A business blog is essential to maximize your online exposure for a number of reasons, including search engine optimization, building your identity and creating expert status, generating leads, and sharing information to name just a few. You also want to be mentioned and noted in other industry blogs throughout the internet for maximum exposure.

At the same time, you want whatever is said about you around the web to build your creditably to make others want to do business with you. Thus, for optimal results and reputation management, blogging sites are one aspect of your social media marketing strategy that need to be monitored. You should consider monitoring blog articles and posts, comments, and all links connecting you to others on the web.

Monitoring blog articles and posts

When monitoring blog articles, it’s important to know who is writing about your local business, along with what they are saying about it. This will allow you to see if you’re generating coverage about your products and other news related to your business, as well as any issues about your industry and learning about other competitors.

Monitoring comments, and making them

Monitoring comments allows you to see what people are saying about articles that mention your business, as well as what people are saying about any competitors. Whether or not you should also comment is up to you, but at least monitoring comments allows you to view the gossip, insights and reviews. At the same time, giving your input and insight can build credibility and show that you’re “out there” in the industry in several places as an “expert”.

Monitoring inbound and outbound links

Finally, links are important to monitor in blogging site due to the fact that links are what connect the web. Monitor whether any other blogs or articles that are written about you or your business also include a link that will direct readers to your site. If not, then consider asking the author to include links to your website in any further articles written about you or your business. When someone is referencing you, shouldn’t you be credited? I think so, and it should be done with a link to send readers your direction. At the same time, you can include outbound links to relevant industry information from your site, as well, which can help show you’re connected to other experts in the industry.

Monitoring what’s going on in the industry and what’s being said about your business specifically is wise so you can keep up with the competition and also get a sense of what you’re doing well and areas you need to improve based on others’ comments.

Monitoring blogging sites is a great place to start to get a good sense of your online reputation, so start yesterday to put a process in place to consistently monitor and respond to what’s being mentioned or said about you and your business throughout the World Wide Web.

Person On Notebook Photo via Shutterstock

About The Guest Author:  Chris Marentis, founder and CEO of the Surefire Social Marketing System, is a recognized expert in the field of local business marketing leveraging website development, local search engine optimization and social media marketing to generate leads and brand local businesses throughout the digital web.

Now that Christmas is over, maybe you have some good gift giving advice to share with others on what not to do.  And if you share those tips over at the BizSugar blog, you’ll be entered into their latest giveaway contest.

One lucky winner will be chosen to receive a $100.00 Amazon Gift Certificate.  But hurry, this giveaway ends at Midnight (EST) on December 29, 2011.

Go over to the BizSugar blog and contribute your best gift giving don’t now.

Gift Giving Photo via Shutterstock

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, here’s to a very merry one!  We’d like to wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday.  Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Photo via Shutterstock

The other day while browsing through some new articles on BizSugar, I came across a submission about dress codes for your business.  I followed the link to the original article posted at The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur blog.  I expected to see just a standard written article on the subject but got way more than I expected.

“Why Your Business Needs a Dress Code” is a compilation of 51 different entrepreneurs offering their opinions on acceptable attire for business.  There’s some really good thoughts on the subject so I wanted to share the link with you.  Head over to The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur to read all 51 dress code tips.

Girl Choosing Clothing Photo via Shutterstock

Here’s a good tip for all private middle market business owners looking to improve the value of their business: Act like a public company.

According to Robert Slee, author of Private Capital Markets: Valuation, Capitalization and Transfer of Private Business Interests, private companies that structure themselves and act like public companies reap tremendous advantages regardless of whether they ever become a public company:

Here’s why: When performing a market valuation of a private company for new financing or other reasons, analysts tend to use public “comps” of like public company transactions. In most cases this is the only available data in the market. However, comparing a public company to a private company is not very accurate—there are far too many inconsistencies and variances between the two. Public companies by design and for SEC requirements must have in place transparent financial, managerial, and organizational structures that enable investors to accurately measure and compare profitability, strategy, and performance before making an investment in a publicly traded stock. Private companies, on the other hand, are not held to the same standards, hence making any deep comparison difficult.

What Slee found in his book is that there is a significant difference between private companies that look and act like public companies when compared with private companies that remain insular. Private companies that could be public but chose not to be can easily have:

• A higher valuation

• A lower risk profile and lower cost of capital

• A greater number of investors interested in funding growth

• An easier and less costly transfer of ownership (future sale or IPO)

Many private companies consider public company structures and SEC reporting requirements as too burdensome, overwhelming, and even unnecessary. They prefer not to worry about these requirements, believing they know what’s best for the bottom line. While this attitude reduces compliance costs, it can raise financing costs or result in a lower valuation because it forces investors to seek higher risk premiums and senior lenders to seek higher risk interest rates on loans. That’s because the lack of transparency requires guesswork in order to judge future earnings performance of these insular private companies.

So what should you do as a private business owner to provide more accurate information on your company’s future earnings performance?

My advice is simple. Find a successful publicly traded company that compares to yours. Review and compare your company structures side by side, and begin a company reporting process review similar to the public company. This is not a process that can be accomplished overnight, but over time the results can achieve many of the same benefits of being public without the associated costs of compliance.

Dollar Sign Photo via Shutterstock

About The Guest Author: Rick Andrade is a Los Angeles-based investment banker focusing on helping small businesses and middle market companies in finance, mergers and acquisitions. Rick has more than 25 years’ experience as a finance executive and business advisor, advising hundreds of company executives at every level on how best to maximize the value of their capital resources and improve the value of their company. 

As the clock winds down on 2011, you may be considering the idea of crafting a business proposal going into the New Year.  If that is the case, there are a number of matters that will come into play.

In the event that the coming year is the time for you to throw a business proposal or two out there on a regular basis, keep several factors in mind.

Among them are:

• When writing a business proposal, make sure that the documentation answers any and all questions that the client may have. Before you write the proposal, run through your head any and all questions you believe the client may come at you with, including funding, customer service, and quality of work and so on. By knowing and understanding the needs of the client ahead of time, you better your chances for a winning proposal.
• After having all the details and data at your disposal, see how your proposal can meet or exceed the needs of the client. What can you do for them that someone else cannot? Most importantly, listen to what your client is seeking because this is what you will need to deliver in the end. They say that the best customer service care is by listening to the client, practice it.
• As you go about writing the proposal, make sure you single out what makes your company different from the competition. Whether it is customer service, pricing, the latest in technology, attention to detail or all of those mentioned, you need to pinpoint in a few paragraphs how you and no one but you can deliver for this client.
• Look to the future regarding the industry you are in and what your expectations are for market growth. A client is not lining up to do business with you in most cases for the short term. You need to project out how you can meet their needs down the road and how you will deal with adversity in the market should it occur.
• By all means, do not put a proposal out there without reviewing it. You may have the greatest business proposal since sliced bread, but all it takes is for an error here and an error there to diminish all your hard work. Make it a priority to review the business proposal for grammatical errors, sentence structure, facts and figures, and the tone of the message. While you may not think a typo or two could damage your chances, imagine if you had turned in a resume to a potential employer and it had a misspelling here and one there. The best solution here is to let someone not involved with the proposal give your language and design the once-over so that you have a fresh set of eyes reviewing it.
• Speaking of the design, keep the design simple but not boring. Remember, the strength of your business proposal is in the language and not the flashy fonts, colors, and/or any images used. That being said, do come up with a design that is not going to put the client to sleep.
• Lastly, spell out any offers, discounts, deals etc. in the proposal that will catch the individual’s eye. Keep in mind that individuals oftentimes get countless business proposals, leaving them sometimes with glazed over eyes. If you can point out some specials and savings for them in your business proposal, you stand a much better chance of getting a call and/or email from them saying they may want to do business with you and your company.

Writing a business proposal does not have to be like pulling teeth; keep it simple, straightforward and worth the client’s time.  If you do all of those, your proposal stands a much better chance of landing you more business in 2012.

Business Proposal Photo via Shutterstock

About The Guest Author: Dave Thomas, who covers among other subjects’ workers compensation, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

Are you clueless when it comes to marketing? Lost in the sea of click-through rates, impressions, search engine bid/ask arbitrage, social media, QR codes and more? You’re not alone.

Here are a few concrete ways to develop – and evaluate – effective online marketing campaigns that can jumpstart small company business revenue without breaking the bank.

CEOs are busy, so I recommend using a checklist to focus your effort, and ensure repeatability. At a minimum, you should be able to answer the following questions before embarking on any marketing campaign:

1. What do I want this campaign to accomplish? This is the most fundamental of all questions. Without a clear answer, you can’t assess success or determine what to repurpose in future campaigns.

2. Who is my target? Who are you talking to? How do you describe your customer? You should know this stone cold.

3. What media channels are most appropriate? What are the best ways to utilize them? Media channels differ in their effectiveness and their appeal. An experienced digital marketer can help you determine which ones make the most sense for you.

4. What is my message? What message(s) will resonate with your prospects? How does your product or offering stand out from others in your category? Have you focused on the benefits, both rational and emotional, rather than the features? Clarity in this area is critical – it must be brief, crystal clear and memorable.

5. What’s my creative approach? How does your creative execution tie together your brand, the customer, the channel and the message? What is the call to action? Leave this piece to the experts – with rare exceptions you should seek outside assistance to concept, design and develop your creative assets.

Once you’ve settled on your goals, message, creative approach, etc., its time to think in more detail about your campaign strategy and what will best meet your needs.

For immediate results, online tactics are effective in developing leads, generating online sales and developing a connection (via engagement interactivity or offers to sign up, download or join an online community to learn more).

Question Photo via Shutterstock

About The Guest Author: In his role as president and co-founder of Wasabi Rabbit, John Mustin envisioned the concept of the digital platform as the delivery vehicle for comprehensive online marketing experiences. He has been instrumental in building Wasabi Rabbit’s stellar portfolio and fueling its reputation for innovation. A Captain in the US Navy reserve, John is a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

We’re a week into December already and if you need some holiday shipping tips, Small Business Trends Radio can help.  Recently Anita Campbell conducted a podcast interview with the UPS Small Business/Occasional Customer Marketing Manager, Tom Langa.

In this 30 minute podcast you’ll hear shipping tips and tricks for a painless holiday shipping season.  You’ll hear about the benefits of having a UPS shipping account, how to arrange package pick ups, how to ship perishable goods and much, much more.

Sit back, take a short break and listen to this informative holiday shipping tips podcast interview.

Packaging Photo via Shutterstock

Usually after the holiday season is done and gone, most people are strapped for cash.  They’ve overspent on gift giving and now they’re looking to make some extra money.  That’s where this list of 50 Home Business Ideas can come in handy.

With this list I found on BizSugar, you can start the new year off with a home business venture of your own.  There’s a lot of good ideas that will start the wheels in your head moving.  You’ll find ideas for businesses using your skills, services you can provide, making and selling, sharing what you know and more.

Cruise over to the Financial Highway for some fresh inspiration for your next home based business.

Idea Photo via Shutterstock

Recently Intuit conducted a holiday sales survey and produced The Small Business Owner’s Holiday Season Cheat Sheet infographic.  I found many of the statistics on this particular infographic interesting but one stood out most surprising to me.   According to Intuit, 69% of holiday shoppers will still shop in retail store locations.

That number seams really high to me.  I expected the majority of holiday shoppers to be more geared toward online shopping instead.  Maybe it’s just me but I prefer to avoid the holiday shopping crowds in the retail stores.  You can count me in as part of the 26% of online shoppers.

Take a closer look at the above holiday infographic.  Does any of the other statistics surprise you?