For Success: A Bar-1 Resources Blog

Employees are the greatest asset for any organization in the competitive world of business. Therefore, it’s essential that employers recognize the value of employee satisfaction and engagement. Providing a comprehensive benefits package to your team members is an excellent way to foster employee morale and loyalty — but offering the same old benefits might not cut it. Below, Bar-1 Resources explores new and innovative methods to give your team the benefits and perks they’re looking for! Work-From-Anywhere Policies The pandemic forced many companies to transform the way they work, with remote work becoming a necessity for a large percentage. Countless companies have now adopted work- from-anywhere policies to boost employee flexibility and productivity.​ Working from anywhere could mean that your team members work from home, a co-working space, or even a coffee shop. Such a policy helps employees balance their personal and professional life while reducing stress and boosting overall well-being. Help With Finding Housing Finding comfortable and affordable housing can be especially challenging for those moving from a different city or job. As a company that values employee satisfaction, it’s essential to support new employees in their search! Helping new team members find apartments that fit within their budget not only ensures their happiness and well-being but also fosters a positive work environment. Be intentional about providing them with resources such as online apartment listings , connecting them with local real estate agents, or suggesting apartment complexes with amenities that cater to their unique needs. Financial Education and Wellness Benefits Employees face many financial challenges that impact their health and productivity. In response, you might begin offering financial education and wellness benefits like budgeting workshops and retirement planning. Such benefits can help your team members deepen their financial literacy , reduce their financial stress, and maintain their overall financial health. Mental Health Benefits As a business owner, you understand that the well-being of your employees is crucial to your success . Mental health benefits like counseling sessions, stress management programs, and substance-abuse assistance can go a long way in helping your team members maintain a healthy work-life balance. Taking these steps will show your employees that you care about their wellness, leading to higher employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity. Volunteering Benefits Employees look for a sense of purpose beyond their day-to-day work responsibilities. Many businesses now offer employees opportunities for volunteering or community service benefits, which is helping employees feel more connected to their communities . By creating such opportunities, you’ll likely notice your team members' sense of fulfillment and overall well-being reaching new heights! Career Advancement Opportunities Every employee wants opportunities to grow in their career. You can provide meaningful career advancement opportunities, such as training and development programs, mentorship programs, and cross-functional opportunities that help your team members feel valued and engaged . ​ Doing so will provide a platform for personal and professional growth so that your employees develop their skills and ultimately bolster your company‘s bottom line. More Benefits Than Your Competitors A generous and comprehensive benefits package is an essential component of any organization’s compensation strategy. By offering perks beyond salary and bonuses, your company can demonstrate your commitment to employee well-being and professional development. Some benefits to consider include birthday PTO, tuition assistance, and retirement plans. Birthday PTO is a unique idea that recognizes and celebrates a team member’s special day, providing them with a paid day off to rest, relax, and spend time with loved ones. Tuition assistance covers some or all of the cost of an employee‘s continuing education, including certificate programs, trade school, and undergraduate/graduate degrees. Retirement plans give employees peace of mind knowing they’re building a solid financial foundation for their future. The competition for the best talent in the job market is fierce, and offering comprehensive and innovative benefits can do wonders for attracting and retaining the best workers out there. Businesses that invest in their employees can expect higher job satisfaction, engagement, and productivity. Consider implementing some of the ideas above, and remain up-to-date with the latest trends to ensure your company continues to be a fantastic place to work! Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about our HR and career services? Visit Bar-1 Resources.com today! Guest Blog Post by Julie Morris @JulieMorris.Org

Payroll and human resources (HR) are two distinct functions within an organization, but there is often a question of whether payroll should be part of HR or whether it should be a separate department. In this blog post, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of including payroll in HR. Advantages of Including Payroll in HR Streamlined Communication : By including payroll in HR, communication between the two departments can be streamlined. The HR team can provide the necessary information related to new hires, salary changes, and benefits to the payroll team, which can then process payroll accordingly. Consistent Data : When payroll is part of HR, the data used to process payroll is more likely to be consistent and accurate. Managing payroll data is made easier by HR having access to a variety of employee information, including job titles, salaries, and benefits. Improved Compliance : HR is responsible for ensuring that the organization is in compliance with labor laws and regulations. When payroll is integrated into HR, compliance can be better enforced because the two departments are more closely aligned. Disadvantages of Including Payroll in HR Different Skill Sets : Payroll and HR require different skill sets. HR focuses on the management of people, while payroll is focused on the processing of financial transactions. Combining these two functions may require employees to have a wider range of skills and may result in staff shortages in either department. Increased Workload : Combining payroll with HR may increase the workload of HR staff, as they will be responsible for processing payroll in addition to their other duties. This could lead to increased stress and a higher risk of errors. An organization's payroll errors can have a major impact on its bottom line, so this should be a major consideration. Limited Expertise : By combining payroll and HR, organizations may limit their access to specialized expertise. For example, payroll experts may have a deeper understanding of tax regulations and other financial laws, while HR experts may have a better understanding of employment laws and regulations. Ultimately, whether payroll should be part of HR depends on the specific needs of the organization. While there are advantages to including payroll in HR, there are also potential disadvantages that need to be considered. Organizations should carefully evaluate the pros and cons before making a decision about whether to integrate these functions or keep them separate. Ultimately, the goal should be to ensure that both payroll and HR are operating efficiently and effectively, and that employees are being paid accurately and on time. An HR consultant can aid in your decision by analyzing your business and providing insight on what is likely to work best based on your specific needs.

A job description is a document that outlines the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills required for a particular job position. This is the key component for your job advertisement, but will also be maintained in your company files as a document that details the roles in your company. A well-written job description is critical in attracting, screening, and hiring the best candidate for a position. It provides essential information about the job, the company, and what is expected of the employee. So, what does a job description encompass? Firstly, a job description sets clear expectations and helps to avoid confusion about the job responsibilities. It serves as a guideline for both the employer and the employee on what is expected of them. The job description outlines the specific duties and responsibilities of the job, making it easier for the employee to understand their role. It also helps the employer to evaluate the employee's performance based on the duties and responsibilities outlined in the job description. Secondly, a well-written job description helps to attract the best candidates. A job description that accurately reflects the position, its requirements, and the company's culture can attract the right candidates. It can help the company stand out from the competition, and attract candidates who are a good fit for the position and the company. A clear and detailed job description can also help to weed out unqualified candidates, saving the company time and resources. Thirdly, a job description is crucial in promoting fairness and avoiding discrimination. A well-written job description provides objective criteria for evaluating candidates, which helps to eliminate bias in the hiring process. It helps to ensure that all candidates are evaluated based on the same criteria, regardless of their gender, race, or other personal characteristics. This can help to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Fourthly, a job description is essential for training and development. A well-written job description provides a clear understanding of the skills and qualifications required for the job. This can help the employer to identify training and development opportunities for the employee to enhance their skills and perform their job better. It also helps the employee to understand what skills and qualifications they need to develop to advance in their career. Finally, a well-written job description can help to improve employee engagement and retention. A clear job description can help the employee understand their role in the company and how their job contributes to the company's success. It can also help the employee to identify career growth opportunities within the company, which can increase their engagement and commitment to the company. A well-written job description is critical in attracting, screening, and hiring the best candidate for a position. It sets clear expectations, helps to attract the best candidates, promotes fairness, is essential for training and development, and improves employee engagement and retention. A company should invest time and effort in creating a comprehensive and accurate job description to ensure that they hire the right candidate for the job. So, now that the importance of a well-written job description has been conveyed, you may be wondering how to go about writing this document. Writing a great job description is essential to attract qualified candidates for your job opening. Here are some steps to follow when writing a job description: Start with a clear job title: The job title should accurately reflect the position's responsibilities, and it should be easy to understand. Avoid using vague titles, such as "team player" or "go-getter." Write a compelling job summary: The job summary should be a brief description of the job's purpose and primary responsibilities. It should be engaging and clearly communicate why the job is essential to the company. List the job responsibilities: The job responsibilities should be listed in bullet points and organized by importance. The list should include only the essential duties, avoiding irrelevant or peripheral tasks. Specify the qualifications: The qualifications section should specify the minimum education, experience, and skills required for the position. This section should be specific, realistic, and should not include unnecessary requirements. Absolute necessities and otherwise bonuses should be differentiated. Many companies miss out on great people due to unrealistic expectations. Analysis of similar roles with your competitors will help paint a clear picture of what the qualifications should resemble. Include information about the company culture: This section should describe the company's values, mission, and culture. This information can help candidates understand the company's work environment and whether they would be a good fit for the company. Provide information about the compensation and benefits: This section should include information about the salary range, benefits, and any other perks that come with the job. This information can help candidates decide whether to apply for the job or not. There are a few states where compensation information is now required by law. Many candidates in other states still wish to see this information and will not apply if at least some compensation and benefit information is not listed. Be concise: A great job description should be concise and easy to read. Avoid using jargon or complicated language that can make the job description difficult to understand. Proofread and edit: Before publishing the job description, make sure to proofread and edit it carefully. A typo or a grammatical error can create a negative impression of the company and discourage qualified candidates from applying. In conclusion, writing a great job description is essential to attract qualified candidates for your job opening. By following the steps outlined above, you can create a job description that accurately reflects the job's responsibilities, qualifications, and company culture. Contact Bar-1 Resources today if you need assistance in putting together a job description that will attract top talent to your company. We will review your current job descriptions or write new ones based on your business needs. Most importantly, we can help ensure this crucial step in the recruitment process isn’t holding you back from attracting the best possible candidates.

Human Resources is critical to the success of any business, whether there are 2 employees or 10,000+ employees. HR Consultants are valuable to companies of all sizes as well. The use of an HR consultant is particularly beneficial for small businesses. Why? Here are 5 reasons your business should consider hiring a human resources consultant: Expertise HR consultants are trained and experienced in the field of human resources, and can provide valuable advice and guidance to small businesses on many HR issues that impact their business including: Employment law: HR consultants are knowledgeable about federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including wage and hour laws, anti-discrimination laws, and family leave laws. They can help businesses understand and comply with these regulations, which can be complex and constantly evolving. Compensation and benefits: HR consultants can provide guidance on compensation and benefits practices, including setting salaries, designing benefits packages, and managing employee retirement plans. Talent management: HR consultants can assist businesses in developing and implementing effective talent management strategies, including recruiting and onboarding, performance management, training and development, and succession planning. Employee relations: HR consultants can provide guidance on employee relations issues, including conflict resolution, employee grievances, and disciplinary actions. Compliance: HR consultants can help businesses stay compliant with employment laws and regulations by conducting audits, reviewing policies and procedures, and providing training to employees and managers. HR technology: HR consultants are knowledgeable about HR technology solutions, including HR management systems (HRMS), applicant tracking systems (ATS), and performance management tools. They can help businesses select, implement, and manage these systems. Overall, HR consultants have a broad and deep understanding of the many different aspects of human resources and can provide valuable guidance and support to businesses looking to improve their HR practices and comply with employment regulations. Cost-Effectiveness For many small businesses, hiring a full-time HR professional can be expensive. By using an HR consultant, small businesses can access HR expertise on an as-needed basis, which can be more cost-effective than hiring a full-time employee. In fact, HR consultants can be cost-effective for small businesses in several ways: Flexible arrangements: HR consultants can work on a project-by-project basis or be engaged for a set number of hours per month, providing small businesses with flexibility in terms of the level of support they need and the amount of money they are willing to spend. Reduced overhead: By using an HR consultant, small businesses can avoid the cost of hiring a full-time HR professional, including salaries, benefits, and overhead costs such as office space, equipment, and training. Improved efficiency: HR consultants can help small businesses optimize their HR processes, making them more efficient and effective. This can help reduce costs associated with HR-related tasks and improve overall business operations. Avoidance of costly mistakes: HR consultants can help small businesses avoid costly HR-related mistakes, such as compliance violations or employment law violations, that can result in legal fees, fines, and other expenses. Increased productivity: By outsourcing HR functions to an HR consultant, small businesses can free up their own time and resources to focus on core business activities that can drive revenue and increase productivity. Overall, HR consultants can be cost-effective for small businesses by providing flexibility, reducing overhead costs, improving efficiency, avoiding costly mistakes, and increasing productivity. By outsourcing HR functions to an HR consultant, small businesses can access the expertise they need without the cost of hiring a full-time employee. Compliance Small businesses are subject to numerous federal, state, and local regulations related to employment practices. HR consultants can help businesses stay in compliance with federal and state laws in several ways: Knowledge of regulations: HR consultants are knowledgeable about federal and state employment regulations, including wage and hour laws, anti-discrimination laws, and family leave laws. They can help businesses understand these regulations and develop policies and procedures that are in compliance with them. Compliance audits: HR consultants can conduct compliance audits to identify areas of non-compliance and develop plans to address them. They can also assist with implementing corrective actions to ensure that businesses remain in compliance. Policy development: HR consultants can help businesses develop HR policies that are in compliance with federal and state regulations. This includes policies related to employee handbooks, anti-discrimination and harassment, and leave of absence policies. Training: HR consultants can provide training to employees and managers on compliance issues, including anti-discrimination and harassment training, wage and hour training, and leave of absence training. Recordkeeping: HR consultants can help businesses establish and maintain compliant recordkeeping practices, including maintaining personnel files, managing employee time and attendance records, and maintaining records related to employee benefits. Overall, HR consultants can help businesses stay in compliance with federal and state employment laws by providing knowledge, conducting compliance audits, developing policies, providing training, and managing recordkeeping practices. By working with an HR consultant, businesses can reduce their risk of non-compliance and avoid costly fines and legal issues. Risk Management HR consultants can help small businesses identify and manage HR-related risks, such as discrimination claims, wrongful termination lawsuits, and workplace safety concerns. There is a lot of overlap here with ensuring your business is in compliance with federal, state, and local laws. In addition to compliance measures, HR consultants can help businesses manage risk by: Conducting risk assessments: HR consultants can conduct risk assessments to identify potential risks related to employment practices, such as hiring and firing, employee relations, and compliance issues. Based on the results of the assessment, they can develop plans to mitigate those risks. Investigations: HR consultants can assist businesses with conducting internal investigations into issues such as harassment, discrimination, or misconduct, helping to mitigate potential risks associated with these issues. Overall, HR consultants can help businesses manage risk by conducting risk assessments, developing policies and procedures, providing training, conducting compliance audits, managing recordkeeping practices, and conducting internal investigations. By working with an HR consultant, businesses can reduce their risk of legal liability, protect their reputation, and maintain a safe and productive workplace. Improved Employee Retention and Productivity HR consultants can help improve employee retention and productivity in several ways: Employee engagement: HR consultants can help businesses develop strategies to improve employee engagement, such as conducting employee surveys and developing communication channels that allow employees to provide feedback and feel heard. This can help improve job satisfaction and increase employee retention. Performance management: HR consultants can assist businesses with developing performance management processes that align with the company's goals and values. This includes developing performance metrics and performance improvement plans, which can help employees understand expectations and work towards achieving their goals. Training and development: HR consultants can assist businesses with developing training and development programs that help employees develop new skills and grow professionally. This can improve job satisfaction, increase employee retention, and increase productivity. Compensation and benefits: HR consultants can assist businesses with developing competitive compensation and benefits packages that align with industry standards and employee needs. This can help attract and retain top talent, improve job satisfaction, and increase productivity. Workplace culture: HR consultants can help businesses develop and maintain a positive workplace culture, which can help improve employee retention and productivity. This includes developing employee recognition programs, establishing work-life balance policies, and promoting a respectful and inclusive workplace. Overall, HR consultants can help businesses improve employee retention and productivity by focusing on employee engagement, performance management, training and development, compensation and benefits, and workplace culture. By working with an HR consultant, businesses can develop and implement strategies that help create a positive work environment and improve employee satisfaction, which can lead to increased productivity and higher employee retention rates. In summary, using an HR consultant can be a smart investment for small businesses looking to improve their HR practices and comply with employment regulations, without incurring the cost of hiring a full-time HR professional. Want to know more about what customizable options an HR Consultant can provide for your specific set of needs? Contact Bar-1 Resources today for a free consultation!

Website analytics are there to help you track and measure various parameters of your website. But they can also help you ensure that your website is completely optimized in every aspect - including layout, speed, SEO, and more. For example, with Google Analytics you can create many different reports to help you understand the health of your website. Set Goals First The first thing to do is set goals for your analytics. For example, if you are having a webinar you might want to study how many people signed up for your webinar and then signed up for your newsletter. If you created a white paper, you might want to keep track of how many people downloaded the white paper and what (if any) links in the white paper were clicked on. Analyze and React Did SEO Work or Not? Using the analytics that you have available; you can find out if traffic or conversions increased after you updated your SEO on your site and added more content. What Type of Content Works Best? You can also discover which posts are more popular and which posts converted to sales or enrollments. When you take stock of which blog posts are popular, what do they have in common? Which Segments of Your Audience Convert at a Higher Rate? If you use audience segmentation you can find out the segments that convert at a higher rate, which means you can then use that information to target that segment harder. What New Products or Services You Should Offer? When you determine what your visitors like most through analytics, you can offer complementary products or services. Develop new ideas for products and services based on the data you collect. What New Goals Can Be Ascertained? As you research the data and information that you find in your analytics software, you can discover new ideas for new goals. These goals may not have been established if you hadn’t looked at the other data. For example, your first goal might be to get people to subscribe to your newsletter. After a high rate of success, you may set up a goal that people on your newsletter list convert to joining your membership site. What are the Right Keywords? One thing that Google Analytics and AdWords can be really good at is helping you choose the right keywords. Plus, once you download a couple hundred keyword ideas it will also help you decide what type of content to add based on the keyword research. Do You Have a Slow Loading Site? Sometimes website designers add too many features that cause a website to slow down. If your website is too slow, visitors will leave, and Google will downgrade your website. By keeping tabs on this metric, you can take steps to improve site performance. Using analytics to help you improve your website is a great use of the software. You can ensure that your site is up to date, works fast, and has proper navigation and SEO so that you can convert visitors to buyers in no time. What are your thoughts? Please comment on what works for you!

Almost 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates, but most job seekers are overlooking this valuable opportunity. If you’re like many professionals, you probably created a profile and occasionally go back to add more connections. However, there is so much more you can do with this platform to advance your career. Take charge of your future and attract more attention from potential employers by utilizing some of these valuable tips for designing and using your LinkedIn profile. Designing your LinkedIn Profile Edit your headline. Start by writing a specific headline. Tell employers what value you add and make them want to learn more. Keep your audience in mind and avoid technical terms that may be unfamiliar to them. Update your summary. Your summary is where you can add more details and showcase your achievements. Provide statistics to describe your impact. Add multimedia attachments like videos and work samples to help you stand out. Choose your photo. Pick an image that looks professional and clear. Focus on your face and use flattering natural light. Add keywords. Help recruiters and automated search tools to find you. Browse through job descriptions and resumes for keywords that are popular in your field and include them in your profile, including the headline and summary. Choose your URL. LinkedIn gives your profile a URL, but you can change it to something that you like better or might work more effectively for you. If your name is already taken, use a slight variation with your middle initial or hometown. Welcome recruiters. Is your profile visible to recruiters? Go into your privacy settings to be sure that you’ve opted to let them know that you want to hear from them. You’ll need to reset this switch every few months if you’re still looking. Be consistent. Your resume is usually written for a specific opening while your profile is a more general statement. Still, you want them to be similar enough to avoid causing any confusion. Check the meter. LinkedIn provides a profile strength meter to help you rate yourself. It will give you helpful recommendations about additional steps you can take, such as adding more information about volunteer work and foreign languages. Using your LinkedIn Profile Gather recommendations and endorsements. Recruiters want to know what others say about you. Ask former employers and other contacts for recommendations. Use your endorsements to advertise skills that are in high demand. If you’re generous about helping others, they’ll be more likely to return the favor. Write and publish. Share your knowledge and insights on the LinkedIn publishing platform. Develop a content strategy and use a calendar that will remind you to publish regularly. Join groups. Look for groups in your subject area and participate actively. Post articles and answer questions. Avoid any temptation to over-promote yourself. Monitor your connections. Stay on the lookout for valuable connections to add to your network. Send them personal invitations that will make a positive impression. Encourage others. Think of LinkedIn as a community where you can exchange ideas and support. Comment on posts from other users and share them with your own connections. Be discreet. While you’re working to raise your visibility, keep in mind that there may be times when you want to keep your job-hunting activities off view from your current boss and HR department. Change your privacy settings so you can control what information you want to make public. Optimizing your LinkedIn profile can make it easier for others to find you and help you reach your professional goals. You’ll increase your job satisfaction and may very well find yourself spending time in an unfulfilling position or in the unemployment line. What are your thoughts? What has worked for you on LinkedIn?

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, countless businesses are laying off or furloughing employees. Independent contractors are also seeing income losses. People who were already working from home before the viral outbreak are not necessarily secure in their jobs, and many have dealt with the same consequences of the pandemic as those who were employed in-house. Wondering how you can revive your work-from-home career? These resources will steer you in the right direction. Connect with Bar-1 Resources for dependable consulting for all your human resources and business demands. Send us a message and set up an appointment today! Top Tips for Finding Remote Work During a Pandemic or Economic Crisis Hone your freelance marketing efforts to grow your business during a recession. Find work doing Twitter marketing if you have social media experience. ​ Hone your skills through well-chosen online courses . Completing an online MBA program could help you advance your career. Safest, Fastest, and Most Reliable Video Chat Tools for Remote Workers in 2020 Learn the ins and outs of Microsoft Teams . Use Google Hangouts to communicate with clients on your laptop and smartphone. Try Cisco WebEx for hosting meetings with bigger teams. Guidelines for Maintaining Strong Professional Relationships With Clients Consider the scope of each project to set reasonable rates . Make sure that your clients are up to date on your progress by staying on top of communication . Keep track of your assignments, supplies, and paperwork by organizing your home office. Finding remote work opportunities during a pandemic and economic crisis might be challenging, but it is definitely possible. With these resources, you’ll be prepared with the right tools and tactics to get your professional life back on track. Credit to Katie Conroy, of Advice Mine .

In your personal life, you may be the king of sharing memes on Facebook or the queen of showing off all the hot spots you visit on Instagram. However, you may not know how exactly to go about using social media for marketing your business. There is another chance that you are not on social media at all and don’t even know how to utilize hashtags on Twitter or how to optimize a LinkedIn profile. You are a lot more comfortable with more traditional marketing techniques. Don’t fret! There are many similarities between social media marketing and other marketing strategies. It is definitely possible (and imperative in today’s age of technology) for you to obtain all of the benefits of social media. 9 Successful Strategies What Nobody Tells You About Headlines - Catchy titles and headlines are crucial! When using social media to market your business or product, be sure that you create a title that will draw people in. A boring title will make viewers skip over your content; thus, your marketing efforts will be all for naught. Also, ensure that your title is relevant to your business or the product that you are selling. Fake it ‘til you make it. While you may not know what you are doing at first within social media marketing, fake confidence until you get the hang of it. Research the social media marketing techniques that your competitors are using and model your plan after theirs until you determine what strategies best suit your business and the needs of your customers. It is critical for the competition you have to be analyzed because they are in the game and something is working if they are successful! Look at their social profiles and note what they advertise, the specials they run, and the types of content that is popular with their audience. Start here and adapt your methods to better suit your followers as you grow. Do not post irrelevant or trivial posts on your social media profiles. Always keep your posts professional and relevant. No one cares that you got a new cell phone or that you are standing in line at the movies. These types of posts should be reserved for your own personal profile, not your business profile. If you are doing something that relates to your business or a business promotion, please share. For example: We just pulled into ABC Arena to set up for the 2020 Home and Garden Show! We will be here from 10 AM-6 PM all weekend. Please be sure to visit us at Booth 123! Just make sure it is appropriate. You can have your Twitter and Instagram posts appear on your Facebook wall as well. Perhaps writing different posts might be best since your audience on Twitter might slightly differ from your Facebook friends, and Twitter is about writing extremely short posts. Instagram and Twitter also rely heavily on hashtags and Facebook does not. However, this allows you to update both websites very easily. You can always edit the post on Facebook to remove hashtags or add additional information if you prefer to change it up. Always add hashtags to your Twitter and Instagram posts. They can also be helpful for LinkedIn. Tags are preceded by the symbol # so your updates can appear in feeds of other users who subscribe to the same group. Think carefully about your tag use. Identify specific groups that your intended demographic probably follows. You can also tag specific people or companies by mentioning them using “@” (@bar1resources for example) and the post will be shared to their page. You should create a Youtube channel to post reviews of your products and other videos relevant to your industry. You can set up your account so that your videos are posted right away on certain social networks. This will save you time and prevent you from forgetting to update a site. You can add applications such as SlideShare to LinkedIn. Try different applications and see which ones could be helpful to you. SlideShare allows you to create photo albums with detailed descriptions for each picture. You could add pictures of your products or have your customers send you pictures of themselves using what they bought from you. You can have your LinkedIn updates include what you post on Twitter by adding the Twitter application to your profile. Even if Twitter posts are generally shorter than LinkedIn updates, you will be able to reach out to a larger number of people and encourage your LinkedIn friends to find you on Twitter. Consider posting contests for freebies in your various social media profiles. You will gain many new followers by hosting a giveaway. Choose a product or service you want to highlight, then post your free offering to the most popular freebie pages and forums. Social media marketing uses many of the same techniques as other marketing methods, but it also presents you with new dilemmas as well as exciting new benefits. By implementing these hints and tips into your plan for social media marketing, you'll soon see firsthand how lucrative and beneficial social media technology can be to your business. It can be enjoyable to use social media marketing if you engage in it the right way. What are your thoughts? Please comment on what works for you!

A/B testing consists of having two versions of whatever you’re testing that are very slightly different. You then divide the traffic between the two versions and see which one converts at a higher rate. It seems simple enough but most marketers don’t even do it, even though it has shown time and again that website owners who conduct proper A/B testing experience higher conversions and a higher return on investment than those who don’t. Create the Marketing Collateral Whether it’s a sales page, newsletter landing page or something else entirely, create the designs in twos. You want to create two landing pages (A and B) that are slightly different. For example, perhaps each page has a different image on it, or a different headline, or perhaps a different buy/call to action button. Upload the Pages to Your Site You’ll need the URLs of the pages that you want to test. Make sure when you collect the URLs that you name each test page so that you know which one each URL is assigned to. Keep track of it all to ensure that you don’t get mixed up, so that your results will turn out accurately. Set Your Goals Obviously, your goal is to make more money and increase your return on investment. But, you will have many different conversion goals, such as newsletter sign-ups, freebie downloads, sales and more. Choose an “experimental objective” within Google Analytics to create your goals. You can find this under Behavior and Experiments. Just click “Create Experience” to get started. Name Your Experiment Choose names for your experiments so that you can identify which page is working best during the testing. Once you've done this you can set your goals under “objectives for this experiment”. You have several choices such as AdSense, ecommerce, and many other goal metrics. Choose the best one for your test. Run the Test Once you have it all set up and uploaded, you can let it run. Keep checking up on your statistics as often as you can; at first you may want to do it daily, then maybe weekly. Let it run long enough that you’re positive on which test, A or B, worked better. Pick the Best Conversion Page Remember that conversions and clicks are nice, but money is the point. There are always possibilities that the most clicked and trafficked page is not the one that makes the most money. Therefore, it’s imperative to run the experiment long enough with enough variables to notice. For example, don’t sign people up for the same list even if the series is the same; that way you know which list is filled with either A or B respondents. When you know what your goals are, and test to find out how accurately you have been designing sales pages and landing pages for your audience, you’ll soon get better at converting and making more money. Testing with Google Analytics is free and well worth it.