Tag Archive for: Business Strategy

What is an Online Business Manager? Do I need one?

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Online Business Managers may have caught your attention, but how do they compare to Virtual Assistants? A few more ambitious VAs may even offer the same services as OBMs, so what makes them different?

OBMs are much more than just great VAs. They offer different services and their skills and priorities differ too, but there are companies like Venice Virtual that provide full-service support and cover most of what an OBM does.

Online Business Managers provide management-level support to busy business owners.  It could be on a temporary basis while the business owner takes a break, or for a limited period when things are particularly busy so that the owner can focus on more important things, manage projects, or supervise a particular department.

You could drastically change your future both inside and outside of your business if you hire an OBM. It could give you the chance to work on an idea or find time to explore new possibilities.

An experienced OBM will assist clients with strategy and provide a good sounding board for business owners who need that extra support organising their thoughts and connecting the dots.

As your business grows, so will your OBM, so they’re committed to making your company a success. Unlike you, they will be invested, but not as emotionally involved in the business, so they can remain objective, giving them a greater ability to see things clearly.

The OBM’s role is to ensure systems and processes are tightened, communications are improved, and action is taken when necessary to keep things on track. You’ll be able to focus on things such as strategy, vision, brand development and new concepts when an online business manager manages the day-to-day.

When workflows, procedures, and channels of communication have already been established, an OBM can provide you with the most freedom. In cases where you need to establish new processes and systems, an OBM can support you with developing strategy, decision-making, and communication.

They can help improve and refine systems in your operation to allow you and the rest of your team to work autonomously so you can focus on more significant things.

A strong Online Business Manager will benefit you not only by giving you more time to focus on growth, but also by bringing with them knowledge, services, and associates.

Key takeaways;

♦️  Online Business Managers provide a higher level of management.

♦️  Giving OBM the autonomy to oversee the smooth running of your business, allows you as a business owner more time to focus on growing the company.

♦️  Rates vary, but you can expect to pay at least £40 per hour up to £120. Typical retainer packages start at around £600 per month and rise to around £3000 or more.

The decision to hire an OBM or VA can be daunting and we understand you may have many questions.

This short guide should provide you with some answers, but nothing beats a one-on-one conversation where you can discuss your own business needs, which is why we welcome a discovery call to see how we can help.  Call us today. Read the rest

Nail Your Social Media Strategy

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Making decisions as a business owner can be tough, especially when going solo. Setting clear goals is one of the easiest ways to improve focus and clarity.

Review your business objectives as you plan your social strategy.  Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Is it time to set new goals or revise existing ones? When you’ve determined your ultimate goal, ask yourself how social media can help you reach it, then set smaller, SMART goals for each channel.

As a general rule, social media analytics aren’t to be taken too seriously, but occasionally checking in is a good idea. Are there any lessons to be learned from previous campaigns that you can apply to your new social strategy? Take this opportunity to review your analytics in detail. What has worked well and what hasn’t? Has your demographic changed? What are the top traffic sources for you? Are there any platforms that don’t generate any ROI? Take a look beyond your own data as well. How do the experts predict the future?

What are the best ways to make the most of your time, money, and effort spent on marketing?

With your analytics and goals in hand, consider streamlining as the next step.

In order to focus on your ideas and communicate them effectively, you should be able to answer these three questions clearly:

  1. Do you know where your people are?

  2. How will you utilise each channel?

  3. Why those channels and activities?

Once you know the where, what, and why, it’s time to figure out the when and how.

Taking a look at the next 12 months is the first step. Identify key dates for your market by viewing the calendar for a month. Consider events, launches, key periods, and holidays.

Using this information, you can develop a more detailed plan. What needs to be accomplished in Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4? What is the timeline for running campaigns to support key events? Forward planning for this will give you the opportunity to create better engaging messaging in your social media strategies.

Understanding the difference between above-the-line marketing and your social media campaign objective, and how to get the maximum performance for your campaign within the context of your brand and social media strategy, can be helpful.

Do you have the capacity to run both, and how much work does each require? You may be able to manage your baseline alone, but when running campaigns, you’ll need an extra pair of hands. Or maybe outsourcing your baseline will free you up to prepare and run your own campaigns and vice versa?

The finish line is almost in sight. You know your goals, you’ve got the data, can answer all the pertinent questions, and you know who’s planning to do what and when.

We recommend seeking flexible, virtual support from one of our expert associates when implementing your new social strategy. Social media is more than a status update in the ever-evolving landscape of advertising. It is part of a broader marketing and sales funnel.

Through our specialised approach, we will work with you to achieve your business goals. This will enable us to achieve maximum campaign performance within the context of your brand and social media strategy. This will drive your social media campaign to the next level. Read the rest