January 2010 Newsletter
Increasing Ad Effectiveness (Part III)
Last month we discussed targeted demographics and the mailing list as two factors that need to be considered when creating an effective advertisement. This month we will focus on both, the ad headline and ad body as opportunities to improve your advertising campaigns.
The main purpose of the headline is to get the reader to continue into the heart of the advertisement. The headline is an opportunity to challenge the reader and offer a feature. It can ask a question, provoke a response, or provide valuable information. No matter what your choice of a headline is, you need to ask yourself the following question: “Would this headline convince me to continue and read the meat of the advertisement”. If you are unable to grab the readers’ attention the remainder of your advertisement is a moot point, because it will go unread.
Generally, people do not read advertisements, they scan the ad for information and for offers. Therefore, it is a good idea to be brief. If your copy is wordy, you ensure that your reader stops reading and moves onto something else more appealing. I have found bullet points to be the most useful way to get your points across effectively and still keep your reader engaged. Please note that this advice is for regular advertisements which are not advertorial in nature.
QuickBooks Tips: Setting Up Users
If you have multiple users who use your QuickBooks file, I highly recommend setting up an individual user account for each user that includes a separate password. By setting up separate users you are able to segregate certain activities within QuickBooks away from different staff members. You will also be able to keep an audit trail which will tell you what entries were made by which staff members.
As the owner, you should be the only person who is set up as the administrator of the QuickBooks file and you should keep a secret password to your account. In order to set up an additional user, click “Company” on the menu and scroll down to “Set up users and passwords” and click “Set up Users”. Click the “Add User” button and enter the user name and password from the account and click the “Next” Button. The next screen will give you the option of granting the new user with full access to all of QuickBooks or select areas only. After you have made this decision and gone through each area that the user will have access to you have finished the set up portion of the process.
The main benefit of setting up different users is to segregate your QuickBooks functions from different staff members. Another benefit is that you are able to run an audit report to see any transaction that has been entered or deleted by any QuickBooks user. To run this report, click on “Reports” on the menu bar and scroll down to “Accountant and Taxes” and click the "Audit Trail" report or the "Voided/Deleted" transactions detail report.
Your Friendly Local CPA
Creating "Staff Buy In"
Owners of small-medium sized business often work long and hard to grow their business. It's not surprising that they don't understand when their employees don’t share their commitment. There are specific things you can do to develop employee dedication and commitment.
1. Expectations: Tell employees precisely what you expect of them, individually and collectively. Make sure they're absolutely clear about the key results you're seeking. Communicate to your staff measurable results that need to be obtained. To contribute fully, your staff must know exactly what's expected of them.
2. Resource: Provide all the resources and information your staff genuinely needs to achieve the results you have communicated. If you want someone to turn out 10 widgets a day, you must provide a reliable machine with that capacity.
3. Rewards: Reward employees when they achieve the results you have set forth. Rewards don't have to be in cash and can range from profit sharing to chocolate bars. In order for your business to achieve success, you need the staff to be motivated to provide that success. Rewards and compliments lets your staff know that you are happy with their performance.
4. Freedom: Throw out of every piece of paper with a job description. As an owner or manager you don't confine your role to such a straitjacket. If you want employees to feel more sense of ownership, define their jobs in terms of the measurable performance you expect.
To put it bluntly, there are only two reasons that your staff will ever go beyond the "call of duty" in their jobs: to please you; or to meet the standards of professionalism they've set for themselves. You can't force employees to duplicate you, but you can help them to see themselves as absolute professionals and perform accordingly.
