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Category: Tips

Six of the Best Toll Free Numbers (And Other Funny Numbers)

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic108574792 ID#27446420

Who says business numbers must be strictly serious? Your number can be an opportunity for displaying creativity to attract customer attention. Here we will look at how some companies have used their toll free numbers in exciting ways to draw customers to their businesses.

Creative Uses of Toll Free Numbers

Businesses continue to demand toll free numbers for a simple reason: they work. They are very helpful in bringing customers to a business and they add a subtle layer of professionalism. And, the effects are even more profound when you use vanity toll free numbers.

Vanity numbers insert patterns or letters within the number itself to make it stand out from other numbers. Here’s an opportunity for businesses to insert their name or a feature associated with their business. And it makes for a great way to market your business as well because these numbers are easy to recognize and remember. We have compiled some of (what we think are) the best toll free numbers out there; here’s a look!

Six Best Toll Free Numbers

1. 1-800-GO-FEDEX — FedEx, the go-to multinational delivery service’s contact uses a vanity toll free number with its name inserted in it.

2. 1-800-HURT-NOW — a toll free line for personal injury attorneys. Calling this number can help you get connected with a personal injury attorney best suited for your case.

3. 1-800-THRIFTY — Thrifty Car Rental’s customer service for online reservation help. Interestingly, their other toll free contact number is 1-800-FOR-CARS.

4. 800-GIANT-MEN — The Gentle Giant Moving Company inserts its name creatively in its business number to market its brand, emphasizing that they are giants of moving.

5. 1-800-DOG-POOP — This pooper scooper service’s vanity toll free number immediately grabs your attention!

6. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? — You must have seen this vanity number displayed on vans and billboards across the street. This is a toll free number for the world’s largest junk removal service.

Other Popular Toll Free Numbers

Besides the above, here are some other common toll free numbers that you may have used from time to time:

  • 888-BBT-ONLINE
  • 1-800-WALGREENS
  • 1-800-CALL-LEE
  • 1-800-FLOWERS
  • 1-800-TAXI-USA
  • 1-888-BEST-BUY
  • 1-800-T-MOBILE
  • 1-888-SANDALS, and there are many more

Funny Phone Numbers

If your business wants to really grab the attention of potential customers, there is nothing quite like humor to hook them in. Many companies have taken a clever spin on vanity numbers, using just their phone number to create a fun, memorable, positive experience for customers. Now for some examples of the funniest business numbers:

  • 800-IGo-HoJo — Howard Johnson’s
  • 800-9CAKE90 — Piece of Cake Inc
  • 800-FIT-IS-IT — Jazzercise Dance Fitness Program

Vanity Numbers for Your Business

Vanity toll free numbers are excellent tools for businesses to consider. They can be highly versatile, offering beneficial features for marketing endeavors, connecting with customers, and adding a further level of reassurance. A business number that stands out from the crowd as a notable, memorable number is always a good thing; why not place your business ahead of the competition with additional credibility? If your business is aiming to make an impact with clever marketing, there are endless possibilities when using a vanity number.

Vanity Toll Free Numbers with United World Telecom

Are you interested in purchasing a toll free number or vanity toll free number for your business? Our inventory is highly inclusive, so if you are searching for a particular type of toll free number, we may be able to assist you. United World Telecom offers toll free numbers in more than 160 countries across the world. To find out how we can help you get more customer calls and drive up sales, call us today at 1 (877) 898 8646.

SIP Trunking vs VoIP: Understanding the Difference

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#47238061 & 1711547 ID#27446420

To decide whether your business needs SIP trunking or VoIP technology, you must first understand what these communication services are and how they differ. Here we will discuss in detail how these two types of technology operate so you can make an informed decision when choosing between them.

Difference Between SIP Trunking and VoIP Technology

SIP and VoIP are often used interchangeably, which is why they can be misunderstood. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol while VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Both of these services provide foundations for IP technology. That is, they enable users to make and answer calls over the internet (or virtual phone lines) as opposed to traditional phone lines or PSTN lines. But there are a few key differences that set them apart, let’s have a look.

What is VoIP? The Basics

Voice over IP or VoIP technology is a business phone solution that transmits voice messages over the internet. It converts voice into digital signals and sends them to the destination number or endpoint. To use this service, you will require a VoIP phone and VoIP system. Most providers will even offer you unlimited calling minutes as a better deal. And so, for basic voice communication, VoIP is an affordable and practical solution.

SIP Trunking Explained

SIP trunking enables the transmission of multimedia and unified communications over the internet. SIP technology builds on voice over IP to provide not only voice but other communication as well. That is, video messaging, text messaging, file and document sharing, and so on. SIP trunking, therefore, works as an all-inclusive phone solution.

For a business looking to provide multi-channel communication, SIP technology is an ideal solution. This is because it is more affordable than using multiple different platforms/services as all communication tools needed are located in one place.

SIP vs VoIP

Now for the difference between the two types of virtual telephony solutions:

1. Type of Sessions Transmitted — VoIP calls handle only one type of session and that is voice communication. SIP calls, on the other hand, handle multimedia sessions such as voice, video, text, etc.

2. Operation — VoIP calls operate only over an internet connection and need a computer to run the software. VoIP handsets, for example, must be attached and connected to a computer to be used. A SIP trunk, on the contrary, can work over any network; this includes ISDN, VPN, or the internet. Plus, SIP equipment can operate by itself and does not depend on a computer to function.

3) Handling of Traffic — Both systems differ in terms of how they handle traffic. SIP systems work along with an office’s private branch exchange or PBX system. These systems are designed to manage large amounts of traffic and data. You can also add an extra layer of security by getting a direct connection to your provider. VoIP technology, on the other hand, handles traffic from a central network, where a provider oversees everything. This is perfect for businesses that do not have the experience or time to manage their own systems. However, on the downside, such central networks can easily be overloaded by heavy traffic.

Choosing One for Your Company

Deciding whether your company needs SIP trunking or voice over IP technology depends on the type of communications you want to set up. The choice is not really one over the other because SIP is an advanced version of VoIP. Both services can boost your company’s phone system by offering more reliable and cost-saving options. Based on how you want to communicate internally and externally determines whether you need only voice or multimedia sessions. You can get both SIP and VoIP with United World Telecom. Sign up on our homepage or contact us to learn more.

5 Tips for Improving Your Outbound Calling Strategy

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#5696700 ID#27446420

As a salesperson, you know the daily struggle of getting ahold of a potential customer and then losing them quickly like sand slipping out of a fist. While it’s good to stick to the basics, sometimes it may help to switch it up a little and get on with the times. So, how can you tweak your outbound calling strategy to lead to more sales?

Reevaluate Your Outbound Calling Tactics

Businesses make outbound calls to attract and convince new customers to purchase their products or service. And so, outbound calling goes hand-in-hand with sales. A couple of different factors come into play when creating and executing strong outbound calling strategies. Let’s look at how you can refine yours and increase overall sales.

1. Set Goals and Be on the Same Page

First and foremost, everyone needs to be on the same page and working towards the same goals. Therefore, spend some time discussing what the company wants to achieve through these calls. For example, how many sales do you need to make by the end of the quarter or biannually? Are all goals sales-focused or should some work towards customer care? And so on. Deciding these goals beforehand will ensure that everyone knows what they need to be doing and can track their progress accordingly. Actions with no end goal can be overwhelming and lead to a waste of time.

2. Work Alongside Marketing

Even though making sales calls is a job for the sales team, your in-house marketing team can provide insights into how to target and attract customers. For one, marketers can use market research to help you create a list of high-potential clients. They can also identify customers that don’t fall under your ideal audience so you do not waste time contacting weak leads. Additionally, your marketing team can help you understand the motive behind some customers purchasing your product which can then influence how you present and sell it.

3. Retrain Agents

Retraining employees every couple of months is a good idea because strategies and tools change. It is, therefore, necessary to keep employees up-to-date and teach them new techniques. Consider redoing your script if it is not drawing customers as you hoped it would. You can also use call recording features to review how employees perform on a call to highlight strengths and weaknesses. United World Telecom offers Outbound Call Recording that lets you record and access 100% of all calls for up to 6 years. Understand your call center agents’ daily challenges so that you can help them do better.

4. Adopt Active Listening Techniques During Outbound Calling

This goes without saying but when dealing with customers, agents must adopt active listening and pay attention to customer doubts or concerns. If a customer thinks you are calling just to make a sale and you do not actually care about their concerns, they will automatically switch off. Part of selling is to make the sale personal for each individual you are targeting. How can this specific person benefit from our product or service?

Be mindful of their time and always ask if now is a good time to talk or if they’d prefer setting up an appointment for later. If you don’t have an answer to their question, offer to follow-up and make sure you do so. These are some ways you can make the sale about the customer and not the business.

5. Use Analytics and Metrics

Lastly, be smart. Use analytics, metrics, and call tracking to determine customer preferences. What times or days are they more likely to answer? How many follow-up calls are appropriate before giving up? Can you employ other follow-up methods such as instant messages or email reminders? Play around with the data to tweak your strategies and find one that works best for your business.

Outbound Calling with United World Telecom

Upgrade your sales techniques by choosing United World Telecom’s outbound calling service. With this service, you will have full control in-house over how calls are placed and who is targeted. You, therefore, do not have to rely externally on an outbound call center. United World Telecom’s outbound calling service comes with a customizable caller ID. That is, if you purchase a variety of local and international virtual numbers, you can display one of those numbers when calling a specific country or state. This helps your enterprise create a local presence without the need to physically relocate. Sign up or talk to an expert for more information.

Inbound Sales Calls vs. Outbound Sales Calls

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#11181280 ID#27446420

Trying to identify the best ways to increase sales for your business? There are a few different approaches you can take: inbound sales calls, outbound sales calls, or a combination of both. Let’s look at how each approach works and what you should keep in mind.

Inbound Sales Calls vs Outbound Sales Calls

Before we move into specifics, it is important to understand the basics of sales calls. These calls generally revolve around generating leads and sales. They include either contacting a set list of prospects to increase brand awareness and make sales. Or, running a strong customer service and support team that answers incoming calls, resolves queries and concerns, and sells new products and services. Depending on the type of business you run, you may benefit from inbound sales or outbound sales calls, or both.

Inbound Sales Calls

There are typically two types of inbound sales calls. The first type refers to “hot calling” which is basically customers calling your business to resolve a query or initiate a purchasing process. The customer may have interacted with your website or seen a promotion on social media that piqued their interest. Now, you have managed to get their attention and interest. But it is on the inbound sales call where you convert this interest into a sale.

The second type of inbound sales call refers to “warm-calling” where you call customers who have interacted with your business. Maybe they signed up for a newsletter or emailed you a query or downloaded a PDF through your website, etc. This customer could also be a past or recurring customer who you are following up with. They made the first contact and now it is up to you to give them a reason to make a purchase and become a returning customer.

Outbound Sales Calls

Outbound sales calls refer to cold calls made to a predetermined list of prospects. This list is usually put together through market research and buyer persona reviews. Then, your sales team calls these individuals, informs them of your company’s products and services, current promotions, and sells to them. Some companies outsource their outbound sales calls to virtual call centers.

More recently, businesses subscribe to an outbound calling service to call local and international individuals in a less expensive way. An outbound calling service lets you make calls through the internet instead of traditional phone lines. And you have the opportunity to customize your caller ID to display specific local or toll free numbers instead.

Which Can Benefit Your Business?

This depends on the type of business you run and what you want your calls to do. For example, do you want customers to reach you when they are ready? Can your marketing efforts support an inbound sales call strategy? Is lead generation the focus of your company? Do you want to use customer service and success to make more sales?

However, you do not have to choose one over the other. With a strong customer support and service team, you can have outbound and inbound sales calls working together. This way, you target prospects based on marketing results as well as engage with interested customers who reach out to you. Having the right communication tools can help you maximize your company’s visibility as well as generate more leads.

United World Telecom Can Help

United World Telecom offers virtual communication tools for businesses of every size and in every industry. Whether your calls are focused on outbound or inbound sales, our features and services can enhance the way your business interacts with its customers. To learn more about what we offer, call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 or talk to an expert.

Use Outbound Calling and Call Recording to Improve Customer Relations

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#25189551 ID#27446420

As a business owner, you know how important it is to build and maintain customer relations. Thankfully, there are telecom solutions that can boost interactions between a business and its customers. An outbound calling service and call recording software are two such solutions. Here, we will discuss how these services can benefit your business.

Customer Relations: A Necessity

Customer relations refers to the relationship between a business and its customers. Good customer relations leads to customer satisfaction which increases retention rates. If your business fails to keep customers satisfied, then you will find them leaving your business for a competitor. So, what can you do to help your employees create strong customer relations?

Outbound Calling: Connect with More Prospects

Outbound calling is one of United World Telecom’s premium services that allows businesses to call local and international clients at reasonable calling rates. Most companies think of outbound calling as a way of generating new leads where the sales team calls potential customers and tries to sell products to them. While outbound calling does accomplish this, it also can do more.

You can also follow up with existing clients to practice customer success and help them achieve their goals. Customer success is when you work closely with consumers and clients to chart a course of action that helps them complete a goal. In this case, interaction is more long term than a customer support interaction.

How can your business improve customer relations with outbound calling? You can:

  • Welcome new customers
  • Follow-up with recent purchases or older customers
  • Generate leads
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Study different markets and customer preferences
  • Research the market
  • Set appointments
  • Make reservations
  • Track customer success efforts
  • Send reminders
  • Collect feedback, and more

Call Recording: Improve Quality and Accountability

Call recording software, also offered by United World Telecom, lets you record up to 100% of incoming and outgoing calls. You can store these recordings as MP3 files for up to 6 years within your account’s control panel.

Recording business calls gives your business the opportunity to go back in time and review important interactions. As a result, you can determine areas of improvement and sales tactics that worked. Additionally, recordings can be studied to find better ways to communicate with clients and learn what it is that they prefer or appreciate. With call recording, you get a better understanding of your target audience and learn how to serve them better.

How can call recording help your business maintain customer relations? You can:

  • Study recordings to identify strengths and weaknesses
  • Use recordings to train new employees
  • Collect and track customer information
  • Conduct performance evaluations
  • Maintain compliance with regulations
  • Keep customer information safe
  • Gather feedback
  • Protect against liabilities, and more

Customer Success and Customer Relations

As a business owner, you must strive to provide your employees with the right tools that can support their jobs. An outbound calling service can help them connect with a wider range of potential customers. This will, in turn, bring a more diversified customer base for the company. On the other hand, call recording will help them learn from their mistakes and accomplishments. You can further incentivize appropriate behavior by rewarding employees who do well in the recordings.

When employees are given the right tools, they are able to focus more on customer interaction and customer relations. Services and software that are easy to use will ensure that less time is spent working the systems and more time is spent on winning customers over.

Win Customers Over and Grow Your Business

United World Telecom strives to give you top-notch features and tools that can support your business’ communication needs. We want to help you expand your reach and increase customer retention rates. Outbound calling and call recording are two popular services we offer for this reason. To learn more about how these services can benefit you, call us at 1 (877) 898 8646.

Tips for Running a Successful Virtual Call Center

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#11796646 ID#27446420

Thinking of opening a cloud or virtual call center? Well, you are in luck. It is now easier than ever to start and run a full online call center, thanks to advancements in telecom technology. You will business phone service with features and tools that assist your communications. Outbound calling and call recording software are two must-haves for a cloud call center to be successful.

Running a Virtual Call Center

As a virtual call center, you will be working with inbound and outbound calling for different businesses. That means you will engage in making and receiving customer calls. These calls revolve around technical and product support, sales and lead generation, and more. To run a successful call center, you must adopt important virtual communication tools. Let’s look at how outbound calling and call recording, specifically, can boost business dealings.

Benefits of Cloud Call Centers

With a virtual call center, your business can go beyond its immediate location and restrictions and enter global spaces. And, your teams become more equipped to manage calls, assist customers, and maintain productivity even when working virtually or remotely. Here are the top reasons to run a cloud call center:

  • Mobile and flexible
  • Scalable and reliable
  • Low infrastructure and maintenance costs
  • One unified platform to connect distributed teams
  • Options for multichannel communication
  • High cloud communication security
  • Global reach and coverage
  • Call analytics and metrics tracking.

Top Virtual Call Center Features

Two of the main cloud call center features include outbound calling and hosted call recording. These features have been growing in popularity recently with more and more call centers switching over to the cloud.

Benefits of Outbound Calling

Outbound calling refers to calls made by a company to its customers. This can be done in-house through a virtual outbound calling service or by outsourcing to a call center. Outbound calls occur for sales and telemarketing, feedback or verification purposes, or to update contact lists and customer data.

You can get outbound calling for your business by signing up online. Purchase virtual numbers from United World Telecom and customize your caller ID to display one of these numbers. For example, you can have local and international numbers for different cities and states. Then, when you call a specific location, you can use a local number instead of a toll free or international number that customers are not familiar with. Unknown numbers are often ignored. Individuals are much more likely to answer the call of a local number. Outbound Calling, therefore, enables you to make long-distance and international calls with that location’s caller ID.

With outbound calling, you can follow up on customers, send them appointment and payment reminders, update customer data, collect feedback, raise funds, and more. This service gives you yet another means of staying in touch with clients and strengthening relations. Here are some tips to improve your outbound calling strategy.

Call Recording for Quality Assurance

It’s simple: you cannot operate an efficient call center without good agents. One way to monitor and train your reps is by recording calls and reviewing them. This is a good way to maintain quality assurance and call center standards. It also enables record-keeping which can protect your virtual call center from business and personal liabilities and misunderstandings. More and more corporations are adopting call recording software to keep records of their customer and contact list.

A call recording service from United World Telecom lets you record up to 100% of your calls and store them as MP3 files for up to 6 years. Additionally, you can add Call Recording to Outbound Calling to record outgoing calls as well. You can add this feature to your cart when shopping for virtual numbers.

This service can also be used to maintain compliance, depending on what sector the business you are representing comes under. For example, the financial services industry functions under the Dodd-Frank, MiFID II, and GDPR regulations and finance companies must keep up with their laws. While using call recording software, make sure you are aware of local and state regulations. Some countries do not allow recording unless one or both parties consent verbally or in their contract agreements. And so, it is important to keep these regulations in mind when choosing to record business calls.

Get Outbound Calling and Call Recording with United World Telecom

Boost your communications and sales by adding Outbound Calling and Hosted Call Recording to your office phone system. Contact us to find out how you can use these services or sign up for a virtual number and start building your virtual call center today!

Improve Communication With Business VoIP

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#16365337 ID#27446420

As a business owner, you may have often wondered, is there a way to improve business interactions without overspending? Well, yes, there is. Business VoIP is a cloud-based communications solution that is cost-effective and sustainable. But first, you need to understand what VoIP is and how you can use it best.

Business VoIP: Using VoIP in the Workplace

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) enables you to make and receive phone calls over the internet instead of a phone line. Therefore, VoIP lets you engage in phone conversations through any device (smartphone, laptop, deskphone, etc) and from anywhere in the world. In recent years, VoIP has been growing more and more popular with US companies across different industries.

Besides phone calls, you can also send and receive video, audio, text messages, and files from one system to another. You can also transform any device into a business phone that has VoIP capabilities. And so, even when you are traveling, you can conduct business as well.

Let’s look at the many reasons why business VoIP should be the next switch for your corporation.

Lower Costs and Increased Accessibility

Most companies are switching to business VoIP because VoIP phone systems are cheaper to purchase and install. They do not require expensive hardware or elaborate set-ups. More importantly, because they transmit calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines, call charges are considerably less. This allows you to make international calls without paying high long-distance calling charges.

A virtual communications provider will offer different plans that you can choose from based on your call volume and business size. Then you pay for how much you use, and you remain accessible no matter where you are. You can get virtual local and international numbers with familiar country and area codes. Individuals are more likely to call or answer a call from a number code that is local and that they recognize.

Personalize with Advanced Features

Every enterprise needs to create and maintain an image of professionalism and customer care. Becoming accessible is one way to do so. Another way is to use additional communication features to personalize and control business interactions. When you get business VoIP from a cloud-based communications provider, you get access to other exciting features that help organize and streamline company calls. Here are some features that United World Telecom offers:

  • Call Forwarding – Forward incoming calls to desired numbers
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – Automated response assists and directs them to the right department through a series of menus
  • Outbound Calling with Customizable Caller ID – Display desired caller ID when making outbound calls for sales and lead generation
  • Customized Greetings – IVR feature that greets customers and offers information about the company
  • Call Recording – Record incoming and outgoing calls for quality assurance and compliance purposes
  • Time of Day Routing – Route calls to certain numbers during specific times of the day
  • SMS to Email, Voicemail to Email – Receive texts and voicemail copies in your inbox
  • Call Tracking – Track incoming and outgoing calls with multiple virtual numbers

Encourages Collaboration Across Teams

With call transfer, multiple extensions, and the ability to communicate from anywhere, business VoIP makes it easier to communicate within teams. This is especially beneficial for companies with remote employees and offices. Through high-quality audio and video communication, you can also be in the know. This leads to more productivity and fewer interruptions.

Bolster Office Communication

With advancements in technology, it is easier than ever to improve office communication to make processes more efficient. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a business phone number and start building your VoIP system. Not convinced yet? Talk to an expert to learn more. We are here to help.

Marketing Business Cards: Balancing Information and Design

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Depositphotos.com Lic#169626148 ID#103471204

It’s a beautiful and proud moment when your baby business idea turns into a legitimate company. You filed the paperwork, decided on a name, registered it, set up the website, and now set out to print business cards. But what do you need to know about marketing business cards and how to create the perfect card that reflects you and your business?

Marketing Business Cards: Pay Attention to Design and Content

Contrary to common belief, business cards are still considered important when getting the word out and building contacts. It’s a traditional means of passing down information about your business physically and tangibly. Business cards assist in creating and building your company’s professional image. They make your business seem legitimate and credible. Also, remember, not everyone has a smartphone or easy access to the internet. Here is where sharing information through a business card comes handy.

However, people can go overboard sometimes when marketing business cards. A crowded and shabby card can push customers away instead of enticing them towards your business. So what can you do to design the perfect business card?

Stick to the Basics: Keep Only Necessary Information

Keep your business card simple. Include the name, your name, phone number, email address, and 1-2 important social media links. It may seem like a good idea to mention all your social media accounts and multiple points of contact information in small font sizes, just to have it all there. However, believe us, it is not. Don’t make it harder for potential customers to read and decode content in small fonts. Even the description of the business shouldn’t be longer than a few words. If you have a tagline or slogan, that’s the way to go.

Make it Clear and Legible

You may be tempted to experiment with various fancy fonts to make your card stand out. But overdoing it can backfire. Pick a font, size, and color that is legible and not too loud. And one that is in line with your logo’s font would be a good option, too.

Market Your Contact Information

Most importantly, you want to ensure that they know exactly how to contact you. And so, include your email address and virtual or business phone number on your business cards with your email address. Since this is the way customers are going to interact with you, make the number and email address simple and not too complicated or confusing.

Place Your Logo Strategically

Your logo represents your business and potential clients will associate the logo with your company. So, it is important to place your logo on the card. It shouldn’t be too jarring. Instead, it should create the right impression. You can situate it on the top corners or the center of your card. Either way, make sure it is visible.

Utilize White Space

People often underestimate the power of white space. White space, from a design perspective, draws more attention to spaces including the text and logo. And you want potential clients to focus on these elements. So, avoid making your card too crowded. Allow white space for recipients who’d like to jot information down or make quick notes.

Design Differently for Each Profession

Now, if you’re a freelancer with different skills or have various side or part-time jobs, then you need to create different cards. Don’t advertise all your skills, jobs, qualifications on one small card. Instead, design for different audiences and highlight your skillset accordingly.

Include a Call to Action

Another thing that you may want to consider is encouraging the recipients to do something after receiving your card. You can do this by incorporating a QR code that they can scan to learn more about your company or enter some kind of promotion. Or, you could include a coupon or discount on it as well. Basically, give them incentives to participate in your business.

Don’t Forget The Back!

A lot of people intentionally or unintentionally leave the backside of the business card blank. However, this is a missed opportunity. When marketing business cards, be as creative as you can to support your company. And the back of your business card is one space where you can showcase your talent or quirkiness. For instance, if you are a photographer, you can choose to display one of your best photographs. A content or creative writer, on the other, can display their talent with words. The back should reflect what you do, who you are, and showcase your skills, if applicable.

Check out the following creative routes you can take:

  • Blow up your logo and include a tag line
  • Photographs
  • Creative content
  • Graphics for graphic designers
  • QR codes that recipients can “scan for news and special offers”
  • Social media links
  • Maps or directions to your business
  • Using a professional picture of you
  • Promotions, discounts, coupons to draw attention
  • Loyalty card like a stamp card where they “Buy 9, and get the 10th free”
  • Add a magnet at the back so you can find a spot on their fridge!

Don’t Cheap Out on Marketing for Your Business

Marketing is essential for any business because it is the main way to let target audiences know that your business exists. Furthermore, your product or service is what they need. Putting effort into marketing business cards is a good way to get started. Use the cards to not only spread the word but make contacts and create networks with others in your industry or related fields. Have your name physically attached to your business and watch it grow!

Growing Your Business Online: 10 Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Expanding

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Depositphotos.com Lic#169527502 ID#32402753

With the growth of digital commerce, many companies and entrepreneurs are looking to go digital. A lot of consumers are going online not only for their shopping needs but also to research and find quality services. So, growing your business online can help you gain access to a wider audience for your product or service. However, if you are not taking advantage of everything the online world has to offer, then your business probably isn’t reaching its full potential.

Your Business isn’t Growing Online Because . . .

Growing a company online can be difficult and competitive. However, with the right resources, tools, and decisions, it is not an impossible task. Here are 10 reasons why your business isn’t expanding:

1) Are You on the Right Platform?

Choosing the right online platform to situate and promote your website depends on the type of business you have. Consider what elements can boost your image. For example, do you need a platform that highlights visual media or one that highlights content? Writers looking to promote their writing skills won’t find much success on a social media platform like Instagram. Photographers and other visual artists, on the other hand, can use Instagram to showcase their talents and skills. Similarly, for a business providing complicated services, a website producing informative content can be very useful to potential clients. Keeping these in mind, research to identify where your online company belongs and can gain traction.

2) Targeting the Wrong Crowd

It is crucial to identify the right customers for your business. If you are focusing on the wrong crowd, you will be missing valuable sales. Determine your ideal customer and then also consider other potential client profiles. Keep an open mind so that you can target different types of customers and use that to your advantage.

3) Complicated and Slow Web Design

If you’ve gone the website route, then reevaluate your web design. Is there too much happening? Is important content ― like information about services or products offered ― difficult to locate? Or are there many stops between finding a product and the checkout page, allowing customers opportunities to reconsider and drop the item? Is your website slow? These are important questions to consider. Since most users are going to find your website on their phones, you want your website to be mobile-friendly and quick to load.

4) Bad Website Rankings in Search Results

Next, check if you are ranking well in search results. If you are on the second or third page (or further behind), then there’s a good chance that customers are not aware your company exists. And of course, this does not help with growing your business online. Optimizing the website should be a priority. Invest in search engine optimization (SEO) tools that will help you appear higher in search results. Identify relevant keywords for your product and target them in posts. Publish educational and informative content that focuses on your services and the industry in general. This will show users that you have expertise and experience. You can also use an AI SEO content generator to build SEO-optimized articles with focus keywords in bulk

5) Not Providing Multi-channel Communication

Don’t limit communication to just phone or email. Provide your customers with different ways to get in touch with you and interact with your service. Phone and email are the basic means of contact. However, you should also use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Build your profile on career sites like LinkedIn so that customers can look up your credentials and references. SMS and chat services are growing popular as customers are increasingly choosing text over phone calls. Callback services could be another way to connect with customers. United World Telecom offers a CallMe-Click button for your website. Visitors can click on this button and enter contact information to immediately receive a call from you. Multiple channels give customers more opportunities to interact with your brand.

6) Ignoring the Importance of Email Lists

Email lists are important for growing your business online. Don’t just rely on people coming to your website or social media channel and then making a purchase. Customers need to be nudged with offers, reminders, and more incentives. And email lists is one way to do that. And a personal one too because you can personally respond and interact with them. Use pop-up sign-up forms. Offer “subscribers only” incentives. Make your email easily accessible and shareable.

7) Limiting Your Marketing to One Platform Only

Next, use all these communication platforms to market your services. Consider paid and social media ads. Create email campaigns and send out newsletters updating customers on new products or features, upcoming promotions, membership opportunities, etc. Use these tools to stay on your target customers’ radar and encourage them to use your product or service.

8) Staying Local

Get a virtual number and open an “online office.” Virtual numbers can be local, international, or toll free numbers and United World Telecom offers these numbers in more than 160 countries. This way, you can get local numbers in different states or countries and expand your business there as well. And so, you are not limited to your city or state and can start attracting an international clientele. Local numbers will put your business in local directories. Also, customers recognize local numbers and are more likely to call an area or country code they know.

9) Not Tracking Your Progress

Use tools like Google Analytics to see how much traffic your website or social media is getting. These tools will show you how many users are visiting your site and where they are coming from. This way, you can identify which strategies are working and drawing more customers. You can use this information to improve other platforms or update your marketing strategy.

10) Not Considering Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Another way to grow your business online is by executing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Pay-per-click ads are sponsored ads on the top of a search result. These ads charge you only when someone clicks on the sponsored ad. You can easily run PPC campaigns on a small budget through Google Adwords or Facebook Ads. You can also insert your phone number in the ad, making it easier for customers to call you from search results.

Learn and Improve

With these tips in mind, start growing your business online by fixing current mistakes and opening new channels of interaction. As they say, change is the only constant, and the digital world is constantly changing. And so, you have to keep up with the demands of the digital world. Stay up to date, improve, adapt, and soar higher!

Looking for more information about virtual phone numbers and how they can boost your online business’ growth? Contact United World Telecom at 1-(877)-898-8646 or sign up for a number today!