaps the most effective method of boosting your website’s traffic or visits if done properly. It involves improving the ‘authority’ that your website has within search engines by having other websites linking to it, and containing unique and original quality content.

Google AdWords is a product provided by Google where you pay-per-click (PPC) in order to be ranked within the ads section of the search engine. The price you pay-per-click is based on the keywords you target (e.g ‘home builders’) and it works on a bidding system. This means that the more competition there is for bids on a particular keyword, the higher the price. This can be an effective method depending on your business and industry and generally, businesses with higher value products or services have better success.

Social Media marketing is a powerful tool to reach your specific target audience. It combines a mix of direct and indirect marketing though, which is something that AdWords or SEO cannot do, assisting to build brand equity.

Retargeting or remarketing is the process of re-advertising to people who have already visited your website. It’s likely you have been retargeted yourself at some stage and have been served an ad for a website you have visited recently. This is a highly effective and generally inexpensive way of ensuring you get the most out of your website visitors.

Bartercard is committed to helping New Zealand businesses grow and achieve financial success by facilitating a trade exchange network that offers dynamic and effective ways of conducting business, and they are always on the lookout for ways to help SMEs, so to find out more please go to http://www.bartercard.co.nz .

The Oxford English dictionary defines bartering as “an equal exchange of goods or services without involving money.” In the same way, Bartercard explain that a trade exchange can be defined as a community or association of businesses trading goods and services, using mutual credit outside of the cash economy. Although the concept of barter is thousands of years old, bartering through a trade exchange combines modern technology, a community of businesses, and marketing channels to increase profits through new customers and improved cash flow.

Bartering dates back as far as c9000 – 6000 BC with the domestication of cattle and cultivation of crops, which were then used as a form of payment in many different societies. Under the primitive conditions of a barter economy, the services of all persons were exchanged directly. Between equals, goods of one kind were exchanged for another kind. However, there was one major disadvantage – the equality of trade between the parties – chicken versus cattle. Barter therefore evolved into a part goods, part credit equivalent where the goods were assigned a value, the trade took place and the balance was returned to you in credit, cowrie shells or money.

Since those times, Barter has become more sophisticated with the introduction of trade exchanges, like Bartercard, offering an independent economy. Today officially recognised barter transactions represent approximately 40% of the world’s economy, and 85% of the US Fortune 500 companies engage in barter one way or another to increase their market share and improve productivity. An estimated 10 billion dollars in sales is currently transacted each year by the commercial barter industry alone.

The fundamental benefit that attracts businesses to a trade exchange is the principal of maximising unused capacity, whether it is time, or inventory, and effectively increasing revenues and customers without displacing their existing cash business. An interest-free line of credit can be utilised, thereby conserving cash and improving the company’s balance sheet. Businesses are assured of secure internet transactions, a pre-approval process and comprehensive record keeping.

Bartercard, the world’s largest trade exchange, is a business-to-business (B2B) marketplace assisting members to grow their customer base. Simply put, Bartercard members pay for products and services between each other with their own product or service instead of paying cash. Transactions in Trade Dollars are routed through Bartercard, an independent self-insured third-party record keeper who stores relative member credit and debit balances. This overcomes any weaknesses associated with primitive barter conducted directly between buyer and seller.

For more information please go to http://www.bartercard.co.nz .

As we are now well into the new financial year, Bartercard has some ideas on how they can work with your accounting system and, as they say, business finances don’t need to be a complicated process. Bartercard makes it easy and straightforward to keep your finances on track, by fitting into members’ existing accounting systems without the hassle.

Bartercard’s simple-to-use system means business owners can spend less time on their accounting and more time focusing on business growth strategies, and they discuss here how they can work with your accounting system, and how it can benefit you and your business.

What makes Bartercard’s system so simple to use is that, in addition to integrating with a member’s current financial system, there are a number of other aspects of Bartercard that make its accounting processes simple to use.

When considering business finances, members treat funds in the same way they would cash. There are no special tax considerations when using Bartercard, and this means when funds are in a Bartercard account, tax is paid in the same way it is for a cash amount in a normal bank account. Similarly, the accounting treatment of assets bought on Bartercard is identical to that of assets bought in cash. The depreciation rates and methods remain the same.

Bartercard understand what matters most to business owners – increasing cash flow, and growing your business. All you need to do is set up Bartercard as another bank account in your system, allowing you to focus on what is more important in your business.

Bartercard works supplementary to cash business. At no point is any member obligated to take on Bartercard business over cash-paying business, giving them complete control. All members also have the ability to choose which products and services they sell through the Bartercard network, and they can adjust offers to the Bartercard community as it suits their business at any time.

A benefit of a member using Bartercard for their business is that it encourages other members to utilise their goods and services. This in turn will help them gain new business, create customer loyalty and increase profits. Further, unlike loyalty programmes and daily deal sites, Bartercard Trade Dollars never expire.

All Bartercard members sign up to trading terms and the community is self-regulated. It’s therefore important that members are transparent and promote services and goods fairly to the network and customers. If you would like to know more about Bartercard you can download their free ebook by going to their website at http://www.bartercard.co.nz .

If our business isn’t as productive as we feel it could be, Bartercard have a three-point plan to make our work day more productive. Dr. Ron Friedman (award-winning social psychologist and bestseller on increasing workplace effectiveness) suggests we complete three tasks before beginning our actual work.

These surprising, yet simple suggestions from Friedman combine science and research, reminding us of the superior results we can achieve by deliberately taking time out to plan – before we begin a task. It all starts with a planning session.

Preparing for what is to come is important. We need to distinguish between what is urgent and what feels urgent which will enable us to determine the tasks we need to focus our attention on first. From the very moment we sit down we should ask ourselves this – “When the day is over, and I’m leaving here with a sense of accomplishment, what have I achieved?”

We need to begin by creating a plan of attack, breaking down any complex tasks into specific actions. We should also break down the goals into specific, smaller actions that begin with a verb (ACTION word) to make it very clear what our intentions are, e.g. make a sales call. This goal becomes more focused by listing the required actions such as researching the prospect company, scheduling a phone meeting with the contact, clearing our schedule and committing to a call location for the phone meeting.

Research has indicated that being specific about goals and the tasks required, increases successful outcomes. Also having the required steps mapped out in advance reduces the need for additional thinking later in the day and lessens the likelihood of procrastination. We should begin the day with the tasks that require the most mental energy and as the day continues, most of us will find our willpower and focus become less effective.

To help people manage their business more effectively, the Bartercard team have created a free resource which can be downloaded on their website at http://www.bartercard.co.nz . In less time than it takes for a coffee break, you’ll gain valuable insights into the habits the most successful business owners have in common. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Small Business Owners eBook covers learning how to roll with the punches, exploring the art of long and short-term plans, monitoring cash flow and spending, working with the pros vs. DIY opportunities, embracing technology and being open to change.

Bartercard is making it easier for its members to Search others!

Just like Google Maps, Bartercard Search allows its members to search for other members around them regardless of where they’re located in New Zealand or Bartercard’s island holiday destinations.  It’s quick, simple and easy to use – and it can even be used to rate other members!

Providing feedback via the rating system allows its members to highlight how great a service or product is, giving confidence and peace of mind to all Bartercard members.

Bartercard Search allows its users to:

§  Switch to ‘Tourist Guide’ mode and receive up to date tourist information for anywhere in the country  – places to visit, places to stay, and local attractions in the region

§  Create a shortlist of businesses and places to visit, share and recommend them to other members

§  Save searches and create a ‘favourites’ list so it can be referred back to regularly

Members can take advantage of the new way to search by visiting search.bartercard.co.nz on a mobile device or desktop today!

For more information on Bartercard and their services helping to increase sales, please visit the website at http://www.bartercard.co.nz .

Attracting new customers in a market that’s louder, faster, and where consumers are more discerning, can be harder than ever.

Listed within this e-book are eight ways to help you re-think your approach to attracting new customers and growing your market while evolving your skills as a business leader.

In this eBook you will learn:

• How to attract new customers in 8 simple steps
• How the most successful brands have built their markets
• How platforms like Instagram are putting brands in front of more consumers

Most business owners, directors and CEOs will agree that one of the most difficult challenges often faced in any organisation is how we build successful team environments that stimulate employee interest, create positive behaviours and build a thriving company culture for years to come.

http://blog.bartercard.com.au/how-to-empower-employees-to-increase-productivity-and-achieve-higher-revenue-using-bartercard

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