Shipping Methods to be Pursued in Small Business

The right shipping method makes a difference in your business operation. The three shipping methods popular among online businesses are discussed below, along with their merits and demerits.
USPS – US Postal Service
Using post office services has the following merits:
•You get a flat rate envelope and sometimes boxes with ample space for your items.•USPS is a good option for delivering less than 10 pounds of shipment.•Priority mails are delivered faster through postal service.•A good shipping tool for delivering CDs, books, and other such items.
The pitfall is that customers cannot track their consignment, which might be annoying for some. Also, USPS is known for its loss claims. You need to wait for 30 days minimum to claim your lost goods.
UPS
This shipping tool has the following merits:
•It offers amazing tracking facility. You can give the tracking numberto the client, who can track his or her shipment happily.•UPS is a good option for consignment greater than 10 pounds.•It’s easy to access UPS stores in your area because they are sprawledall over the country, along with umpteen number of drop boxes andlicensed outlets.
The pitfall is that, at times, UPS goes slow in its delivery. Besides, you need to pay more for overnight shipping.
FedEx
FedEx gives tough competition to the UPS. The following are its merits:
•It offers excellent and detailed tracking. The customers know where their consignments are at a particular time, where it will be in the next few hours, and the time when it was scanned.•FedEx is famous for its impressive overnight delivery. They possess an air fleet nearly three times than that of any of their rivals.•They also do same-day deliveries.•USPS makes use of FedEx services to send their Express as well as Priority Mail deliveries!
The pitfall is that, FedEx has selective locations, unlike USPS and UPS that are available almost in every area. Also, this shipping method is a bit expensive for overnight or speed deliveries.
The right shipping method is the one that fulfills your shipping requirements. If you get more orders for fast delivery, you need services like FedEx or UPS to keep up with your client’s expectations and build a good image. Besides, what is more important to you – price or tracking ability of a service? You need to give it a thought and then choose

If you own a small business, you know, or should know, the importance of social media to market your business – effective management of social media marketing is an inexpensive way to promote your product and gain new customers. Social media for small business can take time and effort, but at little or no cost to the small business and there are several ways to succeed with your effective management of your social media marketing.

You already know your product, now you need to understand your customer – what is he/she looking for, where are they looking online already, research your competitors, make your customers find you – that’s effective management of social media marketing.

You may want to create a ‘fan’ page on Facebook (or now a ‘like’ page) where you can build potential new customers based on the content you post – if people like your updates, they will ‘like’ your page, great social media marketing, and free! You can create a Twitter account, link it to Facebook, and post about your business, product, and create a following that will see your tweets. You can link your Facebook and Twitter so your management of social media marketing for small business is effectively linked and shortens your time spent on both. Create a blog, which can also link to Facebook, Twitter and many other sites, talk about your product, but don’t do a hard sell, make it informative, just like you would with Facebook and Twitter, and share responses to your product, customer reviews, and always have a LinkedIn account where you can obtain reviews and feedback.

Don’t do the hard sell when managing social media marketing, always make it personable, offer advice, insight, information, coupons (very popular) and links to related sites that will have a back link to you without it being noticeable, it’s all about content, not the sale. And always encourage everyone else you engage with with social media marketing to offer their feedback too. It creates that ‘relationship’ which is what the SOCIAL in social media marketing is all about!

 

 

James Hickey

Master Business Consultant