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[dannielhendrix]

Signs of Problematic Clients You Should Let Go

In freelancing, it’s not the number of clients you have that will make or break your freelance business, but the ‘type’ of clients you have is the real deal. There are a variety of clients out there, some are easy to work with, others make you feel like you want to give up freelancing forever. Sometimes you see the signs early; other times you will only realize that you’re working with a client from hell when you get burned midway to the project. Truth be told, as a freelancer, you will bump into one or more of the following clients as you stay longer in the freelancing feel. If you have a choice in it, avoid them like the plague. If you don’t, there are other ways to get around the problem and prevent further damage. So keep your eyes peeled and watch out for the client who: 1. Doesn’t know what he wants We’ve all had clients who are not sure of what they want. What do they mean by ‘a new look’? Do they mean the logo, the entire website, or just a new web copy? Usually, the scope of the project can be cleared up quickly by asking the right questions. Having and using a standard list of questions is a great way to clear the confusion and get to the heart of the problem before any work is started. But every now and then you get a client who can’t explain what they want even after answering all the burning questions you have, or they simply don’t agree with your assessment, for example, while it’s obvious from their responses that what they need is a rebranding exercise, they’re adamant that all they want is just a new logo. Watch out for the said client – there’s a high chance they’ll never be satisfied. The worst part is when they come back saying that your work was faulty and despite not being able to tell you what they wanted, they somehow know that your work is not what they were looking for. 2. Runs through freelancers extremely fast If your client mentions having a lot of trouble with their previous freelancer (or freelancers) then watch out! One or two problematic freelancers are a common occurrence but if they have a history of running through them really fast, then the problem might be the client. Where possible, ask around in freelancing forums or in your network about the client before you accept their projects. Try to get hold of the freelancer who had worked for them and see what he has to say. If the problem turns out to be the client, turn down the offer as best as you can. 3. Wants the ‘Best’ rate When a client asks for your best rate, that’s code for your cheapest rates. Before long, you will feel like you are bargaining your self-worth away. Gently remind your client that your rates are reflective of the quality of the work you put in. Never lower your rates beyond recovery. If you give them a low rate now, they will expect the same low rates for future projects. 4. Thinks his nephew can do it better We’ve all probably heard this one. It could be a jab at your prices, or at your ability to understand their gibberish and read their minds. When expectations don’t meet, tempers may flare and they might give you weird excuses on what they didn’t like about your work; excuses like one of his many designer nephews can do better. If their niece and nephew could do it better they wouldn’t have to come to you, things like that. But honestly, if they don’t like your work, they’re more than welcome to get their own family members to do it for them (for free). But remember to let them know that since they’re rejecting your work, they can’t use it, as you still own the copyright. 5. Doesn’t want to sign a contract Having a contract is standard practice. If you don’t have one, please do, even if it’s just pasting the contents of the emails you exchanged with the client while you are both ironing out the details. Turn it into a document and send it to the client for signing. If the client refuses to ink the contract, you may run into problems later on down the project. The whole situation for refusing black-and-white reeks of trouble. If they say something along the lines of "we trust you and you can trust us too" just tell them that it’s to prevent confusion and double work in the future. Just so we’re clear, negotiating on contract terms and clauses is fine. It’s the "not signing or delaying of the signing" that is a warning sign. Even if a customer has said that they’ll sign it, on the side of caution, don’t start work on the project until you get a copy of the signed contract back. 6. Does not communicate on time You’re working on a time-sensitive project for a client. You meet your end of the bargain and send the work for approval or review. Then you wait for them to get back to you. One week later you’re still waiting and then out of the blue they get back to you, saying they need changes done, and within 2 days, because they have a deadline to meet. Who doesn’t dislike a client like that? Send the client an email reminding him that he hasn’t sent you the information or feedback you requested on time and as a result, you will not be able to meet their deadline now. While we’re on the subject… 7. Always wants rushed work If you rush work often enough for a particular client, the client might begin to expect the same from you every time. Talk to your client about not regularly doing any rush work. Even if they’re paying you more, the stress of pulling all-nighters does not justify the money. If the customer does not ease up on the rush work, it might be time to say bye-bye to him. You don’t want to burn out after all – unless you’re happy with the customer always wanting rush work and putting pressure on you because that’s when you do your best work. In that case, by all means, keep at it! 8. Is a bad paymaster Just because a client pays doesn’t make them a good paymaster. A client is a bad paymaster if he pays late, changes the payment schedule and pays in installments, or pays less than agreed (I’ve had that happen to me before). Find a client who pays on time or better yet pays in advance and sticks with that client instead of this one. If you’re tempted to give them a chance, think long and hard. In my experience, if a client starts delaying payments or changes the terms mid-project, it’s a clear sign of trouble. 9. Wants you to do spec work Spec work (spec here is short for speculative, not specifications) is the bane of a freelancer designer’s career. I’ve never understood why clients ask for spec work, but some do. The work that you pour into your spec work (if it is requested by the client) will not be paid if the client does not like what they see, so you can see the risk factor here. In my opinion, clients should pay for sample work that they asked the freelancer to do, whether they hire him or not, simply because spec work eats into our billable hours. There are of course exceptions but 9 out of 10 times, spec work is counter-productive to your freelancing goals. Instead, show them your portfolio, accumulated from the past work you have done for previous clients or what you have done during your spare time. 10. Promises future work if you work for peanuts now Ever had an email from a prospect who says he’ll have more work for you in the future if you work for next to nothing now? Or that he’ll pay you more once his business/service gets established and he’s earning big bucks? Newsflash: That’s never going to happen. Unless it’s an uncle who is ripping off his nephews and nieces. 11. Is never satisfied You work hard on a project, put in all you have and send it to the client. They send it back to you for major edits. You make the changes; send it to the client again only to have it sent back to you again for changes, and again and again and again. Unless you really messed up the project it’s safe to say that when a client keeps sending back your work to you for changes, they’re never going to be satisfied. Charging for the changes usually puts a stop to it. And once you’re finally done with the project and have greener pastures to graze on, let go of this client. Letting go of problem clients Avoiding clients who might pose problems in the future is a smart move; What’s not smart is judging prospective clients harshly. They’re not always at fault. Freelancers are known to be a problematic bunch too. You can bet that clients have signs they keep an eye out for when it comes to freelancers they work with as well. No one likes to admit they’re wrong but before you judge that a client unfit to work with, take a good look at the relationship and yourself. Is your work above reproach? Did you communicate effectively with the client, meet deadlines and go out of your way to cooperate with clients? Most importantly, do you treat your clients the way you want to be treated? A lot of times, what we as freelancers see as signs of trouble in a client is usually just an oversight on the client’s end. Talk it through with your client, let your client know the problem you’re facing, and see what they can do about rectifying it before making the decision to continue working with them or finding another client. Have you dealt with a client like any of the ones listed above? How did you resolve the situation? Read the full article

[dannielhendrix]

Email Marketing: 9 Tips to Build a Relationship with Your List and Make It Profitable

When I first dipped my toes in the internet marketing game, the prevalent catch phrase was, “the money is in the list.” All the gurus were telling us it was the way to internet marketing millions so we all tried to build our lists as big as possible. As a virtual assistant, I advised my clients to put their opt-in box at the top right of the site and create an impressive opt in offer to entice visitors to share their contact information. Then a few years later, the words “email is dead” started floating around. What?! No, it couldn’t be! But of course email marketing is not dead but alive and well. It has simply evolved as any tactic does (or should) to stay in pace with the needs of our audience. Email is concentrated on providing customer-centric experiences. Our communication should be more personalized and relevant to our readers. The first thing is to remember that email is just another way to talk to your customers. The people on your email list have either received a freebie from you, purchased from you, or in some other way “know” you. Speak to them in that manner rather than in a formal nature. Many of them probably joined your list via your social media platforms. If you’ve interacted with them there, and then are formal in your email correspondence, they are likely to think you don’t value them and that they’re just a number.

Here are 9 tips to build a relationship with your list and make it profitable.

1. Don’t Fear the Unsubscribes. The only way that you will not get unsubscribes to your list is to never send to them. Not everyone will like your personality or writing style. Those that don’t will never follow your recommendations and won’t become customers so it is not a great loss when they unsubscribe. 2. Be yourself. Let your personality come through to your list. People will buy from you when they feel like you know them and they trust you. Try to be something you’re not and it will come through to your list. You’ll never develop that trust and studies show people by from companies they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. 3. Be informative. Make sure that you’re supplying quality information to your list. Even if you’re presenting a product for sale make sure that you’re also supplying information. Define the problem and explain why your product is the solution but also let your subscribers learn something about the topic even if they aren’t interested in the product. 4. Stay on topic. If your list is about self care that should be the topic of your email. Don’t send marketing tips to your self care list or vice versa. Yes, there may be a few that have interests in both , but the person signed up for a specific topic and you are violating that trust you have worked so hard to create. If your list consists of readers with a variety of interest, use list segmentation so each person receives what they need. 5. Only send one item per email unless it’s a newsletter. Sending multiple items to your list can be extremely confusing to them and never get you the action you want. Make sure that you have ONE call to action in every email. If given several options most people will do nothing. Never leave your subscriber wondering what you wanted them to do. 6. Always have a reason for emailing your list This tends to go with number 5. Make sure that there is a reason for the email that you sent. If you have a purpose then people will tend to keep reading. If they have no idea what your reason is for your email then they will quickly stop reading all of your emails. 7. Track what works – check your analytics. I know I said in the intro that you should concentrate on relationships and not numbers. But paying attention to your analytics is the only way you will know which of your emails work and which don’t. This will allow you to improve your emails to your list. Remember that the primary purpose of your email is to create a click through to a sales page. If it does that it is successful whether you sell a product or not. The sale of the product is dependent on the sales page. 8. Provide a way for list members to contact you. You are building a relationship and that is based on trust. Let people know who you are and how to reach you. That doesn’t mean you have to give them your cell phone number! You should have a contact form on your website that enables them to send an email or schedule a call with you. 9. Be responsive. If you receive an email from a subscriber answer it. Nothing is worse than sending an email to a company and not getting a reply. The potential customer loses interest and you miss a sale. Check your email daily (or more often) and reply to customer inquiries. You can easily set it up so your virtual assistant gets replies and responds promptly. Whoever does it, each one should receive prompt attention. In today’s world of internet business, your credibility is of more importance than ever. Often your online reputation is the only one your potential clients see. Be sure you are scrupulous about maintaining a reputation for quality products or service. Read the full article

[dannielhendrix]

Push Notifications: From Traffic Boost to an Integrated Marketing Solution

Marketing Mix 2.0, or how to build the advertising experience of tomorrow through Push Notifications. The number one concern nowadays is to be seen. But also to spark a reaction. So how do you get your users not to miss one single message? You infiltrate their daily routine, and appear in the one place they can’t help but look. Their device’s native-notification field. We know what you’re thinking! And no, we’re not talking about anything dodgy, or even remotely so. But the use of one of the least-abusive technologies there is. The technology that ensures you get your users’ attention: Push Notifications. Now with some new and improved features.

Let’s check the facts

A study on retail proves that personalized offers, along with heavy-weight customer care are the major game-changers for customers. That, plus seeing and testing products on different channels. But unless your website isn’t about e-commerce, you might be tempted to say that this doesn’t apply to you. However, we beg to differ. Allow us to demonstrate.

What consumers value the most?

- Personalization - Easily finding products and knowing about new launches - Appearance or branding, and consistency across various channels - Consistency of customer care - Offers and promotions Based on the same report, 44% of respondents actually want you to consider their personal information or purchasing history. So, is it so surprising that a heavy accent is placed on personalization? The pandemic also helped turn this into a trend. So much so, that users are now asking for the same kind of experience offline. But how can you use the internet to animate live offline events? Using the Push technology, that’s how. And in the rows that will follow we’ll also tell you about how push technology can be sent (through the Internet), to engage audiences during physical gatherings and events.

Brief introduction to Push Technology

Push Technology is an official Google Cloud Messaging (now FCM) technology. It is what made the first emails possible. It was also at the base of the Pulsing Blackberry LED. And now push technology is one of the most promising, from the online marketing field. The technology gets its name from the process it accomplishes: pushing information. And it materialized in Push Notifications. One format that you probably absolutely need to include in your communication process with your customers. Push Notifications are small messages that appear at the top of mobile screens, or the bottom of desktops. They inform about important events. It’s impossible to ignore them because of their native-alert look, and the fact that once you engage with them, they’re gone forever. Contrary to common belief the push technology is not spam. And if the study from above showed us anything is that this is an exceptionally good tool for website owners and marketers, as it: - Helps personalize the individual experience and customer care through special selected content - Informs about products and about new launches - Adds to the page appearance with interactive windows, without taking any extra space on the website - Provides consistency across various channels (in-App as well), and even when the user is not navigating on your website - Brings a more personal touch to customer care - Notifies users about any offers and promotions you might run In other words, Push Notifications can help webmasters cross all the 5 most valuable things customers appreciate in a brand (or website). It can be your cheap, and simple opportunity to up your game. And next, we’ll see just how. Among Top Push Notification services you can find Notix, Kumulos, Airship, Aimtell, Launchpad by Growth Rocket Apps, BuzzGuru. We will build a further analysis on the example of Notix, because of their proven expertise and general market leadership. Feel free to compare this review with other similar services, mentioned above. Push Notifications: use and benefits - Interact and engage with your subscribers in a less-invasive way – notifying them of important website events - Re-engage long-lost traffic – remind your users why they used to enjoy your website, and have a boost in traffic volumes - Optional: Monetize your website traffic – target your audience with user-friendly ads from trusted and verified advertisers. But, most importantly, with Push Notifications, you can engage users with highly curated content. By personalizing your offers, messages, and content. And whether you’re telling them about new content or products, offers, and promotions, or just being consistent, the results speak for themselves. Here are a few more benefits of sending Push Notifications: And what do all the above lead to? A substantial increase in your ROI, as webmasters that already use push notification so skillfully demonstrated. So, what do you do when you’ve got something that really works? You use it to deliver consistency and continue adapting to customer’s needs**.**

Using online-marketing during offline events

Engaging with users both online and offline plays an important role for every business. The accent is more than ever on creating a holistic experience. And we already have examples from the sports niche: - Euro League tickets – not just printable assets, users need an online pass. This facilitates engaging with the offline users, through the internet, via their mobile devices - The Super Bowl – used 5G technology to send Push Notifications and invite every viewer from the stadium to half-time virtual games. 5G brings better connections between devices and a richer stream of data. So, Push Notifications will likely find a boost even with the help of this technology. As you can see, Push can be used as an out-of-the-box method of collecting, engaging, re-engaging, and monetizing subscribers. And a part of your integrated marketing strategy. How could you use Push Notifications this way? Offline events, triggered messages, and GEO targeting could be your gateway to a more inclusive experience. Think about it.

Creative Solutions that make Push Notifications more all-encompassing

- In-app Push Notifications – one more communication channel. Send push, even without a website. - On-site Push Notifications – native website banners, sent via Push technology. Customizable based on your content and website type. - Triggered Push Delivery – send the right push, at the right time, based on your users actions. - Content Recommendations – allows your audience to choose the push content. Works perfectly with API, but not only. - Push Notifications Automation – from the push delivery and creation, to content. A complete set of features.

In Conclusion

When it comes to retailers, the study we mentioned before demonstrated a substantial increase in sales, profit, online traffic, and customer loyalty. And one or several of these boosts were experienced by absolutely all of the respondents. But although running a website is very much like running a retail business (with clients, and products or services to offer), that’s not all that Push can be used for. As the sports examples from above show, this highly versatile format is as suitable for any niche, sector, or activity type. Moreover, push notifications can help you resolve all the most important aspects of the users’ journey on your website. But even more important, if you work with an effective push notifications delivery service, you have the possibility to increase your traffic even further. Read the full article

[dannielhendrix]

Lista de revizuire a website-ului: Trebuie sa il actualizati?

Lista de revizuire a website-ului: Trebuie sa il actualizati?

In lumea digitala, acest lucru se schimba aproape zilnic. Google isi actualizeaza continuu algoritmul si noile tehnologii, cum ar fi cautarea vocala, modifica modul in care oamenii va pot gasi compania. Site-urile din ziua de azi trebuie sa fie super-rapide, adaptate pentru dispozitivele mobile, usor de utilizat, integral optimizate si cu mult continut. De asemenea, site-ul vostru trebuie sa…

[dannielhendrix]

Multi-premiatul film Pop Aye, propunerea la Oscar a Singapore va deschide cea de-a patra ediție a HipTrip Travel Film Festival - info Festival

New Post has been published on https://ifestival.ro/multi-premiatul-film-pop-aye-propunerea-la-oscar-a-singapore-va-deschide-cea-de-a-patra-editie-a-hiptrip-travel-film-festival/

Ia-ţi viza de cinefil de la singurul festival de film de călătorie din România, HipTrip Travel Film Festival, care va avea loc anul acesta în perioada 23-26 noiembrie la Cinema Union și Cinemateca Eforie din București. Peste 15 filme din toate colțurile lumii, în premieră în România, vor fi preze...

[dannielhendrix]

Conferința Internațională ”Cum poate ajuta tehnologia la dezvoltarea soluțiilor sustenabile” organizată în luna octombrie la București - info Festival

New Post has been published on https://ifestival.ro/conferinta-internationala-cum-poate-ajuta-tehnologia-la-dezvoltarea-solutiilor-sustenabile-organizata-in-luna-octombrie-la-bucuresti/

Pe 10 octombrie, Bucureștiul va găzdui Conferința Internațională ”Cum poate ajuta tehnologia la dezvoltarea soluțiilor sustenabile” ce se va desfașura în intervalul orar 10.00-14.30, la Cinema Elvira Popescu. Agenda conferinței este disponibilă aici. La întâlnirile cu publicul român vor lua...

[dannielhendrix]

Cinema imersiv la ASTRA Film Festival: VIITORUL E AZI - info Festival

New Post has been published on https://ifestival.ro/cinema-imersiv-la-astra-film-festival-viitorul-e-azi/

Anul acesta, AFF revine cu a doua ediție a secțiunii intitulate VIITORUL E AZI, special dedicată noilor formate de documentar. Publicul festivalier va avea ocazia să vizioneze o selecție amplă de proiecte documentare situate în realitatea virtuală, dar și proiecții special prezentate în...

[dannielhendrix]

Timishort 2017: peste 80 de scurtmetraje, 8 secțiuni, workshopuri, expoziții, dezbateri, concerte și proiecții speciale la cea de-a 9-a ediție - info Festival

New Post has been published on https://ifestival.ro/timishort-2017-peste-80-de-scurtmetraje-8-sectiuni-workshopuri-expozitii-dezbateri-concerte-si-proiectii-speciale-la-cea-de-a-9-a-editie/

Cea de-a 9-a ediție a Timishort, cel mai important festival de scurtmetraje din vestul României, va avea loc anul acesta în perioada 12-15 octombrie, la Timișoara. Timp de 4 zile, timișorenii vor avea ocazia de a vedea peste 80 de scurtmetraje împărțite în 8 secțiuni, 4 dintre ele fiind...

[dannielhendrix]

Green Hours JAZZ Fest - 9 - info Festival

New Post has been published on https://www.ifestival.ro/green-hours-jazz-fest-9/

Probabil cel mai reputat și mai perseverent club de jazz din România și cu siguranță cel mai longeviv – da, este vorba despre Green Hours jazz & theatre-café – anunță startul (peste 10 zile) celei de-a 9-a ediții a festivalului pe care l-a inițiat în primăvara lui 2008: Green...