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Firms that have successfully captured the local market may ponder over global prospects and undertake the process of localization. Localization entails adapting their current offerings to accommodate different cultures and languages, which can include translating various materials such as the company’s website content, promotional materials, contracts, and more.

There are plenty of instances, often amusing, where such attempts at localization have gone haywire. For instance, when Wix, the website builder, ventured into the German market in 2015, they were quick to realize the inappropriate implication of the company’s name in German. More recently, a risqué Barbie movie poster in France was not quite compatible with the film’s PG-13 rating.

Companies can prevent such mishaps by transforming their missteps into learning experiences, as Wix did by humorously acknowledging their mistake on their website. However, it’s always best to prevent such slip-ups from occurring in the first place. Here are three strategies to simplify the localization process and avoid errors.

Take into account cultural subtleties When deciding on which overseas market to venture into, it’s crucial to rely on data and strategic decision-making, rather than allowing language barriers to dictate the choice, advises Hila Shitrit Nissim, chief marketing officer at Blend, a Tel Aviv-based translation and localization service provider. Companies then need to decide whether to utilize an in-house translator or hire an external service for translation.

Nissim points out that a common mistake companies make in this process is to solely depend on machine translations. She observes this frequently in food manuals and outdoor signs. Using Google Translate and then having the entire country mock your mistake is not an ideal scenario. Thus, the human element remains indispensable.

Also, a direct translation is not always the ideal approach, Nissim emphasizes, since the translated text must align with the cultural context and references. Significant differences exist even between countries that share a language (for example, ‘apartment’ in the U.S. versus ‘flat’ in the UK). Therefore, a native speaker should ideally “review, edit, and refine” the content, Nissim suggests.

Maintaining the brand’s voice throughout the process is equally crucial, asserts Brenda S. Stoltz, CEO of Burg Translations, a company based in Chicago. The translation process should be a collaborative effort between the company’s translator (or service provider) and the brand to ensure the brand’s style, intent, and tone are preserved.

Begin cautiously and invest judiciously It may be more beneficial to focus on expanding into one or two countries at a time, as this approach might lead to a more mindful transition compared to entering multiple markets simultaneously, Nissim suggests. This is particularly relevant if you’re a small business, considering the attention and resources required.

Similarly, when it comes to the task at hand, companies should commence with smaller translation projects, like Facebook and Google ads, to gauge potential new markets. Subsequently, they can transition to website content and other assignments to enhance the complete customer experience. “Map out your customer journey … and identify the modifications or adaptations needed to operate in the new market,” Nissim advises.

Budget constraints are an important consideration for smaller businesses, so leaders should strategically plan their investments. For instance, translating a simple manual may lean more heavily on machine translation, while a legal contract demands meticulous crafting, notes Georg Ell, CEO of Phrase, a localization firm based in the Czech Republic.

Moreover, companies need to identify the areas where their translations can make the biggest impact to ensure the resources and funds invested in localization yield a worthwhile return, Ell suggests. One such area could be keywords for search engine optimization.

“Translating the entire website, having a visually pleasing website, and having high-quality resources and materials isn’t enough; you also need to drive traffic to your site,” Nissim points out. It’s crucial to understand the keywords your competitors are using in the local market and to again consider cultural subtleties (for instance, where would people search for a “jumper” instead of a “sweater”?).

Companies need to establish their priorities, keeping their expansion objectives at the forefront, Stoltz advises. “Efficiency impacts cost, but effectiveness impacts revenue.”

Start the process sooner rather than later If localization is already on your radar, the time to start is now, Ell advises. He posits that as generative A.I. becomes more sophisticated and widespread, localized content will proliferate. Therefore, companies that are ahead in this game will enjoy the rewards, while the ones who are lagging will fall further behind. “This is not something you can accomplish overnight,” Ell warns. “So I would suggest: invest now.”

Contributions from various entrepreneurs shape this article. Administrators often rely heavily on key performance indicators (KPIs), which are metrics that supposedly allow them to assess the status of different business operations. While KPIs can be beneficial as part of a strategy that emphasizes data analytics and data-driven decision-making, there’s a significant issue with overvaluing KPIs. Many companies today are falling into this trap.

The Ideal Approach to KPIs

KPIs can be advantageous and influential in directing an organization’s course when used correctly. They are objective, easy to understand, and measured with a specific purpose. These are dependable data points that can enhance decision-making. However, even in this ideal situation, it’s crucial for organizational leaders to use these metrics appropriately. A single metric should not drive your decision-making, and metrics alone should not guide your future company visions.

KPIs can be compared to different types of food in a balanced diet or various assets in your overall investment portfolio, each with its strengths and weaknesses. They are incredibly useful but only constitute a part of your strength in organizational decision-making.

The KPI Dilemma We’ve Created

Why have we strayed from this vision? There are several reasons worth considering. I believe it’s mostly about disproportionate evaluation. We’ve started to view KPIs as more potent and informative than they truly are. This doesn’t mean they’re not powerful or informative; it’s just that we’ve overestimated and misinterpreted them. Let’s examine some specific ways this happens.

Vanity Metrics

Vanity metrics are a prime example of how KPIs can be misused and misunderstood. These are metrics that make you feel good about a specific result or strategy, without truly providing information on operational efficiency. For instance, follower count is a commonly tracked vanity metric in social media marketing. While it does hold some value and it’s certainly pleasing to see your follower count increase, it has little to do with more measurably impactful things like follower engagement, brand awareness, conversions, or revenue generated.

Ambiguous Meanings

Sometimes KPIs carry ambiguous meanings. For example, in the customer service and customer experience world, a commonly used KPI is the net promoter score (NPS). Hypothetically, NPS helps you estimate consumer sentiment, and you measure it by asking people how likely they are to recommend your business to others. But sometimes, these answers have little to do with consumer sentiment. It’s nice to know that some of your customers would hypothetically recommend your business to others, but why would they do this? What’s driving them? And how likely are they to follow through on this?

Misleading Data

You can use data to support just about any argument you want. For example, let’s say we’re using data to compare the effectiveness of different marketing strategies. There is one strategy that’s very challenging to pull off, but if you use it successfully, it’s incredibly powerful. If you want to make the argument that you should use this strategy, you can cherry-pick the best case studies and prove how powerful it can be. If you want to make the argument that you should not use this strategy, you can take a measurement of the average results and show that typically, this strategy isn’t worth using.

The Almighty Incremental Change

Embedded growth obligations (EGOs) drive countless companies forward, forcing them to grow, grow, and grow. And on a smaller scale, organizations are sometimes held back by a focus on incremental change, shackled by the KPIs that guide them.

Lack of Actionability

One final problem to note about KPIs is that they sometimes lack actionability, or a “so what” factor. It’s great that your organization is seeing higher CSAT, but what does that mean for the organization, how should it change your decision-making, and where do you go from here?

None of this is meant to suggest that you should stop tracking KPIs or using them as part of your approach to organizational decision-making. But we need to get real about our obsessiveness and misuse of these sometimes-trivial and sometimes misleading data points.

by Lisa Nirell

Most businesses profess to have a “customer first” philosophy. And many have created their own customer experience (CX) function to fuel higher customer retention, brand reputation, and recurring revenues. But, many companies’ CX strategies have fallen out of sync with post-pandemic customer realities.

As a strategic marketing adviser and executive coach for the past three decades, I’ve seen in my day-to-day work and private CMO cohorts that many leaders are deploying the same digital CX strategies that they used in 2019, thereby risking customer defection and dissatisfaction at a time when they can least afford it.

Here are common CX missteps I’m seeing — and strategies to address them before your competitors seize the opportunity.

1) Prioritizing Cost Management at the Expense of Strategic Investment

During uncertain times, it’s tempting for companies to obsess over boosting the balance sheet. In fact, most of my coaching clients are striving to replicate Google’s ambition to become 20% more efficient. But this leaves companies vulnerable to competitors who also focus on boosting customer-facing value to improve the bottom line.

For example, one of my clients, a profitable publicly traded firm, recently experienced a six-month stock price dip. The CFO immediately froze all new marketing initiatives, and they required every executive team leader to find at least $1 million in expenses to cut.

For the CMO, this represented a missed opportunity to invest in identifying new customer segments, fortify their retention strategies, and experiment with new CX programs. The CMO brings a rich set of experiences from her previous roles — such as strategic account planning, customer advisory board programs, and brand-fortifying thought leadership strategies. Investing in just one of those areas would have paid for itself by sparking long-term growth at a time when their sizable competitors were cutting back. But her company’s singular focus on expense reduction made it difficult to pursue such growth opportunities. It felt like a short-sighted strategy that made the company penny-wise and pound-foolish. 

2) Relying on Old Segmentation Strategies

CX leaders have been trained to define addressable customer segments (such as psychographics and demographics) and to create sophisticated customer journey maps (which are used to define customers’ common challenges and buying patterns). Yet they’re generally ignoring one of the biggest changes since the pandemic: customers’ desire to understand a company’s stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion, climate change, and other social issues.

Creating a Compelling Customer Experience

It’s about building a genuine relationship.

KPMG’s 2022 CEO survey found that 69% of executives surveyed noted higher levels of stakeholder pressure to improve ESG (environmental, social, and governance) reporting transparency — an 11% increase in only a year. It’s unlikely that this is a fad. These topics have climbed to the top of customers’ priority lists. They reflect a person’s values. But you seldom find them on modern-day customer journey maps.

After reviewing several journey maps, I found that most only include superficial data, such as demographics, job functions, hobbies, and common pain points. Very few describe the values behind why buyers choose a certain software tool, snack brand, or vacation getaway.

3) Treating Employee Experience (EX) and Customer Experience (CX) as Separate Silos

You’ll hear some leaders say that the “customer is always right”. Yet that strict policy can also lead to costly attrition of top people, too many priorities, and team burnout.

Salesforce recently teamed up with Stanford and Columbia Universities on research that showed that only one in three companies had designed a seamless integration between their customer experience and employee experience initiatives. And when they’re not aligned, the research team suggests that companies may be missing out on as much as a 50% revenue bump.

Addressing These CX Challenges

To address these modern-day CX challenges, here’s what I recommend:

1) Craft CFO discussions around value creation, not just expense reduction.

Many CX leaders downplay their value, focusing on activities versus outcomes. One executive recently boasted about juggling ten different buyer personas — a nearly impossible feat with their lean CX team.

 When confronted with cost-cutting conversations, consider these reframing strategies:

• Show how CX investments drive incremental revenue, grow share of voice, accelerate current revenue streams, or fuel higher lifetime customer value. Stop using terms such as “program delivery” and “support.” This positions your initiatives as transactional and nonessential.
• Ensure that your CX metrics align with your organization’s strategic goals — especially those that the CFO reports to the street, such as revenue growth and operating margins. CFOs seldom care about vanity metrics, such as the number of followers. Nor should you.
• Invite a Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) colleague to project planning and status meetings. They will feel more like collaborators versus adversaries — increasing the chances that your strategic CX investments will get serious consideration during the next planning cycle.

2) Integrate customer values research into traditional segmentation exercises.

According to ValueGraphics CEO David Allison, CX strategies built exclusively around demographics miss the mark. He and his team looked at 750,000 surveys in 152 languages about audience values, wants, needs, and expectations. They were astounded to find that “people in any demographic cohort are, on average, only 10% similar.” (Full interview here.)

Want to know what your ideal audience cares about? You can either conduct values research, schedule one-on-one conversations, or do both. If you’re facing a time or budget crunch, these questions will help you get started:

• Why do you [go to work, attend concerts, buy new clothes, etc.]? Tailor the question to where your audience would experience your brand.
• You just won the lottery. Why would you give away half of your winnings?
• You’re writing a letter to your younger self from 10 years ago. What would you say, and why?

3) Align EX and CX goals and incentives.

In a 2019 HBR article, Andrew Chamberlain and Daniel Zhao cited myriad correlations between high employee engagement and higher American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) scores. Apple, Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Johnson & Johnson still top the list of great places to work. Here’s something else they share: impressive ACSI scores.

Taking cues from these brand juggernauts, where can you improve EX and CX team collaborations? How can you align incentives across those teams?  Where can you streamline technology platforms for both groups? How can EX and CX metrics earn their rightful place alongside board-level operational and financial reporting?

In addition, ensure that your employees have a say in how you design customer-focused programs. In the Experience Advantage study, Salesforce reported that “employees who feel trusted and who feel they can take risks in their roles are 1.5 times more likely to consider themselves top CX supporters.” One of my global clients hosts a monthly employee recognition program for team members who best model the company’s values. In 2022, they celebrated 32% revenue growth and a twenty-point employee engagement score improvement.

The pandemic changed the world and customer expectations, and the most successful companies recognize that their customer experience needs to change in turn. By engaging cross-functional teams in CX discussions and understanding customer values, leaders can ensure that their brand remains relevant for years to come.

Customers and markets have seen an immense degree of change during the past few years. Organizations have struggled to keep up with the changing demands and expectations of their consumers due to issues with the supply chain and changes in customer channel preferences.

Through the use of self-service and online auto purchasing, digital technology has been integrated into the customer experience, forcing all sorts of enterprises to engage their target customers in new ways (CX).

Technology, however, is only one aspect of the narrative.

The most effective digital experiences, in our view, begin with a compelling grasp of the client – who they are, what they want, what work they must perform, and even how they feel about themselves.

Regrettably, a lot of businesses approach technology first before returning to understanding customers. Automation is being prioritized over consumer empathy in their never-ending search for operational efficiency, which is a concern. There are no engaging digital experiences without compelling consumer comprehension.

Technology, however, is only one aspect of the narrative.

The most effective digital experiences, in our view, begin with a compelling grasp of the client – who they are, what they want, what work they must perform, and even how they feel about themselves.

Regrettably, a lot of businesses approach technology first before returning to understanding customers. Automation is being prioritized over consumer empathy in their never-ending search for operational efficiency, which is a concern. There are no engaging digital experiences without compelling consumer comprehension.

Companies work to exceed consumers’ expectations by streamlining their customer journeys, but these initiatives will fail if they are focused on short-term click-through and conversion rates rather than long-term happiness, loyalty, and retention.

How they can get there is as follows.

Start By Offering What Consumers Want

Most businesses struggle to understand what their consumers genuinely value in a great digital experience. This isn’t to say that most experiences are bad; rather, the commoditization of digital encounters has rendered most of them uninteresting.

According to a Gartner survey, just 14% of consumers experienced a digital connection with a brand that motivated them to make a different choice.

What is different is when businesses alter their strategy to concentrate on how they can help their consumers feel better about themselves rather than just improving how customers perceive their goods and services. Consumers want to know more about themselves. By doing this, they will have a better chance of achieving their aims or objectives.

Most businesses place more emphasis on “what customers think of us” than “what customers think of themselves,” which is a missed chance to improve. Organizations can utilize the following three strategies to encourage a positive change in their customers’ perceptions of themselves:

Understand that not every digital encounter is intended to be seamless. Depending on the purpose of the consumer, a better experience may cause some friction, allowing the customer to consider their decisions by offering a learning route. A series of brand encounters that help consumers better grasp how to achieve their goals is referred to as a learning path. A Gartner survey indicated that B2B and B2C consumers agreed that if they “realized anything new about their wants or their own aspirations” they were 1.73 times more inclined to buy more.

Consider value over quantity. Catalytic brand experiences are distinctive, and emotive, and have a direct effect on the lives of customers. Customers are thereby altered in some way and are then more likely to continue acting in the manner in which they wish to. As compared to traditional strategies like promoting brand uniqueness, familiarity, or authenticity, these encounters have a roughly twofold impact on brand commitment.

Consider options other than a digital purchase. The following is a summary of the services that you may expect from the company value their. According to Gartner research, consumers who experience this kind of value-enhancing response are far more likely to remain around and make more purchases.

The Brooks Shoe Finder is an example. In addition to asking customers to think carefully about important issues regarding their fitness objectives, the evaluation assists customers in actively reflecting on their running mechanics (e.g., location of their feet, the relative strain on knee joints). This quiz differs from others in that it focuses on the customer’s confidence in their capacity to reach their running objectives rather than just the product itself. As a result, it may assist them to make decisions that are different and/or better informed than they otherwise would have.

These are the words they used to describe how significant it was to them. Do not misunderstand us; we adore technology. But we love customer understanding even more, which is why it’s one of the essential ingredients of a compelling CX.

The Secret To Providing A Great Customer Experience

Organizations must focus on two key themes, or vital elements, for engaging customer experiences: 1) complete experience and customer knowledge and empathy.

Brands may prevent “manufactured insincerity” by making sure each ingredient is included in the broader recipe, which we discuss below.

Improve Understanding of the Client

Few, if any, businesses offer purely digital experiences; they still transport tangible goods, have in-person conversations, and offer physical experiences. This implies that rather than treating the digital journey as the be-all and end-all, you must comprehend where and how clients seek digital experiences throughout the customer journey.

Voice of the Customer (VoC), creating personas, creating customer journey maps, and encouraging more customer-centric choices are just a few examples of successful customer listening practices that may help you better understand and respond to your customers’ present and changing requirements.

Organizations may then concentrate on how they will provide that experience after this point. It’s a skill that must be developed over time in order to be effective, not just once.

The businesses that take the lead with their consumers in mind succeed: According to Gartner’s data, CX programs that surpass management expectations are twice as likely to have end-to-end customer journey mapping in place for more than three years and are 1.9 times more likely to have persona creation activities in place for over three years.

Given the macroeconomic climate at the moment, companies have the chance to reinvest in and develop their CX skills in a way that gives their consumers confidence they are making the correct decision to keep doing business with them.

Customer empathy is a crucial result of great customer understanding.

A key component of a customer engagement strategy, customer empathy strikes a balance between an organization’s objectives and a thorough comprehension of a customer’s position, interests, and intent. This is difficult, especially without the thorough grasp of the consumer we’ve been discussing.

L’Oreal provides a straightforward yet effective illustration of excellent consumer knowledge and empathy.

Oreal is aware of how crucially important skincare is to one’s health. Their Skin Genius mobile application uses an AI-powered evaluation of the customer’s specific skin care needs utilizing a privacy-protected image of your face to combine individualized help with a game-changing digital experience. By acting as an in-person beauty counsellor, it also forces clients to reevaluate their plans and consider their skin-improvement objectives.

Customers are likely to feel better overall if they have a better knowledge of their skincare regimen. Once again, this relates to improving the consumers’ feeling of self.

It’s not necessary for compelling consumer experiences to include extravagant digital capabilities. Little things that are based in human knowledge can have equal power.

Use a holistic strategy and all of your experience

Customers frequently ask us what technology they should purchase or how they should organize their activities to provide better customer experiences. However the question is not fully answered there.

The epidemic has shown us how important it is for staff to provide excellent customer service. Their experiences are important, and this is reflected in employee experience, or EX. Yet, in the majority of firms, the departments in charge of CX, EX, user experience (UX), and the related technological platforms operate independently.

The better issue to ask is how to arrange such that consumers and staff have a more comprehensive and appealing digital experience.

Enter the concept of whole experience, or the purposeful fusion of CX, EX, and UX to provide better shared experiences for all stakeholders.

A B2C company that has embraced complete experience is the Lego Group. It came to the realization that because of fragmented design methods, digital solutions frequently fall short of meeting the demands of consumers and workers.

The LEGO Group originally developed a self-service online catalogue for store customers when the Covid-19 outbreak caused the business to introduce new goods remotely. Unfortunately, because the solution’s design did not take into consideration all end users’ specific and intersecting demands, it did not effectively deliver the high-quality purchasing experience that consumers and sales representatives previously enjoyed in-person. The LEGO Group developed a virtual showroom system that offers a better product viewing experience in order to address this difficulty.

Lego’s employees were able to provide better customer service and enhance the overall purchasing experience by designing and implementing technology solutions that prioritize the needs of customers and employees before those of technology. This resulted in more seamless interactions between customers and employees as well as an improved overall product viewing experience.

Lego succeeded in avoiding the pitfall of engineering insincerity by relying on the essential elements of customer comprehension and TX.

In the global competition for labor, Canada’s unique approach to immigration is providing the country with a distinct advantage. By implementing a mass immigration strategy, Canada has achieved one of the fastest population growth rates worldwide, fueling its economy while simultaneously presenting challenges in its major urban centers.

Canada’s immigration policy, unlike many other nations, welcomes immigrants with open arms. It’s a strategy that is not only humanitarian but also economic in nature. The goal is to bring a significant number of people into the country, not merely to fill the existing labor gaps but also to fuel the engine of the nation’s economic growth. This policy has resulted in Canada having one of the highest rates of population growth globally.

The influx of immigrants has undeniably brought several benefits. A diverse and growing workforce is a crucial asset in today’s global economy. It encourages innovation, brings in fresh perspectives, and helps create a dynamic economic environment. Furthermore, a growing population can also lead to increased consumer demand, thereby driving the expansion of various sectors of the economy.

However, the rapid population growth, largely driven by immigration, is not without its challenges. The principal among them is the increasing strain on Canada’s major cities. These urban centers, attractive to immigrants for their abundant opportunities, are starting to feel the pressure of accommodating this rapidly growing population. The challenges range from overcrowded housing markets to overstretched public services, from increased competition for jobs to potential social integration issues.

These challenges, while significant, are not insurmountable. With strategic planning and a commitment to developing sustainable cities, Canada can manage this growth effectively. Key to this will be investments in infrastructure, affordable housing, public services, and initiatives that promote social cohesion and integration.

As Canada navigates the complexities of a fast-growing population, its mass immigration strategy remains a key tool in its arsenal. The balance of ensuring economic growth while managing the accompanying challenges will be crucial for the country’s future. Indeed, the success of this strategy will not only determine the trajectory of Canada’s economy but also its place in the global race for labour.

In conclusion, Canada’s mass immigration experiment provides a compelling case study for the world. It demonstrates how strategic immigration policies can boost a nation’s economy while also presenting challenges that need to be managed effectively. As nations worldwide grapple with demographic shifts and labor market changes, the Canadian experience offers valuable insights and lessons.

Understanding the role of a business consultant and how they can benefit your business can be transformational. Business consultants, like those at Tosdo.com, offer a breadth of knowledge and expertise that can help take your business to the next level. Whether you’re a start-up seeking direction, an established company aiming to increase efficiency, or a multinational corporation looking to streamline operations, business consultancy services are invaluable. This article aims to demystify the world of business consultancy for consumers and highlight how you can utilize these services for business growth.

Business consultants are professionals with extensive experience and knowledge in the realm of business management and operations. They use this expertise to assist businesses in solving problems, creating value, and improving performance​.

At Tosdo.com, we understand the various challenges that businesses face in their journey towards success. We work with you to identify these challenges and develop effective strategies to overcome them. Our services are diverse, ranging from business planning to corporate finance, and SEO optimization​.

Business Planning is a critical service that we offer. It involves formulating a detailed blueprint for your business’s future growth. This plan includes setting goals, determining resources needed, and outlining steps to achieve these goals. It’s not just about competitive pricing; it’s about having the right strategies in place​.

Corporate finance is another essential area that our consultants cover. If your business struggles with securing a bank loan, we can provide assistance. We understand that every business is unique, and we are here to offer solutions tailored to your business’s specific needs​.

SEO Optimization is a key service that we provide at Tosdo.com. With the digital world becoming more prominent, it’s crucial to ensure that your business is visible online. SEO Optimization involves techniques that improve your website’s visibility on search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

Our team of professionals at Tosdo.com has a wealth of experience in various fields, including digital marketing, business consulting, and advisory services. We can offer the best advice and find the right professionals for your specific business needs​.

Testimonials from our clients speak volumes about our service. We pride ourselves on our legendary support and service, as evidenced by our happy customers. We strive to ensure that every client’s experience with us is positive and fruitful​.

We also offer a free consultation to help understand your business needs better and how we can assist in growing your business. This consultation is an opportunity for us to understand your business in-depth and for you to get a feel for how we work​.

In conclusion, business consultancy services like those offered by Tosdo.com can be an asset to any business. They provide the expertise and guidance needed to navigate the complex world of business. Whether you need help with business planning, corporate finance, or SEO Optimization, Tosdo.com is here to help. With our extensive experience and commitment to client satisfaction, we are confident that we can help your business thrive.

Through this article, we hope that you have gained a better understanding of business consultancy and how it can benefit your business. If you have any questions or would like to know more about our services, please do not hesitate to get in touch. At Tosdo.com, your business’s growth is our priority​.

Business planning is the roadmap to success. It’s the tool that helps companies to navigate the complexities of the business landscape, anticipate potential challenges, and set the course for future growth. As consumers, understanding the essence of business planning is crucial for making informed decisions and choosing the right businesses to engage with.

What is Business Planning?

Business planning is a process that involves setting goals, determining the resources needed to achieve these goals, and mapping out a detailed plan of action. It’s an ongoing exercise that helps businesses to stay focused, anticipate and manage risks, and operate efficiently and profitably​.

Why Business Planning Matters?

In the dynamic business environment of today, planning is more critical than ever. Businesses that plan have a better understanding of their market, competition, and customer needs. This understanding allows them to make informed decisions, innovate effectively, and stay ahead of the competition.

Moreover, business planning is not just beneficial for businesses but also for consumers. It ensures that businesses are well-prepared to meet the changing needs and demands of their customers, deliver high-quality products and services consistently, and provide a superior customer experience​.

Components of a Business Plan

A typical business plan comprises several key components:

1. Executive Summary: This is an overview of the business and its plans. It provides a snapshot of the company, its mission, and its unique selling propositions.
2. Company Description: This section provides detailed information about the company, including its history, structure, and the products or services it offers.
3. Market Analysis: This involves a thorough analysis of the market, including the size, trends, growth prospects, and competition.
4. Organization and Management: This details the organizational structure of the company and the management team.
5. Marketing and Sales Strategy: This outlines the strategies for attracting and retaining customers.
6. Financial Projections: This includes forecasts for revenue, expenses, and profitability.
7. Funding Request: If the company is seeking funding, this section outlines the amount required and how it will be used.
8. Appendix: This contains any additional information or documents that support the business plan.

Each of these components plays a crucial role in shaping the company’s strategy and ensuring its success​.

The Role of Consumers in Business Planning

As consumers, you play a vital role in business planning. Your needs, preferences, and feedback are invaluable inputs for businesses when they are planning their products, services, and strategies. By understanding business planning, you can make more informed decisions and choose businesses that are committed to delivering value and quality.

In conclusion, business planning is an indispensable tool for businesses. It provides a roadmap for success and ensures that businesses are well-equipped to meet the needs and expectations of their customers. As consumers, understanding business planning can help you to make better choices and engage with businesses that are truly committed to delivering value and quality​.

Introduction

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on improving your website’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs)​¹​. The importance of SEO lies in its ability to attract organic, or non-paid, traffic to your site through higher rankings on search engines.

SEO Basics

Keyword Strategy

Choosing the right keywords is the first step in successful SEO. Keywords are words and phrases that potential customers use to find online content, and they’re the way in which you connect with your potential customers online. Including relevant keywords in your content can help your site rank higher on SERPs.

Quality Content

The quality of your content is also crucial to SEO. While keywords are important, stuffing your content with keywords can actually harm your SEO. Instead, focus on writing quality content that provides value to your readers. This approach not only improves your site’s SEO but also helps build trust and credibility with your audience.

Page Speed Optimization

Page speed is another critical factor in SEO. A slow-loading site can lead to high bounce rates, as users will likely leave your site if it doesn’t load quickly. Optimizing your site’s speed can lead to better user engagement, higher conversion rates, and improved rankings on SERPs.

Advanced SEO Strategies

Long-tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific keyword phrases that can help you rank higher for relevant searches. These keywords are typically less competitive and have a higher conversion rate than shorter, more generic keywords. Including long-tail keywords in your content can help your site rank higher on SERPs for relevant searches.

Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are short snippets of text that appear at the top of Google’s search results in response to a searcher’s query. These snippets can significantly increase your site’s visibility and click-through rate. Optimizing your content to appear in featured snippets can result in a notable boost in organic traffic to your site.

User Experience

User experience is key to successful SEO. Google’s algorithm evaluates a user’s overall experience with a webpage using various metrics, including core web vitals. Optimizing your website for user experience can improve your site’s rankings on SERPs and lead to increased user engagement.

Impact of SEO on Business Growth

Increased Online Visibility

SEO enhances your online visibility by improving your rankings on SERPs. This increased visibility makes it easier for potential customers to find your business online, which can lead to increased website traffic and, ultimately, more leads and sales.

Increased Website Traffic

SEO can significantly increase traffic to your site. By improving your site’s rankings on SERPs, SEO can help attract more organic, non-paid traffic to your site. This increased traffic can lead to more leads and potential customers for your business.

Increased Sales

By attracting more potential customers to your site, SEO can help increase your sales and profits. Higher rankings on SERPs can lead to more website traffic, which can result in more leads and sales for your business.

Conclusion

The long-term value of SEO lies in its ability to consistently attract organic traffic to your site. Investing in SEO is an investment in the long-term success of your online business. At Tosdo.com, we offer world-class SEO services to help our clients grow their businesses.

Your responsibilities are as follows:

l Develop, coordinate and execute marketing campaigns and collateral including digital and media content, public relations content, and copyrighting and branding assets.

l Manage and grow website effectiveness & social media channels.

l Developing new methods of raising company and product awareness, and searching for new opportunities

l Participate in strategic planning and conduct background marketing research and analysis

l Marketing products by developing and implementing new marketing and advertising campaigns.

l Experimenting with a variety of organic and paid acquisition channels like content creation, pay-per-click campaigns, event management, publicity, social media, lead generation campaigns, copywriting, performance analysis

l Develop strategic marketing initiatives and activities and Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading trade publications.

l Budgets monitoring by comparing and analyzing actual results with plans and forecasts.

Your Skills and Mindset

l Curious, driven personality

l Growth-minded with a passion for technology

l Metrics-focused and skilled in using content marketing and social marketing to drive actionable and quantifiable results

l Improvement-focused, self-starter that works to increase efficiencies

l Gritty and determined; ready to roll-up your sleeves to put the initial work in to build a strong foundation

l Self-motivated and self-disciplined; leads by example

l Highly organized with great attention to detail

l Open to feedback and able to adapt quickly

l Ability to work on multiple priorities and projects simultaneously

l Fluent English verbal and written communication skills

more details:

https://www.saskjobs.ca/jsp/joborder/detail.jsp?job_order_id=1228740