10 Killer Tips For a More Competitive Business

If your business isn’t looking for ways to be more competitive, it may be losing ground. Markets and customer preferences are changing fast. So the key is to look at your competitors, your business and your industry and always be thinking about the next step. While you’re thinking, here are some tips for a more competitive business in this week’s Small Business Trends Community Roundup.

Master the Mysteries of WordPress

(Psychlinks Web Services)

Still a popular content management system with many small businesses, WordPress remains a good option for developing your Web presence. But watch out for little known problems like malicious code on your site, says designer and site manager David Baxter. Read more on Baxter’s site.

Hone Your Personal and Team Performance

(Network Recruitment)

Success in business as in anything comes from hard work and a thoughtful approach to improving one’s performance. Nicoli Sauerman gives some simple advice about structuring professional and team priorities for the best possible outcome.

Keep Up with the Latest Business Systems

(Hostway Blog)

If your company is still using Microsoft 7 — or, worse yet, Alta Vista — beware. Getting behind on the business systems you need to drive efficiency ad productivity costs you in ways you may not realize. Holly Chaffin gives an overview of the new Microsoft 10. Have you upgraded your business system — whatever it is?

Improve Visual Appeal with Tools Like Visme

(Carol Amato)

You don’t need to be a graphic designer to improve the visual appeal of your company website. Or if you are in the graphic design business, you may be looking for tools to improve your productivity and effectiveness. Carol Amato gives an overview of one such graphic tool with comments from the BizSugar community.

Keep Your Eye on New Technology — Like Drones

(SBA Blogs)

You may not have any small packages in need of short range aerial delivery. But brainstorm to figure out whether the latest development of drone technology is something applicable to your business. Small Business Trends CEO Anita Campbell reviews the challenges, but the message is clear. Be open to new technology in your company.
Make Your Website a Magnate for Media

(Howentrepreneur.com)

In the old days you might have sent out press releases to the local paper. Today, however, small businesses have more powerful tools at their disposal. SEO and social media expert Zohaib Akhlaq gives advice on creating a media friendly website with some comments from the BizSugar community.

Learn the Latest Marketing Channels for Any Business

(Express Camp Cloud)

Today, perhaps more than ever, successful businesses in any industry rely on finding the right mix of marketing channels. Consider Mike Garee’s review of the latest tips for promoting a campground business. You don’t need to be a Silicon Valley CEO to understand this.

Maximize Automation to Boost Productivity

(Social Media for Small Business)

Automating your social media campaign is hardly cutting edge. But marketing consultant Laura Nunemaker has a few tips for automating one of the hottest new channels: Instagram. Warning: some of Nunemaker’s suggestions here are controversial given Instagram’s terms of service. But her post is a reminder of the need to constantly boost efficiency and drew some BizSugar discussion too.
Get Yourself the Help You Need

(Don’t Panic Mgmt)

No, this does not necessarily mean hiring more people. Even solopreneurs can sometimes benefit from a helping hand. For example, you might reach out to a virtual assistant. This can be either an individual or a service. And they can handle everything from schedule management to planning your next business trip.

Learn to Tell Your Brand’s Story

(SEOPresser.com)

Learning to communicate effectively with your audience is crucial for your company’s success. And a large part of that effectiveness comes down to you tell your company’s story. Inbound marketer Zhi Yuan has some simple suggestions for adding a conversational tone to your business communications. See some additional discussion in the BizSugar community.