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Boosting Sales Through Blogging

On November 4, 2020

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight, Uncategorized

The world of social media is a big and broad one. However, there are some constants out there. One of them is blogging, which remains a highly useful and relevant way of boosting your sales.

So, what are the benefits of blogging, and how is it worth the time and investment? Here are some thoughts.

Expert Positioning

Blogging gives you a chance to discuss a highly relevant topic in your industry, share your expertise, and give advice on a particular topic. This is about much more than just showing off or looking smart, as it gives you a chance to subtly demonstrate your expertise. This means that you can position yourself as a leader in your field and ensure that people will return to you or your business if they require your industry’s services.

Search Engine Optimization & Social Network Placement

Here’s a simple truth when it comes to Google: Search Engine Optimization is critical. This means that you must do everything in your power to create content that is useful, engaging, and relevant to your line of work.

Blogging is fantastic for that. Google loves frequently updated content, so the more content you can create, the higher your SEO will rank. This means that people who are looking for your line of work are more likely to find your blog, and this makes it more likely that they will find your website.

Furthermore, creating good content makes it more likely that your content will be shared on social networks by others. This is a great way of getting more exposure, and potentially increasing your sales.

Effective (and subtle) Calls To Action

When creating good content, you shouldn’t be overly sales-oriented. Indeed, broadly speaking, you shouldn’t sell too frequently on your blog, as this turns people off and makes them less likely to read your content.

However, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t have a Call to Action. This means that every blog entry should conclude with some sort of action the user should take, and an easy way to commit that action. It may be “read more” or “subscribe to our email list,” but every blog entry should conclude with a specific action that a user should take.

Social Media Marketing Through Instagram

By Nicholas Fainlight

On September 16, 2020

In Career, Investing, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate, Technology

Marketers using TikTok should consider switching to Instagram. The social media platform now offers Instagram Reels, which has many of TikTok’s features, including a way for new creators to find a following. Instagram’s Explore algorithm makes it notoriously difficult for marketers to have their Stories found. Brands can share their Reel to their Stories and their Profile’s Reels tab. Instagram users will also see Reels on their Explore page.

TikTok may not be around for long. A potential ban is leaving TikTok influencers asking their fans to follow them on other platforms. President Trump already signed an executive order barring U.S. companies from doing business with TikTok after Sept. 20th. American companies that violate the order could face a fine of up to a $1 million fine.

Marketers can get on Instagram Reels now and take advantage of new Instagram users influencers bring and the already one billion active users each month. Reportedly, Mark Zuckerberg is trying to lure popular TikTok influencers to switch to Instagram, which Facebook owns. Facebook has deep pockets too, deeper than TikTok, which is trying to keep influencers with incentives. Facebook’s rumored offer of bankrolling video clip production for influential creators to post their content exclusively on Instagram reels will be hard for TikTok to beat.

Only 28 percent of marketing professionals use Instagram. Expect this number to rise once Instagram Reels catches on as a way to reach a young audience with 15-second video clips with catchy music. Businesses have a chance to show off their fun side with authentic content on Reels. Humanizing a brand is an ideal way to build genuine relationships with their fan base. Features like Instagram Reels let brands showcase their personality.

Other marketers are considering educational content for their Reels. As Reels were released early in certain countries, brands have been sharing recipes and providing helpful tips. Sephora France already has popular makeup tutorial Reels. They encourage engagement by asking viewers about their favorite eye shadow color.

Marketers who start using Instagram Reels early on will find the competition is low in the U.S. market. With many influencers jumping ship from TikTok to Instagram Reels, it’s a great time for brands to find influencers to develop branded Instagram Reels.

Remote Leadership Mistakes

By Nicholas Fainlight

On September 14, 2020

In Career, Finance, Investing, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate, Technology

Just when you think you have the whole leadership process figured out, a pandemic completely changes everything. Today, instead of face-to-face interactions, you are forced to conduct meetings and catch-ups on video calls. The most important thing is adjusting to the situation and learn how to motivate and manage your team remotely. Understandably, there are new skills you will have to learn. However, many leaders are continuously failing their remotely-working teams by making the following mistakes:

Lack of clear priorities, goals, and directions

As a team leader, you have to set clear priorities and goals to improve team performance. It’s not easy to do this remotely; however, ensure you review your team’s priorities and goals from time to time. An effective team will quickly outline goals, and a good leader will give team members clarity on their roles. Use virtual meeting platforms to update your team about any changes and hold catch-up meetings regularly.

Being Extremely Rigid

Today, most managers are tracking team members’ hours and monitoring daily activities to determine if the employees are working the agreed number of hours per day. Everyone can benefit from a flexible work schedule. Having a better integration of personal and work life can lead to a healthier, more productive, and happier team. As a leader, you should stop micromanaging and tracking how many hours an employee has spent on their screens. Instead you should focus on their daily achievements Give your team some space to breathe and don’t be so rigid. They know what works best for them.

Unproductive collaborations and communication

When working face-to-face, most collaborations and communications take place through informal conversations and interactions. However, this is not there with virtual teams. You need to find ways to foster better communication. The best option is to take advantage of online conferencing platforms such as Zoom.

Unconstructive, inconsistent and non-existent feedback

Giving employees feedback will motivate and improve their performance. It also keeps the team members satisfied since it shows you have their best interest at heart. Be consistent, offer suggestions on how they can improve, and coach them. Let your team learn from you, accept their feedback, and act on it. You can offer frequent feedback to your team through short video calls and creating one-on-one time with individual team members.

Tips To Help You Be Better At Networking

By Nicholas Fainlight

On August 18, 2020

In Career, Education, Finance, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

Whether you’re running a business or trying to work your way up the corporate ladder, networking is something you’re likely going to have to engage with at some point in your career. Networking helps us meet other likeminded individuals that can help us strengthen our businesses and careers as well as learn more about success and failure. Of course, networking isn’t always easy. Most people aren’t fond of walking into a room and introducing themselves to a bunch of people they’ve never met, especially if they’re all intelligent and skilled business professionals. If you’re someone who struggles with networking or are going to your first networking event, here are a few tips to make things a little easier.

Be Informal

While you might have the urge to be as professional as possible, it’s important that you show potential customers and business partners the human side of you. If you be yourself, it’s more likely that a person will enjoy your company and then want to work with you. Of course, that isn’t to say you can’t talk about your career or business – sometimes people will decide to ask you about it and it’s perfectly acceptable to have that conversation. You just want to be sure you don’t come off too strong and that it isn’t all business, otherwise they may think you’re just trying to get a new customer.

Don’t Have A One Way Conversation

One of the most important aspects of networking is actually having a conversation – that means letting the other person talk while you listen intently, and then responding properly. While you may feel the urge to talk their ear off about you and your business, it’s important that conversations aren’t one way otherwise they may lose interest in you quickly. It’s also important that you don’t let them be the only one talking. Conversational skills are extremely important when it comes to networking, and if you’re shy then you won’t stand out.

Follow Up

If you feel that you’ve had a good time networking with someone, it’s important that the relationship doesn’t end when the conversation does. Be sure to ask them for their contact info. If they give it to you, it likely means that they also enjoyed your time together and chances are they’d be willing to get together again, which could lead to potential partnerships down the line. Everyone likes to connect differently, so make sure you’re available in various forms – phone numbers, emails, LinkedIn pages, Twitter – it’ll be different for everyone. Once you have this information, be sure to reach out the next time there’s a similar event to let them know that you’ll be there and that you should connect.

Tips For Building A Great Resume

By Nicholas Fainlight

On July 18, 2020

In Career, Education, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

Having a stellar resume is one of the most important aspects of applying for jobs. The hard part is actually building one. A lot goes into building a resume and you’ll likely hear many different things about what makes one great. It’s important that your resume is easy to read and that it highlights your relevant experience in a clear and concise manner. You might even want to seek out professional help when building or updating your resume to make sure it’s up to snuff and gets past the computers that screen resumes and into the hands of a hiring manager. Read on for a few tips to help you build the best resume you can.

Research Examples For Your Industry

A great place to start when building your resume is researching examples of great resumes that other people in your industry have used. This can give you a good feel for the type of experience you want to include and how you want to describe the roles or projects you’ve worked on previously. When looking at examples, you’ll notice that the best examples tend to be brief and simple to read for anyone looking at them. You’ll also notice that they tend to include numbers. Numbers are good because they help an employer get a better sense of the value you can bring to the position you’re applying for.

Put The Most Important Information First

Depending on how long you’ve been working, you may have a lot of relevant experience to put onto your resume. While you may want to share all of this experience with potential employers, it can end up causing your resume to be bloated with information which may ultimately lead to a hiring manager passing on it. You want to make sure that the information on your resume is only the most relevant information to the role you’re applying for and that you put that information at the top of your resume so it sticks out to employers. If you’re applying for a customer service role in an office, you likely don’t need to include that warehouse job you did in college.

Proofread

This might seem obvious but you’d be surprised how often employers receive resumes that have grammatical errors and the like in them. Before sending your resume off, be sure to proofread it several times. You should go through it yourself but you can also use various proofreading programs and tools on the internet. Ultimately, it may be best to have a few colleagues or friends who you trust to take a look at it and see what they say. An outside source is more likely to catch mistakes and unnecessary information than the person who worked on it.

Tips For Making Online Grad School Easier

By Nicholas Fainlight

On July 12, 2020

In Career, Education, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate, Technology

Attending grad school is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to further their education and become more successful in life. You’ll find that many students choose to attend grad school online because many go later in life while they have full time jobs or are starting families. In today’s day and age with issues such as COVID-19 affecting the world in many ways, even more students are beginning to attend graduate school from the comfort of their homes. Attending school in any capacity from home can be stressful but it doesn’t need to be as difficult as you might think. Here are a few tips to help make attending online grad school a little easier.

Make Sure Your Computer Is Up To Date

If you’re going to be doing online graduate school classes it’s extremely important that you not only have a computer, but that you make sure it’s up to date and functioning properly. You’ll be dead in the water without a properly working computer and making sure it’s up to date will give you far less headaches. Nobody likes turning their computer on first thing in the morning and having to deal with surprise updates when they have to submit something or attend an online seminar. It’s also important to make sure your internet connection is up to snuff as well, otherwise the whole process may be a slog.

Establish Your Work Space

One of the most difficult aspects of taking online classes is doing your work from the comfort of your home. While that may sound nice, it can actually be more difficult than you might think. It’s easy to get too comfortable when at home and get distracted from your work. You’ll want to treat your online classes as if you’re physically going into the classroom. Try to continue doing any routines you might usually do when going into a physical classroom – if you shower every morning, make sure you do that now as well. Make sure your workspace is clean and avoid distractions such as television or social media websites.

Practice Self Discipline

This goes along with establishing your workspace, but having self discipline is of the utmost importance when doing any type of work or learning from home. It’s extremely easy to get distracted, whether it be by your favorite websites, chatting with friends or watching the television. You might be inclined to try and power through your lessons and get ahead of where your class is currently at, but it’s important to take things a step at a time. You’re going to have a lot of materials to digest and if you don’t let yourself absorb the material and truly understand it, you’ll end up struggling later down the road.

TED Talks Every College Student Should Hear

By Nicholas Fainlight

On May 26, 2020

In Finance, Investing, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

Graduating from college is an exciting, uncertain time. For many grads, there is a world of uncertainty about achieving success in their desired field, even for those who have already secured employment. Today, there a number of ways to be inspired, from self-help books and mindfulness apps to inspirational public speakers. Perhaps the most well-renowned source of expert opinions comes from the TED organization.

TED talks stem from a conference focused on technology, engineering, and design. It has gradually evolved into short speeches written by professionals, for professionals. The aim of the original founders still holds true today – to spread inspiring, thoughtful messages about a variety of topics in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical way. Thousands of TED talks later, audiences around the world have access to a unique library full of insightful tips and tricks about navigating through life.

For college grads who have anxiety about entering our current job climate, there are many good speeches reminding them of the value of living in the moment. One example is Andy Puddicombe’s lessons about meditation and taking a break from everything for ten whole minutes a day. Sian Leah Beilock offers tips on getting out of our own heads when faced with a stressful situation. Remind ourselves that we are flawed human beings and let ourselves relax about the things we will instinctively know how to handle.

Many college students remain undecided about career aspirations, despite having chosen majors. It helps to be reminded that it’s ok to not have it all figured out just because you’ve graduated. Emilie Wapnick explains that it’s completely normal to have multiple interests, even ones that might be fleeting. Not many people have one true calling. She encourages people to seek out their interests, even if it veers away from any pre-set plan. Life is short and it’s important to not have regrets down the road.

For people who think that work means an unpleasant, daily grind, Scott Dinsmore reminds us all that work can be something that you love. While it may be true that not everyone is awarded the same freedom of choice, if you are lucky enough to find a job you truly enjoy, don’t turn it down because of other seemingly important societal reasons. As an added bonus, by doing what you love you have the power to inspire others as well.

7 Tips for Successfully Working from Home

By Nicholas Fainlight

On May 18, 2019

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight

Working from home, regardless of your job, can be challenging. If not managed correctly, working remotely can become a hindrance to your productivity instead of a way to enhance it. You’ll become stressed and find it more challenging to focus on important tasks. If you want to be able to successfully work from home, here are a few tips to apply to your work day.

Have your own space

One of the biggest mistakes people make when attempting to work from home is that they do not create a separate space for their work. Many people believe that they can effectively work anywhere in their home and attempt to do so from their sofa or in a bedroom. While some people may be able to work this way, it’s much more productive to have a separate area just for working. If you have a spare bedroom, set it up as an office, or have a small corner of your home with a desk and everything you need.

Plan out your schedule

At the beginning of each week, plan out your schedule for what you need to get done. Then, review this schedule each day. You’ll have an idea of all you need to accomplish that day and can plan how to tackle it. Knowing what’s next on your to-do list makes you more productive.

Communicate with others

If you work remotely for a company or have employees or clients of your own, make a point to stay in regular communication with them. Create consistent check-ins so you never lose track of what you need to be doing. If you’re working for a larger company, it’s even more important to remain part of the conversation if you’re remote.

Stay organized

If you have great organizational skills, you’ll find working from home even easier. Take advantage of planners, calendars on your technology, and any other resources at your disposal. Create to-do lists, put everything in neat places, and keep yourself on track. The more organized you are, the easier working from home will be.

Utilize technology

When you’re working from home, take advantage of the technology available to you. Whether it’s apps and extensions to keep you more organized, ways to share files and information, or simply an up-to-date computer, technology is your ally when you’re working from home.

Limit distractions

Whether you have children at home, tasks you need to get done, or friends who know you’re working from home and think that means you’re always available, you need to do your best to limit distractions. Make it clear to your family and friends that you have clear working hours. If you have tasks you need to get done around the house, schedule those into your day or make a plan to do them before or after you’re working. It can be incredibly easy to get distracted while working in your home.

Take breaks

As you’re navigating working from home, remember that it’s healthy to take breaks. Schedule your breaks into your daily calendar; it’ll help you avoid taking too many breaks, but also pushing yourself too hard. These small breaks can be the time you get some other tasks done or simply go for a quick walk to clear your mind; you’ll find you’re much more productive after doing so.

6 Benefits of Frequently Changing Companies Early In Your Career

By Nicholas Fainlight

On April 24, 2019

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

The average worker in the United States holds approximately 11 jobs during their lifetime, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This number is likely to increase by several jobs for younger workers, who seem less committed to longevity with their employers. This change in how long someone stays with a company is a direct result of there being plenty of opportunities to choose from in addition to healthy competition amongst companies to offer employees the best salaries and benefits. That said, here are some of the key reasons it pays to switch jobs early in your career.

Acquire more skills

One of the greatest benefits of switching jobs is learning new skills, according to Pay Scale. These are crucial and transferrable skills, such as writing, negotiating, making decisions, and solving problems, that can help you get better jobs in the future.

Avoid career burnout

When you stay at a job too long early in your career, you’ll tend to become more mechanical in how you perform tasks. In fact, Forbes further explains that your ideas will tend to diminish the longer you stick with one job.

Helps self esteem

Face it, as a talented professional, you have various goals you want to achieve during your career. You have a better chance of reaching them by switching jobs more frequently when you’re first starting out. For one thing, you’ll become exposed to more challenging tasks as you advance into higher-level positions. You’ll also experience a greater sense of accomplishment.

Enhances industry scope

It’s a good feeling when you can perform your job efficiently and get recognized for your efforts. Unfortunately, if you stay in a job too long, you risk falling behind on new trends or happenings in your industry, according to Forbes.

Expands your network

The more jobs you have when you’re young, the greater number of contacts you’ll make. These are people who can mentor you or help you advance into executive roles in the future. These business contacts can also be a launching pad for future business endeavors if you have a predilection toward entrepreneurship.

Increases pay and benefits

Often times, people get stuck in careers because there’s no room to move up. This issue tends to stymie both career growth and income. Although you’ll have to gauge various salaries and benefits in your industry, you can often get significant bumps in salary when you make both lateral or upward progressions in new jobs.

Manage Solo Work Time Nicholas Fainlight

How to Manage Your Time When You’re Working Alone

By Nicholas Fainlight

On January 3, 2019

In Career, Finance, Nicholas Fainlight

For people who create their own schedules, it can be challenging to figure out how to use your time in the most effective way possible. You may have occasional scheduled meetings or calls, but the majority of your work comes from a running list of projects with distant deadlines and it’s up to you to figure out what gets the highest priority and how much time you must allot to each task. This type of work schedule can be particularly challenging if you’re working from home or alone at a coworking space or somewhere else that can be distracting. Follow these pieces of advice to better manage your time and get more done.

Create a schedule

The first step to take to effectively manage your time is to create a schedule for the hours you’ll be working (or even your entire day, if you’re ambitious). You may already have a schedule or to-do list, but if you feel like it isn’t working well for you, scrap the whole thing and start from scratch. Plan out each hour of your workday and allot enough time for each task so you can clearly see what you need to do when. This schedule helps you stay on task and gauge where you are throughout each day.

Learn your productive times

This step takes some trial and error, but by consciously paying attention to how you work and when you get the most done, you can figure out what times of the day you’re the most productive. Once you learn these times, you can plan to get your most important and urgent tasks done then and push lesser projects to different times.

Time yourself

As you work on your different tasks, start timing how long it takes you to do every item. Knowing you’re being timed can push you to stay focused and avoid distractions. If you do get distracted, you can clearly see how much time was wasted; let it serve as a wake-up call. You might also be underestimating how long it takes you to get something done, so timing yourself allows you to create a realistic schedule.

Eliminate distractions

If you work on the computer, you can easily access an endless number of distractions. With cell phones, we have hours of distractions in our pockets. When you work at home, you might get distracted by what needs to be done around your house. In order to best manage your time, you must eliminate distractions; put your phone in a different room or turn it off, block specific sites on your computer while you’re working, or isolate yourself somewhere that people won’t talk to you and you won’t be distracted by what’s around you.

Craft a workspace

No matter where you’re working, you need to create a workspace for yourself that you find relaxing and helps you focus. At home, create a specific room or area where you work so you can keep your work and home life separate. In your office, personalize your space so you enjoy being there, but also in a way that’s conducive to your productivity. If you work in more public spaces, consider investing in good headphones to ignore outside noise and get materials that best fit your needs and make your job easier.