PHP 7.2, WordPress and You

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Development
(21 visitors with 1 visits today)

Right on the heels of the Gutenberg update, WordPress users are facing another technology update that will require a little attention.

This time around, we’re facing an update to PHP, one of the core programming languages that WordPress is built upon. This update will affect WordPress users globally, and so everyone with a WordPress site will need to make sure that they evaluate their setup to make sure everything is hunky-dory.

Don’t worry! I know this sounds like I’m about to jump of the techno-babble cliff and bore you all to death, but I promise I’ll keep this understandable. So stay tuned, and we’ll go through what PHP is, why it’s updating, and what needs to be done about it. Continue reading →

Blueprint for a Killer Business Plan — Part 2: Defining Who You Are

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Business Development, Phase 1
(54 visitors with 1 visits today)

This second post in our blog series, “Blueprint for a Killer Business Plan,” (Here’s Part 1) will help you write the part of your business plan that tells the world Who You Are. Here we’re going to going to deliver the info you need to:

  • Refine your executive summary
  • Clarify your business description
  • Simplify your business positioning

Continue reading →

The 6 Best Free Social Media Management Tools

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Phase 5, Social Media
(51 visitors with 1 visits today)

Despite the fact the Facebook seems to be imploding in slow-motion, social media is still as important as ever when it comes to marketing your business. However, as the number of networks we need to engage with keeps growing, managing our social media is an increasingly cumbersome and time-consuming task.

If you are still engaging with each of the networks you utilize by going to their sites individually, then there is no doubt that you are hemorrhaging time that could be spent to much better effect elsewhere. So, what’s a frazzled business owner to do?

Use a social media management tool, that’s what! While there are tons of options available out there, we’ll be focusing on platforms that offer free options here, so that you can get in on the social media management ground floor without having to make a financial commitment. If you find that you are outpacing what the free plans offer, then most of these services offer paid options that increase functionality.

So let’s get to it! Here are the six free social media management tools you should check out in this crazy ol’ year of 2018. Continue reading →

6 Simple Tips to Get Paid Faster

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Finance, Phase 3
(31 visitors with 1 visits today)

Cash flow is one of the biggest challenges every small business owner faces. Even when business is good, your bank account balance may be telling a different story. So, if you have plenty of work and you’re keeping your expenses in check, why are you having trouble making payroll? One culprit could be the dreaded “check is in the mail” problem–to put it simply, you’re not getting paid fast enough.

Here are 6 tips to get paid faster: Continue reading →

Blueprint for a Killer Business Plan — Part 1: Before You Start

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Business Development, Phase 1
(39 visitors with 1 visits today)

One thing that’s super important when starting any new business is to plan out your vision for it. To succeed and get financing, you must create a rock-solid business plan that clearly explains your goals and missions, including:

  • Who you are
  • What you are all about
  • And how you’re going to make money

We’re going to help you do just that with a new series of posts we’re calling “Blueprint for a Killer Business Plan.” This first post will help you better understand business plans. Before you even start writing one, we want to make sure you know what it’s all about.

Then over the next few months, we’re going to deliver a series of blogs with more of the steps and tips to make creating a killer business plan practically stress-free. Continue reading →

Gutenberg Incoming — What You Need to Know

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Wordpress
(41 visitors with 1 visits today)

Here at Solamar, we build our sites with WordPress. There are tons of reasons we choose WordPress over other systems, many of which we’ve talked about before. It’s free, it’s got a robust community and is easy for our clients to use.

That last point is of particular importance, because WordPress is about to undergo a major change to its editor, all in the name of making it easier for the end-user to create.

I’m talking about Gutenberg, the code name for a brand new editor that will be debuting when WordPress 5.0 releases. Gutenberg has been in the works for a while now, and while it’s not quite finished yet, it’ll soon become the default editing experience for any WordPress site using 5.0 or later. Continue reading →

How to Pick the Best Service for Your Email Marketing

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Email, Phase 3
(23 visitors with 1 visits today)

So, you’ve decided to start using email marketing in your business or you want to step up your email marketing game. Smart move! Maybe you’ve heard that email marketing has the highest ROI of any marketing channel – generating $38-40+ in revenue for every dollar spent. Perhaps you’ve heard all the buzz about list building, lead nurturing, and marketing funnels and you want to truly tap into the power of what modern email marketing can do for your business.

Whether you’re looking to start sending a simple well-crafted newsletter or drive sales from complex automated campaigns, first you’ll need to know how to select the best email service provider (ESP) to get the job done.

An email service provider is a company that offers a web-based platform to send bulk emails or campaigns. ESPs have become increasingly sophisticated over the years and they continue to evolve into feature-rich tools that enable marketers to send and track highly-targeted campaigns using segmentation and automation. Your ESP should help you carry out your email marketing strategy by allowing you to send the most relevant messages to the right contacts at the ideal times to nurture relationships and drive sales. Continue reading →