There are now more than 40 million active small business Pages on Facebook. As the number continues to grow, the social media giant has been launching several initiatives to better support these companies.
Facebook has announced two new resources to help small businesses grow on the social network: the 2015 Boost Your Business Program and live support on the Facebook for Business website.
Here's what the new programs have to offer and how they can help your business.
Earlier this year, Facebook launched the Ads Manager iOS app, the Creative Shop and the Blueprint marketing training program to help advertisers better create, manage and strategize their marketing efforts.
The new 2015 Boost Your Business program takes this to the next level by holding events throughout the nation, while the new live support makes it easier to reach an Ad Specialist to personally help small businesses with their campaigns.
Boost Your Business program
The 2015 Boost Your Business program is designed to help small businesses improve their marketing and reach more customers on the platform through live events in four U.S. cities: San Diego, Minneapolis, Nashville and Boston.
It consists of half-day and two-hour pop-up events where Facebook and its partners will be speaking to small businesses about social media marketing best practices and how they can grow their businesses on Facebook. The representatives will also be discussing new marketing strategies and tools that are now available to small businesses.
The Boost Your Business program is launched in partnership with Visa, email marketing provider MailChimp, e-commerce solution Shopify, human resources service provider Zenefits and Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith.
To attend these events, you can either register for the main program or find a two-hour event near you.
Facebook for Business live support
Users of Facebook for Business now have an easier way to get the help they need when they need it. Just click on the Get Help button to instantly connect to an Ad Specialist using the new live-chat feature.
Live chat will be rolled out in several countries, starting with the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland. Facebook says it also plans to launch live mobile chat and phone support.
When it comes to branding, social media is giving small businesses the chance to compete with the big guys, new research finds.
The rise in social media's popularity has changed the way consumers learn about businesses and products, by giving them the opportunity to discover more from one another, according to a study published recently in the journal Business Horizons.
In the past, large businesses were able to flex their branding muscle by pouring money into advertising designed to increase customer awareness and build a positive reputation. Today, however, social media has increased consumers' power, allowing them to interact with one another and skip the established marketing channels, thus diminishing large businesses' stronghold on the market.
"Social media has the potential to upend traditional branding," the study's authors wrote.
The researchers said that reviews on e-commerce sites like Amazon are now a major tool for discovering new products, and conversations on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook allow businesses, regardless of size, to reach a much larger audience.
"Consumers now rely more on information from their peers; this limits the power of advertising, making it difficult for companies to justify large upfront investments in it," the study's authors wrote. "Social media also makes buyers more demanding and discriminating; power has clearly shifted in their favor."
The study's authors believe that, with more power in customers' hands, bigger corporations risk losing control of their branding efforts and face increased competition from smaller businesses that are capitalizing on online word-of-mouth and low-cost social media campaigns to build awareness.
In order for marketers, both big and small, to compete in this new landscape, it's critical they adopt a mobile strategy, the study's authors said.
"In a world where there are more mobile phones than toothbrushes, consumers are likely to leverage their power in social media to be more demanding of marketers," the study's authors wrote. "Social media can strengthen or kill a brand; the key to success lies in how quickly companies can change their mind-set and adopt new strategies in response to consumer preferences."
The study was authored by Rajneesh Suri, a professor at Drexel University; Chiranjeev Kohli, a professor at California State University, Fullerton; and Anuj Kapoor, a graduate assistant at the University of Utah.
When you're interviewing for a job, you know you need to sell the hiring manager on why your background, skills and industry experience are a match for the position. But there's one crucial piece of the puzzle that you shouldn't overlook: Is your personality right for the job?
"When companies are assessing job candidates, they're looking for ... someone who is not only proficient in a particular function, but also has the right personality," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at career resource and job-listing site CareerBuilder. "It's important to highlight soft skills that can give employers an idea of how quickly you can adapt and solve problems, whether you can be relied on to follow through, and how effectively you can lead and motivate others."
According to a 2014 CareerBuilder study, these are the top 10 traits employers seek out in candidates:
Hardworking
Dependable
Positive
Self-motivated
Team-oriented
Organized
Works well under pressure
Effective communicators
Flexible
Confident
Hiring experts and business leaders weighed in on other specific personality types they look for in a new hire.
A multitasker. People are rarely hired to perform a single function. Especially in a small business setting, companies need employees who are willing to come out of their roles and do whatever is necessary, said Ron Selewach, founder and CEO of talent acquisition software company Human Resource Management Center Inc.
"A small business needs people who can not only tolerate chaos, but thrive in it," he said.
A strategist. Career psychologist Eileen Sharaga said that every business needs a strategic thinker. Hiring managers want someone who can identify long-term goals, and has not only a vision for the future, but a plan to get there, she said.
A decider. People who can use their own judgment and take decisive action are valuable to any company. Selewach said that business leaders aren't always available to be involved in every minor decision, so they look for a candidate who is not afraid to pull the trigger.
A born marketer. While you may not be looking to work specifically in a marketing position, someone who thinks like a marketer — a person who exhibits assertiveness, a sense of urgency and a willingness to take risks — is essential to any business, said Herb Greenberg, CEO and founder of hiring assessment and talent management firm Caliper Corp.
"[Marketers] make the world aware of their capabilities in order to position the company to obtain new clients," Greenberg said. "The marketer works with the entrepreneur to take his or her vision and build the brand."
A cautious person. Beth Gilfeather, CEO and founder of Seven Step Recruiting, noted that a more cautious employee acts as a counterbalance to risk takers.
"They are risk-averse, but sometimes, you need people to provide stability and fairness, and keep your business from taking on too much," Gilfeather said.
An independent thinker. Some employees go along with everything the boss says, without question. These people may be good for an ego boost, but ultimately, leaders need team members who will challenge the status quo if it's better for the business.
"I want people who will challenge my thinking and not be afraid to stand up for what they think is the right thing for the company," said Meg Sheetz, president and COO of weight loss program Medifast. "I also look for people who understand that they will not necessarily agree with every decision that the company may make, but ... they have to find a way to support their teams in a unified approach."
A cultural fit. Every company's culture is slightly different, and each is founded on different core values. What matters most to employers is that the person they hire embodies those values in their everyday lives.
"Our culture is founded upon a work hard, play hard, humble, self-reflective and collaborative environment," said Max Yoder, CEO of online training software company Lesson.ly. "Different roles obviously call for different specifics, but all of us share those core motivations."
Highlighting your personality
Personality traits are difficult to demonstrate on a résumé, so it's important to really make them shine through during the interview. Sheetz noted that strategic storytelling can get your personality across to a hiring manager.
"Sharing stories that demonstrate how you performed during an experience is extremely important to help get across your personality traits," Sheetz told Business News Daily. "[Discuss] how you handled yourself in a crisis, or how you showed up as a leader during a positive or negative time."
Haefner agreed, noting that simply stating that you're a team player, for instance, isn't enough for most hiring managers. Instead, provide a concrete instance of when you worked on a team to accomplish a goal, she said.
Yoder said the best way to express your personality is to simply be yourself. From there, the employer — and, just as important, you — can evaluate if your traits are a match for the workplace and your potential colleagues.
"If you're a great fit, it will be apparent," Yoder said. "If you're not, it will also be apparent.The most important thing to remember when walking into an interview is that it is completely two-sided — you're interviewing us as much as we are interviewing you."
Additional reporting by Business News Daily senior writer Chad Brooks and contributor Kim Ann Zimmerman.
Writing a business plan is an important step in the startup process. It helps you and your partners decide if you will work well together, teaches you about the marketplace, and lets you brainstorm business and product goals. But because of all the effort and detail involved, many entrepreneurs dread the thought of sitting down and creating this critical but time-consuming document.
While business plans can be frustrating if you're writing one from scratch, there are plenty of online templates available to take some of the pain out of the process. Small business owners can benefit from simple, easy-to-follow business-plan tools so they can spend less time writing and more time launching.
Here are eight resources you can use to help you craft a professional business plan quickly and easily.
$100 Startup
You've heard about those entrepreneurs who started off by jotting down their ideas on a napkin at a bar, café or restaurant. $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan is a little like that, but more organized. Designed for entrepreneurs who are itching to get started, this simple business-plan template asks a handful of questions that you can easily answer in one or two sentences. It covers everything from what you sell and who will buy it to how you will get paid, "hustle" to find customers, foresee challenges and overcome the obstacles — all in a single page.
Copyblogger
Not all small businesses are concerned with credit lines, partnerships and office space — at least not in the beginning. So why should their initial business plans include these things? Copyblogger's Remarkably Simple Business Plan doesn't. Instead, it offers a business-plan template fit for the real would-be entrepreneur's world. Whereas most business-plan templates assume all businesses are uniform, Copyblogger's Remarkably Simple Business Plan was created to get to what entrepreneurs really need to know to start a business: the ins and outs of the product or service, how customers will find the business and how the business will make money. Simply copy and paste the template of the Remarkably Simple Business Plan, created by Sonia Simone, co-founder and chief content officer of Copyblogger Media, and you're good to go.
Enloop
Founded in 2011, Enloop is regarded as an innovative player in the business-plan-creation industry. Like many others, the service uses an online interface to help automate your business plan's creation. To get started, users enter basic information about their businesses, including product details. Then, Enloop's software uses metrics to help predict the financial performance of the company in comparison with others in the sector. According to CEO Cynthia McCahon, the goal of the company is to help entrepreneurs make better-informed decisions. Users can get started on Enloop for free; more advanced paid options are also available.
LivePlan
LivePlan is a relatively new entrant to the online business-tools market that helps you every step of the way, from the planning stages through your launch. Like other services, LivePlan allows business owners to craft perfectly formatted plans. From there, users can create the presentation necessary to pitch their business ideas to would-be investors. Once off the ground, businesses can track revenue and expenses against forecasts, and multiple users within a company can work through the LivePlan interface. Pricing starts at less than $12 a month.
The One Page Business Plan Company
Created by The One Page Business Plan Company, this simple business template covers only the key areas entrepreneurs need to address to start a business: their vision for the company, mission for why the business exists, objectives for setting out goals, strategies to make the business successful and action plans indicating what work needs to be done. Unlike complicated business plans, boring blocks of text are not required — bullet points will do.
Platform Planner
Are you the visual type? Look no further than Angela Bowman's One-Page Visual Business Plan. Based on the principles of the Business Generation Model Strategyzer app, Bowman's One-Page Visual Business Plan uses sticky notes to help you creatively craft an out-of-the-box business plan. To create a One-Page Visual Business Plan, start by separating a single page into different sections or columns, such as company information and customer segments. Write down your ideas or responses on a sticky note, and then stick it on the corresponding section. You can also color-code the sticky notes for better organization. Then, if your plans change, you can easily remove a note, move it around or add new ones to better fit the direction in which your business is headed.
SBA Build Your Business Plan Tool
The fact that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has an online tool to help users craft business plans will come as no surprise to anyone who has investigated the SBA's offerings before. The agency has a wealth of free planning, financing and consulting tools and resources, both online and through available consultants. The SBA's online tool for business-plan creation allows a user to enter information on a Web interface that is tied to that user's account. The administration says this is intended to be a "live" plan that can be referred to and changed as the company's plans progress. The SBA encourages entrepreneurs to use their generated plans to discuss their company's prospects with SBA advisers like those available through SCORE and the Small Business Development Center. The SBA's tool is available online at no cost.
Wise Bread
Greg Go, co-founder of online finance community Wise Bread, is a big believer that entrepreneurs who are just starting out don't need lengthy business plans. What they actually need, he said, is an "internal working plan" to get started. The internal working plan consists of four simple questions that make up the simple business plan: What is your product or service? Who are your customers? When will things get done? When are bills due, and when do you get paid? To guide entrepreneurs in completing their four-question business plan, Go provides a simplified way of answering each question in his blog post on the subject.
A business is nothing without productive employees, but sometimes stress and other factors can make workers feel too sluggish to perform at their peak. The good news is, science can help you.
As it turns out, small details like the color of an office's décor or where employees sit can make all the difference in the world when it comes to improving performance. Even changing the way you drink your coffee can have a bigger impact on you than you realize.
Here are five simple, proven ways to increase productivity in the workplace.
Let in natural light
One way employers can increase productivity in the workplace is to make sure their employees are getting plenty of exposure to natural light throughout the day. Research from the Interdepartmental Neuroscience program at Chicago's Northwestern University shows that employees who worked in offices with windows were exposed to 173 percent more white light than those who worked in windowless offices, according to Psychology Today.
The study also found that employees working in windowed offices slept an average of 46 minutes more per night, experienced better sleep quality and efficiency, and reported higher quality of life scores than those who did not. Employees working in windowless offices reported more sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction. This is because the lack of natural light can disrupt they body's circadian rhythms and even cause seasonal affective disorder.
If your office or cubicle doesn't have a window nearby, you can purchase light boxes or therapy lamps that mimic natural outdoor light.
Decorate with the right colors
To keep inspiration and productivity high, make sure your office walls aren't stark white. A University of Texas study that looked at the impact of color on productivity found that white walls are bad for productivity and quality of work.
The study tested three groups of people by having them work in three different colored rooms — red, aqua and white. Subjects made more errors in the white room than in the others, Fast Company reported.
"White doesn't help us be productive, and most work environments are white, off-white or gray," said researcher Nancy Kwallek, noting that shades of blue or blue-green seem to be the best choices for an office color scheme.
Another study by the University of British Columbia found that red can increase performance in employees with detail-oriented assignments, while blue is calming and promotes creativity and communication. Green is also great for inspiring creativity and innovation, however, yellow, can cause anxiety and frustration, and gray can lead to energy loss and depression.
Try taking 'coffee naps'
When you're feeling sluggish at work, you likely either turn to a cup of coffee or find yourself longing for an afternoon nap as you trudge through the rest of the day. But while coffee or naps alone may not help much, several studies show that combining the two may be exactly what you need to boost your productivity.
Drinking a cup of coffee and then taking a 20-minute nap immediately after, or taking a "coffee nap" is helpful for several reasons, according to Vox. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine (high levels of adenosine make you feel tired) in the brain to keep you awake — but it can't block adenosine from all of your brain's receptors. That's where the nap comes in, as sleep also naturally clears adenosine from the brain. Napping for 15 to 20 minutes ensures that you'll get a little rest without falling into a deep sleep, and you'll wake up just in time for the caffeine to start kicking in (with less adenosine in the way.)
A study from the Sleep Research Laboratory at Loughborough University in England found that the combination of caffeine and a short nap was more effective in combatting drowsiness and driving impairments than caffeine or naps alone, Vox reported. And a study from Hiroshima University found that the combination was the most effective for increasing performance, with the effects lasting for about an hour upon waking up. So, employers, you may want to invest in a nap room!
Try new seating arrangements
Switching up where your employees sit can be another way to boost creativity and increase productivity in the office. Christian Catalini, assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, told the Wall Street Journal that grouping workers together by department can foster focus and efficiency, but mixing them up can also lead to innovation.
And Sigal Barsade, a University of Pennsylvania management professor, said that workers' dispositions can actually be contagious, so grouping people based on their temperament can really have an impact on a company's work environment.
"People literally catch emotions from one another like a virus," Barsade said, adding that if you want to cheer up a stressed-out employee, grouping that worker with cheerful, energetic employees is the best strategy.
The Wall Street Journal also reported on several companies that have experimented with different seating arrangements and have seen interesting results. Representatives from HubSpot found that grouping their executives together made employees feel like they were too far removed from the company, for example. And Kayak.com's co-founder Paul English found that placing new hires in specific areas based on their personalities and work habits could really change the dynamic of different groups in the office.
Take breaks together
Everyone needs a break or two during the work day, but as it turns out, taking a break with your co-workers, as opposed to spending your break time alone, can have a huge impact on your performance.
Giving employees the opportunity to take breaks together can improve productivity and decrease stress, according to a study conducted by Sociometric Solutions, a Massachusetts-based management services business.
The study, which tracked employees at a Bank of America call center for three months, found a 15 to 20 percent bump in productivity, a decrease in turnover (from 40 to 12 percent) and a 19 percent drop in stress levels among employees who were allowed to take breaks together. These communal breaks gave employees the opportunity to let off steam and share tips about customer service, Phys.org reported.
Ben Waber, the co-founder and president of Sociometric Solutions, told Phys.org that changes like this can produce, on average, a 20 percent rise in employee satisfaction and productivity, as well as a similar decrease in turnover.
