Bankable

Bankable

Social Media

Staying Connected During Covid-19

by Leave a Comment

According to research found by Gallup’s, 62 percent of employed Americans currently say they are working from home during the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore many of us are learning,  adapting, and adjusting to the way we are working.  Most studies are showing people prefer to be working remotely. So the question is:  why is it important to keep the office culture strong and how can we continue to stay connected to one another? That also brings up the question that many entrepreneurs and small business owners have, which is: how can we continue to support other small businesses during this time?

Why do we need office culture?

Office culture is important for employees, not only does it give you a destination to attend to and start a routine with, but it can also play a role in how you decide your day is going to go. Having a space where people are able to come together ideate, brainstorm, and trust one another adds value to your business. Employees are more likely to enjoy their work when they are somewhere where the culture is a good fit. Staples 2019 Workplace Survey states that 90 percent of employees say allowing for more flexible work arrangements and schedules would increase employee morale, while 77 percent say allowing employees to work remotely may lead to lower operating costs. Now that many of us are working remotely, how can we adjust to making our work environment more comfortable as well as staying intune with our co-workers?

Here are some examples of the differences between positive and negative work environments!

What does a positive work environment have?

  • Communication
  • Connection
  • Team Unity

What does a negative work environment have?

  • Lack of Interest
  • Bad Communication 
  • Cliques, Exclusion + Gossipy Behavior
  • Poor Leadership

If we look at the differences we are able to see how important employee connection truly is for a business.

How can we continue to stay connected even when we are working from home?

While we are all still trying to adjust to the new “normal” we are able to grow and learn and stay connected in different ways than ever before. We have to prioritize and manage our time to connect with coworkers.  Here are a few different ways to stay connected and engaged with others in the workplace. 

These are just some of the many ways you can stay connected with those in the workplace while you’re working remotely! Here at Bankable, we have incorporated social distant picnics, group bingo, and several other virtual contests within our team! It might seem frightening and discouraging for some to know that working remotely is the new “normal”, but for those who are feeling this way we hope to have provided you with some more ways to make your connection with your coworkers still relevant and less disappointing! 

How can we support small businesses while staying home?

Although many of us are learning to work remotely and stay as connected to our co-workers as we can, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are changing the way they work as well.  Here are a few different ways small businesses are learning to adapt and stay connected in this new environment.

Those are just a couple examples of how many small businesses are learning to help eachother out during these challenging times. Check out  PaySimple  to see several more small businesses learning to adapt and adjust during this time.

As entrepreneurs and small business owners we are always looking for different ways we can support one another and continue to help each other’s businesses. Since covid-19 things have become a little more difficult and caused a few setbacks within the small business world. Many of us are learning and adapting to the virtual world and becoming more 

There are several different ways we can all support small businesses during this time. Here is a list of a few different ways to stay connected and supportive towards small businesses while staying home.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to reach out to our Bankable team to discuss ways your business could stay connected while working remotely by emailing us at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

More resources: 

“My Pleasure” Why Businesses Should Emphasize Customer Service

by Leave a Comment

 

Customer service is an essential part of any business. In order to understand what customer service can do for a business, it is easiest to split it up into two categories: brand association and customer satisfaction. 

Brand Association

 What do people say when they think about your business? You must determine what you want people to think of when they hear about your business and align that with your brand strategy.  For example, everyone knows Chick-fil-A is known for going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to customer service.  From saying “my pleasure” after every exchange to chasing a person down the street just because they forgot their sauce.  Chick-fil-A has branded themselves as the pinnacle of customer service and it has paid off tremendously. 

One of the most important ideals that goes unnoticed in great customer service is brand loyalty. If you think we are wrong, ask yourself when was the last time you saw a commercial for Chick-Fil-A. That is because they have been able to use their customer base to get the word out.  They use user-generated-content to their advantage, which is the best content because it acts as both a customer review and brand focused content. 

User-generated content is social media content that is posted by a consumer that highlights a company’s positive or negative behaviors. Whether that be their product or service. It acts as its own unique form of marketing that could be good or bad for a business.  Taking time to incorporate high level customer service can influence your business and can easily be the difference between your business being successful or sub-par. 

Now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “That’s great but I’m not Chick-fil-a.” That’s the beauty of being a smaller business. Small businesses have more of an opportunity to create community and brand loyalty through amazing customer service and experience. Make sure you are taking advantage of the chances that are presented. Be bold and ask your customers the question, “what can we do to keep you coming back?” Some answers will be good and some won’t be, but the information that you gather and implement will not only help your business. It will prove to your customers your listening. That is what keeps them coming back for more!

Customer Satisfaction 

How happy your customers are does not solely depend on customer service. 

It has a lot to do with the: 

  1. Product you offer
  2. Convenience of location 
  3. And, how your prices compare to other competitors.

 Above all else, being educated on what makes your customers keep coming back is important.


Customer satisfaction comes in all different forms. Some customers like that Chick-fil-A has the attitude of, “we will be the nicest people on planet earth as long as we are wearing this uniform attitude and that works for their brand.”  On the other hand, there are establishments like Dicks Last Resort that thrive off of insulting and treating their customers terribly. This unorthodox form of “customer service” works for them and provides a unique dining experience that continues to bring customers back as well.  

How customers receive your brand and product is important. Customer service should not only exist in our restaurant industries. Some effort should be made to keep consumers coming back again and again. 

Bankable always strives to treat their clients and their partners with the utmost respect and customer service. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us via email at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

A few more resources:

Content, Content, Content

by Leave a Comment

Laptop with graphics and the words content on it

Sometimes marketers can get stuck in a rut! It can be hard to come up with new ways to market your business especially after you have already created some great pieces of content. We are here today to help you plan your content anew.  Because at Bankable, we want to help you!

What is good content?

First, we should ask the question “what is good content?” Sometimes, we can think a picture we take on our phone is not good enough or we need some high-quality content that was produced by a professional filmmaker/photographer/etc., but that is not the case! Yes, high-quality productions are great and refreshing, but it’s not always appropriate.  Good content is what you can bring to the table for your audience with the resources you have. Here are some examples of good content from some of our clients as well as us:

These examples are very doable! All it requires is a little bit of time.

One Piece of High-Quality Content

Now, let’s say that you did hire someone to produce a great video of one of your business offerings. It’s beautiful. You love it, but you don’t know what to do with it. We have definitely been there before. Here are a few tips that could help you get the most bang for your buck on that one piece of content:

  • Share it on all of your social media platforms: This should be a no-brainer, but if you have more than one platform, publish it everywhere! 
  • Strategize what your demographic would think of this content: You can start brainstorming where this content fits best. If you have a niche demographic on one platform and not the other, focus your content on them. 
    • EX: You own a coffee shop, and you have a cool video showcasing different types of coffee and how they are ethically sourced. On Instagram, you have a young audience that cares deeply about how your coffee is made. So, you want to hype up the video as a behind the scenes moment. On the other hand, your Facebook page is filled with people who care about the environment. On your Facebook page, you would want to discuss how your business also cares about the environment. This can be done using the same video, but just switching up the context that surrounds it ie. the caption of a post.
  • Break up your content: You don’t have to post all of a video or all of a photo session. Break them up! If in a video you talk about multiple things about your business, you can choose which part you want to show now and which part you want to share later. 
  • Reuse, Reuse, Reuse: Don’t let one piece of content die! You work too hard to let that happen. You can always wait a little bit, maybe a few months, and then repost it again. It might seem strange to keep pushing the same content, but the likelihood that someone will notice is not high in the beginning. With the way algorithms are now, it should be pushed in front of a new audience or a new portion of your following each time.

 

These are just a few tips and tricks when working on content. Sometimes it can look like a scary beast, but it is worth it when you start to see the results you want. This can only happen if you continue to push through the social media void. 

 

Let us know if you have any questions or if you want to meet with someone on our Growth Ready team to discuss how we can help you with your social media presence by emailing us at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

 

A few more resources:

Film Fellows

by Leave a Comment

two students filming at a bakery with a counter with a piece of cake placed on it.

We have been anxiously awaiting to share with you our amazing Film Fellows program! You may be asking, what is Film Fellows? Well, it is an awesome partnership between Anderson University and Bankable. The Cinema Media and Arts program has some phenomenal students who film and create content with our clients.  

Not only do students get hands-on experience doing what they love, but they are also able to help spread what Bankable does for small businesses through video content. So far, the Film Fellows have worked on three projects. We are so excited to share them with you.

Coal Ironworks

The first one that we have to share is our video with Coal Ironworks:

Two practicing blacksmiths, Nathan Brandt and Andrew Davis, created the first-ever functional press that could operate on standard house power. It took many trials, but eventually, they were successful. Bankable is honored that we could be a part of their journey and proud to see Coal Iron Works become bankable. 

Twitter 101 for Small Business

by Leave a Comment

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a form of social media that is used to convey short messages and updates. These updates are called “Tweets.” Twitter found its unique edge in the social media market by introducing a 140 character limit for any Tweet. This forces the user to be concise and mindful when wording their Tweets. This character limit classifies Twitter as a “microblogging tool.”
(more…)

What Does It Mean To Be “Bankable”?

by Leave a Comment

Becoming “bankable.”

Becoming bankable is a major milestone for every business, let alone young businesses, and unfortunately there’s not a one size fits all solution for how to get there. To be bankable means that a business is able to receive some form of traditional financing package from a bank. Whether that be a $10,000 operating line of credit or a $200,000 term loan for equipment, to grow and develop your business to the point where it no longer needs debt financing or is able to qualify for some level of bank financing is a huge achievement. And the best part… it’s not impossible to get there. Contrary to popular belief, banks are lending at an all-time high to small businesses, they have more small business focused products than ever, and they want to keep finding small businesses to help scale.
(more…)