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If you want your business to grow, you’ll need to put some time and money into marketing. The good news is that this can be done on a budget with excellent results, particularly if you are looking to increase visibility on a local level.

1. Search engine profile

One of the best tools for getting your business noticed locally is by creating a search engine profile. By creating a profile, your business will appear in the top results when searched with a “near me” query. In fact, a 2019 survey of online users found that there has been a 200% increase in “near me” searches since 2017. And according to On the Map, an internet marketing firm, 98% of consumers used online searches to find local companies in 2022.

Up your profile by adding more personalization. Google Business Profile lets you add photos, posts, offers, and more to attract customers. Bottom line, with available optimization strategies like geotargeting and search engine optimization, local businesses can rank in the top results without spending any money.

2. Email marketing

While there is a proliferation of social media platforms and a plethora of websites available, email marketing is still a viable, targetable optional. Email marketing continues to deliver significant return on investment (ROI). It can be informational to promote brand awareness, or promotional. Both are effective, because, for every dollar spent on email marketing, businesses receive on average $36 in return.

3. Contribute to your community

By contributing to the communities where your goods and services are sold or offered, you are garnering respect and building a good reputation, which can go a long way in boosting your brand awareness. It also helps to make your community a better place to live and do business, something which will benefit both your business and those who work for you. Plus, helping others is a great way to connect and network.

Some ways to give back:

• Work with local governments/chambers of commerce on environmental and recycling projects.
• Volunteer for a non-profit or charity event.
• Organize marathons, sporting events, or block parties to raise awareness for a cause.
• Sponsor local sports teams.

4. Social media

Posting on social media platforms will build brand awareness. As of January 2023, there were approximately 246 million users of social media in the United States. The key is to strategize to achieve a positive ROI from your social media marketing efforts. Here are a few strategies for success:

• Research the different social media platforms and their unique demographics. Then consider where your target audience falls and focus on those platforms.
• Use the analytics tools (generally free) to understand the characteristics of your audience.
• Engage, engage, engage. Post content that is entertaining, relevant, and useful to your audience. And remember, communication is a two-way street. When someone responds, listen to what they are saying.
• Post consistently.

5. Mobile marketing

Over 90 percent of users access the internet on their mobile devices. They are accessing not only social media but also webpages. To make the most of mobile, implement these tactics:

• Optimize your website and emails for viewing on mobile devices.
• Create a mobile video (there are a number of free tools available).
• Add stories and content to social media.
• Generate SMS/text offers.

6. Custom print advertising

Custom printed items are a cost-effective brand-boosting form of advertising. It can deliver leads, sales, and create customer loyalty. Custom print includes traditional business supplies such as letterhead and business cards, to more promotional products like pens, water bottles, and coffee mugs. Here are just a few of the many ways to use custom print marketing, and remember, the sky’s the limit on creativity:

• Stickers: Great advertising and can placed on your vehicle or business location.
• Leaflets and brochures: Perfect for handing out at trade shows or community events.
• Bookmarks: Place these in libraries or schools, and at checkouts in bookstores, or other locations.
• Calendars: Keep your business top of mind all year long.
• Drink coasters: Great for restaurants, cafés, or any other location.

Portions of this article originally appeared on the Quill website

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

Healthy and happy employees are more engaged and more productive. Therefore, companies that incorporate mental health wellness into their work culture led to more productive work environments. 

Incorporating Nature

One of the biggest office trends we have seen over the past decade is biophilic design. Biophilic design is a concept to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. The more direct or indirect nature employees receive in the office place yields a happier workplace. The introduction of plants, wooden and natural materials, water, life such as fish, and natural light has reduced stress. Additionally, the introduction of raw materials can make an open office plan less noisy with multiple pathways and varying floor and ceiling heights that encourage movement throughout the office. 

If you don’t have outdoor space in your office and don’t want to move, you have the option to bring outdoor elements inside. When we chatted with our friends last year at Schrimmer Design Group and Lebel & Bouliane for our article on the “6 office design trends post COVID-19,” they told us, “The trend to healthier and greener interior spaces will continue. For many of our office interior projects, we include a landscape consultant …. incorporating plants and green walls into all our spaces allows for connection to the natural world, and calm, as well they practically deal with cleaning and filtering the air. Also, more open collaboration (and frankly talking 6′ apart…) will increase the need for better acoustically performing spaces, so more attention to acoustic materials and design will be key.” Beyond the materials, incorporating outdoor elements in indoor spaces has increased concentration and focus, improved creativity and problem-solving abilities, and increased happiness and retention.

Natural Light 

Natural light helps reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. Many offices are gravitating to open floor plans because it was a great way to increase natural light throughout the office. Natural light was usually reserved for executive offices and conference rooms for Clients. 

But let’s be honest. Not all office buildings were built thinking natural light was needed to increase employee productivity. Many old buildings were constructed not to include natural light. You can do things if you have a naturally dark office space, including circadian lighting that mimics the changing composition of light throughout the day. This has been shown to improve mood, concentration, and sleep quality.

Community

Arguably the most crucial part of any workplace is the office culture. Most businesses are built on the backs of the concept of office culture. And with COVID-19 causing many to work from home, office culture disappeared. Yes, some companies turned their zooms into happy hours or found ways to bring their employees together virtually (we have read a lot about VR ping pong tournaments), but overall, office culture took a slide. You must ask yourself what you are offering to your employees that is different from others, because why is someone working from home going to care much about what office or company they are working for? People work at Google and Apple for office perks. Office culture is and will always be tied to recruiting and retention, and if you want to recruit top-tier talent and wish to retain their talent, you must build community. Don’t abandon what makes your business unique because you have seen a headline or had a dinner conversation with someone about how everyone will be working from home and the office is dead. It’s not. 

Community is key in ensuring your employees feel useful, have agency, and have human interaction, which are all elements of better mental health. Additionally, it is vital for each human to feel like part of something bigger than themselves. Having a collaborative office environment will yield more employees feeling like they belong, which will lead to higher productivity and a healthier environment. 

Some employees can’t wait to be back in the office because of their mental health, while others have anxiety about returning 9-5. A good way to appease all parties is to allow for flexible work, which increases employee morale and overall productivity. Many employees have gotten used to working from home, and although most want to return to the office, it may not be practical for everyone due to child and elderly care issues. Additionally, some people may be more productive at home to focus on their mental and physical wellness. Each of us is more attuned to our health and wellness, and for many, we do not want to go back but instead move forward with what we have learned over the past year. Office spaces will need to accommodate those who work out of the office at times. Including floating desks, more shared spaces, smaller conference rooms, technology that makes the transition from home to office seamless, and office spaces that provide safe spaces. 

Portions of this article originally appeared on the Cresa website

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

Located at the corner of Eagle and Overland Roads, the Silverstone Amenity Center is the ideal location to help your company if you are hosting a business meeting, corporate retreat, or company event. The venues at the Silverstone Amenity Center offer a variety of options. You will be able to choose the meeting room that is right for your purposes, whether you need a small room for an intimate board meeting or a large conference space with hundreds of occupants, the space for you exists. Additional on-site services include:

• Business Concierge
• Food and Beverage Catering Arrangements
• Presentation Equipment
• Commercial Catering Station
• Free Parking

Visit www.silverstoneamenitycenter.com for more information and to book a room for your next company meeting.

About The Sundance Company
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

Professional associations are excellent opportunities for administrative and executive assistants to network and build skillsets. They help develop professional growth through in-person events, continuing education, and job discussion boards.

Who They Are: The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) mission is to provide education, training, and resources for administrative professionals and executive assistants worldwide to help them navigate and succeed in the ever-changing business world. One of the association’s core values is the belief in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). ASAP believes that with DEI, their communities are richer, stronger, and more dynamic. To demonstrate their commitment to DEI, the ASAP website has links to a knowledge base devoted to the concept.

What They Do: ASAP provides training resource for such skills as communication, efficiency, leadership, technology, as well as other professional development sources. They also provide 1-hour webinars on such topics as “Strategic Thinking for Results—Skills for Competent Critical Thinking,” “Resilient Leadership for Today’s Assistant,” and “The Global Skills Matrix.”

In addition to training resources and webinars, the ASAP provides a Professional Administrative Certificate of Excellence (PACE) course, which expands on the in-demand skills needed by today’s admins.

Membership Benefits: ASAP provides a free membership, as well as a paid all-access membership. Both provide access to reference materials, articles, and a job board, as well as discounts on webinars, conferences, technology, company travel, and education. The paid membership provides full access to the association’s extensive library of webinars and educational bundles.

Who They Are: The Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals (AEAP) members include administrative assistants, executive secretaries, executive assistants, legal assistants, office managers, and other administrative professionals. The association’s goals are to promote the professional development of members as well as increase and improve the benefits available to those members.

What They Do: AEAP offers an extensive catalog of continuing education certificates and courses, including such career-building topics as “Data Analytics,” “LEED Green Building,” “Six Sigma and Lean,” and “Sustainable Management,” as well as courses designed to promote personal enrichment.

Membership Benefits: There are two primary levels of membership, basic and premium. Both provide full access to the AEAP website, plus education resources, a networking forum, subscription to a newsletter, and a job board. The premium membership also offers a roadside assistance plan, prescription drug discount, as well as savings on travel.

Who They Are: The Executive Assistants Organization (EAO) is an international association that exists specifically for executive assistants. While this role is important to the development of businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives, there is no college curriculum path for these individuals. EAO’s goal, therefore, is to help every executive assistant reach their potential through continued education, exclusive events, peer networking, mentors, and lessons in leadership.

What They Do: EAO offers continuing education webinars, podcasts, and in-person events to keep executive assistants current on in-demand technologies and skills. The EAO can also create customized training seminars, focus groups, or one-on-one teachings for entire organizations. Peer networking and mentoring is available to support and educate through local chapters and events, as well as through online services. The organization also sponsors retreats for members to socialize and network with like-minded individuals.

Membership Benefits: Monthly and annual memberships are available. Membership includes full access to the EAO website, educational resources, online conference footage, community forums, mentorship, conferences, retreats, as well as a job board.

Who They Are: The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)

combines its core values such as authenticity, passion, and relevance with its aspirational values such as advocacy, inclusion and diversity, and transparency, to create an environment conducive to assisting administrative professionals in advancing their careers. The association also promotes a strong community of individuals with shared goals, responsibilities, challenges, opportunities, and strengths.

What They Do: IAAP offers a wide range of continuing education resources, as well as certified administrative professional (CAP) certification. In addition, it offers in-depth courses in areas such as organizational management, business writing, project management, and event planning. Additional learning opportunities are available through leadership training and an annual conference.

Membership Benefits: IAAP offers a professional membership as well as a student membership for those enrolled in a degree-granting program. A free 30-day trial membership is also available, which gives full access to the website. All memberships include online learning opportunities, networking conferences and events, as well as a job board.

Who They Are: The National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education (NAPAHE) is an international organization for presidential assistants (PAs) and other professionals who support leaders in higher education. It offers educational programs and information resources for like-minded individuals, organizations, and institutions. By sharing professional experiences and ideas, the association fosters growth in its members and their communities.

What They Do: The NAPAHE website provides useful tools for PAs, such as information about links to national and federal associations, federal and legislative issues affecting education, and much more. There are also networking opportunities, discussion boards, and webinars, as well as an annual conference.

Membership Benefits: Various membership levels are available based on organization size. Individual memberships are also available. Members have full access to all resources on the NAPAHE website, as well as educational opportunities to expand knowledge in areas such as higher education issues, speech writing, fundraising, event management, and more.

Who They Are: The National Association of Professional Receptionists (NAPR) provides representation, education, and accreditation for receptionists, switchboard operators, information clerks, greeters, administrative professionals, and customer service representatives. The association’s goal is to promote the value in these necessary support positions, set standards for professionalism, and give its members a voice in management.

What They Do: The association provides career guidance to members who wish to receive their Certified Professional Receptionist (CPR) certificate. The NAPR also offers training and personal development seminars, a discussion board, networking events and conferences, and an informative newsletter.

Membership Benefits: Individual membership is available, as well as corporate memberships. Members get full access to the NAPR website, leadership opportunities, educational opportunities, and job placement and career change assistance.

Portions of this article originally appeared on the Quill.com website

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

Rowan Cheung is founder of The Rundown, a fast-growing AI newsletter providing an in-depth look at the latest developments in AI. In less than 4 months, The Rundown has gained a following of over 170,000 subscribers who rely on its content to stay informed about the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. Cheung is on a mission to inform millions of people about the latest advancements in AI and highlight how technology is transforming the world. His AI database, Supertools, records the best tools mentioned in the newsletter. Cheung shares eight ChatGPT prompts to finish hours of work in seconds, to supercharge your output without breaking a sweat.

1. Explain like I’m a beginner

Perhaps there’s a concept you haven’t fully grasped, but it’s fundamental to whatever you’re writing or working on. Rather than struggle away trying to wrap your head around what it means, ask ChatGPT to find an explanation that resonates. After using this prompt, your entire project might make more sense, opening a clear picture of the way forward.

Here’s the prompt: “Explain [topic] in simple terms. Explain to me as if I’m a beginner.” What follows should be basic concepts, simple analogies, and memorable ways of demystifying the field.

2. Create unique content ideas

Perhaps you’re right at the beginning of your content creation journey and you need the ideas to get you started, optimized for a certain platform. If you have your topic and you know your audience, ask ChatGPT to come up with ideas of how you can most effectively share, in such a way that the content could go viral. Discard the bad ideas and move forward with the best.

Here’s the prompt, according to Cheung: “Topic: How to [go viral on Twitter, write a viral blog post] talking about [your topic]. Come up with unique and innovative content ideas that are unconventional for this topic for the medium of [Twitter, article, LinkedIn, etc.].”

3. Quiz yourself

So, you’ve been learning a new subject but you’re not sure it’s sticking. In school, you’d learn and revise to pass a test. Now, you can use ChatGPT to create that test. Ask for a quiz to test your existing knowledge on a topic, to figure out your gaps and how much is left to learn. Or ask for a quiz about a topic you know nothing about, perhaps before you begin a project on that topic, to set the scene and motivate you to conquer it.

Cheung recommends using this very simple prompt: “Give me a short quiz that tests me on [what you want to learn]” and be sure to fact-check, because the program has been known to deviate from the facts.

4. Change the writing style or tone

Imagine you wrote something in a bad mood and now it shows in the tone. Or you sent a bio in first person, and someone wants it in third. Whatever you have made can be transformed with this prompt, saving you the time of doing it manually.

The prompt: “Change the writing style of the text below to [style or tone]” then paste the text, hit return and see the new version. If you need further edits, ask for them too.

5. Consult an expert

When you know there’s room for improvement in what you have written, get ChatGPT to be your trusted editor. Whether you want it to play the part of a lawyer, subject matter expert or simply a proofreader, ask for commentary from that point of view.

Cheung prompts ChatGPT in the following way: “I will give you a sample of my writing. I want you to criticize it as if you were [role]” Then add your writing, submit to ChatGPT and brace for its critique. Take the parts you agree with and ask it to rewrite the text with them in mind.

6. Train it to learn your writing

Not only can you train ChatGPT to learn your writing style, you can train it to create its own prompt to write in your style. And who better to create prompts for ChatGPT than the program itself? It will be instructing itself in its own preferred way of learning, a self-guiding method that brings you the best results.

The prompt is simple: “Analyze the text below for style, voice, and tone. Create a prompt to write a new paragraph in the same style, voice, and tone.” After adding your text, what follows will be the prompt that you can paste into future instructions to write in your style.

7. Specify the audience and purpose

Let’s imagine you’ve asked ChatGPT to write some articles on a certain topic, but it’s missing the mark. Or imagine you’ve written the content yourself, but you know it could be better. Here’s where more specific prompting can bring forth more detailed work, that resonates far better with your audience.

Within this prompt, specify the audience, tone, and goal. Cheung’s example on an article with, “Topic: How to grow your Twitter following,” was to add, “Audience: Twitter users trying to grow their account. Tone: Inspiring Goal: Inspire audience to feel excited about growing their Twitter following and teach them how to do it in simple terms.” Now, the text will be reworked to fulfill that goal, without any further input from you.

8. List long articles in bullet points

Much of the content on the internet is simply curation. Academics and philosophers did the research and the thinking, and the rest of us are turning those vast studies into bite-sized nuggets that our audiences can consume. As with most tasks of this nature, there’s a prompt for that.

This prompt for ChatGPT, according to Cheung, is to: “Summarize this paragraph into bullet points that a beginner would understand.” You then copy a paragraph or more from any given text and see a summary. This summary might be used as a social media post, a LinkedIn carousel, or simply used to help you paraphrase in a way that suits your style and medium.

Don’t get stuck with writer’s block, chained to your desk struggling for inspiration to start, keep going or finish. Use these simple prompts to expand your reach, unlock new ideas and create more consistently. Build a habit of co-creating with AI and take steps in the right direction of prolific production.

Portions of this article originally appeared on the Forbes website

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.

The Sundance Company                                                              
Established in 1976, The Sundance Company has the experience to help you with your commercial real estate needs throughout the Boise Valley. If your requirements include property management, leasing, real estate development, project planning, construction or space planning then look to us. The Sundance Company has more than 1.6 million square feet of office and industrial space available in prime locations in the Boise metropolitan area. More information is available at www.sundanceco.com or 208.322.7300.