SimplyBiz.co.za

LinkedIn is commonly touted as a strategic social media tool for professionals and small business owners. But for many users (and even non-users) in South Africa and elsewhere, the power of LinkedIn is questionable.

How many of us have received LinkedIn requests to connect with random people we do not know and whose usefulness to us is dubious or uncertain?

Finding ways to keep customers coming back is a priority for small business owners after succeeding in attracting first-time users of the business’ products and services.

After all, what is the point of all that hard work of winning new customers over if the business cannot hold onto them and battles to survive from one month to the next due to significant customer churn?

One of the most effective ways to increase the likelihood of repeat business is to provide a high quality product or service that customers appreciate and value.

We are currently validating the April winner of our Blog Competition. The points on the Leader board have been reset and the next prize will be drawn on the 29th of June.

You too can stand a chance to win a state of the art RC510 Notebook from Samsung. The more you interact with the content on our SimplyBiz website, the more points you earn. A user with the highest points accumulated on the leaderboard will be chosen as a winner every three months. You can earn points for registering as a SimplyBiz user, commenting on the blog / polls and promoting your business on our listing.

As the world rallies together for Mandela Day, many small businesses are getting involved in charity or pro bono work. Pro bono work involves a company voluntarily rendering services free of charge (or at a significantly reduced fee) to needy organisations or causes in the public interest. This is in line with the Latin phrase it is derived from - pro bono publico - which means ‘for the public good’. Beneficiaries typically include non-profit and community-based organisations which either lack certain skills in-house, or cannot afford to pay market rates for professional services.

Perks or fringe benefits are extra benefits supplementing an employee’s salary which are in addition to statutory benefits (e.g. as a general rule full-time employees in South Africa are by law entitled to 21 days’ paid leave per annum).

Offering perks can enliven the work atmosphere, make employees feel valued and respected, and make employees’ lives more convenient. This in turn boosts employee morale and enhances productivity, creating a more harmonious working environment and hopefully translating into greater profitability.