Aligning Resources

Strategic alignment is the practice of ensuring that the operational framework of your business is in synergy with your company’s vision. The business processes and actions of your employees must be working toward the overall strategic goals. Strategic alignment cannot be reached when strategy development is considered to be a separate process from strategy implementation. Of course, it takes a leader to set this strategy from the start. Seek out solutions that your company needs to survive and remain sustainable in a competitive market. The best way to find those solutions is to know where the company is going and what your competitive advantage is. Setting goals helps you direct and guide the company towards needed solutions and its overall potential.

Setting Smart Goals

Goal setting is one of the key aspects of a leader that helps your company grow. You can’t hit a target if you don’t define it in the first place. Instead of asking yourself how you might implement a new product or service, first ask what the goal is of adding those new products to your company. Remember, it is imperative that your company is strategically aligned. Keeping this practice at the forefront will streamline processes and provide clear directions to your teams. Provide this same ideology throughout the workplace and create a corporate culture that consists of transparency among all employees of corporate goals, expectations and standards. Employees will thrive in these settings and feel a sense of pride because they stand behind the vision of the company. We witnessed this in companies like Apple, Google and Facebook before they veered off from their original corporate vision, causing some employees to become disenchanted.

Providing Purpose

Employees want more out of the companies they work for now more than ever before. It is no longer enough to offer a comfortable 9-5 job with benefits or time off. You need to provide people with a purpose so they can feel fulfilled while working with you. Most often, people like working together to create something. Your company is that something for them. Make them feel needed and like an essential part of the company team. Encourage them to utilize the programs and services available to them whether it be affinity groups, volunteer time off and matching programs or college/ professional development reimbursement

Teamwork

A team that works together stays together. Don’t just give each department their roles and leave them to their devices. Get involved. Help them meet others in the company so that they have a clear and direct line of communication to others that can help them get projects in the pipeline. Provide team building activities that inspire creativity and camaraderie. You’ll be surprised how much your employees’ performance will increase if they are unified as a team.

Performance Reviews

Employee performance varies from day to day. You can help them maintain a higher level of performance by giving them periodic feedback on what is working and what is not. When you don’t have a scheduled review period, you might have intervals where employees are lost in the chaos of of the daily rat race, either not quite understanding what you expect of them or not knowing if they are performing their duties to your satisfaction. A brief chat can help straighten out any misunderstandings and save you both time and money in the future. This is also an excellent opportunity to discuss the employee’s professional goals and where they see themselves careerwise in the next 12, 18, 24 months. Then use this opportunity to partner them with a mentor that with your advisement will help them to map out a strategy to reach those goals within the company. This will strengthen your team and develop mutual respect across departments.

When it comes to the modern world, you need to be a strong leader for your company if you want to offer a clear path forward. That way, you can cut through the noise and enjoy the top spot in your market, now and in the future. You’ll have peace of mind that no matter what challenges lie ahead you can handle them.

If you are looking for more help to grow your business, contact our professionals!

The holiday shopping season is almost upon us. Will you be ready in all of the moments that matter? The team at Think with Google has created this clever infographic outlining the five trends to keep your eyes on.

5-holiday-shopping-trends-to-watch-in-2015-download

http://yfusionmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/5-holiday-shopping-trends-to-watch-in-2015-download.pdf

ATLANTA, GA – YFusion has been selected for the “2015 Best of Atlanta Award” in the “Consulting & Business Services” category by the Atlanta Award Program.

Each year, the Atlanta Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Atlanta area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 Atlanta Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Atlanta Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About YFusion

YFusion is a full service digital marketing firm founded in 2010. YFusion has grown into a comprehensive marketing service provider that plans, executes and monitors digital campaigns and brand events globally. They are a one-stop solution for all your marketing needs and digital marketing campaigns, including social media management, email marketing, strategic planning, content management, delivery and execution. They have managed long-term marketing campaigns for nonprofits, corporations and social enterprises.  They have also partnered with several corporations to provide certified and trusted small business and nonprofit training and guidance. Some of their corporate partners and certifications include Google, Salesforce, Blackbaud, AWeber and Constant Contact.

About Atlanta Award Program

The Atlanta Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Atlanta area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Atlanta Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

For More Information:

CONTACT:
Audra Wallace
Email: awallace@yfusionmg.com
678-779-3686

CONTACT:
Atlanta Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@awardcontact.org
URL: http://www.awardcontact.org

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Today is the day known to many as “Mobilegeddon.”  It’s the day that changes to Google’s algorithms for mobile searches go into effect. If you haven’t heard the news you are probably thinking “so what?” This is a huge deal for everyone because it will affect what businesses, products and services come up in our online searches when using your phone.

The new Google algorithm will start favoring mobile-friendly websites (ones with large text, easy-to-click links, and that resize to fit whatever screen they’re viewed on) and ranking them higher in search. Websites that aren’t mobile-friendly will get demoted to Google’s version of Purgatory. Google states the reason it is doing this is because it wants consumers to “find content that’s not only relevant and timely, but also easy to read and interact with on smaller mobile screens.”

This will have a tremendous impact on small businesses that have not made the necessary changes to their websites in time for Mobilegeddon. Thousands of small businesses will be surprised by the significant drop in visitors to their websites after today.  This will be especially true of those businesses that rely heavily on people finding them through localized search- like if someone typed “Medspa in Atlanta or Dentist in Vinings” into Google from their phone- they could see a decrease in foot traffic as a result of the update. This is going to affect millions of sites on the web.

If you want to build a nonprofit from scratch or kick start your current program- Nonprofit Bootcamp walks you step by step through proven methods on generating income, building awareness and impacting change.

We will cover:

• Getting Funded: Panel Discussion
• Telling your story
• Incorporating social media into your marketing
• Latest Fundraising Trends
• Small Shop Success

You will be provided a Binder full of action plans, worksheets and templates to take home. Catered lunch and free parking is provided.

Seize this opportunity to network with your peers, speak with major funders and learn from the best and brightest in nonprofit. Class size is limited so don’t delay.  Early bird special ends Friday, March 21. Click here to register for Nonprofit Bootcamp.

Register Now!

Dare 2 Aspire was created from a desire to see everyday people fulfill their purpose in life.  Join us for candid discussions on starting and growing your small business. This is your opportunity to hear and learn from experienced and proven business leaders. You will be joined by a hand-picked group of speakers who will share, engage, and inspire.

Early bird tickets available until February 23, 2012. Register for Dare 2 Aspire 2013 today!

Need a fundraising plan for 2013?

Join us and learn the essential components of creating an annual development plan. Gain valuable information on how to save time and resources by setting goals, assigning tasks and evaluating your progress. You will receive tools you can take back to your organization and put to work immediately. You’ll walk away with a great draft plan and insights into the latest fundraising trends to make 2013 a productive and profitable year for your nonprofit!

In this session, we will discuss:

· How to identify the best mix of income for your nonprofit.
· How to build an annual fundraising calendar.
· Tips on diversifying revenue streams.
· Insight into the latest fundraising trends for 2013.
· Ways to benchmark your results.

Participants will have the opportunity to share their current strategies and get feedback.

RSVP at The Atlanta Nonprofit Collaborative Meetup.

Five of the main reasons nonprofits fail are:

1. No Development Strategy or Fundraising Plan
2. Understaffed & Overworked Development Team
3. Lack of support from Leadership
4. Lack of Resources 
5. Unclear Mission

I will spend the next few posts going more in depth on each of these topics.  I will provide you with best practices, insights and resources on how to avoid each of these threats.  I encourage everyone to comment and share your experiences.  I would love to hear your thoughts on why nonprofits are failing to reach their goals and what steps they should take toward saving their organization.