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Thank you, together we are successful

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In the United States, today is a day for stopping the usual work, gathering with loved ones, and expressing our thanks.

Wherever you are, whatever your plans today, know that I’m including you in my list of “things I’m grateful for this year.”

This blog is a labor of love that sprung from Liz Strauss’ generous and creative intellect, and I’m so thankful to be part of the Successful Blog team.

You, our faithful readers, commenters, and supporters, are a diverse and energetic group of entrepreneurs, business owners, and aspiring business owners, and we love you.

Here’s wishing you and yours a warm and abundant Thanksgiving.

Benefits or Salary When Thinking About Leaving a Job?

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asalaryIf you’re considering quitting your job, it’s important to not only factor in the salary that you will be losing but also the benefits package.

Health insurance can be costly, and with unpaid medical bills being the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S., it’s not something you can afford to skip out on.

Before quitting your job, take a close look at what types of benefits you’re receiving, especially if you have a family, and make a decision from there.

Questions to ask about your current job

It’s not just a matter or whether or not your job provides health insurance, but a matter of how good it is.

Are your family members covered at an affordable cost? What type of plan are you covered under? What is your monthly payment compared to your deductible? In addition to health care coverage, do you receive dental and vision insurance?

And let’s not forget about sick time and vacation time.

Some companies offer a very competitive paid time-off plan, including holidays, sick time and plenty of vacation time. Is this something you’re willing to give up in addition to your salary and health insurance benefits?

Is Money Everything?

Most people are focused on their salaries. But, the reality is you can find a way to live off of a wide range of salaries.

If you do end up in a catastrophic situation without a good benefits plan in place, you will most likely go bankrupt even if you were making a decent living. Medical bills crush many Americans year after year because they’re not properly insured.

According to the article saving on family health insurance, it’s very rare that companies provide full benefits to employees and their dependents.

If you work for one of these one-of-a-kind companies, you’ll definitely want to think twice about quitting.

On the same token, some employers only offer plans to their employees and not to any additional family members. If this is the case, you’ll have to get your family members on a private health insurance plan of their own.

Is Work Benefiting You?

Though you do have to consider a wide array of things when looking for a job, including salary, benefits, paid time-off, expected weekly hours, travel and job duties, it’s safe to say that benefits should rank towards the top of your considerations.

Employers can pay anywhere from a few thousand dollars per year for an individual plan up to $15,000 per year for a family plan.

If you factor that into your yearly salary, you’re most likely getting paid a decent amount more than you thought. If your employer is also contributing to a 401(k) plan for you, that should be factored in, as well.

Quitting a job is a tough decision.

Many factors need to be thought about in-depth before a decision can be made.

Don’t think lightly about benefits, though, as good packages from employers can be extremely hard to come by.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Sarah Brooks is a freelance writer living in Charlotte, NC. New to the city, she enjoys spending time outdoors and exploring the area. She writes on a variety of topics including health insurance, small businesses and personal finance.

Successful businesses use Google Analytics to super-charge their marketing

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Google Analytics is the Ferrari of analytics platforms. It’s fast, sexy, and can super-charge your marketing.

However, most entrepreneurs and small business owners are just sitting in the car, afraid to leave first gear.

A recently released white paper from Formstack pulls together some interesting stats about how marketers are really using (or not using) Google Analytics. One that stood out to me is that only 33% of marketers track ROI via Google Analytics. Perhaps that’s because it’s so easy to fall into the trap of tracking only the surface, vanity metrics.

Want to know how many unique visitors we got last week? Sure!
Want to know which page on our website leads to the most conversions? Uh…hang on a second…

If you actually have goals set up in your Google Analytics account, congratulations, you’re in the 40% minority!

It’s time to dive deeper into those numbers and turn them into useful, actionable information.

The infographic below offers a path to improve your use of Google Analytics. One crucial step is knowing how to A/B test your landing pages and take advantage of tools like Google’s Content Experiments to see what’s working.

Try testing different versions of your headline, main content, design, call to action, and forms (like your sign up, subscribe, or purchase forms). Sometimes a small shift can make all the difference when it comes to conversions.

Are you using the free tools at your disposal to step up your marketing?

infographic - landing page ROI
Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Did You Make it Your Business to Get the Right Degree?

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agraddWhether you are planning to go into business for yourself now or maybe down the road, the right business degree can make all the difference in terms of success or failure.

In a day and age when the economies of a number of countries are on shaky ground, having a solid business degree behind you enhances the chances of getting a good job, perhaps one day being your own boss.

The biggest challenge for some is deciding just where to go for that degree. Should they look for a quick two-year degree at a community or junior college, should they go to a four-year school or should they opt for a college or university specifically geared towards the business world?

Once that decision is made, the key then becomes focusing in on a generic or specialized business degree.

Educating Yourself on the Business World

In order to put yourself in position to get the business degree, consider the following factors:

  • How much education is enough? – Many up-and-coming business entrepreneurs have to deal with the issue of rising education costs. As a result, they may be hesitant to put the time and money into getting a business degree. Money saved now might actually be money missed out on down the road. Having a business degree can open many more doors for you than if you just have a high school diploma and a few college courses under your belt.
  • Multiple uses for a business degree – While some obtained degrees limit the individual in their job search, a business degree is quite universal. From running your own business to getting a job in marketing and/or advertising to working for a retailer, a business degree can be very valuable when properly used. Having a business degree under your belt will more than likely catch the eye of prospective employers. Remember, the time and costs invested now in getting a degree from a business school can pay off in great dividends in your future;
  • Being connected – Studying and graduating with other business professionals can open up a number of doors for prospective business owners. While you may not be the one to immediately open up your own business upon graduation, others you went to school with may do just that. In turn, they may need help or even fellow investors to get the business off the ground. Given the fact many individuals strive for business degrees in today’s education world, this is yet another reason having that business degree can benefit you;
  • More options – As the Internet has evolved, so too has the world of education. In the event you feel like physically going to school is too much for you at this time, you have the option in many cases to get an online business degree. The benefit here is that you can earn your degree on your own time schedule, meaning you don’t have to spend the necessary hours commuting to and from school. An important factor no matter whether you attend school in person or online is making sure the program you choose is accredited.

With many economies still up in the air at the present time, reinforce your business profile by getting the right business degree sooner rather than later.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of hywards at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes for a variety of websites on topics such as marketing and running a business.

Video: Show Us What You’ve Got

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By Lisa D. Jenkins

Coupled with the mass adoption of smartphones and mobile devices, platforms like Instagram and Vine allow social brands to take advantage of video’s popularity with online audiences.

The days of expensive, drawn out video production are gone. Video is easier than ever to create, publish and share.

If you think video is something that should be added to your marketing strategy but don’t quite know where to start, read on for some inspiration.

I just found Bart’s Fish Tales on Instagram. Fish Tales uses 20-second video to produce the world’s shortest cooking show featuring recipes, tips and tricks on how to make great sustainable fish dishes.

On Vine, Home Depot has a variety of 6-second videos that show followers “what it takes to go from to-do to done”. Here’s a great one that shows us how to plant an easy-to-care-for kitchen counter herb garden.

PowToon publishes video on YouTube that shows viewers how to use their animated presentation tool to produce demos, business presentations, social media clips, etc.

GoPro encourages people who use their camera to tag their own videos with #GoPro, creating a wealth of user generated video content the brand shares online.

Video isn’t out of reach for you.

While there’ll always be a space in the market for professionally produced video, the reality is that today’s easy-to-use tools and video-friendly platforms make it possible for SMB’s that couldn’t afford the medium a few short years ago to give it a try.

Go ahead! There are any number of ways video can be used to advantage in your marketing – share your mission, create a how-to, show off your customers. What do you have to show us?

Author’s Bio: Lisa D. Jenkins is a Public Relations professional specializing in Social and Digital Communications for businesses. She has over a decade of experience and work most often with destination organizations or businesses in the travel and tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with her on Google+