Jason Hall

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There are various SEO key performance indicators you can keep track of to get an idea of how well your site is performing.

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Do your homework before you dive in. It's easy to get caught up in buzzwords and jump on the bandwagon when a trend has gone viral. However, in the business world, it's typically a smarter move if company leaders and teams tread the waters lightly to gauge customer sentiment and observe how other influences are leading the way in their approach. One way or the other, only time will tell which direction a popular fad may take as a fleeting trend or long-lasting opportunity—so it's best to err on the side of caution and learn from others' mistakes before you commit to a growing movement too quickly.  Below, 10 Fast Company Executive Board members share their tips on the best way to gauge whether or not a business trend is worth putting into motion.

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Why do so many companies fail? One big reason has to do with an unsuccessful content marketing strategy. Without a good one, the likelihood of failure goes way up. 

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Here's how to attract and retain long-term clients. If you are thinking about launching a YouTube page to increase consumer knowledge about your products or services, it's important to focus on the key interests of your target base and deliver that content consistently. Finding a creative way to keep viewers engaged with your company through a topic you are mutually passionate about is the perfect way to demonstrate your knowledge and establish further credibility in the marketplace. In the end, the goal is to convert your social media followers into new loyal customers, but it's not so easy. To assist leaders with these efforts to grow their company's business, here are 15 reliable tips, courtesy of Fast Company Executive Board members.

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When somebody challenges you to grow and reach your potential, chances are you're going to walk away with an important life lesson. Throughout life, most people will encounter someone who challenges them in a good way. These people see the potential in others and harness it by pushing them to reach higher and work harder. While of course, a challenge will be difficult, it can also be a great motivator that helps others to improve in the long run. Below, 15 members of the Fast Company Executive Board shared some inspiring advice they’ve learned from those who have positively challenged them. They describe how those who tested their abilities and showed them they were capable of more have shaped them into the professionals they are today.

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11 ideas to regain confidence and complete a pending project. If you're feeling overwhelmed at work these days because you're short on time and staff, or just plain busy and uninspired this winter season, don't fret. Instead, you should stop what you're doing to focus on something more manageable—temporarily, and perhaps engage in meditation. By doing so, you'll be able to quickly recharge your energy and find more clarity to take on that larger project. To help business leaders get the ball rolling, 11 Fast Company Executive Board members share their personal experiences about dealing with tough assignments and the best way to get them completed move on to the next thing.

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To truly innovate and tap into your company's full creative potential, you need a diverse workforce with equal access to opportunities. Innovation in business is powered by unique perspectives and new ideas. At the forefront of innovation is diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Having diverse perspectives from teammates who come from different backgrounds ensures that your team approaches a problem from multiple angles and this can lead to faster resolutions. Diverse teams also adapt to changes more easily, reach more potential customers and offer the opportunity for ground-breaking change. As leaders in their industries, the members of Fast Company Executive Board understand the importance of innovating and the role diversity, equity and inclusion play in achieving it. Below, 15 of them shared the most impactful ways that DEI fuels innovation. 

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A poorly-crafted social media post can quickly spiral out of control, so it's important for leaders to have a strategy for moving forward. Before posting something under the company's name, it's important to ensure that the tone and message of the post are in line with what you want to communicate. Enlisting the help of a PR professional or reading posts out loud to a group are great ways to make sure that the message you're trying to communicate is the right one. But even then, it's possible that a leader's message can be taken the wrong way or accidentally miss the mark. When this happens, leaders must take immediate action both internally and externally. Below, nine Fast Company Executive Board members shared the first action leaders should take under these circumstances and how to avoid similar situations in the future.

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While most business owners turn to areas like marketing and IT to cut their budget, there are plenty of other places to find and eliminate "wasteful" spending. A lean thinking framework can help leaders trim excess costs in their business or organization. But to maximize the impact of your efforts, it's important to look everywhere for signs of wasteful spending.  The members of Fast Company Executive Board know how easy it is for leaders to overlook key business areas and functions when applying lean thinking. Below, 15 of them share the most common places business owners forget to look when reducing costs, and how exploring those areas can help your company cut expenses and streamline the budget.

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Consistency is key to good social media.

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Making simple but effective changes to your customer experience can make a huge difference in how your brand is perceived. When it comes to customer service, it's often the little things that make the most difference. Simple actions like using the customer's first name more often or delivering a personalized order confirmation are easy enough to automate and execute, but they can have a big and lasting impact on how a customer feels about your brand. There are plenty of opportunities to pick the "low-hanging fruit" and start improving your customer experience right away, without breaking the bank or expending tons of resources. To help you do this, 15 members of Fast Company Executive Board shared some easy ways they’ve boosted their customer experience and why it was so effective.

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The best content in the world won't have a positive impact on your audience—or your bottom line—if nobody sees it. Creating content can be difficult on its own, but sometimes an even bigger challenge is ensuring that it reaches the target audience. Careful content crafting must always be married to a well-planned marketing strategy; otherwise, those you hope to help or to draw to your business will likely never hear your message. The members of Fast Company Executive Board know that a successful content strategy takes more than just a clever way with words. Below, 14 of them share practical steps marketing teams can take to drive more traffic to a company’s published content.

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If you’re seeing high rates of resignation, these strategies can help you identify the reasons why. When a company is experiencing high attrition rates, it isn’t always easy to pinpoint the reason (or reasons) employees are leaving. Countless factors can influence someone’s decision to stay at or leave their place of employment; some are within the organization’s control, and some are not. However, when a company is seeing steady turnover, there are likely one or more underlying problems that are happening on the inside. It’s critical for leadership to identify those issues to prevent even more employees from leaving—especially in today’s tight workers’ market. If your company is struggling with steady or growing employee turnover rates, try these 15 strategies from the members of Fast Company Executive Board to get to the root of the problem. The sooner you discover the cause(s), the sooner you can implement real solutions.

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Don't let a limited budget stop you from promoting your new business. When budgets are tight, one of the first things many entrepreneurs strike from their list of financial priorities is marketing. However, marketing doesn't have to take a backseat when resources are limited. In fact, there are plenty of ways to continue promoting your company while keeping costs low. DIY public relations can be an inexpensive way to gain attention for your business—if you follow the right strategies and best practices. Below, 14 members of Fast Company Executive Board share some creative, inexpensive ways a new business can drum up good publicity or press mentions.

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Quality content over quantity creates long-term success.

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If you want your praise to make a positive impact on your team, you have to be consistent, and you need to spread it around. Employees want to feel appreciated and recognized for their hard work. Many studies have shown the positive impact of praise on employee happiness and productivity. But it’s not enough to only recognize large milestones or focus on the major players in a companywide project. It’s important to find ways both small and large to regularly recognize a job well done. You can learn a lot about your company and team—and give morale a big boost—by looking for positive moments and thoughtful ways to praise. Below, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members reveal effective ways to praise team members for their ongoing great work.

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A conversation with an underperforming employee is a delicate situation that must be handled with care. As a leader, it's important to be able to have tough but necessary conversations with employees. When an employee isn't performing to their full potential, leaders must guide them the best they can and work with them to find the root of the problem. It's certainly a challenge to have these conversations, which can be uncomfortable and awkward for both parties. And if they're not executed properly, your conversation could hurt your relationship with the employee, causing further damage to their morale and performance. To help you have constructive conversations with employees who need some coaching, 16 members of Fast Company Executive Board have shared one thing a leader should never say or do when meeting with an underperforming employee.