6 Easy Ways to Increase Engagement On Instagram

Instagram is a great tool for schools, nonprofits, churches and civic groups to use. It's easy, and people love it because it's all about visuals. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Why should you be on Instagram?

Here are some statistics that should get you excited.

• Over 600 active monthly users.
• 40 billion pictures have been shared on the social site.
• Each day, 4.2 billion people like pictures and videos on Instagram.
• 28 percent of Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 are on the platform.
• 8 percent of brands use Instagram, and it's expected to increase to over 70 percent by the end of this year.

Some reasons brands, including nonprofits, are migrating to Instagram:

• You can upload as many as 10 videos or pictures into a single post, which means if you grab someone's attention with your primary image, they'll take a few more moments to scroll through your other videos or pictures.
• You can sponsor your posts or create ads to a target audience, which helps you grow with the right people and encourages those in your target audience to get involved with you.

The reality is that Instagram is an excellent tool for nonprofits and others to grow their base. By telling visual stories, you can raise awareness for your brand and get people caring and involved in the work you do. And with the creative use of hashtags, you can grow your follower base every week.

If you're looking to grow your followers on Instagram, here are some helpful tips you should consider:

• The best times for engagement on Instagram are on Mondays and Thursdays.
• You can use up to 30 hashtags on Instagram. Use relevant hashtags. Some hashtags you can use include #philanthropy, #fundraising, #volunteer, #causes, #nonprofit, or
• Make sure your videos are fun. And, if you can't make them fun, then make sure they're high-quality and striking. Ask yourself when posting if the videos or images grab you. If they don't, they're not going to engage others either. Remember, you're trying to capture people's attention, and since a lot of young people are on the site, they're looking for things that catch their attention.
• Tag people in your posts. Use @mention (username) to tag your best supporters, champions, and others outside of your organization to help you raise awareness. When you tag others, it helps your post stay relevant longer.
• Social media is all about networking. People want to see YOU. Make it a point to let your followers get a "behind the scenes" look at the work you're doing.
• Millennials and Generation Z, many of those who are on Instagram use filters and emojis. Make it a point to use them on Instagram. Filter your images and add emojis to your posts and videos. As people are scrolling, this helps grab their attention.

Want to take a look at some great examples of nonprofits using Instagram effectively? Take a look at this Causevox article by clicking here.

Statistics provided by: https://www.omnicoreagency.com/Instagram-statistics/

Author of "Not Your Father's Charity: Be Bold, Dominate and Succeed in Marketing For Today's Digital World On A Limited Budget" - Free Digital Download at http://www.notyourfatherscharity.com

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Ticket to Success and Sales - Online Marketing

"Ignoring online marketing is like opening a business but not telling anyone." - Anonymous

Nothing sums up the brilliance of online marketing in today's scenario quite like this quote. Online marketing is all about being at the right place at the right time. With the virtual space invading every nook and corner of our lives, this is where you'll find your audience.

Online is the place to be

From social media to e-commerce portals, our present generations wake up to their handset screens, emote only through in beeps and blocks. No one physically meets or greets anymore, instead we only 'like' and 'comment'. So, like any good marketing strategy that starts with going where the customer goes, the time now is to go digital. Online marketing has become the latest fad, a definite marketing must-do all the multi- national companies. Online marketing companies and services are the most sought after by major corporations. The benefits of online marketing when compared to its counterparts - the traditional/offline marketing, is so shiny and bright, that it has become impossible to turn a blind eye. Let's review the prime benefits:

• 'The World is your Stage': With online marketing services, your reach is truly magnanimous. It expands in terms of demographic as well as relevance. Deep pockets and hefty bank account are no longer the requisites to get noticed and sell products. For example, A local farmer from one side of the world, can now take his produce and showcase it online to reach a potential customer living on the other side. All he'll need to do is to use the internet to market this product, alongside some smart SEO strategies to place it amidst the right crowd.

• 'Laugh all the way to the bank'- It's no surprise rappers worldwide dish out such catch-phrases, ever so often. After all, how can anyone run from the fact that every business and corporation is the world works towards - 'profit' aka revenue, return, moolah? So, when the outcomes are so luring, who wouldn't jump? With the chance to reach the target audience directly and personally, the sales are bound to go up, by default.

• 'Straight from the horse's mouth' - With digital marketing you can document every move of your consumer. In the virtual space, everything becomes transparent - the good, bad and the ugly is out in the open for every to judge. No beating around the bush, you will get immediate feedback and instant report of your product's performance. You can directly reach out to your customer and build a personal bond. Services can be customized. Also, since everyone is online all the time, being in this place will make you more visible.

• 'Marking your territory' - Digital marketing promises to cut marketing costs drastically. Over and above all other benefits, the Passover from traditional or offline marketing to online is bound to be tremendously economical. Your online marketing agency will help you pick your audience and invest in reaching out only to them. It will also reduce your cost per unique user. For example: while a 5000 AED investment on a hoarding or event sponsorship reach about 5000 prospective customers, an online campaign through a viral video on social media will keep 10 times fold more.

• 'Something for everyone' - Online marketing space isn't reserved for the who's who of the business world. Even a small business or a start- up can reap benefits in all the entirety. That's the beauty of this medium. Such opportunity presents a fair chance to businesses to prove their mettle purely based on the quality of services/product. For the first time, a small enterprise can give the market's big fish a run for its money. Making it an all-inclusive environment to run business in.

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• 'Survival of the fittest' - The business world is booming, everyone wants a piece of it. So, in order to survive this mad rush, you have to a step ahead, always. Being in the digital gives you direct insights in your markets and demography. It gives you the opportunity to gauge your competitors move and plan a rebuttal. Online marketing companies help in giving your brand the edge and new-age glow. Hence, assuring the consumer's that the product/services that you offer are state-of-the-art and cutting edge in all its entirety.

Saji Nair is an online marketing expert. As the founder of one of the fastest growing SMS and online marketing agency in Dubai - Wisoft Solutions Dubai, he is passionate about SEO and all things digital.

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5 Elementary Ways of Online Marketing

Online Marketing can be referred as another tool for digital or internet marketing. It is the marketing of your brand and products through digital media, that is, the Internet using various tools and sources of media. The most important thing is to create a brand reputation which helps you to drive maximum sales. Also reaching out to customers have become easier through online media which encourages engagement with your customers.

In this article, I would like to share ways of online marketing by which you can build up a brand reputation and can help you to drive sales.

Read on...

1. Content Marketing

It includes posting blogs, eBooks and interesting content on the web. Basically, it is the marketing of the content that you post on your website including infographics and videos. If the quality of the content is worth reading and sharing, then no doubt people will start reading your blog which will build a brand and quality reputation. This also helps you to get organic traffic.

2. Social Media Marketing

As we know people are more active on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and others. Using social media to market your content and brand increases brand awareness and website traffic. Posting updates on social media go viral within seconds. Also, responding to complaints, requests, and praise becomes easier.

3. Email Marketing

According to research, it has been noted that people check their emails 8 or more times a day. Email Marketing is leading the way for sales by sending helpful, relevant messages to the email contacts that have subscribed to receive emails from you. It helps to keep your customers engaged with your company and build brand loyalty.

4. Online Advertising

Advertising through digital medium involves publishing your ads on various websites, social media platforms and even on search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. It is generally paid or performed on the commission basis as pay per click on third party websites. You can also use Google AdWords as well. It also helps to gain website traffic and deliver marketing messages to the right customers.

5. Online Surveys

These can be sent as web forms, generally on email or you can create a page on your website for the survey form. It stores the database with answers which act as analytics to your brand. This helps to examine and evaluate the reputation you are building with your customers. You can improve by knowing the flaws in building your brand reputation.

Above article is associated with techstack which is providing digital marketing course in delhi with more than 25 modules of digital marketing.

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Creating Effective Social Media - 5 Easy Steps to Creating Social Media That Reaches Your Target

Effectively creating a social media presence is not as hard as it seems. Use five easy steps to improve your online presence now.

1. Know your target audience: You know your customer (or you should) - that's your audience. All audiences have diversity: age, economic background, style, and interest areas. Now, when you create content, do it as if you are directly speaking to them. Start a conversation. Spark your target's imagination. Use humor and remember that being too formal can seem inauthentic. Don't forget to be online with your audience. Explore what they talk about, what they like, what they share, what they hashtag. Interact to get to know them. Tip: use hashtags to research the climate around a topic and see what's trending.

2. Intentionally set boundaries: After you have visualized your target audience you will need to set up "Go" and "No-Go" areas for your content. These parameters are simplistic yet, paramount. Setting social media boundaries will help you keep your target group happy. Your goal is to create content that is professional and pleasing to your audience. Remember, what is appropriate for one audience, may not be relevant for another. Areas to carefully consider: politics, profanity, slang verbiage, etc.

3. Find a graphics tools that work for you: Creating graphics will serve you well, as visuals are an integral part of all social media platforms. Even Twitter is now more visually based; they have made it easier than ever to share graphics and animated gifts, right at the point of creation. You can put your best visual foot forward by utilizing any purchased, or free, graphic software like Adobe Suite (purchased) or Pixler (free). You will want to research which programs work best with your skill level; there are many online to explore.

4. Consider your platform: Create visual content with limited text, to show/say something significant and inspirational. Know what rules apply to the platform you are using. For example, Twitter limits you to 140 characters or less. These rules will shape your content. Research platform parameters online to familiarize yourself with each structure.

5. Use color: Don't forget to utilize color; it draws the eye! You can also create a theme of colors that you will use to represent your brand. Using colors enhances what someone feels, for example, Greens and Blues are said to create trust and a fresh feeling, while yellows, reds, and oranges are said to excite, or even make the viewer hungry (think fast food chains). Create content that welcomes your audience to take a closer look. Tip: add your logo to most of the content you create.

By using the five steps above: knowing your audience, setting boundaries, optimizing graphics, mastering platforms, and through utilizing color, you are well on your way to creating social media that effectively reaches your target.

Stephanie Newby is the owner of Newgreenie, an Entrepreneur, Writer, Current Graduate Student and Social Media Enthusiast. Webmasters and other article publishers are hereby granted article reproduction permission if this article is shared in its entirety, author's information, and any links remain intact. Copyright 2017 by Stephanie Newby, Newgreenie. http://www.newgreenie.com

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6 Crucial Reasons Why Social Media Marketing Is Crucial for Small Businesses

Why Social Media is Crucial for Small Business

Out of roughly 7.3 billion people worldwide, 3.17 billion use the Internet and 2.3 billion are social media users. With 2.3 billion users, it's easy to see why social marketing is becoming such a popular platform for promoting and growing a business! There are numerous benefits for both the user and the business when using social media as a tool. With the prevalence of technology in today's world, it's more important than ever for small businesses to have a social presence. If you're not part of the 2.3 billion, you need to jump on board today. Here's why:

1. Everyone with a mobile device has 24/7 access.

Potential customers are often on-the-go. Most people walk around with mobile phones in this day and age plastered to their fingertips. When people are sitting in waiting rooms, on public transportation, on their lunch break, or wherever else, they're often scrolling through their various social platforms. This means there's a huge audience for your social media marketing campaigns!

2. It's free (to start out, anyway!)

A lot of times, promoting your business can be a costly endeavor. With social marketing, not only is it easy to set up an account, but the applications are typically free to download. This makes social media profiles a good way to promote your business without breaking the bank. If you need an extra boost, you can always pay to promote your posts-but this probably won't be necessary 100% of the time, making social marketing a great low-cost marketing tool! Plus, social media's easy sharing, reposting, and retweeting features make it possible for your customers to do a chunk of your marketing for you!

3. It doesn't require special equipment or professional help.

The convenience that comes with social media is a big help when running a business. Saving time when you have a lot of other things on your plate can be incredibly helpful. Socializing online doesn't require you to leave the office. You can even promote your business from the comfort of your own home- all you need is an Internet connection. Many people enjoy doing their own social media management. However, if you are struggling to keep up, you can definitely hire a social media manager!

4. It's easy to target potential customers.

It is easier to expand your audience with an online social presence. With the use of hashtags and keywords, not only can you target specific groups of people, but they can find you more easily with an easy search. This creates an element of convenience which is always an attractive trait for potential customers.

5. It helps you create your brand.

You probably know that it's important to create a recognizable brand. However, creating and conveying your desired brand can be difficult. Social marketing makes it easier to lay out the brand you want customers to know. Becoming involved in conversations with customers on social media makes customers more receptive to information that you share. Using social media as a means of communication with customers gives your customers the opportunity to know you and your product on a more personal level, which makes your business seem more attractive and approachable.

6. It's a great way to share and receive valuable information.

Social marketing can also be very informative. It's a great way to gain valuable ideas from other businesses. It also gives you the ability to directly interact with your audience and see what customers are saying about your product or service. You might even use social media to see what customers are saying about your competitors. Either way, you can use these things to better your own product or service.

There are so many great social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and more. But, just when you've tweeted and liked, it's time to snap and connect! Don't let the ever-changing social platforms keep you sidelined. If you haven't yet harnessed the power of social media marketing for your small business, the time is now!

Visit http://www.strongestate.com today!

Strong Estate Marketing is a one-stop online marketing shop specializing in writing, product photography, and social marketing management. Drop a line to info@strongestate.com for more information.

Buying Guest Posts on Blogs

Having a guest post published on a blog has, for a long time, been seen as an extremely good way of advertising a website and giving credibility for a brand, but what if you simply don't have the time to write a guest post, and then pitch it to a large number of bloggers in the hope that one will agree to post it for you? Well, that's where buying posts on blogs can help, because you can pay to have guest posts written for you and published on a well-known website or blog.

If you have thought about using guest posting as a way to advertise your website, but you have never been able to find the time to do anything about it, here the advantages of this type advertising and some advice on how you can get someone else to guest post for you.

Improve your Google rankings

A good quality back-link from a niche related site is worth a hundred times what a spam back-link from a low quality site is worth. A link from an article posted on a high domain authority website will have just the contextual relevance that is needed for a link to have real benefit in Google rankings.

Drive quality traffic to your site

An article posted on a popular website will increase traffic to your website too. People who are reading an article on a topic that is related to your own website on a high authority site are just the type of audience that you want to attract, because you know that they will be interested in what your site contains or sells.

Gains brand exposure

Having content published in your name or content published with a link back to your site, gets your brand in front of a wider audience. Although it is very difficult to quantify the benefits of brand awareness, there is no doubt that the more people see your brand, the more likely they are, at some point in time, to come and visit your site.

Increases credibility

Having a connection between a popular blog in your niche transfers more credibility to your own site. A good quality guest post on an authoritative website or blog is almost as good as receiving a recommendation from that site.

Increases internet presence

The more mentions of your website on the internet, the greater the likelihood of someone finding your site. If links to your website appear on many different blogs, not only will it improve your search engine rankings, it will also increase the chance of someone stumbling across your site and visiting it out of curiosity.

How to get guest posts on blogs

You can approach relevant blogs in your niche yourself and ask the blogger if they would accept a post from you, but that can be extremely time-consuming. Firstly, you would have to find the blogs in your niche that do accept guest posts, you would have to approach the blogger with an idea for an article, and then you would have to write the content as well.

The alternative to doing it all yourself would be to buy a guest post on a website or a blog. There are people who already have author's accounts with some of the large and popular websites, or who have their own blogs, who offer their services to write and publish content on your behalf. There are some websites that specialize in supplying guest posts, or you could visit an auction website that specializes in selling all kinds of web assets.

If you do want to buy guest posts, take a look at the top online web asset auction site Avatar Bazaar, where you will find all kinds of useful web properties up for auction.

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Snapchat - Best Marketing Tool

There are two kinds of businesses right now - those who are taking advantage of Snapchat before other businesses find out they should be on it - and those who will wish they'd had the foresight to jump on Snapchat back in 2017. So what are some marketing strategies you can use on Snapchat for growing your business?

Specialized Content

Make your fans feel like insiders by providing content you offer nowhere else. Your goal is to make users feel like they've got exclusive access to insider info. This develops emotional connections between them and you and your content. For example, you might provide tips or inspiration in the form of 24-hour Snapchat stories. Give your fans the keys to success, daily insights, advice and so forth to create a sense of trust and inclusivity.

Contests and Perks

Surprise your fans with promotions and giveaways to build customer loyalty. Contests work wonders on snapchat and they're easy to do. Your contest can be as simple as naming a product, captioning a picture, taking snaps with your product and so forth. Announce your Snapchat contest on all of your social media channels, and make the prize suitable for the target audience you want to attract.

You can also offer insider access, promo codes or discounts with a Snapchat scavenger hunt. Build anticipation for the event prior to the launch date. You might even do something as simple as sharing a daily deal with your followers by giving them a special Snapchat referral code.

This is a great way to get them to spread the word about you. And you can track customer behavior by monitoring how many promo codes are used.

Engage Fans in Your Story

Ask for your followers to participate, creating a two-way conversation with the community.

For example, ask them to send a selfie featuring your product. Or ask them for a picture that illustrates an answer to a question. Or have them create videos on why they love your product or how they relax at the end of the day or whatever is appropriate to your niche.

Make sure you reply to your fans. You can do this either by replying in the chat feature, or sending back a photo of you thanking them. It pays to go the extra mile to make users feel special and a part of your community.

Team Up with Influencers

Snapchat takeovers give people you select access to your Snapchat account, so they can create stories promoting and enhancing your brand's personality. When you let advocates take over, your account seems less promotional and more fun and authentic.

If you're worried by what might happen, it's not like the monkeys are taking over the zoo. Rather, it's influencers and fans chosen by you who agree to 'be' you for a day.

For example, let's say your niche is gardening. You ask a master gardener to show off her garden and those of her neighbors using your account. Or if your niche is relationships - you can let one of your clients tell the story of how you saved his marriage. Really, you're only limited by your imagination.

Final Thoughts

Snapchat enjoys the highest growth rate of any social media channel right now. So if you're not there, you are missing out on some major exposure for your business. That said, remember that Snapchat is about the fun, not about bragging about your product or hammering prospects.

Find the light-hearted angle to your business and use that to help your followers achieve their goals and you'll build brand loyalty unlike anything you've achieved on Facebook or Twitter. Discover how to engage and excite new customers into taking action and spending money with you by using these simple free marketing tips from Nick James, The Internet Business Coach http://www.Nick-James.com

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Know How to Be Successful With Digital Marketing

Digital space is full of data and contents that are target oriented. Creating contents and sharing is now possible easily owing to the digital boom. The content marketing is important for readers to know about many things and thus the jobs for content creators are growing. The digital world or digital marketing has today become a business that is highly profitable for the entrepreneurs. The positive side can be seen of the digital marketing on the way it is put to use and before doing anything, maximize your potential. It is time to breathe through digital channels, get online and consider the following, to get attention.

Reorganize your presence

If you are not getting traffic, set to reorganize your online presence. Ensure you are on all the social media platforms. Check if you did not miss any information on the profiles of Facebook or Instagram. Assess your strategy is strong or does it need some overhauling.

Cleanup the weeds

Check what pops up in the Google. Review auto generated pages and flag impersonators. Use this time also to see your pages performing better and also the bounce rates. Ascertain the pages receive visitors and notice the social channels that are bringing most and least business. Use your efforts and make the non-performing networks to work well. Try to sort out the reason and ensure cleaning up unwanted weeds.

Give a new look

The simplest way of breathing new life is by freshening up the visuals. Of course, you can put new photos of your business in the social media accounts. It will serve the purpose.

Get a fresh tool

After reorganizing and giving a new look to your digital presence, take your marketing up using the right tools online. Invest in right tools and ensure to benefit from automation.

Digital marketing is the reach for most businesses and social sites have done an excellent job by promoting business. Digital marketing is now affordable and integrating it into your business is time-consuming and complex task, but to have an impactful digital marketing operation, you can get started with these steps below:

Elucidate Objectives

Having clear objectives helps digital marketing as it reveals a strategy. Outline the goals and determine the direction so that you align purposeful objectives that are realistic, specific and measurable. Identify your audience, comprehend your market and ensure your objectives meet strategy as an informed decision.

Develop Brand Consistency

Consistency is a term that has its own expectations, be it a social media platform or your website and of course this includes the strategy of digital marketing operation as well. Developing brand consistency is a must and use same taglines, colors, fonts, features and images. Ensure consistency so that it shows authority and increases your credibility.

Buildup Your Digital Marketplace

A digital marketing campaign focuses your virtual home that is your website. This makes it important to build up your digital marketplace such that it is engaging, responsive and mobile-friendly. Make it obvious for call to action and ascertain you keep it simple.

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Stay Ahead in Digital Marketing With These Tips

Digital marketing is in various forms and you can keep learning about the networking and its apps continuously. The marketing is all about sites and apps. the digitized traditional media versions allows you to stay ahead in the business, but for that you have to get going with new inventions online and stay update. If you even wish to find a suitable job making a career in digital marketing, you need to have a lot of connections, a complete slate of skills and plenty of interesting ideas to offer that will appeal your future employer.

Join a LinkedIn Group

LinkedIn is a best place for any aspiring candidate to make connections. Here you get to know the real stuff required for a position. here you can find the profiles of more than a quarter of fortune seekers and accomplishers that you joining this group in LinkedIn is sure to offer a fast pick and you can also follow the role models and virtual mentors of this industry.

Attend Marketing Conference

A digital conference is available to meet every skill and forte, so pick that meets your goals and creativity. Check out and acquire more exposure to cutting-edge technology, social media marketing, new internet marketing strategies and more. On attending digital conference, you will find online marketing experts in many numbers and you can talk to them and learn who covers topics such as traffic, design and conversion. Getting to know about marketing gurus helps a lot as you get to make connections, stay linked and to share ideas.

Track Successes

Being something is important, but that should be apparent. For instance, you may be a pioneer digital marketer, but if you fail to prove anything, you will be no different from any of your enthusiast co-workers. Whether, you are handling an exceptional job as a challenging task or you are trying to sell your own product, it is important you save the feedback, stats, other documentation and email correspondence. This will bring a difference one fine day, when you get an opportunity to show. In fact, you can also show this in a job interview and increase your leverage proving you know what it means to stay connected with audiences and growing a brand to success using digital marketing strategies. Thus, tracking successes is essential so that you know and prove you are ahead of others.

Brush Your Skills

Everyone at some point or the other lags behind. Identify the skills you need to work, and whet them. Digital marketing is the need of the hour to do any business or even to get hired. Learning to integrate marketing helps develop a strategy and improve the brands strategy overall. Embrace the business strategies that are data-driven as it is an evolutionary step in businesses. Only with proper understanding of the data you acquire or get that you desire helps in organizing business objectives and it revolutionizes marketing. Thus, staying ahead in digital marketing demands you to work on data-driven strategy.

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In the world today, small businesses suffer from the lack of marketing their customers and sometimes its due to the insufficient amount of money they have to brand and advertise their business. Just to have a billboard of your company on a building you would need close to a million dollars for advertisement. I had the privilege of catching up with Ed Buss, a CEO of fresh filtered air Inc in the small town of Shawnee Oklahoma. Ed Buss and his wife started his company by the idea of his wife seeing an ad in the local newspaper about 21 years ago and thought it was a good idea so they decided to create Fresh Filtered air inc.

Ed Buss has and runs a small filter service business, he serves his business on a 2-week service plan, 2-4,6-8-10-12-week plan for his customers. His business isn't a popular company but it does well for how small it is. Some of the challenges he faces with his filter company is in the social media marketing area. He doesn't have a true website, his company isn't on any social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. he doesn't have a strong way to connect with current or future customers, his business has been stringing simply from word to mouth over 21 years' span. He also struggles with a company logo which I personally believe will help him establish a bigger customer base. By allowing his company to partake in the social media world it could improve his customer base drastically and help bring in more potential clients rather than going from door to door selling his service price by word to mouth.

Another challenge Ed Buss faces with his small business is field expenses, he has to make sure that when someone calls in for a service order that they are for sure going to go through with it due to gas and mileage on the trucks. Ed Buss's filter service has two employee trucks and he does a great job making sure that all the services are around and done on the same route. Ed Buss says that his employees have a lot of window time and drive a little over 90,000 miles a year. As a small company that means that your customer base isn't very big, so you want to make sure you have enough funds in your business to keep the trucks that carry out your business's service orders in good shape.

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