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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 353
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| Thought for the week: "Deliberation: The act of examining one's bread to determine which side it is buttered on." The Devil's Dictionary |
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In this week's issue:
How to encourage customer feedback
You can use your website to encourage customers to give you feedback on your products and services and interact with your business. Here are five practical ideas for making your site 'feedback friendly'.
1) Make your contact details obvious - don't bury them deep within your site, and list them in the same place on every page.
2) Make it easy for people to contact you - for example, hyperlink your e-mail address so users don't have to type it out themselves. You could also consider having a feedback form on your site to simplify the process (most web editing programs have a built-in template for a basic form).
3) Create a discussion forum, message board or guestbook where customers can leave messages. This can create an online community of your customers, generating useful opinions and feedback, and can also provide a customer support mechanism.
4) Start a blog - regularly updated content like blogs encourages visitors to return to your site more often, and can help you engage customers in discussion.
5) Use a questionnaire or survey, or offer customers the chance to win a prize by completing a puzzle or quiz, to encourage feedback. Offer your customers an incentive to complete the survey - give them a discount on a future purchase, or something for free if they reply.
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For more marketing techniques and ideas, check out The UK Small Business Marketing Bible, which contains hundreds more tips and tactics for boosting your sales using proven marketing strategies that work no matter what product or service you sell. |
Each week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business ideas in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
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Skincare by subscription. Canada-based Bread & Butter is a skincare firm with a difference - it operates via subscription and ships its skincare products (which are for men) to subscribers twice a year. It offers winter skincare and summer skincare packages.
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Grocery store sells products with no packaging. Unpackaged is a grocery store in London that sells everything from vegetables and pulses to household cleaners - without the packaging. Customers simply bring along their own containers, fill them with what they want to buy, then pay for the products, which are sold by weight.
Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.
Do you know the meaning of the word 'felicitous'?
a) appropriate, well-chosen
b) cheeky, impudent
c) fortunate, advantageous
d) unsuccessful, desperate
Answer at the end of the Bulletin.
The following topical business issues have been recently reported in the media. Did your radar pick them up?
1) Which of the following sectors is due a £20 million refund from Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL, a firm that collects royalties from businesses that play music on their premises) after the High Court rejected an appeal by PPL to have an earlier ruling overturned?
a) shops and stores
b) pubs, clubs and restaurants
c) pet care services
d) childcare services
2) A report from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has revealed that a third of small businesses owners feel that obligations in which area of law are not relevant to their business?
a) tax
b) health and safety
c) employment
d) intellectual property
3) A new law is to be introduced which will make it an offence for businesses to fail to put measures in place that prevent which of the following?
a) bribery
b) bullying
c) IT security breaches
d) copyright theft
Answers at the end of the Bulletin.
Ways to use Twitter
This article outlines ways in which businesses are using Twitter. It highlights that building credibility is key, while outlining some real-life Twitter tactics that businesses use to their advantage.
Tips for building personal brands via Web 2.0
If you want to use social media, blogs and other Web 2.0 tactics to build your personal brand, this article highlights ways in which you can build your reputation online using tools which are, for the most part, free. Blogs, Twitter, online video and online presentations are all discussed.
Google Analytics tools for tracking campaigns
The team at Google Analytics has highlighted two free tools that people can use when setting up a Google Analytics account. The URL builder can be used to tag links to online ads or promotional copy, and the SiteScan tool is used to verify that the tracking code used for the account is working properly.
Guidance on switching to online VAT returns
This guide is aimed at businesses that will have to file their VAT returns online from 1 April. From this date, businesses turning over £100,000 or more and those that become VAT registered will have to submit their returns online. The article outlines the steps you need to take to use the HM Revenue & Customs online filing system.
You can get access to hundreds more online business tools, how-to articles, checklists, standard forms and business development resources by subscribing to the Better Business Adviser.
Win an I.R.I.S. package worth over £200
EnterQuest has teamed up with mobile office products manufacturer I.R.I.S. to offer readers the chance to win a package containing IRISnotes 1.0 and IRIScan 2 Express worth over £200.
The IRISnotes 1.0 converts scribbled notes and diagrams into editable text on your PC, while the IRIScan converts paper documents such as invoices and receipts into editable and searchable text files.
To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, just answer the following question:
Q: Who is the Employment Relations Minister at BIS?
a) Lord Mandelson
b) Lord Young
E-mail your answer, together with your name, address and daytime phone number, using 'I.R.I.S. competition' in the subject line, to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.
All entries must be received by 31 March. Full competition rules are available on request.
This book is ideal for anyone who wants to make more use of consumer trends in their business. It reveals how to spot trends, how they work, and how they can be used to keep your business ahead of its competitors. Check out:
Just one word answer
The answer is a).
Felicitous means appropriate, well-chosen.
The speaker's felicitous speech put everyone at the conference at ease. |
How's your business radar? The answers
1) The answer is b) - The High Court ruled that pubs, clubs and restaurants can apply to PPL for refunds for overpaid licence fees.
2) The answer is c) - The report from BIS has revealed that 34% of businesses surveyed said that employment law obligations were not relevant to their business. A fifth of those surveyed aren't confident that they will get employment law right, even though they understand their obligations. Employment Relations Minister Lord Young said the report would enable BIS to improve the support it offers to firms.
3) The answer is a) - A new law on bribery will make it an offence for businesses to fail to provide measures that prevent bribery in their firm. The Bribery Bill is expected to become law within a matter of weeks, and statutory guidance on the subject will follow soon. |
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Good luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
