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Getting It Right With Social Media

Social media is here to stay – at least that’s how it looks for now. As a business owner, you probably realize that you have to be able to adapt to change very quickly. Otherwise, you’d be left behind by your competitors. You may not be that comfortable with the idea of using social media for your business but give it a try and you’ll see just how beneficial it can be. How do you get it right?

Think about social media as a way to get feedback. Feedback is a very important part of any business. You may think that you are giving your customers what they want and need but you never really know until you hear from them. With everyone practically using these networks today, you should be able to use them to get into the minds of your customers. Of course, you have to do something with that feedback.

Use social media as a tool to brand yourself (or your business) as an authority in your field. The goal is to make your presence felt and make that presence an authoritative one. What you want is for people to automatically think of you when they think of your line of business. How do you do this? Write articles and publish them. Publish tweets that add to your reputation (realistic and honest tweets, of course). Bottom line: provide information that will help build up your reputation as an expert in the field.

Associate with the right people. Social media is a great way to connect with everyone. However, you have to make sure that you are reaching the right people – the customers that you want to keep or attract. Do not randomly interact with anyone; instead, focus your energies on those that matter.

Originally posted on January 31, 2010 @ 12:55 pm

Are You Benefitting From SBA Loans?

loan_250x251If you are a small business owner, you were probably overjoyed to hear about the government’s plan to help you out. This was announced some time ago, in the form of the stimulus package, which included shelling out money in loans. However, it seems that things are not going the way they were expected to. The news is that the money is not reaching the intended recipients.

The Orlando Sentinel recently ran a feature on this issue:

The parts of the federal government’s stimulus program aimed at small-business owners aren’t working as they should, say local owners and small-business experts who are trying to figure out what to do about the problem.

Claudia Menezes said there’s a barrier between the government aid allotted for small businesses and companies like hers, Pegasus Transportation, which runs tours for international travelers. And she isn’t alone in that opinion.

“We can’t get a loan out of anybody to help these people,” said Rich Jaeckle, chairman of the Orlando chapter of Score, a business-counseling group. Entrepreneurs approach the nonprofit organization for help, he said, but it can’t provide it. “They’re good ideas and they can’t go anywhere.”

What is happening? According to experts, there are certain regulations in place that are preventing the release of money. As a result, the involved authorities are getting together to see what can be done. In the meantime, small business owners have to be content with what they can get. Not very encouraging news right now, I know.

Originally posted on April 16, 2009 @ 3:18 pm

Review: Logical Media

Logical Media is one of the innovative services that pay for ad placement within blogs. Do you have a blog and are you seeking a way to make additional money from the blog? Are you seeking a way to offset other programs with the use of ads? Through the registration with Logical Media, the blogger can have access to well-designed and functional ads, which are placed within the blog, earning the blogger money each time that a visitor to the blog decides to click on one of these ads.

As one of the top fifty affiliate networks in Website Magazine, Logical Media has reached a standard of customer service that many affiliate sites are simply unable to attain. Through the use of excellent placed ads, customer service and daily updates throughout the ads which are placed on the website, there are many reasons that you should consider Logical Media for marketing that can begin to earn you money from the moment you begin using the program.

With the added incentive that bloggers are equipped with, to earn twenty five dollars for signing up for the service, the blogger can begin to make money right away. With many other services, it seems that you are waiting weeks and even months for money to accrue within the account. However, with the instant twenty five dollars, just for signing up – you can begin to see an immediate profit!

With an easy to set-up and user-friendly interface, you can be up and running within a matter of minutes. Through the information which is provided and targeted keywords, ads will be developed that will be suited to your blog, your readers and your genre.

There are many other services which are offered to bloggers, in addition to the paid ad placement that can be taken advantage of throughout the blog. Through the use of valuable referral programs, in which the referrer can earn up to five percent through each referral and the real-time reports which the blogger will have access to, there are many ways that the blogger can learn to better the site – All while getting paid!

There are very few other paid ad placement companies that offer a high sign-up bonus. With the twenty five dollars that is offered to new customers you can begin to see your account move upward, through each click which is made on the ads placed within the blog. Are you seeking a program that enables you to track these movements in real time, while making real money? If this is the kind of program that you think would work for you, consider Logical Media, as the services offered are one of the many reasons more bloggers are choosing the company.

When it is time to get paid, bloggers always get paid on time, and the right amount. Through the use of intricate bookkeeping, bloggers are kept happy with accurate payments, regular payments and a variety of methods which are used to complete payments to bloggers that have signed up for the program. A reliable way to monetize your blog, more and more bloggers are choosing Logical Media.

Originally posted on July 14, 2009 @ 7:20 am

Business Idea: Kids’ Birthday Party

themed_party_roomDo you have children? How much did you spend on the last birthday party you threw for a child? If you are like many parents, you probably set aside a considerable amount of money to make your child happy on his or her special day. This is the norm, despite the economic downturn. In fact, there are still a lot of people who are willing to spend much on their children’s birthday party, thus the idea of a “kids’ party service.”

Working parents may not have the time to plan and oversee their child’s party. Anyone who has organized such a party will know that it is not a simple thing. With children becoming more aware of the trends and fads of these days, the pressure to come up with a unique and sometimes extravagant party is greater. Enter the small business which will take care of everything – from food to venue to treats and activities.

If you are good at this kind of thing, you might want to take a survey in your area and see if the market is ripe for this business. You can actually sell yourself a party planner especially for kids. If you have property that you can use, you can even “sell” it as a destination for theme parties. One bright idea is to turn it into a day spa for girls – pedicures, manicures, and the like. For boys, you can have a paintball area. The possibilities are endless. Use your imagination and perhaps, your small business will fly despite the crisis.

Originally posted on June 24, 2009 @ 3:11 am

Small Business Week 2009

cartoon20small20businessDid you know that we are currently celebrating Small Business Week? While we are in the middle of the week, you might want to check out the numerous resources available that might be of help to you. In fact, even if you are not able to attend an event during the week, there are a lot of blogs and sites that provide a live coverage of the various events.

I like one press release about the importance of maintaining communication, from PRWeb. Here are some rules of thumb for communication:

1. Forward Phones: Know how to forward your phones to remote workers at home or on mobile lines to ensure your customers can continue communications with you;
2. Ensure Email Accessibility: Make sure employees have access to email via mobile and the web — after all — email is the primary mode of communication between you and your customers;
3. Always Backup Data: Backup up critical applications and data to a remote off site location to ensure piece of mind no matter what happens;
4. Create Alternate Meeting Ability: Have pre-established conferencing services via web or phone available to remote workers, partners, and customers so “business as usual” can continue.

These are some examples of what you can glean from the Week.

I would like to point out something that bMighty highlighted, though: every week should be small business week! After all, you run your business all year round. Why limit yourself to one week in a year? Read this article for more.

Originally posted on May 21, 2009 @ 3:51 am

Top Small Business Tips In A Bad Economy

cut_costsRunning a small business is not that easy even during the best of times. When the economy is not exactly rosy, things become even harder. But it is not impossible, especially if you take a look at these tips and follow them at your discretion.

Do not cut costs radically.
This might go against your better sense, but cutting costs left and right might do your business more harm than good. The idea here is to cut costs cautiously and not without considering the long term effects. Just make sure that whatever you cut back on will not have negative effects in the long run.

Consider work-at-home options.
Not everyone is open to this idea but you might be able to keep your budget healthy and keep your business running at the same time. If it is possible to close the office down (cut back on overhead costs) and have your employees work from home, then by all means consider doing it! With technology the way it is today, you will not have problems running the business even with people based in different physical locations.

Advertise!
Again, this might not seem to make sense. Times are tough, why spend precious resources (time and money!) on advertising? Well, in times of economic problems, the first instinct of most people is to cut back and definitely NOT advertise. If you grab this opportunity and advertise when your competitors are lying low, you will certainly reap the benefits.

Originally posted on July 27, 2009 @ 4:01 pm