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Archive for the ‘Networking for Small Business’ Category
Sunday, February 19th, 2012
There are tens of thousands of small business owners who are fantastic at what they do. The problem is, they are terrible when it comes to running a business. Take a tradesperson as a an example. They could be the very best in their trade, yet they go bankrupt everytime they try to work for themselves. Are they doomed to working for someone else for the rest of their life? Not necessarily, especially if they are willing to build partnerships.
The same problem existed before the Internet. Smart professionals quickly learned to build those partnerships. If we take the tradesperson as an example, they could buy into a franchise (which offered training and support for the ‘business’ side of their business), partnered with accountants and bookkeepers for financial advice, and perhaps even partnered with marketing professionals. In some cases, these partnerships were formalized – a tradesperson partnering with a business manager – there are several highly successful franchise chains that grew from such partnerships. Most partnerships were informal, however, they were very personal with players on first name terms, and contact made on an ad-hoc when required basis. If there were changes in the law, the accountant would call with advice, if there was a marketing opportunity, your marketing expert would call.
You can achieve the same with an online business. You don’t need to create a formal business partnership, however, your online strategy can (in some cases should) form informal partnerships with those in a position to help you build an online business. Website design, content production, SEO and online small business marketing are several areas where an informal partnership opportunity exists.
How do these partnerships work? Rather than just hiring a website designer (for example), you work with them making them a part of your team. They get an insight into your business and develop a rapport with both you and your business. They, in return, have a product they can happily display in their portfolio, and you are happy to have their logo and name prominently displayed on for the world to see. You get a great website, they get a great promotional tool. The same can be said for content, SEO and online marketing.
If you have a great business idea, but no idea how to start and run your business, that’s when you look for a formal partner. To be successful, you often need help from successful people – don’t be afraid to build partnerships, everyone benefits when you do.
Tags: online marketing, online partnerships, SEO, website development
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 8 Comments »
Monday, February 6th, 2012
What sort of business owner are you – the complete extrovert? Do you have hundreds of people in your network with whom you only have a passing knowledge? There is nothing wrong with developing a broad network of contacts. However, it is often more beneficial to develop a sound relationship with a group of individuals.
Generally speaking, a network is a one way operation. You make contact with a wide range of individuals in the hope that one day they could be of help to you. A relationship is a two way operation. You’re there to help them when required, and they are there to help you when required. Networks are easy to develop. You can do a little research, discover all the movers and shakers who could be of use to you, and you add them to your list of contacts. You may even add them to your social media accounts.
Relationships require work. They don’t happen overnight. In many cases, relationships are one sided – you’re doing all the helping, promoting their cause, even through social media. Relationship builders are by no means selfless. In fact, the art of building relationships still revolves around promoting yourself and building your business. The difference between a relationship builder and a networker is longevity – relationship builders are looking at the long term benefit to their business.
In the long term, relationships will survive the ups and downs of the business world. People in a network will come and go whenever it suits them. They generally don’t stick by you during troubled times, or help repair your reputation when a dissatisfied worker or customer goes on a social media rant. Those you have built up a relationship will, and where possible, help you to negate the effects of that hit to your reputation. Why? Because they know you, and they care – as you would if the same happened to them.
There is room for both, and it’s certainly a good idea having a strong network of people who could be of use to you. While networking, consider taking the next step and developing a strong relationship with those who really matter – it may only be a handful, however, the benefits will far outweigh a hundred in a network.
Tags: relationships, Reputation Management, Social Media
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 8 Comments »
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Social media is certainly dominating people’s minds when it comes to online marketing to consumers, but are they the best places to network with other business owners? There is an interesting article on The Next Web highlighting the demise of local social media due to the dominance of Facebook. Whilst there is a lot of hype surrounding Twitter, it fills the number two position in only two countries, the U.S. and the U.K, admittedly big markets. LinkedIn is the second choice in many other countries, yet it is not really designed for consumer marketing.
LinkedIn has become a powerful force when it comes to networking and business-to-business marketing. Professionals appreciate the tighter security surrounding who can link to you, and who is able to see your complete profile. This means you can concentrate on those who interest you, or who are in the same niche as yourself. Where Facebook is all about gaining as many followers as possible, LinkedIn is more about connecting on a professional basis – the heart of networking for small business.
Whilst LinkedIn does offer an opportunity to network with others from all over the world, it’s not the only opportunity. In fact, more traditional methods often have a much more lasting effect. It’s interesting to look at the online marketing industry as an example. Whilst day-to-day contact is maintained through social media channels, online marketing professionals take advantage of every opportunity to meet in person. International online marketing events draw crowds from around the world, all looking to network face to face, all looking to ‘humanize’ their online networking activities.
For small businesses, social media channels such as LinkedIn offer a great opportunity to connect with similar-minded business people. However, if you get the opportunity to meet in person, grab it. Chambers of Commerce, trade associations and state or national conferences are all important areas to develop a network. While you may think that you can’t spare the time, the connections you make could well save you a lot of time.
Tags: business-to-business marketing, social media marketing
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 4 Comments »
Monday, September 19th, 2011
A guest blogger at Copyblogger likens small business prospecting with gardening. That’s funny, most of us use those over-used war cliches. But I like the gardening analogy.
If you think about it, it’s a useful analogy. Small business prospecting is more like growing than killing. Here’s how:
- You’re not in control. You can try to control the conversation, but more than likely you’ll drive prospects off. If you respond to their concerns, then you are more likely to meet them at their point of need.
- Disappointment and surprise go hand in hand. You never know what your clients will ask for. When I first started my business, I wanted to take what I learned as a blue chip marketing expert to the table for small businesses. But then I kept getting requests for online marketing initiatives. So my business transformed. Yours will too.
- Get rid of the weeds. It’s bound to happen. You’ll have bad customers. Identify them quickly and let them go. There are ways to effectively do this so that you don’t make an enemy. But if you don’t kill the weeds, then they can kill your business.
- The death of something great is not the end of your business. You might think that a certain practice, business partner, or customer is necessary for your business, but what if wasn’t there any longer? You’ll make it. It will take adjustment, but capture the vision.
- Persistence wins the prize. Like gardening, small business prospecting is about persistence. Overcome the obstacles and you’ll survive.
If you prefer the gardening analogy, you can use that to build your business. Fight the soil within your niche, not the enemy that can destroy you.
Tags: prospecting, small business
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Sunday, January 30th, 2011
I was reading an interesting piece from Lee Odden about social media marketing strategies. What he was talking about made perfect sense to me – but then, I am a professional in the business. It struck me early on in the article that most business people, especially those new to online marketing, would have been lost after the first two or three paragraphs.
There are a lot of online business owners, and I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that it’s the majority of online business owners, that know little about online marketing or SEO and even less about social media marketing. I could flippantly suggest they engage a professional like myself to help them through the maze, but that is not always a viable option.
What is a viable option is to use the one resource that many offline businesses rely on, and that’s networking with other online business owners. Networking can be done in a number of ways. You can get together with other business owners in your community, in an offline environment, and compare tactics and different approaches. You can then invite guest speakers to come in and discuss tactics with the group – I have been a guest speaker at several of these over the years to great effect.
You can also meet online with like-minded people in a variety of online forums and social media environments. Facebook and LinkeIn are two popular social sites that provide great networking opportunities.
If the online world is proving to be a frustrating and confusing experience for you, find a way to network with others of varying Internet skill levels. You will find you can learn quite a lot from your peers, and that over time, your confusion will start to clear, and the online world will actually make a lot of sense.
Tags: facebook, guest speakers, LinkedIn, offline networking, online marketing
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
 In my marketing practice, something I encounter periodically are business partnerships that just aren’t working out as the owners had originally planned. Next to marriage, a business partnership is the most intense and collaborative-dependent and interdependent relationship you can have. And, like marriage, over 50% of them fail. That’s a staggering statistic by any measurement.
If you are a part of a business partnership, have you ever imagined that you could have discussions that ended in decisions rather than arguments with your partner? Or have you wondered how to stop communication from being a barrier rather than a tool for success? Or, are you considering a partnership and aren’t sure how to determine if there is a fit, and how to make sure you have shared values, beliefs, goals – before you enter into the partnership?
A colleague of mine, Linda Finkle, has written a new book that addresses these issues. The book, “Finding The Fork In The Road,” is sure to help make your business partnership more successful and more rewarding.
Linda’s book covers such topics as:
- How to recognize symptoms and stop treating them as if they were the problem
- When the problem is communication and what to do about it
- Secrets to successful partnerships and what that means to you
- How to determine partnership fit if you are considering a partnership
- The realities of family businesses and how they affect the business and partnership
- And much more
Linda Finkle’s book is titled “Finding The Fork In The Road.”
Avoid the problems I mentioned above and get a TON of gifts from amazing leaders in their fields. Buy Linda’s book today and get your partnership started on the right foot.
Tags: book, business, marketing, partnerships
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Networking, online and off line, is a time-honored business practice. Business owners have been engaging others through social networking ever since they’ve been doing business. The only difference has been the strategies employed.
Online, social networking has come to a different age. It’s as much a necessity of doing business as SEO and paid search. But how much time should you spend networking online and where should you go to do it?
Those are perhaps the two most important questions to ask yourself when you embark upon a new strategy for your business. How much time is enough time to network, and where? On the time question, I would say you want to spend a good amount of time networking, but don’t overdo it. Of the time that you spend marketing your business, maybe 30% of that time should be spent networking. That means 30% (or 25%-35%) the time you spend on activities like PPC, SEO, and social media marketing should be spent on networking specifically.
Now, on the where question, that’s a little more difficult to answer. It really depends on your business and who your potential customers are. If you cater to a consumer-oriented crowd that spends time playing Zynga games on Facebook then you should spend time on Facebook. If your audience is on Twitter then be on Twitter. If you cater to businesses or a more professional crowd then spend time on LinkedIn.
It is important to define and narrow your goals for networking when you decide to start your networking plan. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time doing nothing and wasting time.
Tags: facebook, networking, social networking
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
You may remember that I have a chapter in an upcoming book titled Age Of Conversation III: Time To Get Busy.
Well, the other authors and myself are planning a bum rush on Blog Action Day, which is slated for October 15, 2010. This year’s action item is water.
You see, every year participating bloggers blog on the same theme. The idea is to spark a little action and to bring a particular issue to light. Charity Water is a nonprofit organization that brings safe and clean drinking water to developing nations. I’d like you to know that every sale of Age Of Conversation III: Time To Get Busy goes to support Charity Water and help developing nations get clean, safe drinking water.
But I’d like to ask you to do something to support blog action day. Join our bum rush!
Specifically, here’s what I’d like you to do. Help us raise money for Charity Water by generating more sales of Age Of Conversation III: Time To Get Busy at Amazon.com. Here’s how you can help us raise awareness and money for Charity Water:
- Buy the book. Also, encourage others to buy the book. And if you work for an organization that hands out Christmas gifts, get your organization to purchase multiple copies and give them out as gifts. One caveat: Please only purchase 1 copy at a time because Amazon.com counts bulk orders as one. Purchase the Kindle version here (Charity Water affiliate link). Purchase the paperback version here (Charity Water affiliate link). Purchase the hardback version here (Charity Water affiliate link).
- Register for Blog Action Day.
- Blog about Blog Action Day and mention Age Of Conversation: Time To Get Busy. Use the same affiliate links that are in this post so that Charity Water can get its contribution.
- Join the conversation on Twitter. Use the hashtag #aoc3 if you mention the Bum Rush.
- Trackback or comment on the October 15, 2010 post about the Bum Rush at http://ageofconversation.com.
- Digg, Stumble and bookmark on Delicious.com all the posts you see about the event, including yours.
- Become a Facebook fan of AoC3 and interact with us on Facebook.
- Send an e-mail to all your friends and get them involved too.
If we all band together and work for a common cause, we can make a difference. Join us in the bum rush on October 15, 2010 and help us raise money for Charity Water.
Tags: charity, small business, Social Media
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Many online businesses have figured out that networking off line can be just as effective, or more so, than networking online. The advantage to networking off line is you get to meet people face to face and develop relationships in person. By that, you can establish trust a lot more easily. This is the perfect way for local businesses to network and secure more business. They’ve been doing it for years.
Some of the tools that you can use to do more off line networking for your online business include:
- Meetup – Start or join a local Meetup group. These groups can be centered on any topic and are usually run by a local person with an interest in your niche. If you don’t find a local Meetup group in your niche then start one.
- Tweetup – If you Twitter, start or join a Tweetup group. It’s like Meetup, but for Twitterers.
- Facebook – Facebook is an online social media marketing tool, but it does have a local networking function that allows you to meet people who are local to you. Use it to establish relationships then meet your friends off line for some real world local fun.
- Trade Shows – Just about every industry sponsors periodic trade shows. Find one in your area and attend.
- Chamber of Commerce – Join your local Chamber of Commerce.
- Charity or Civic Service Organization – Get involved in a local charity.
The idea behind meeting people of line in the real world and doing business with them online is to build trust. Develop relationships with people in your area. Use your imagination and find creative ways to develop relationships with people in your area and invite them to do business with you online.
Tags: marketing, networking, off line relationships, online marketing
Posted in Networking for Small Business | No Comments »
Monday, April 13th, 2009
You were told to Twitter, to get a Facebook and a LinkedIn account, to join a few business based social media sites and create a social media campaign to get your name out there. So you did–and now you’re overwhelmed. People want to be your “friend,” they keep answering you, asking questions, inquiring about your small business and you feel obligated to write them back. But there’s that business thing you’re running that’s getting in the way of your social media life! How to manage it all? Create a social media desktop.
A social media desktop will help you keep track of all your posts and who comments at one central place. It will also help you keep track of what’s going on with other social media sites who are also focused on your topics and keywords. What makes it so easy to track is RSS feeds. That’s Really Simple Syndication, which will allow you to follow many sites and keep them in a single place.
Which sites would you like to follow? Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, blogs and news updates from Google or MSN are good choices.
Why is this important? Because a social media desktop will help you start to know how your efforts are paying off. You will get to see a running commentary of what people are saying to you, about you, and your business as well as what’s happening in your field.
The major RSS services are iGoogle, MyYahoo! and Netvibes. You can set up an iGoogle, MyYahoo! or Netvibes homepage, and once you do this, you can list websites, blogs, or social media sites you’d like to follow–and many of them will have an RSS feed icon, which all you have to do is click on it and it will be added.
Your social media desktop can help you streamline your online efforts, but once again, so RSS feed every site you like or you’ll be right back to being overwhelmed. Only list the ones you are compelled to visit again and again. Enjoy viewing them all at once, and at your convenience. That’s online marketing and networking at its best.
Tags: online marketing for small business, rss feeds, social media marketing
Posted in Networking for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Social Media, Tools for Small Business | 7 Comments »
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