Working from home can be a rewarding experience with the right guidelines. Remote workers should construct a schedule they can keep, constantly communicate with team members, and set boundaries for their work-life balance. These guidelines will help new remote workers set themselves up for success. 

With the world moving to remote work, it is important to know how to succeed in this new environment. Learn how here!
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Keep to a Schedule  

Priority number one: Pick what hours you will work every day. If you are working as a freelancer, block out the times during your day you will dedicate to your various projects. The best practice is to stay within the average 9 to 5 or 8 to 4.  

A step further would be to section off your work hours into specific chunks. For example, figure out how many hours a particular project will take, and set aside parts of your workday for that project. This is called project management, and it can be very effective for productivity.

Make Communication A Priority

One of the best ways to make working remotely work for you is to prioritize communication with your employer. Whether you are a freelancer of some kind or you work for a company, you need to be available to the people you work with. 

When working remotely communication is a struggle, from internet connection problems to the lack of face-to-face communication, working from home presents some challenges. That is why prioritizing communication is important. 

Set Boundaries

Though it can be difficult to do so, setting boundaries is an essential part of working remotely. Some remote workers have difficulty separating their work life from their home life because both times take place in the same place. 

These boundaries should be rules like not opening your email after 5 o’clock, or leaving your work computer in a specific location. The priority should be maintaining a separation between work and personal life. 

Put Your Mental Health First

At the end of the day, working remotely can be a rewarding experience when the right guidelines are followed.  A general guide to working remotely is to set a schedule for yourself, make communicating with your employers a priority, and set boundaries for yourself. 

Contact us for more information on working remotely.

The post The Guide to Working Remotely: How to Thrive at Home first appeared on ITVibes.

Virtual Team Meetings

With the sudden increase in people working from home, virtual team meetings have become a staple of the workday. Reliable phones, webcams, and internet connections are more critical now than ever to facilitate team communication. And with many offices planning to increase work-from-home time in the future, these virtual meetings will continue playing an essential role. Office managers will need to ensure their employees have reliable access to the technology that allows these meetings to take place, both in an office environment and while working remotely.

Outsourcing More Services

For other businesses, outsourcing certain tasks now makes more sense economically. If profits are decreasing, it may make more sense to pay a freelancer or part-time worker outside the business than to hire another full-time employee. Some companies have discovered that outsourcing more creative jobs, like marketing, to an external team protects their own employees from creative burnout and gives them more time for other work. And with the rise in remote communication, staying in touch with a remote freelancer is as simple as it’s ever been.

Website Maintenance

Online shopping has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. And with more and more people visiting a business’s website, a company’s online presence has never been more important. The software in-house maintenance teams have been using is no longer adequate for some. As online traffic increases, plenty of businesses have upgraded their website’s platform, management system, or both to continue giving customers a good experience. Others have outsourced this work entirely. Either way, a new approach to website upkeep is required.

The New Normal

Regardless of your industry, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted you in ways you may not realize. Take a closer look at the changes to your routine and how your employees are coping. You may have to make more changes than you’d thought.
Contact us to start outsourcing your marketing and website needs today.

The post COVID-19 & the Future of Office Technology first appeared on ITVibes.

By 2022, an estimated 82% of all content creation will be video. #ITVibes
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Product Videos Increase Purchases

Video content can drastically increase your product traffic and sales. You can create how-to videos on using your product or give a behind scenes of your company video to show your audience. Those who are staying home are more likely to make purchases online after coming across a video related to their search terms.

Video Search Results Have a Higher Click Rate

Videos have a pretty high chance of being on the first page of Google’s search results. With all the COVID-19 messaging from businesses being the same, it’s preferable to click on a video to watch. If you include video in your content marketing campaign, you’re sure to get more clicks. 

YouTube Consumer Usage is Increasing

Among other video-focused social media platforms, YouTube is seeing a spike in usage during the era of the covid-19 pandemic. More face to face services are switching to the digital world by creating videos on their channels. Investing in video advertising is a good idea for digital marketers during this time.

Video Marketing in the Era of Covid

Once you get a hang of video marketing during covid-19, you’ll be able to manage your content marketing more effectively. Now is a good time to understand how to advertise your brand through videos on social media. This way you’ll reach your target audience and build your brand’s online presence.
Connect with us for more digital marketing tips.

The post Which Video Marketing Trends Are Affected by COVID-19? first appeared on ITVibes.

Global news, e-learning, entertainment, and shopping have become digital. How is your brand standing out?
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Hold That Thought!

With fear and uncertainty affecting all businesses in general and digital marketing in particular, the next couple of months are very crucial. With almost no face-to-face meetings happening in the near future, digitally reaching them is a sure way out.
Digital Marketing Guru – Neil Patel says’
“But what I’ve learned from going through two crashes (the dotcom crash in 2000 and the real estate crash in 2008) is that the best time to double down is when others are not.”
If you own a small business and sell from a brick and mortar store, now is the time to go online.  Reach out to a lot of people by setting up your business on Google My Business. Upload photos, add services, business hours, and product information for Google Map searches. People ‘googling’ your keywords are more likely to find your business when you have a completely optimized Google My Business account. 

Pro Tip: With traditional stores taking a hit now, setting up an eCommerce store is both easy and a definite way to reach out to the people who are at home and trying to shop online.

While setting up your store online, you can still promote your business now. Social media marketing and SEO are essential for a successful campaign. 

Digital Marketing Strategies for Short Term Goals

1. 1. Focus on your immediate goals. Making any long-term plans in the prevailing circumstances will be disastrous. 
   2. Since a lot of people will not be traveling, it is better if you focus your ads locally within say 20 to  25 miles, so it is easy to drive by.
   3. Almost everyone is online today, making bid adjustments on devices will help you use the budget effectively. 
   4. Reduce your Ad spend budget but do not stop it. When the competition is low, bid higher and increase your brand awareness. 
   5. Based on the industry, a shift is seen in the search queries that display the ads. Evaluate the negative keywords and search terms and adjust the key terms accordingly
   6.  The majority of your target audience are at home, so reach out to them from where they are, start building your followers, post relevant articles that interest them and keep them engaged.
   7. Build your brand. Keep your social followers up to date with constant updates on news that they need to know. This will lead to the audience that are loyal and would convert in the long term.
   8. Be sensitive to your audience, the tone matters.

Digital Marketing Strategies for Long Term Goal

1. Give it a few months before you make any major plans
2. The situation will improve and businesses will have clarity of thought.
3. With the effect of brand promotion, you will have enough audience for remarketing. Target them first.
4. Widen your reach– move from familiar locality to broader reach.
5. Start running ads on Youtube, reach to the top converting audiences.

Advertising online may sound complicated, and you may be hesitant to do it. But promoting your brand to the audience that needs it can happen quicker with paid campaigns. Paid ads provide improved conversions in the long run. 
Reach out to our team for any questions about online marketing. 

Conclusion

Be sensitive to your customers, with such a major pandemic, globally the economy is down. There may not be an appropriate plan in the near future to help all. But this will improve and business will flourish again.
Every time the business goes down, it takes a few months to pick up and double again. 

The post Online Marketing Strategies for Small Business Now and After COVID-19 first appeared on ITVibes.

Practical Things to Consider

Setting up at an office at home does place a few restrictions on you. First of all, remember that you’ll be at home with your family and/or pets, who will want your attention from time to time. They may also be making noise elsewhere in the home. Find a place away from distractions and try to minimize how many intrusive elements you have to deal with.
Second, what about storage? You may not have as much room or storage furnishings at home. Invest in some desk organizers, wall- or corner-mounted shelves, and other clever ways to keep your work necessities near you but out of the way.
Finally, what kind of equipment do you use? Do you need multiple monitors or quick access to a printer? Make sure you have room for all your technology (and enough sockets to plug it all in!). Your home office setup should allow you to have all your equipment easily accessible and running at all times.

Personalizing Your Home Office

You’ll be spending a lot of time in your workspace. Why not dress it up to your tastes? Hang photos on the wall or bring in some favorite decorative items to fill an empty spot on the desk. Your shelves and organizers can be part of this too! Find desk equipment or accessories in your favorite colors and make your desk a place where you’d love to hang out.

Pro Tip: Make designing your home office your new DIY project! Find inspiration on websites like Pinterest to see how other people designed their offices.

Promote Your Own Health

As an increasing number of desk workers worry about being too sedentary, remember that you can make your home office more compatible with a healthier lifestyle. You control the furniture you use, after all! Try adding a standing desk or extender to convert a seated desk into a standing desk. Place your work station near a window for a healthy dose of natural light and fresh air. Use ergonomic furniture and equipment to help keep your body in comfortable positions and avoid potential injury. Remember, your own physical and mental health should always be a priority. And if you’re fortunate enough to be able to design your own office space, take full advantage of this to make an office best suited to your needs.

Stay Safe & Healthy!

As the world continues to focus on the coronavirus, remember that setting up a pleasant work-at-home office for yourself will not only allow you to stay productive, but also promote your mental health during these stressful times. Give yourself the perfect office space to get work done and get through the pandemic.
Join the conversation to see how other now-remote workers are handling working from home.

The post Setting Up a Great Work-from-Home Office first appeared on ITVibes.

The idea of remote work comes with some misconceptions, but the reality of #workfromhome life might shatter your expectations! #ITVibes
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What are some remote work expectations that aren’t the reality?

If you’re expecting working from home to be a breeze compared to a 9 to 5 schedule at the office, you could be setting yourself up for failure. Let’s take a look at some of the misconceptions of remote work and how to set realistic expectations for the following:

1. Work Schedule
2. Time Spent Working
3. Work-Life Balance

1) Work Schedule

Expectation: “There’s no need for an alarm clock when you can start the day when you want!” 
Reality: Remote jobs still have set office hours! There are still project deadlines to meet and work hours to respect which makes it efficient for remote workers to collaborate with each other. Conference calls and virtual meetings still have a place on the calendar during these hours.

2) Time Spent Working

Expectation: “You can stop working whenever you want, finish your favorite Netflix show, and pick up where you left off at any time!”
Reality: You won’t be working one day a week and calling it a day. In fact, when you work remotely you’ll probably find yourself working from early hours in the morning to late at night. Tasks that aren’t completed from the day before can end up becoming work to tend to over the weekend. Get a solid grasp of how you can maximize productivity while working from home.

3) Work-Life Balance

Expectation: “There’s no way you could get burnt out while working from home!”
Reality: Burnout can happen to anyone, even when you work from home. It’s important to tend to your family and personal life for your wellbeing. While remote work comes with many conveniences, it can be easy to slip into overworking without a change in scenery.

Pro Tip: Create an effective dedicated work-space in your home office space so that you can separate work from the distractions of home life. 

Setting Remote Work Expectations to Thrive in Reality

Your work from home life can be a great experience if you set the right expectations and priorities. Remember to communicate effectively with your remote team and set a consistent schedule that works for you and your business. 
Join the conversation for more remote work tips from our digital marketing team!

The post Work From Home Life: Expectations vs. Reality first appeared on ITVibes.

Feelings & Emotions Matter

Based on neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s observations, “We are not thinking machines that feel; rather, we are feeling machines that think.” At the end of the day, customers don’t choose products merely based on the number of features available. The deciding factor is how it makes them feel, or how it solves their problem in the best way possible.
During this uncertain time, the type of emotions your content is eliciting matters more than ever. To be an empathetic brand is to connect with customers at their level. Think about their personal situations and what problems they may be facing right now. How can your products and services help them?

Pro Tip: Not sure what your customers are feeling? Use this time to conduct online surveys and request feedback to improve your content marketing.

What’s Your Message Tone?

When a customer scrolls through social media or finds your business online, your overall message tone is your first impression. Currently, unemployment rates are skyrocketing and remote working has become a norm for most companies. Use this time to monitor your marketing efforts so that they remain sensitive to your customer’s present needs. Make sure your message tones remain considerate and informative to keep your customers happy.

Examples of Empathy

Want to use empathetic language in your next marketing campaign? Check out how these three brands are connecting with customers during the coronavirus pandemic:

1. Nike – Top sports brand, Nike isn’t ignoring the fact that most of its products are designed for outside. Instead, they’re adjusting their message and urging customers to “play inside” and be “one team” to promote social distancing.
2. DoorDash – Favorite food delivery company, DoorDash usage is at an all-time high with most dine-in restaurants closed. To maintain customer satisfaction, they’ve created a landing page to prove they’re committed to safe health practices.
3. Coca-Cola – Popular soda brand, Coca-Cola isn’t trying to use this time to promote their own products or agenda. Instead, they’ve completely overhauled their social feeds to share COVID-19 resources and to highlight messages of hope.

Empathetic Approach to COVID-19

At the end of the day, empathy centers around the tone of your customer service. How you treat your customers and make them feel will ultimately determine whether your marketing strategies work or not. What words or content will you share?
Connect with our marketing team to enhance your brand’s message tone and delivery.

The post It's All About Tone: Empathetic Marketing During COVID-19 first appeared on ITVibes.

Wondering how to stay relevant during the coronavirus crisis? Here are a few tips to stay connected with your customers. (PLUS: Other companies that are using their resources to help.)
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How Can Your Business Help?

Now, it’s time to focus on helping others rather than customer acquisition. Many companies are providing comforting articles, remote work productivity tips, and even DIY guides for services they provide. Reaching your customers at home and showing them your brand cares is crucial in long-term customer retention. Consumers are worried, afraid, and struggling right now. They want to see brands who provide innovative ways to help those who need it most.  

Innovation is Paving the Way 

Across the country, healthcare workers are experiencing a shortage of essential life-saving supplies such as N95 masks, gloves, gowns, and ventilators. If respiratory therapists, nurses, and doctors can’t protect themselves, then they can’t help us. Building brand awareness goes much deeper than a fancy online marketing campaign. 

Pro Tip: Marketing definitely boosts brand recognition, but only when you can connect with your target audience. 

Check out how these giant brands are stepping up and using their resources to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Tesla using car parts to build ventilators
• GAP is manufacturing masks, gowns, and scrubs for healthcare workers
• Apple is donating millions of masks to healthcare workers
• Lowes commits $25 million to help during coronavirus
• Facebook donated 720,000 masks to healthcare workers

If you’re a small business owner and you don’t have the resources or millions of dollars to donate, you can still be creative and make a difference with what you do have. 
Here are some other companies that are using what they have to help out:

• Loom, a video recording, and streaming company is giving away their pro version for free
• Health insurance companies are offering free testing
• U-Haul is providing free self-storage for students misplaced during coronavirus
• L’Oréal is using its resources to produce hand sanitizer 

Keep Your Brand Name Circling

You probably have seen a dip in purchases for your products or services. This is certainly startling for non-essential companies around the world. However, you can still increase your brand visibility during times of crisis by connecting with your customers through social media marketing, email campaigns, and blog posts. Word of mouth is powerful, and if you’re actively working with the community to help in whatever way you can, people will talk about your brand. 

Conclusion

When the country and the world return to normal, consumers will remember your company if you stay active, present, and caring during this troubling time. Together, we will get through this and come out stronger than ever before. Stay visible through online campaigns during times of crisis. Questions about marketing your brand during coronavirus? Connect with us to speak with our team of marketers. 

The post Your Guide to Brand Visibility During a Crisis first appeared on ITVibes.

7 Ways to Help Existing Customers

Even if your business has closed or your customers are staying at home, customer satisfaction should remain your goal. The present circumstances may affect your business activities, but your customers will be back. Make sure you’re using this time of uncertainty to grow your business, even if it’s from the comfort of your own home. If you’re unsure what you can do, start with these 7 simple ways to keep your customers happy!

1. Optimize your online presence
2. Promote special offers
3. Enhance your social media accounts
4. Offer your services remotely
5. Host an online event
6. Reevaluate your business listings
7. Seek new opportunities

1) Optimize your online presence

More than ever, buyers are searching online and browsing for specific products or services. During economic uncertainty, investing in search engine optimization is key to keeping your brand on top. Use this downtime to boost your online presence so more customers can find you in the future.

2) Promote special offers

Your customers will remain loyal to your business, even if they’re at home. How can your business provide assistance during this time? Promote special offers of your products if you offer essential services or partner with a local organization to get involved in your community.

3) Enhance your social media accounts

Social media has become the prime spot for users to connect with family and receive news updates. If your business doesn’t already have social media, this is the time to create an account and reach out to customers. Even after the COVID-19, your followers will remain and keep up with your business.

Pro Tip: During a crisis, it’s important to adjust your social media strategies. Make sure your posted content is relevant for the current situation.

4) Offer your services remotely

Can your services be shared online? From e-commerce solutions to video chat meetings, your business structure will have to navigate remote options. Find out how your business can increase customer interaction.

5) Host an online event

Have you noticed more brands utilizing Zoom and Live Streams? Now that most states have implemented “stay-home orders,” increasing the number of online events. Host an upcoming webinar, concert (if you’re a musician), or online game!

6) Reevaluate your business listings

Social distancing offers a great opportunity for your business to improve your customer acquisition process. Make sure your business contact information is accurate on all of your business listings and local directories to ensure future customers can find you.

7) Seek new opportunities

How can your business innovate? Content marketing strategies are key right now to make sure your business stays relevant to your audience. Continue to seek new opportunities and adjust your procedures to your customer’s needs.

Growing Your Brand During COVID-19

Even after the end of social distancing, customer satisfaction should remain the goal of every business. While the climate has changed, there are practical ways for you to retain customers and help your business survive.
How is your business responding right now? Connect with our digital marketers to learn more customer retention strategies! 

The post Keeping Customers While Social Distancing: 7 Simple Ways first appeared on ITVibes.

The most important part of remote work is communicating clearly and effectively with your team! How can you improve your remote communication? #ITVibes
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How can your team communicate effectively with each other while working from home?

By planning for regular online meetings and using your work-time to motivate your team, you’ll find that working remotely comes with many benefits for team communication. Follow your business’s communication guidelines and best practices, be open to different methods of communication and project management, and don’t be afraid to overcommunicate when you need to (which might be quite often!). 

1. Schedule Online Meetings
2. Inspire & Motivate Each Other
3. Follow Communication Guidelines
4. Be Open to Different Methods
5. When in Doubt, Overcommunicate

1) Schedule Online Meetings

Planning productive team meetings and scheduling them through video conferencing allows you to all take a moment to touch base with your team. Make sure everyone is included in the video calls, ask questions about their project updates and give useful feedback.

2) Inspire & Motivate Each Other

While you’re not physically in the same office with your work team, you’re all in this together! Give constructive feedback to your team members and let them know of the great work they’re doing that your clients appreciate. If you come across useful articles or videos for inspiration, send them to the coworkers you think will be motivated by it as well. 

Pro Tip: Company retreats can be a great team-building experience. Consider planning one for your team in the future to get out of the work from home slump and build strong relationships.

3) Follow Communication Guidelines

Not all company cultures are the exact same, so you should have a good understanding of what the communication guidelines for yours are. Digital marketers use a plethora of communication channels, so you should know which specific situations call for chat messages, emails, and phone calls.

4) Be Open to Different Methods

Some project management tools might do wonders for remote workers, or they could make things more difficult depending on the tasks at hand. Work with your team to find collaboration tools that do well for everyone. If certain methods of work are more productive for a remote working individual, it’s best to work with those methods, not against them.

5) When in Doubt, Overcommunicate

Your teammates can’t see your body language or hear the tone of your voice via text. If you feel something might be misread online, don’t be afraid to overcommunicate to get your exact point across. After all, information is everything!

Keeping Your WFH Team on the Same Page

Solid communication with your remote team will help everyone to stay on the same page and up-to-date with what’s going on with your company’s projects. Use these tips to build your work relationships online and in the office!
Join the conversation for more communication tips and remote work tactics!

The post Steps to Effective Communication with Your Remote Team first appeared on ITVibes.