A new segment on Hampton Roads Business Weekly is Zack Hacks! Learn some quick tips and tricks that can make you more effective and efficient in business.

Hack #1: Email Subject Line

If you’re having trouble getting someone’s attention on email, the problem could be with your subject line. A lot of people, especially on mobile, read through the subject lines in their inbox as they would their text messages. So, to engage them quickly, use the subject line to say what the meaning of your email is, don’t hide it in the body. That’s one less step the reader has to take to hear from you.

Hack #2: Engage on Facebook

To get the most out of your Facebook posts, its important to engage with the people interacting with you online. Lots of times you’ll see someone comment, and the comment is just them tagging a friend. Most people would look at that and think that they aren’t providing anything useful to the conversation, but those people are wrong. The person who commented tagged their friend for a reason. If they think the person they tagged would be interested in the post or your business, then they probably are. Treat these tagged people as leads and reach out the them directly!

Hack #3: Hiring Employees

Hiring employees is risky. You’re taking a chance that the person will be the right fit for the business, and if they aren’t, they could be a detriment to the business. So, you should try to give that employee a test run. Either as an apprentice, or a short term trial period, where you can see how they mesh with the business and you can see what kind of production they provide. Meanwhile, start putting the money you would be paying them aside, so you can see if the hire would be worth it financially.

Hack #4: Turn Off Notifications

Everyone is busy, and our schedules can be unpredictable at times. If you allow your notifications to constantly interrupt you, you’ll never get into a productive workflow. So, TURN OFF YOUR NOTIFICATIONS and get to work!

Hack #5: Followup On Reviews

When someone rates you, positively or negatively, reach out to that person and find out what they did or didn’t like about your business. This can provide you with some useful insight into your company from the outside looking in and you can learn what you need to change or keep doing the same.

These hacks are simple tricks that can save a ton of time, money, and headaches.

Do you already do any of these?

Do you have a hack of your own?

Let us know in the comments below!