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Every multi-billion-dollar business you have ever heard of was once just an idea. As that idea grew into a startup, an entrepreneur began working toward the enormous profits many of us admire and aspire to today. Along the way, that hardy soul naturally made multiple blunders.

In fact, many entrepreneurs face catastrophic failure. Only the sturdiest among them rises from the ashes and rebuilds.

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In this post, we take a look at some common startup blunders we can all learn from, so you can avoid making the mistakes others before you have made.

Succumbing to a Fear of Failure

Some people give up before they ever get started, due either to a fear of failure or, surprisingly, a fear of success.

Fear will keep you circling around the same blunders over and over because you won’t want to try new things. As a result, your great ideas will remain just that. They will be ''great ideas'' for all time.

So don’t let fear rule your world. Give yourself permission to fail and step outside of your comfort zone. You’re going to make mistakes. Just accept that and try to learn the lessons your mistakes teach you. It’s the only way to win.

Failing to Study the Lay of the Land

One of the biggest blunders you can make as an entrepreneur is failing to conduct thorough research on the ground.

Your type of business should match the needs of your target customers. Bring to them a product or service they need. Make sure the quality of that product or service is impeccable.

Then create awareness about your offering with skillful marketing. In fact, be sure to invest in marketing. Great marketing will pay off in the long run.

Building on a Poor Foundation

Don’t make the blunder of failing to lay a strong foundation. And pay attention to detail. Small errors when you’re first starting out can grow into ginormous failures over time. However, with careful planning and attention to detail, you can win the game.

Failure to Follow the Law

Unfortunately, many up-and-coming entrepreneurs don't pay as much attention as they should to laws and regulations governing businesses in their country. Unfortunately, these blunders can catch up with you eventually.

For example, some entrepreneurs try to evade paying their taxes. This is not a good strategy, and it is sure to lead to tax audits, sleepless nights, and worse.

If you have already made this blunder, don’t hesitate to contact experienced tax professionals for the IRS audit help you need to protect your business and its assets.

Doing Things Your Own Way

It could be that you enjoy being self-reliant. While this may be good stand in some situations, refusing to ask for help when you need it could lead to ruin for your business. Even in the very beginning, you’re going to need to rely on others. Trying to handle everything in your startup all by yourself will drain you.

This doesn’t mean you need to employ a bunch of workers you won’t be able to pay. That would be a huge blunder!

But do hire specialists when you need them on a short-term basis. And seek out a mentor, perhaps another entrepreneur with a little more experience than you have. At the very least, build a relationship with a colleague you can bounce ideas off of from time to time.

Hiring a Weak Workforce

When your business has grown to a point that it’s time to hire employees, be sure to do your hiring thoughtfully and carefully.

Finding the right people to work with you can lead your business to success. Moreover, make sure your employees understand your goals and your vision. Only in this way can they can help you fulfill your goals.

Additionally, invest in your employees. For instance, provide them with training to enable them to better perform the work you pay them to do. This will keep on-the-job blunders to a minimum. Build relationships with them, and interact with them on a personal level. Let them get to know you so they can learn how you want things done.

Also, acknowledge their efforts. Remember that their successes on the job lead toward the growth of your business. Don’t make the mistake of bossing your employees around. Instead, welcome them as your partners in achieving success for your business.

Avoid These Blunders and Make Your Own Unique Mistakes Instead

While it’s not possible to build a business from scratch and avoid making any blunders, it is possible to beat the odds and reach the top. All you’ll need are confidence, strategic thinking, and plenty of hard work.

For more inspiring articles written with you, the entrepreneur, in mind, be sure to visit our blog often.

The post Don't Do This! Ruinous Startup Blunders appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

When marketing strategies lose their effect on target audiences, companies must find new ways to keep them interested in their brand. That's where marketing automation comes in. Marketing automation is the process of using web-based services and software to manage and automate marketing tasks.

Find out how marketing automation can help your business grow. Read now about five effective strategies.

1. Use Marketing Automation to Offer Content That Keeps Leads Interested

Marketing automation is all about providing digital content to your target audience. Unlike traditional content such as billboards and newspaper articles, marketing automation content can easily be found online when prospects search for specific keywords.

It's important to create content that's both engaging and relevant to what your business sells. This is because the incorrect information could result in the loss of leads to customer conversion.

Because it changes according to the past interests or behaviors of your leads, this type of marketing automation is called adaptive content. Typically, this type of content is personalized. For example, emails will have leads’ names on them. This creates an immediate connection.

Marketing automation content allows the lead to view and engage with what's being presented without talking face-to-face with a sales representative. Most people prefer to deal with B2B (business to business) this way because it allows them to be flexible with their buying choices.

Content by way of marketing automation can be in the form of:

• Email newsletters
• Direct social media messages
• VIP promotions sent via SMS

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2. Set up a Drip Campaign to Reel in Prospects

A drip campaign is an automated communications strategy that sends short messages to prospects based on their past online behaviors.

For example, if a prospect is browsing through your web page and they click on a particular product, you can use marketing automation to send them newsletters, sales, or promotions on similar products via email or SMS.

A drip campaign is another way to personalize your engagement with prospects. This could convert them into regular paying customers. This is because drip campaigns have a higher click-through rate when you present prospects with personalized promotions and sales.

3. Turn to Professionals for Expert Marketing Automation Services

If you realize you don’t have the training or background in marketing automation strategies, why not reach out to a professional? There are marketing automation companies that specialize in creating and distributing quality content that will keep your target audience interested in your brand.

The advantage of using a marketing automation service is they will structure and plan your campaigns for you. In fact, professional marketing automation services will provide you with the quality advice you need to run successful campaigns.

Marketing automation companies have the digital tools to optimize your marketing campaigns. Therefore, you can rest assured that a professional automated marketing campaign will bring in new business. Additionally, it will keep existing customers interested in your brand.

4. Learn to Use a Nurture Campaign

Having high traffic on your website doesn't mean all your visitors are ready to buy from you. However, because they're browsing through your website they ARE potential customers. In other words, they might buy your products in the future.

Leads that aren't ready to buy what you're selling require nurturing via marketing automation. This is done by presenting them with personalized content that's tailored to their needs. When you nurture your leads you'll often have a 50% increase in customer conversions simply by sending them adaptive content.

You can nurture your leads by sending them VIP access to parts of your website only they can access. Here you can offer coupons or sales on selected products and services. Another way you can nurture a lead is by offering them free eBooks, tutorials, or getaways if they buy something from your online store.

5. Personalize Emails You Send to Your Prospects

According to TechJury, lead-nurturing emails have an 8% click-through rate. On the other hand, generic emails only have a 3% click-through rate. In short, people are more likely to click on your content when they're referred to by their name.

Another study found that 7% of people would engage with a service provider if they were sent birthday emails.

Using emails as a platform to engage with leads in a personalized way is a professional approach. Yes, you can also send private messages to prospects via social media. However, most people consider these messages to be click bait. So always opt for marketing automation emails to gain more trust from leads.

The way to get leads to give you their email addresses if you don't already have them is by implementing the drip campaign technique. Offer them something valuable in exchange for their contact details. Then you can send them personalized content they will benefit from.

Final Thoughts About Marketing Automation

Are you ready to implement your own marketing automation strategies? There are various automation tools you can use to optimize your marketing campaigns. However, if you're looking for a more professional approach, opt for a service provider to do your marketing automation for you.

Learn more about the latest in marketing strategies by visiting our blog.

The post Marketing Automation: 5 Methods You Need to Be Using appeared first on Business Opportunities.