January 31st, 2012 at 6:07 am
Sometimes when working from home or any casual environment, it can be hard to switch on your professional self. You’re so used to being out of a business atmosphere that you forget that some things you do or say may not be appropriate to all of your business contacts. One area of concern – your email correspondence.
Even though your own every day business environment may be laid back, you still need to make sure you use professional business email etiquette. Maybe you’ve even committed an email blunder or two or you’ve seen someone else’s. If that’s the case, you could win a $100.00 Amazon gift certificate.
All you need to do is share that email etiquette no-no with BizSugar and you’ll be entered into the contest. Entries must be submitted before Midnight on February 9, 2012. One winner will be chosen from all of the entries.
Submit your email etiquette no-no now!
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January 27th, 2012 at 6:11 am
Sometimes it’s the most obvious things that get forgotten. That can be true for just about anything personal and/or business related. In this instance, I’m referring to your blog or website’s sidebar content.
What to put within your sidebar seems obvious enough to most people but things can easily get overlooked. That’s why I think Mandira Srivastava’s article on Smallbiztechnology.com is worth reading. In the article Mandira talks about 4 important things you should not overlook when filling your site’s sidebar with content.
Even those these items seem painfully obvious to most of us, you’d be shocked to probably know how many sites neglect to include them. Read over Mandira’s list to make sure you’re not missing this important content in your own sidebar.
January 25th, 2012 at 6:58 am
One thing I’ve learned over the past few months on my own personal blog is that online contests really help drive traffic and reader interactions. Even if you don’t have thousands of blog followers, you can still get everyone involved more by offering an irresistible giveaway. Everyone loves freebies, myself included!
Before you start running contests on your website or blog though, you need to have a game plan for getting the most from it. Catalyst Marketers has 6 questions you should ask yourself before you begin your contest. One idea I liked for keeping the audience engaged during the contest – give prizes throughout the contest, not just at the end.
Head over to Catalyst Marketers to see their tips for the following pre-contest questions:
- What Are My Goals for this Online Contest?
- Which Online Tools Will I Use to Run My Online Contest?
- What Response Do I Want from My Audience?
- How Will I Achieve the Desired Response From My Audience?
- How Will I Keep My Audience Engaged Throughout the Contest?
- What Methods Will I Use to Pick and Notify Winners of the Contest?
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January 19th, 2012 at 6:49 am
Your small business customers trust you with their most valuable information. Whether it’s their bank account information or their credit card information, they’re trusting you to keep it locked up tight. That’s easier said than done for newbie business owners who don’t know what the specific threats are and how they can address them.
Brian Goudie, Senior Vice President and Small Business Center Director at First Data shares some advice for ensuring your customer payments are secure. Brian recently joined Anita Campbell and Brent Leary for an in-depth discussion touching on the risks involved with accepting online payments, the legal requirements you should be aware of, and how mobile payments are increasing the need for data security.
Don’t miss this informative 30 minute podcast interview. Listen to “How to Protect Your Business When Accepting Payments” now.
Padlock on Credit Cards Photo via Shutterstock
January 17th, 2012 at 6:33 am
Small Business Trends has announced the opening of their 4th annual small business book awards. Nominations are now being accepted for your favorite business books. Over 100 books have been nominated so far!
Nominate as many books as you would like. Any business book published between November 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011 is eligible.
You must make your nominations before January 31, 2012. Voting will then begin after February 1st.
Nominate your favorite small business book now!
January 12th, 2012 at 6:05 am
When trying to increase contractor leads for a local business, it’s important to do whatever it takes to not lose them once you get them. If you did, then your efforts would be in vain! Once you’ve already intrigued them enough to visit your site, it’s important to consider how to keep those visitors coming back over and over again. Lead nurturing will allow you to do just that.
As we all know, many people like to look around, consider their options, and make sure they are making the right decision before finalizing any purchase transaction. Because of this, it takes a little time to gain a new lead. You need to convince them that you’re product is right for them while at the same time, not overdoing it which can leave a sour taste and turn them away. Companies need to understand this and consider options that will keep visitors returning for more information and purchases.
Considering using lead nurturing emails.
Lead nurturing emails are a great way to provide consistent communication while reminding visitors who haven’t been to your site recently that you are still interested in their business. It’s also a great way to learn more about customers while keeping the communication channels open with contractor leads.
You can schedule certain dates for when you want lead nurturing emails to be sent out, which makes the process easier. And when sending emails, you want to keep them personal, as this is a better approach vs. an email blast where you send an email to all contacts at once, which many will simply delete and never look at.
Use catchy subject lines.
When sending out a lead nurturing email, be sure that the subject line will intrigue the reader. Don’t go overboard, but be clear about what the email communication contains. You can do some research to determine what subject headings appear to be opened more by your leads compared to those that aren’t.
Research different lead nurturing software options.
If you’re serious about considering lead nurturing as a way to get more contractor leads (and you should be), then you need to find the right lead nurturing tools that are right for you. There is variety of lead nurturing software available to use that will help you build lists, schedule messages, and monitor results.
When selecting from the numerous options available to you, you want to consider whether the software you choose is going to be easy to setup and use. Also, does it do everything you want it to do, such as building your contact list, sending new emails or resending the same emails? Does it work properly with other software and tools you currently own and use, as well as you any web pages and websites you’ll be using it for?
As with any software you implement, you want the most bang for your buck with money making results. To identify the right software for you, simply conduct a Google search using the keyword lead nurturing, and conduct research within the list of results.
Lead nurturing can be a great way to boost contractor leads for your local business, and it doesn’t need to be difficult when using these tips to implement a lead nurturing system for your local business.
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.
Customer Photo via Shutterstock
January 10th, 2012 at 6:41 am
Back in October of 2011, I mentioned how the new social sharing site Pinterest can help you drive traffic to your business blog or website. As an example in the article, I mentioned that a recipe from my personal blog had been pinned over 7,000 times so far. Since then that number has grown to over 15,000. And that recipe has risen to second place in my traffic stats as most popular.
So naturally I’m a fan of Pinterest in regards to driving my site traffic and a lot of brands are now taking notice also. Their quickly realizing the value in participating in the site to build relationships and interest in their own brand by sharing like interests.
However, Pinterest is not a site where you can just bop over and push your own brand products. You need to creatively find other ways without self promotion. Over at the OPEN Forum, Lauren Drell, an editor with Mashable, posted 5 tips for using Pinterest correctly with examples of brands already doing so.
There are some really great ideas in Lauren’s article including running contests on Pinterest. That’s something that would never have occurred to me, but looks like a fun idea.
Pinterest is quickly gaining speed with women consumers. Have you visited the site yet? If so, will you get your brand involved and how?
Red Push Pin Photo via Shutterstock
January 6th, 2012 at 6:50 am
Technology has made home based businesses and working remotely more possible than ever. And the best part is that you’re not limited to your local area for your next hire. Maybe you live and run your home business in a rural area and don’t have access to someone as internet savvy as yourself. Where can you turn? Why, online of course!
A virtual assistant may be the best option for your business needs and for your budget. But just like hiring any other employee, there are still things you need to look out for and consider first. The Frugal Entrepreneur has put together an awesome resource guide with tips and advice on hiring virtual assistants. There are 5 sections to the guide that will help you with:
- Steps to Take Before You Start Your Search for a VA
- The Low-Down on Working with Overseas Virtual Assistants
- How to Screen Applicants
- Some Tips to Effectively Working with a VA
- The Best Sites to Hire a Virtual Assistant… And Some Other Resources
If hiring a virtual assistant is one of your goals for 2012, be sure to consult The Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Good Virtual Assistant for Your Small Business first.
Virtual Screen Photo via Shutterstock
January 3rd, 2012 at 6:25 am
We’re three days into the new year and I find myself thinking of some things I’d like to work on this year. Not outrageous, unattainable goals but small, minor adjustments I’d like to make to my daily schedule.
Working from home, it can be so easy to get caught up in the hustle online. It never ends. Somewhere, anywhere, any time; something is happening. And it’s so hard to pull yourself away and admit that you can’t follow everything, all the time.
Over the past year, I find myself spending more and more time online. That needs to stop in 2012. I need to focus some of my energy onto myself instead or work, blogging and household duties. It’s really not a difficult goal, I just need to come to grips with it in my own mind. The online world will still be there and functioning if I take an hour or two each day for myself.
I haven’t quite figured out what changes I’m going to make yet. But I found a realistic list of tips on the OPEN Forum by Justine Grey. In the article, Justine gives readers 8 small things they can do during the workday to help us feel healthier mentally and physically.
Go check out Justine’s list and let me know if these are things you already do each day or if there are any you’re going to implement in 2012.
New Year, New You Photo via Shutterstock
December 30th, 2011 at 6:00 am
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.
