write author bio

Guest Blogging: How To Write The Perfect Author Bio

by Tips & Tricks

So you’ve made it through writing your guest post! You’re in the home stretch now and there’s only one thing standing in the way of you and getting your contribution published – the author bio.

Compared to the body of your article, the author bio is a relatively small part with only a few words. For many guest blogging campaigns, however, it’s one of the most important parts of your contribution. Your author bio needs to convince readers to follow the plan you envision for them. The problem though is that it needs to pack it all into just a sentence or two. This makes crafting the perfect author bio vital to the success of your guest post campaign.

Consider Your Goals

Just as how your articles should be in line with the goals of your guest blogging campaign, your author bios should follow suit. The needs and style of your author bios can differ from goal to goal.

For example, if you’re guest posting to build a relationship with bloggers in your industry, the author bio isn’t hugely important. If you’re attempting to drive traffic to your website, however, the author bio should entice readers to visit your landing page.

Avoid Overly-Promotional Bylines

Your author bio isn’t just a text space to stuff with links. Likewise, it’s not just free advertising space. Bloggers and readers both dislike overly-promotional author bios, so take caution to avoid them in your guest posts.

The best author bios are the ones that show how readers will benefit by clicking through to your landing page without extra advertising fluff. Convince visitors why your company is the perfect choice for solving their problems rather than telling them how great it is.

But Don’t Forget a Call to Action

The author bio of a guest post is also likely your last chance to convert readers into visitors to your site. Too often, guest bloggers create weak author bios that just tell a little bit about them and their company. Even though it shouldn’t be overly-promotional, it should have a strong call to action.

For most goals not implementing of a strong call to action is effectively like wasting all of the work you’ve done so far. Sure, you might produce a great, well-received article. But if few of the readers click on your links, then your results will be minimal.

Your call to action should tell readers what you want them to do next. Are you offering a free report for signing up on your landing page? Make sure you use your author bio to tell readers to click through and why it will be beneficial to them (they’ll get additional free information)

For the campaigns focused on building relationships with bloggers and showcasing expertise in your field, a call to action isn’t highly critical in achieving your goals, but can still be an added benefit to your efforts.

Don’t Just Link to Your Landing Page

Most bloggers will allow you to place 1-2 links in your guest posts’ author bio. Take advantage of this to link to more than just your site. Use these extra opportunities to provide readers with links to your social media profiles. Depending on the goals of your campaign, these could be for your business or for you personally.

When building credibility and establishing expertise, you should link to your personal profiles on professional social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter.

If you’re trying to increase brand awareness, promoting your company’s page on Facebook or Pinterest may yield the best results.

Linking to your Google+ page in your author bio can also be a way to set up Google authorship for your guest posts for enhanced search engine results.

Writing your author bio is the last part of creating a great guest blogging contribution. The bio is very important for the goals of most campaigns as it’s a way to recommend what actions readers should take next. Without a short, efficient author bio and a strong call to action, even the best articles can fail to generate substantial results. Take the time needed to create the perfect bio for every article by focusing on your goals, the guest post’s subject and what would appeal to the blog’s target demographic.

6-ways to cut your business stationery costs

6 Ways How You Can Cut Your Business Stationery Costs

by BusinessCommon QuestionsTips & Tricks

Who would have thought that humble stationery items could cost so much and do so much damage to bottom lines? Not many business owners, that’s for sure. stationery costs are insidious. The damage to your bottom line is usually done by a thousand tiny paper cuts if you’ll excuse the pun. And many small businesses can end up spending over £500 a year just on stationery. That seems like an awful lot when you consider just how much administration is now done online.

But here are a few pieces of advice by which you can cut your business stationery costs. Following are those cost-reducing strategies.

Cost-Reducing Strategies

Pick A Competitive Supplier

Stationery is still a necessity. But, if you want to cut your business stationery costs, then you don’t have to settle for any old stationery supplier. Be picky with your provider and haggle the best price if you can.

Don’t just be content with a supplier who can deliver some products cheaply, but puts a significant markup on others. And don’t be impressed by vendors who throw in free gifts. Usually, it means that their prices are higher than they could be. You can also check how to build your networking strategy.

Hire In Equipment When You Need It

how to cut your business stationery costs

Companies like Grangewell Management Ltd allow you to hire things like printers when you need them. This saves you a tonne of money on upfront printer costs for starters. But bigger printers are also a lot more cost-effective on a per unit basis than small inkjets. And much, much faster.

Have Company-wide Standard Products

Quickly identify which stationery products your company uses most often and stick to them. This should help to streamline processes and build familiarity in-house.

Here is small-budget marketing for small business owners.

Having a standard product list also prevents staff from ordering in more expensive, premium brands. Create a favorites list and tell staff to stick with that. If they need something special, they should run it by you first.

Consider Compatible Cartridges For Printers

compatible printer cartridges

When you bought your office printer, you probably spent a lot of money. But I bet that you were still surprised by how much you got for your money.

Part of the reason why you get so many printers for your money is that printer companies know they can make back the money with cartridges. It’s a quirk of the market which can end up costing your business an arm and a leg. That’s why it’s good to keep an open mind and consider third-party compatible cartridges. No, they won’t have the manufacturer’s seal of approval. But they’ll still work and they’ll be a lot cheaper than the conventional alternative. These tips also boost your Business leads at a low cost.

Appoint A Stationery Monitor

office stationery monitor

If you find that your staff is making reckless stationery purchases, appoint somebody to sign them off. A supervisor can act in the company’s best interest and ask staff why they’ve decided to spend company money in the way that they have. This will surely help you to cut your business stationery costs.

Take A Month Off Every Year

Some companies have a policy whereby each year they take a month off from stationery orders. Bosses are always amazed by how many sheets of paper and pens staff find lurking in their cabinets and drawers.