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Archive for the ‘Tools for Small Business’ Category
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
I’ve discussed the value and virtues of Q&A sites before. But I haven’t discussed them in relation to using them for competitive research. They are actually quite valuable for that type of information gathering.
If you go to a site like Quora, for instance, and type in a query using your competition’s brand name, then you are likely to find questions people have asked about how to use your competition’s products and services. There may be questions related to using the products directly or ways to use them that have not been discovered yet. You can often learn a thing or two about the competition from these types of questions on these sites.
Once you have that information gathered, what do you do with it? Well, you can use it for your own marketing or product development. If a competitor is beating you in a certain area of the market, then you can use that information to improve your own services.
You can also use that information to market your own products and services. If you have an edge over your competitor in a certain area, then you can often discuss that advantage on these Q&A sites. If you do it appropriately, you can position your brand as superior without turning anyone else off in the process.
Q&A sites are not necessarily time wasters. They can actually provide you valuable information about your competition.
Tags: competitive information, competitive research, Q&A sites
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 21st, 2011
If you are going to do business online, then it makes sense to use online communications tools. Right?
One of the most primitive online communications tools is instant messaging. It’s been around almost as long as the Internet itself. And it’s gotten better over the years. There are some instant messaging clients, IM clients, now that allow you to send and receive e-mail and manage your social networks.
Instant messaging is a great small business communications tool. When your clients have a pressing question, would you rather they call you and take up 30 minutes of your time chatting about Junior’s college exams or instant message you for a ten minute conversation that is all business.
I’m not being facetious. The telephone is a useful tool, but have you noticed that people have a tendency to get sidetracked. You break the ice with a joke, spend two minutes laughing, move on to another joke, and before you know it, half an hour has passed and you haven’t even talked about the reason you called. With instant messaging, you can get right to business.
One useful way to use IM is with a button on your website. Allow your clients to message you with a question, or even an order. If you have to discuss a project and need feedback from the client, IM it and you can get your feedback in real time.
If you’re going to do business online, you might as well use online communications tools. Do it the right way.
Tags: communications, IM, instant messaging, small business
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Sunday, January 9th, 2011
If I were to ask you the most important e-commerce tool in your arsenal of online tools, what would you say? Would you say e-mail? PPC? SEO? Your website, or maybe social media? Actually, it’s none of those.
I’m talking to business owners who have an online store. Your shopping cart is the most important e-commerce tool you have because if you make checking out a frustrating process, many of your customers won’t come back. And a sizable number of them will not even finish the transaction before they amscray.
That’s why you should take special care to ensure that you have a positive e-commerce experience for every customer from beginning to the very end.
But how do you do that? Here are a few tips.
- Don’t make your customers become a member of your website before they’re allowed to shop. Trust me, they’ll never shop.
- Make the checkout process as simple as possible.
- Take credit cards.
- Offer every customer a chance to join your e-mail list and send them a note every time you have a sale or a discount.
- Upsale. Offer similar items with every purchase.
- If you have any doubts about how to set up an e-commerce store, spend a lot of time on Amazon.com. They have it down.
E-commerce is more than just selling stuff. It’s providing a positive experience to every user who interacts with your website.
Tags: e-commerce, online marketing, shopping cart
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
First, Google blocked Gmail users from exporting their contact lists into Facebook. Then Facebook responded by giving its users a way to download their contact lists and re-upload them as data files into Facebook. This could be the beginning of a new and very public rivalry between the two biggest web companies in the world. You can read about it here.
This makes me wonder if maybe we’re about to enter into a new wave of Internet competition. Both Facebook and Google are rich with interactive apps. Google’s tend to be more open source. Facebook’s are proprietary. But both are valuable. And Facebook is notorious for being selective in who it shares data with.
It looks as if the future is about to get a little hairy. I expect apps to grow and grow. With cloud computing on the rise, Google’s apps marketplace becoming more and more popular, and Facebook users spending unGodly amounts of time on Facebook playing Zynga games, it just seems like the future belongs to web apps. But how far will app developers take their battles?
On one hand, there is the push for open standards. There’s OpenID, OpenAuth, and other open source tools – even browsers – that make the future look like a sharefest. Then there’s Facebook, the most trafficked website online.
Will this battle be played out as an Open Source vs. Proprietary war or will it take on a more personal face with Google Vs. Facebook? Or am I just making much ado about nothing?
Tags: apps, open source
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
Have you heard of cloud computing? This is the practice of taking your hardware and software and putting it out there on the Internet. Or, more precisely, to exchange your business’s computing practices from locality-based to Internet-based.
In a nutshell, it’s about getting your computing needs met through the Internet.
Folks who tout cloud computing as the next best thing do so on grounds that it is cheaper in the long run. It’s also more efficient, so they say.
Folks who say that cloud computing is not good for business cite security issues and there is some argument that the cost savings is a myth.
What’s the truth?
I’ll leave it to you to research the truth or falsity of cost savings, but I will say that cloud computing does show some promise for small businesses. There is some evidence that efficiency could be a benefit to operating in the cloud. It may even be more cost efficient. But it’s a personal business decision you’ll have to make on your own. Maybe you’ve already made it.
Do you have experience with cloud computing? How has it worked for you?
Tags: cloud computing, small business
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
For the second time since its introduction, the Kindle will sell in an off line retail environment. The company has announced that the Kindle will be sold at Staples.
By selling its flagship product in real stores, Amazon is expanding its reach. This is a smart move. It takes Amazon into an environment where small business owners and retail customers are doing business. If those customers are not already buying books from Amazon online then they will be once they purchase a Kindle. I think Amazon is looking long term here.
If you consider the price of Kindle books and how many of those that Amazon can expect to sell over the life of a single Kindle then the company stands to make more long-term profits from the sell of its books if it makes the Kindle more available and in more places. That’s why the company started selling Kindle in Target last June and now has gone into Staples. It wouldn’t surprise me to see more retail locations in the works.
In light of this real world move by Amazon, will the Kindle become a staple of small business productivity? Will small business owners buy their business books from Amazon to read on their Kindle? Will small business owners use their Kindle for connecting to the Internet, and do all the other wonderful things the Kindle will allow them to do?
I don’t know what the future has in store for Kindle and business applications, but I do know that making the Kindle available to small business owners at Staples is a smart move.
Tags: e-books, Kindle, retail
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Skype is a software program you can download to your computer and talk person to person with anyone in the world over the Internet. It’s called Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP by industry insiders.
VOIP has been around for a while and in some quarters it is quite popular. Small businesses, however, have not taken to it in the same way big businesses have. If you work for a large corporation where you frequently discuss business with other employees of the corporation who office in a different location from you where you’d pay long distance phone fees then you may already by using VOIP. But it may be a different provider than Skype, which is free. There are paid VOIP services that offer more and better services than Skype. But we’re not talking about those.
A small business cannot afford more costly VOIP services. That’s why Skype has been a good alternative. It’s free. But Skype has recently introduced a pay-per-call model. It works like this:
- You put the code on your website that shows a Skype button
- Your website visitor sees the Skype button and clicks it to call you
- You answer, pay the per-call fee
Will this give your business the edge over the competition? It may.
Imagine that your website visitors can call you for free at the click of a button. You’re there to answer and offer immediate assistance to their needs. It’s free for them and you pay only when you get a call. Would it be worth it?
I think so, but there is one catch. Your caller has to have Skype loaded on their computer. Otherwise, they won’t be able to make the call. Still, it could be a competitive edge. Would you use it?
Tags: competition, Skype, VOIP
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 4 Comments »
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Both Steve and I recently had our professional images updated, and we were so delighted with the results! I learned a great deal about the importance of your photographic image while working with our photographer, Wendy Blomseth from InBeaute Photography and wanted to pass that knowledge along to you. What better way to do that than to have you “hear it from the source” – so I asked Wendy to provide a guest post on the subject. Enjoy!
The Top 10 Reasons Your Photographic Image is Important to Your Business by Wendy Blomseth, InBeaute Photography
I’ve heard many people ask, “How Important Is My Photographic Image to My Business?” In today’s extremely competitive environment it is one of the most extraordinarily important components for you and your brand identity. Today, your photographs have to literally work for you 24/7 or they should be fired and replaced.
Your photographic images should be fired immediately if they are not working for you in the following ways:
- building relationships in every medium that they are displayed
- mirror and attract your best clients
- convey your unique, genuine personality
- reinforce trust and credibility by showing you with your business, associates, clients, audiences & products
- cause a reaction that is positive both physically and emotionally by viewers
- generate positive energy and big smiles with every photo email signature that you send
- provide easy identification so you are recognizable during face-to-face encounters
- grab the viewers attention long enough to create an attraction to you which can result over time in an attraction to your company and its mission, values and belief
- work to build a solid foundation upon which you and your target audience can do business
- visually support your bottom line activities.
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| Caroline – Before |
Steve and Caroline Melberg, owners of Small Business Mavericks, recently fired their old photographic images and collaborated with InBeaute Photography to create new ones that met the top ten criteria listed above. Now as they display their new images they are being overwhelmed with positive comments ranging from “Yes! That’s the person I want to do business with,” to “Wow! What a difference the new photo makes to your image.” Now their photos are working for them 24/7 and building relationships with people even before the first email, conversation or face-to-face contact.
To assure that the photographic images were optimized for the best display possible, InBeaute Photography formatted the photos for the web at approx. 200 pixels x 200 pixels with a resolution of 72pixels per inch and for print 4”x5” at 300 dots per inch (exact sizes may vary.)
Both Caroline and Steve purchased not one, but four different in-studio headshot portraits from their sessions. Why four different images? Because they strategically chose a minimum of four different top priority venues for display: Blog, LinkedIn & Facebook profiles, email signature photo and print materials as well as several secondary ones. Then they matched up four portraits that subtly convey different brand nuances to be appropriately displayed on each over two years time. Additionally, Caroline had several on-location photographs created in 2009 as well. So the overall visual strategy results in a plan with depth and breadth; photographic images with consistency, variety and quality; and a good ROI of time/money invested.
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| Caroline – Ater |
In conclusion, we recommend that you take notice of the photographic images being displayed by your associates and, most especially, by your competitors. Note which images are working for the brand and helping to strategically and positively reinforce their brand versus the images that are counterproductive and unfortunately, hurting the brand.
Attractive, well-produced photographic images are a priceless tool to help you build positive relationships with your target audience. Make a lasting impression with photographic images that convey the friendliness, warmth and professional trust you bring to your work, plus build brand awareness of your company and its mission, values and belief. Good business images are a necessity in today’s competitive marketplace, not a luxury !
Wendy Houser Blomseth
InBeaute Photography
Helping you create your best images that attract your best clients since 1998
NOTE: As a truly gifted photographer, not only did Wendy do a tremendous job for Steve and I, she’s created amazing portraits for hundreds of other smart and savvy business folks as well. Check out her work on her online portfolio here!
Tags: business portraits, personal branding, photographic images for business, small business branding
Posted in Branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Tools for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Small businesses today have many more options for web hosting than we used to. Of course, you have to make the decision about what is best for your situation, but here are a few alternatives to consider.
Shared Hosting - This is basic web hosting. The downside to shared hosting is that it is the least secure and least expensive kind of hosting. Most small businesses will do fine with shared hosting, but it isn’t for every one. If you feel that you may need more space or tighter security then you should discuss your options with a hosting expert.
Dedicated Hosting – Dedicated hosting is more secure. You can opt for managed or unmanaged hosting. If you go with unmanaged hosting you’ll have to provide the resources to manage the servers. That will save you money, but if you don’t have an IT department, network administrator, or access to personnel to manage your servers for you then you should go with a managed hosting service.
Dedicated hosting is more expensive than shared hosting. Managed is more expensive than unmanaged hosting. But the security is much, much tighter.
Cloud Computing – Many companies are now starting to use cloud computing, which is essentially a decentralized way of storing data. Small businesses can benefit from this type of computing, but it too has its disadvantages.
One of the main advantages to cloud computing is that it opens up opportunities for small businesses to take advantage of some of the same resources that large companies have enjoyed for a long time with minimal cost. You pay as you go for the services that you use. This way you don’t have to pay for huge packages of services that you have no need of. It can be less expensive than dedicated hosting or more expensive depending on the services you need. Security is often not as tight as it is with a dedicated server, but if you shop around you can find an adequate service provider with excellent security on its servers.
There are other options as well, but I’ll leave a discussion of cluster server environments for another time. These are perhaps the best options for most small businesses. If you think you may need more options beyond your basic shared hosting plan then call an expert and get a professional opinion.
Tags: cloud computing, dedicated hosting, shared hosting, small business hosting
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 10 Comments »
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