Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation: What Works Best to Motivate Employees? |  |
- Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation: What Works Best to Motivate Employees?
- New Apple iPad Thinner, Lighter But Still $499
- Tips on How to Launch an eBook
- LinkedIn Service Disrupted for Some Users Wednesday
- Xiaomi Phone from China: High End Features, Lower Price
- Tips For Addressing Page Loading Speed
| Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation: What Works Best to Motivate Employees? Posted: 23 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT
When it comes to motivating, engaging and retaining employees, there's no one-size-fits all strategy that small business owners can rely on. That's the finding of Ceridian's Pulse of Talent Survey, which polled employees ranging from Generation Y to Baby Boomers to uncover how they feel about job rewards and recognition, performance reviews and overall career satisfaction. Key Finding to Motivate EmployeesOne key finding that might make cash-strapped small business owners nervous: Job rewards (that is, monetary or non-monetary compensation). It is the most important factor in employee engagement overall. Nearly half (47 percent) of respondents rank job rewards first, above job recognition (42 percent) and job motivation (11 percent). Keep in mind, however, that "job rewards" include both monetary and non-monetary compensation. So if you can't offer raises or bonuses, you can offer non-monetary rewards (something 60 percent of companies in the survey do). In fact, the survey found that younger employees are driving a shift toward non-monetary rewards. Sixty-four per cent of employees surveyed say they would like to see their companies offer non-monetary rewards, but among Generation Y, the percentage jumped to 70 percent. The most popular non-monetary rewards:
While these do cost money, they cost less than offering raises since they're given on an occasional, not ongoing, basis. That said, tangible rewards like raises, bonuses and promotions still matter to Gen Y. In fact, possibly more than they do to other age groups. While 31 percent of respondents overall say they'd start job-hunting if an expected raise, bonus or promotion didn't materialize, among Gen Y that figure jumps to 48 percent. It Depends on the Life Stage of the EmployeeOther key motivators for employees vary depending on their ages and life-stages, too. For example:
This may reflect on life stage:
In general, employees of all ages say being able to work at home, have flexible hours, receive additional training options and opportunities and take on additional responsibilities make their jobs more rewarding. The DifferencesThere are some key generational differences:
What's the takeaway for your business? Don't treat your employees like they come out of a cookie-cutter mold when it comes to benefits, pay and rewards. In fact, don't even treat employees in one generation like they're cut from the same mold. Sure, some Gen Y employees are fun-loving singles who live with their parents and pay no rent, but others are frazzled new parents raising twins and going to night school. Make the effort to get to know each of your employees and what matters to them. Yes, it will take some time and thought to craft rewards that motivate each worker (and are fair to everyone else). But the effort will pay off not only in financial savings but also in improved employee satisfaction, productivity and loyalty. Generations Photo via Shutterstock The post Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation: What Works Best to Motivate Employees? appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| New Apple iPad Thinner, Lighter But Still $499 Posted: 23 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT
It’s thinner, lighter but still starts at $499. The new Apple iPad Air, the fifth generation of the iPad, isn’t noticeably different in specs, one reviewer says. Though Apple says a new company designed A7 processing chip makes this a more powerful device than its predecessor, the iPad 4. Instead, its the compact design — just 7.5 millimeters thick and weighing only a pound — that gets much of the notice. Apple is focusing on this customer experience idea too. In a statement from an official release announcing the new tablet, senior vice president of worldwide marketing Peter Schiller said:
The iPad Air features a 9.7-inch retina display, will come in silver or “space gray” and will be available starting November 1. Here’s a quick hands on review of the device from Engadget: Does Your Business Need an iPad?Though die hard Apple fans will likely love the new device, businesses may not take to it so quickly. After all, Apple has kept its price on the new iPad about the same as on previous models. Meanwhile, other tablet makers are offering a Windows operating system likely to be more popular with some small businesses — and at the same price or lower. Image: Apple The post New Apple iPad Thinner, Lighter But Still $499 appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Tips on How to Launch an eBook Posted: 23 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT
It is amazing how thoroughly the landscape of publishing has changed in the last decade. Where eBooks were once a novelty that had not quite managed to break through, they are now so common that traditional print is beginning to die with so many learning how to launch an eBook themselves. Ebooks are more convenient, cheaper to produce and better for the environment. Not to mention, when you launch an eBook, it gives you, the author, the power to publish your own work in a way that was more difficult before, as many were working on shoestring budgets. If you’re considering launching an eBook, you might be feeling overwhelmed by the process, wondering how to launch an eBook. So how do you launch an eBook? Where do you even start? At least when you are working with a publisher, they are there to guide you through the process. An author using a self-publishing method is completely on their own. Mostly, it is as simple as writing the book, editing the content and putting it into a readable eBook format (which in most cases involves saving a word/odt file as a pdf file as well as using one of the available eBook templates). When it comes to how to launch an eBook, below are some tips to follow. How to Launch an eBookCopyright Your ContentOr release it under an attributions license that allows people to use it in whatever ways you feel comfortable. That is entirely up to you. Either way, you need to give notice of ownership and reader’s rights. Currently, to copyright an eBook in the U.S., you have to fill out some forms with the Copyright Office and pay a fee for registration. This will usually run you about $35, though there are additional fees for other services, and it costs more to file a paper claim than an online one. You should also put in a notice somewhere in the eBook stating it is copyright protected. If you choose to release it as a public domain or other creative commons license, just make a note where the copyright would be stating what is and isn’t allowed. Or, if you have more specific rules, create a full page dedicated to this information. Watch Your MetadataIt is easy when you are preoccupied with the eBook itself to forget the little details that make such a big difference in how your book is seen. Metadata should be optimized to help improve your search engine results. The title of the book, tags, keywords and description, and even the file name you upload it under should all have been changed to reflect your SEO (search engine optimization) strategy. This is one of the most cost effective and easy ways in which you can improve the visibility of your eBook. Start Building HypeStart spreading the word about your eBook using Twitter:
You want to get people excited about your eBook long before it comes out:
Do anything to make people aware of the eBook, and make them want to read it. Submit It To eBook SitesThere are plenty of sites out there that will feature your eBook on their site as part of their daily lists or newsletters. Most are for free books, but not all of them. Try submitting your book to eBook gallery sites or sites that will promote your eBook for free. Start Guest PostingOnce of the best things you can do to be seen is guest post. In your byline provided by the site, link to your landing page where you are either selling the eBook, or letting people sign up to be notified of its release. This is such a great way of getting readers, especially on more established blogs. Just make sure all posts are relevant to the the topic of your eBook, and not just slightly. It should tie in well to make sure you are hitting the right demographic. Keep On WritingDon’t get too bogged down in the marketing aspect of your book. The more prolific you are, the more of an audience you are going to build. So keep on writing, and let the passion you have for the subject be what shines through – not a desperate need to make money or be seen. Success will come more naturally to those who put love into their eBooks. Do you have a tip on how to launch an eBook? eBook Photo via Shutterstock The post Tips on How to Launch an eBook appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| LinkedIn Service Disrupted for Some Users Wednesday Posted: 23 Oct 2013 09:47 AM PDT
Yes, it’s true – the LinkedIn site is down. LinkedIn, the networking site for professionals, is down right now for an indeterminate number of users. My own attempts to access the site have yielded either a page that does not completely load or a white screen. At around 11AM EST. LinkedIn’s Help account on Twitter indicated the site’s team was aware of the problems and working to correct it.
No further explanation has been offered thus far. Meanwhile, others on Twitter shared commentary on what the site has come to mean to the global business community.
The crowd-powered service monitoring site Down Right Now also indicated a “likely service disruption” this morning, but so far the extent or how many users might be affected is unknown. We’ll update the story as it develops. UPDATE 1:10PM EST There seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. LinkedIn Help posted that the team was starting to see improvements in the system shortly after 12:30PM EST.
A few minutes ago, I was able to get on the site and post something to a connection. However the Down Right Now site continues to show disruption status. We’re still following this. Frustrated Photo via Shutterstock UPDATE 2:42PM EST Crowd-powered service monitoring site Down Right Now reports LinkedIn is back up. However, LinkedIn Help on Twitter continues to have some complaints.
Though the LinkedIn team indicates the site is primarily back, some users may need to dump cookies or re-install their LinkedIn app if they are still having trouble with access. We’ll keep monitoring for more reports and perhaps update again when LinkedIn issues an explanation or if there are other developments. UPDATE 11:16PM EST We’ve been waiting to see whether LinkedIn provides a bit more on what caused today’s outage. As of a little after 6 PM EST LinkedIn issued a tweet on its LinkedIn Help account indicating service had been restored for most.
No word yet on what caused the outage or on how many users may have been affected. We’ll post any additional news in the future as it becomes available. The post LinkedIn Service Disrupted for Some Users Wednesday appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Xiaomi Phone from China: High End Features, Lower Price Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT
A Chinese company is gaining a firm foothold in that country’s smartphone market. And as businesses and consumers seek out affordable alternatives to more expensive phones, its worldwide growth is expected to continue. Xiaomi makes smartphones with high-end internal specs. But the company sells them for about half the price of devices like the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or S4. For example, the company’s Mi3 smartphone has an Nvidia Tegra 4 chip, a 13-megapixel Sony camera and 2-gigabit RAM but sells for just $327. Similar specs on phones sold in the U.S. from company’s like Apple and Samsung will cost consumers more than $800, reports Time Magazine. Check out this overview from Engadget of the latest Xiaomi phone: The domestic smartphone market appears to be trending toward the more affordable. Apple, which usually sells its devices at a premium, recently debuted the iPhone 5C for a starting price of $99. And other companies seem to be following suit with more affordable mobile devices including tablets. But unlike Xiaomi, domestic manufacturers are sometimes cutting back on specs to reduce prices. Meanwhile, Xiaomi phones are offering better internal specs than the affordable devices currently available in the U.S. and those specs are only likely to improve. Xiaomi is projected to sell about 20 million devices this year in China alone. The company has eyes on the global market now with the hiring of a former Google executive who heads the company’s Android development, Time reports. Earlier this year, the company’s share of the smartphone market in China beat out Apple for the first time ever, according to the IDG News Service. Would you consider a Xiaomi phone for your business? Image: Xiaomi The post Xiaomi Phone from China: High End Features, Lower Price appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Tips For Addressing Page Loading Speed Posted: 23 Oct 2013 05:00 AM PDT
They say patience is a virtue. But it’s not one most online visitors possess while waiting for a page on your website to load. Slow website page load speed can mean real trouble for your business. If visitors or potential customers move on out of frustration, you may have lost them – perhaps forever. David Wallace, co-founder and CEO of SearchRank, explains how increasing your website loading time can be critical to your business:
If this seems somewhat harsh, try to see things from a customers perspective. Melissa Fach of SEOAware, LLC explains that customers simply won’t wait for a slow site to load:
Increase Your Website Page Load SpeedStart With Some Basic Google ResourcesBefore you do anything else, consider the resousrces of the top search engine on the planet. Google has a vested interest in the performance of all websites on the Internet. Improving the performance of your website and increasing your page load speed will make it easier for Google to search and display. This improves the quality of Google’s main product – quality search results from the Web. To help webmasters improve page load speed and site performance, Google provides a collection of free “PageSpeed Tools” including a “PageSpeed Insights” test to determine how your site loads on various devices. Consider a Professional Website AuditIf you suspect your website may be loading too slowly, the next step may be a website audit. Don’t rely on how long it takes a site to load on your own computer. And calling up family and friends to have them check the page load speed on their devices may not be sufficient either. Fach suggests having a professional audit of your site on a regular basis to make sure it is delivering the service to visitors you expect. This will include checking the time your site takes to load on a variety of different devices. A good audit can also look at other issues like cross browser performance and how your contact forms and online payment systems are working. An audit can be a great starting point to determine how your website appears to visitors. Check for Coding IssuesAccording to Wallace, some of the most common issues affecting page load speed can be related to how your site is coded. This can include things like how JavaScript is incorporated or called for on your site. Another issue is simply whether the site’s cascading style sheets (CSS), used to determine the look and formatting of your page, are externally located or present in the HTML code for your webpages. Fach agrees that bad coding and scripts having to do with displaying webpages are among the most typical culprits for slow loading speed. With any luck, analyzing your site with some free Google tools like “PageSpeed Insights” will identify these problems with your site. If you are handy with coding, this may be something you can fix yourself. Otherwise, talk to your Web developer. Examine Server IssuesServer configuration is another issue that should be checked when investigating slow page load speed, say Fach and Wallace. Servers may be over their capacity or have some other issue affecting how long your site is taking to load. Once you’ve exhausted possible problems with your website itself discuss the possibility of server problems with your developer. If, as with most websites today, you use an external hosting company, this will require enlisting their help as well to find the problem. Optimize Photo and Graphic FilesBelieve it or not, one big problem with site loading is so simple and obvious it might be right under your nose. Wallace and Fach both include large image and graphic files as among the top offenders when it comes to slow loading times on your site. Ironically, graphics and photos are also top engagement factors with readers. And search engines favor images in search results. The trouble is that if the images you use are too large, they may be affecting how fast your page loads. This will not do you any good at all. (Reader’s will never know how great your images and graphics are because they aren’t about to wait around for them to load.) Look at the sizes of your images. Have you reduced the sizes of graphic files somewhat before uploading them? This simple step will make them easier for your page to display. Google also provides some basic guidelines for optimizing photos and graphics on your website. Consider Content Delivery ToolsFinally, slow page load speed won’t just drive away your audience. It may affect your search engine priority, says TJ McCue. Thus it could reduce the number of new visitors coming to your site after finding you in search engine results. Fortunately, this doesn’t need to happen, McCue says. A variety of content delivery tools are available to speed up your website. There are tools that utilize hundreds of servers to keep your website loading quickly. You’ll also find tools that load portions of your site so they can display even when your main server is down. There are even tools that bundle content delivery with other services like content monetization and digital rights management. Have you examined the amount of time it takes visitors to be able to view your site? What options have you found most helpful in addressing your site’s page load speed? Speed Photo via Shutterstock The post Tips For Addressing Page Loading Speed appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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