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Marketing Tips for Launching a Start-Up in College

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Taking the first steps to launching your start-up may seem daunting at times. There are a lot of opportunities to be very successful, but it’s hard to know exactly where to start. Often times businesses can launch without a business plan or even a clear goal in sight. But if you want to increase your chances of beating the odds and being one of the only 25% of new businesses that actually still exist after 15 years, there are some steps you can take.

What is Market Research?

Market research is a great baseline that helps you understand the current climate of your environment. It can share with you critical information about how your business is solving a problem in the current landscape. The biggest things it will show you are who would be using your product and service, where those people are and how your business stacks up against others already attempting to do the same thing.

One great tip for creating a market research reports is hiring third party groups such as, ACCE. According to their website, ACCE, has a “Trained Sensory panel has provided detailed evaluations on everything from artisanal coffees to ready-to-eat snacks and entrées.” 

Examples of How a Market Analytic Report Would Work

In the case of artisanal coffees, maybe you are looking to find out what type of coffee you should offer your clients. By going out into the field and seeing what type of shops already exist. You may realize you need to learn more about espresso machines. This way you can make a smart decision on what type of espresso drinks don’t already exist in your area, allowing you to fill a gap in the marketplace. 

Unique Ways to Market Businesses Once You Complete a Report 

Once you gather all your data, there are a number of different ways you can market your business to stand out from the rest. Marketing materials, such as promo items, business cards, scale models, etc. can be helpful tools. One new and exciting way to create these are with laser etched marketing materials. Promo items that have been created custom for your business give you a unique competitive edge. Click this next link to learn more about purchasing a laser marking machine to create these etched marketing items.

The Importance of a Website 

There are over 2 billion websites registered in the world. This means you need to understand the importance of creating a website that helps market correctly for your specific business. You have to have an easy to navigate site with clean, concise writing, impactful images and calls to action. 

Real Life Examples

One example of a website that is easy to navigate is Calhoun Super Structures’: https://calhounsuperstructure.com/our-buildings/building-profiles/. As you can see, this site has clear navigation, interactive calls to action like the “get a quote” button and a simple layout that gives you the information you need fast. Another example of good call to action buttons can be found on a frost protection pipes website, Heat Line. These buttons at the top of the page show exactly what the business wants you to do: order, ask for a quote and sign up for their newsletter.

Looking for more tips on how to market your business? Stay tuned to https://www.uwiretoday.com/ to learn more.

Why Businesses Need Online Payment Systems

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Today’s world is moving fast. Business owners and consumers both have limited time every 24-hours. In business, the best way to save time and maximize profits is to make the transaction process as simple and easy as possible. This is where online payment systems come into play! 

How do online payments work?

According to Twispay, “When the customer places an order on the merchant’s website, the payment gateway securely gathers and stores the transaction data, which is processed and forwarded to the financial institution and to the credit card networks, which, in turn, transfer the encrypted information to the customer’s card issuing bank for approval.

When the payment is confirmed by the issuing bank, the information chain is backtracked, and the merchant informs the customer, within three seconds since the order, that the transaction has been completed successfully.”

Payments and Security

Today, credible online payment systems come with a security guarantee. There are also services like PAAY which offer EMV 3DS authentication, which adds and extra layer of protection to your transactions by offering “41 required data points and over 100 optional points the merchant can choose to send to the issuer.” These extra security points may be important if you work with data sensitive and personal information. An example of a business that works with personal information is healthcare. Here is a sample website: https://spectrumhealthcare.com/services/seniors-for-seniors/.

How can you make more money with online payments?

Customers love easy payments and are more inclined to spend more money if it’s easier to do so. There are a couple ways you can make this process work. One example can be found on this website for a grooming brush for horses. As you can see, there is an option to “add to bag” or “buy now.” Because that button for “buy now” allows customers who have their credit card number saved in their online payment system, the transaction can happen in literally the click of a button, making the business more money, faster!

Other Online Payment Features and Tips 

Online payments also allow for businesses to offer bulk orders or purchase multiple of one product. In the case of Naked Winery, they do just that: https://www.nakedwinery.com/Shop/Wine. As you can see, the shop allows you to choose specific quantities and buy more at a time. 

It’s also very important online to create consumer confidence and show the buyer that your business is legitimate, allowing them to feel more comfortable buying your products online. Stemmler Meats does a good job at this by thoroughly outlining their services. Now, people who visit their site understand exactly the type of trustworthy company they are buying from.

To learn more about tips and tricks for business or news for college students take a look at https://www.uwiretoday.com/.