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Chloe Constantinides, Co-Founder | Creative Director at Dapper Apps
Absolutely - validate, validate, validate!
Start simple with sketches or just static mockups of how you intend the app should look and function. This not only gives you a chance to validate your idea, but you will be amazed at how much you can improve your idea by simply going through this process. When you lay it out, you will pick up on potential issues early on and save yourself a lot of time and money on development.
A lot of our clients get designs done up first, go and speak to their potential customers, make adjustments and then move into development. This is often enough as a starting point.
Alternatively, there are plenty of app mockup websites available that you can work with to get a more high fidelity prototype. InVision is great. Others include:
We would also strongly recommend that you are constantly testing and refining as you go, not just at the start of a project.
David Bradbury, Founder & CEO at Selector
If you are an established business you'll be working on a particular accounting software, myob, xero Et al, so I'd be including whichever software you are using in your search, as any bookkeepers and accountants del exclusively with software partners. So.example "bookkeeper Sydney xero"
Ossiana Tepfenhart, House Writer at Empire State Crew
So, I can answer this pretty well since I had a writing mentor in the type of showbiz I work in. The truth is that a lot of mentorships don't cost a dime, and to a point, that's how it SHOULD be. But, let's say that you go the hiring route first.
If you hire a professional business mentor, then you're going to look at $500 a month at a minimum. Some mentors, such as that Mark Cuban guy, will charge way more simply because they are celebrities who have a lot more fame and success. It's not unusual to hear of some Fortune 500 mentors charging as much as $10,000 a month.
For that money, you better be getting some quality advice and real in-depth looks at how you run your business. If you don't, then you are going to be SOL and you're going to be out of money. It happens a lot more than you think.
But let's say that you get one for free. It's possible, especially in fields like showbiz or music. There are perks and pitfalls here. First off, your mentor will likely be a major friend and ally of yours. It also won't cost anything for advice. However, you might end up getting what you pay for. It's kind of a crapshoot, but it's often worth it.
Want to know how to get a mentor for free? Here's the scoop:
Yee Trinh, Cofounder at SavvySME
It would really depend on what results the marketing plan would be able to deliver. If it can generate x number of clients or leads, x increase in traffic, x% increase in profit... From the client's point of view, it's all about ROI. They might be willing to pay $20k if it can bring in $200k work. Conversely, $1k would be a bit exorbitant if there's no sign of results generated. Focus on the value you can deliver for your client and be able to communicate this in numbers... and you can charge however much you want, relatively speaking.
Jef Lippiatt , Owner at Startup Chucktown
Agreed pricing too low will also either land you bad clients, or good clients that would have paid much more for the information and the results. Value driven pricing makes total sense for professional services.
John Eustace , Principal / Communications and Media Strategist at Bells and Whistles Marketing Pty Ltd
7 different packages should allow you to pitch pricing to suit the client's budget and expectations. ROI is the one attribute that you must be able to demonstrate.
Jane Jones, Marketing Consultant at Global Compliance Institute
Afterpay and ZipPay have become popular in recent years and most established retailers are already set-up or considering setting up the 'buy now pay later' service for their businesses. There is a cost to implementing these models for your business. They do have to make a profit afterall. Afterpay is the more expensive and payments are 4 equal payments fortnightly ($2000 / 4 or $200 / 4). ZipPay allows the user to set their own repayments (for example $150 a month regardless whether it was a $1500 or $150 purchase).
Interestingly neither of these providers accept AMEX - only Visa and Mastercard at this stage. There are other players in the market that offer the buy now pay later service so it's important to do your research. And ultimately, the one you choose has to fit into your business model.
Daniel Spark, Director
If you are starting a new business and expect to turnover less than $75,000 AUD (unless you provide taxi travel for passengers in exchange for a fare) registering for GST is optional. However, the ATO only gives you 21 days from the time you are aware that you will turnover more than the threshold to register for GST and they advise you to check monthly to ensure you are aware when you meet the threshold.
If you do not register for GST then you also do not charge GST to your customers and you will not be able to claim GST credits on your purchases. There are also special requirements in regards to invoices and tax invoices that you need to follow depending on what you choose to do.
You can find great information on GST at the Governments Business website, including some examples:
https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/tax/register-for-goods-and-services-tax-gst
The ATO has also recently started a community forum, where you can get official answers from the ATO if you need more help:
https://community.ato.gov.au/
You may want to consult an Accountant for their professional perspective. The answer to your question will greatly depend on your expected turnover.
I personally, depending on the venture would not register for GST until I gain moment with sales. Everything going well you will turn over more than $75,000 and be required to register.
Katina Beveridge, Director at Strategic Online
Hi Leanne,The best content marketing strategy is to write and publish content online which is written for your target audience especially ones that you’re sure they’ll love and consume. The web is full of content that is not interesting. The user experience for your website or the amount of time an audience spends reading your content does affect your SEO rankings therefore you want keep your content as engaging as possible in order to keep them longer on your website. Another thing to keep in mind would be the proper use and placement of keywords on your blog. Lastly, it would be a good idea to have a content marketing plan within your marketing funnel. The top of the funnel being to bring awareness to your products, services or your brand in general. Then the middle part would be to have your prospects gain interest on your products or services. Then the bottom part of the funnel would be focused on converting them into actual customers. I hope this helps :)
Renee Rollestone, Librarian at Hume Libraries
Hi thanks for your interesting question!
According to Yes Marketing Australia the best word count for a 30 second ad is 75-85 words.
This is so the words are conveyed clearly and accurately to the listener. Any more and the ad can sound rushed and your audience may not hear what you have to say properly!
Hope this helps!
Jef Lippiatt, Owner at Startup Chucktown
I would also add a different perspective. I think there are 3 things that help boil down a choice for this decision.
Justin Gil, Social Media Manager at The Foodie Basket
Because Triple J is a government-owned radio station, they don't allow businesses to advertise on their station. This can prove to be an issue for advertisers, as Triple J is among the most popular radio stations for listeners between the ages of 18 to 39 in Australia.
However, there are many choices you can choose that will allow you to market to the younger demographic effectively. The two best options for advertising to listeners similar to Triple J's is by advertising on the following:
1. Streaming services. Why limit yourself to the radio when you can have a broader reach advertising on streaming services? Not only that, but you can target the exact demographic you want to reach. This leaves out much of the guesswork when determining if your ads are getting to the right people. Some of the most popular streaming services to advertise to young listeners are:
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
SoundCloud Go
Amazon Music
2. Alternative radio stations. While Triple J is one of the most listened to radio stations in Australia, they don't have a monopoly on young listeners. Check out these listener stats from some popular radio stations in Australia that I compiled below: (media.info)
Radio Station | Weekly Audience | Weekly Listeners (18-39) |
NOVA 93.7 | 568,000 | 292,000 |
GOLD 104.3 | 1,003,000 | 346,000 |
101.9 FOX FM | 1,137,000 | 655,000 |
KIIS 1065 | 916,000 | 494,000 |
105.1 TRIPLE M | 631,000 | 306,000 |
WSFM | 758,000 | 226,000 |
2GB | 677,000 | 110,000 |
Top 30%
Top 30%
Director at Eleven & Twelve
Top 30%