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Daily Archives: June 20, 2012
10 Commandments Of Blogging For Small Business | Chappaqua NY Realtor
Having a blog for your small business is vital. Businesses that blog receive 55% more traffic than those that don’t. In a month’s time B2C businesses generate 88% more business with a blog, while B2B businesses generate 67% more leads. In a webinar, Dan Zarella, the Social Media Scientist found that blogs effect customer purchasing decision by 71%. Even the big guys like Coca Cola are changing their entire marketing direction focusing heavily on content marketing for their new campaign Content 2020 because of how effective and well received it is by the masses. In general, having a blog allows you to communicate, inform, connect, build and maintain relationships with your current and potential customers —which in turn increases visibility and sales. The 10 commandments of blogging for small business are as follows:
I. Thou must have a blog
Having a blog can help achieve marketing goals and initiatives. Thou must have a blog for thou small business for the following reasons:
Communicate and connect with customers Blogging gives you the opportunity to communicate with your target audience who you are and what your business is about. By sharing your business missions, goals, and philosophies; you are giving customers a way to stay engaged and connect. The more transparent you are about your business the better the connection will be with your audience, which ultimately can translate into more sales. Additionally, communicating and engaging your audience allows you to build strong relationships which are key to being successful in business. Think about it how many times have you turned someone down that was selling you something because of the relationship that you have with another person or business? Communicate often and connect with your customers via your blog to build and maintain relationships that will last a lifetime.
Take control of your brand Having a blog for your small business allows you to control the message and image of your company that current customers, potential customers, business partners, and competitors will see.
Build trust By delivering value consistently a blog allows you to build trust. Share stories about your business, history of your industry, facts, trivia, customer feedback, etc. Be as transparent as possible via your blog and you will be perceived as a thought leader which brings me to my next point.
Position yourself/ your business as the expert Blogging allows you to position yourself as an expert in your field by writing informative, relevant articles that both current customers and prospects can understand. It is important to blog about things that matter to your customer, by doing so current customers perceive you or your brand as a leading authority in your industry. Prospects will remember you when they need help in the niche that you specialize in.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Providing keyword rich, high quality content on a consistent basis gets your blog to the top of the search engines. A large number of buyers begin their purchase decision by utilizing search engines. Blog posts give your website new content on a regular basis. Search engines like Google are constantly looking for new content and the more indexed pages a website has that is keyword rich and high quality, the more likely it is to rank high. Simply put blogging regularly will increase your business’s SEO which allows you to be easily found by potential customers. Thus, blogging allows you to reach a larger audience which in turn can increase sales.
UpsellWith a blog, you can make correlations between the various products and services that you have to offer assisting you with upselling. Help the customer see how products/services are more efficient, save money, etc., when they are paired with your other offerings.
Real-time feedback from current and potential customers A blog can give you customer feedback in real-time. Customers can leave comments about their experience or ask a question on an archived article. You can even place surveys on your blog for responses from your audience. The great part about this is that real-time feedback gives you incite about what your customers are thinking and feeling. Knowing this allows you to give your customers exactly what they want as soon as possible.
Set your business apart from the competition Do your competitors have a blog? If they don’t then you are already ahead of them. If they do then take a look at what they are doing —what makes your company different? What niche within your industry do you cater to but your competitors barely address? Create blog posts that are not the focus of your competitors’ blogs but are important to your customers. Also share industry news and developments before your competition does. Without a blog online searches for your keywords will be directed at your competitors that do have a blog —even if your service is better, your products last longer, etc.
Learning In addition to learning your customer, blogging forces you to stay on top of industry trends, news and developments.
II. Thou must determine thou business blogs over all objectives
reach a larger audience
- build brand
- generate leads
- attract prospects that are local, national, or international
- improve search engine rankings
- test new ideas before spending large amounts of money on development
- update customers about things that are happening at your company
- educate prospects and current customers
- pre-selling services so that potential clients can call you ready to buy
- handling customer service issues
- drive foot traffic to your store or office
- feature employees and management
- fund-raise and raise awareness about charitable events
III. Thou must define target reader audience
Current customers: Who are they and why do they buy from you?
Use specific demographics: What is your customers: age, location, gender, income level, education level, marital/family status, occupation, ethnic background, etc.
Use psychographics:What kind of personality, attitudes, values, interest/hobbies, life styles, behavior, etc. do your customers have?
Check out the competition: Who are your competitors targeting via their blog? Who are their current customers? Don’t go after their customers, see if there is a niche to target that may be overlooked.
Analyze how they utilize social media: What social networks can they be found on?
Analyze their overall blog experience: Do they only read blogs or do they create blog content themselves? Do they comment on blog posts?
IV. Thou blog content must be consistent
Once you begin blogging it is important that you are consistent. You must blog regularly minimum two times a week (with three to five times a week being ideal) so that search engines will crawl to your website. Blogging often helps to position you as the expert and keeps you in front of your audience. If you are unable to blog regularly because you have a million other things to do, it is important to get your staff involved. This is a great way to boost employee morale and get your staff involved helping to make your business even more transparent with additional company views. If that is not an option hire a professional blogger or content writer to assist you with your blogger efforts. Whatever you do you must blog for your small business! (see commandment #1).
V. Thou blog content must be original and high quality
It is important to provide content that is original (hasn’t be published anywhere else). Pick a topic within your industry that everyone else my be talking about and share a different view point or share things that are rarely discussed. In addition to originality, blogs must also provide high quality to the audience. When it comes to quality it is important that your blog is well written. Quality content can include sharing white papers, eBooks, infographics, interviews, images, and video.
VI. Thou must partner high quality content with SEO
In addition to the blog post itself, include keywords in the title, tags, URLs, images and video. When appropriate include geo-targeting in order to reach local customers. Also when and where appropriate include inbound links to other relevant blog posts and to your website.
VII. Thou must include a call to action in blog content
What would you like your readers to do? Encourage them to leave a comment, connect on Facebook or other social networks, take a survey, or even encourage them to make a purchase. Be specific about what you would like the reader to do with a call to action in each post that is specific to your post topic.
VIII. Thou must engage reader audience
Engagement is one of the most important parts of the blogging process. Once you get people talking about and sharing your posts it is important to acknowledge them and respond to their questions and comments. Don’t be afraid to join the conversation —after all you started it! Comment as quickly as possible and interact with customers and prospects on your social networks. It is important to respond to negative comments as well. By doing so you are showing your community that you welcome different opinions and points of view and it also gives you the opportunity to comment back with something of value. This way your current audience can see how you deal with issues that may arise and appreciate your expert advice or opinion.
VIIII. Thou must leverage content exposure
Blogs can be shared and distributed to many different platforms in order to reach a larger audience. Promote your business blog via: article directories, syndication (RSS), Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Stumble Upon, Pinterest, Google+, etc. Tip #1: See how many clicks your posts are getting after you announce them or post them somewhere else by shortening blog post URLs for tracking analytics utilize Bit.ly, Cli.gs, Ow.ly, clicky.me, or linkpop.pro. Tip #2: Turn archived blog posts into eBooks, white papers, powerpoint presentations, eNewsletter articles, infograhics, etc.
X. Thou must measure results
Once you have created your small business blog complete with high quality content and have shared it across your social networks and other channels, it is important to measure and track your results. What is working and what isn’t? Who is your message reaching the most? What time of the day are post being read? There are free analytics tools such as Google Analytics to help you track and monitor your success with blogging. Measuring results is very important for figuring out where you are and getting to where you would like to be. Don’t skip this commandment otherwise all the rest were done in vain! Want to know exactly what you should be tracking? Heidi Cohen shares 21 Blog Metrics Your Company Needs to Trackon Content Marketing Institute’s blog.
So there you have it the, 10 Commandments of Blogging for Small Business. They are commandments because in order to successfully compete in today’s market place you must have a blog. With a plant you must continue to nurture and water it in order for it to grow —a blog works the same way. Once your blog begins to grow, continue to engage your audience and track the results. Blogs are here to stay and they are free or relatively low cost to run, even if you have to hire professional help. The return on your investment will be well worth it!
Exploring Verizon Wireless’ New Mobile Broadband Plan | Armonk NY Realtor
Today, Verizon Wireless has millions of subscribers who also took advantage of their or mobile broadband services. They understand how they provided top quality services when it comes to internet connection so they totally completed the services.
Recent news reported that Verizon Wireless has something on its sleeves when it comes to or mobile broadband services for subscribers.
Understanding what consumers want
Verizon Wireless received numerous requests from its customers regarding being able to share network services among their family members. In the past, consumers need to pay separate bills when on their network connections.
Many of its subscribers own different devices that can access the internet. Using a or mobile broadband service is only possible on a single device so it’s a bummer if other family members can’t use the service.
With this in mind, Verizon Wireless has come up with a plan that will match this need.
Sounds good but…
Verizon Wireless is set to have a shared or mobile broadband service plan for their consumers. However, it will also raise the prices of the network connection plan offered by the company. Instead of putting separate mobile broadband services per line included in their accounts, consumers will be able to have a shared internet connection plan for the family.
Basically, mobile broadband access is going to be under one plan but the price has increased as more devices will connect online through the service. Resources indicated that different family members could take advantage of a plan costing around $200 using up to five different devices. Hence, the price will have the charges on each device put together in one bill.
On the consumers’ side
Many consumers become worried about the increased charges on this rate plan. It’s possible that consumers just want to share the plan but without additional cost. Consumers perceive this to be more cost-efficient on their end since they just need to pay a single bill on or mobile broadband connection.
Today, several people within a household own various devices that can access the internet. Having each device with a specific plan can cause them to have increased monthly charges that may be more expensive than their other household expenses.
On Verizon Wireless’ side
By looking at the plan, Verizon Wireless indicates that it’s the best solution to avoid overage charges on network connection. Shared plans would also mean they’re share their data package or limit. More devices connected online through the plan would result to excess charges on data connection alone.
Looking at previous network connection bills, overage charges on data access can be more expensive than the actual call and text charges. Any data accessed more than the set limit on the package will be charged per downloaded bits of data. Therefore, this plan may prevent people from incurring additional data charges.
Reactions coming from business sectors
Naturally, different business sectors and offices have their say about this new plan. Netflix reacted as increased charges may affect their business since consumers may limit accessing their services due to expensive data rates and limited accessible data package. Federal regulation commissions may see this move as something positive and beneficial.
Overall, this new plan offered by Verizon Wireless can have both its downside and advantages. It’s essential for consumers to study the plan first to see if it will work effectively for them or not. Fortunately, this solution is optional for their subscribers within the country.
Wood Paneling With a History: Reclaimed Wood For Interiors | Cross River NY Real Estate
The idea of infusing history into a space has an appeal that goes beyond the trends. Ironically, a sense of history is pretty timeless that way.
One way 21st century homeowners are leveraging this is by investing in reclaimed wood from older structures; homes, barns, warehouses, and beyond. Further, using reclaimed wood as interior siding is a rising trend, adding history, sure, but also a sense of hominess, and warmth.
To expand on some solid ideas as to how to use reclaimed wood paneling for interiors is writer Joe Mitchoff of Viridian Wood products.
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Interior design has experienced a renaissance with innovative new ways to incorporate reclaimed wood. Designers are recognizing that wood paneling doesn’t have to conform to the standard full-room or chair-rail applications. Reclaimed oak paneling and redwood paneling are making a big entrance in the design world as decorative accents and redefined traditional applications.
What are Reclaimed Wood Panels?
Reclaimed wood paneling is the same as traditional wood paneling, but with an eco-friendly twist. Instead of cutting down new trees, reclaimed wood paneling is made from lumber that’s had a past life but is still perfectly usable. This means prime pieces of lumber skip the landfill and get repurposed. Redwood paneling, for example, may be made from old wine casks. It’s hard to find virgin tight-grained redwood today, but you can enjoy its rare qualities just by choosing reclaimed varieties, which often come from old-growth trees. It’s an equally sweet deal for you and the earth.
Create an accent wall with reclaimed wood paneling
Reclaimed oak paneling is great for giving spaces a warm, rustic feel. Mix up the traditional design and give it a modern twist by lining an accent wall with panels in a different direction. If three of the walls have vertical panels, for example, use horizontally- or diagonally-placed panels on the accent wall. Additional ideas include placing the reclaimed wood paneling in a herringbone or mosaic-like pattern.
Source: img0.etsystatic.com via Adam on Pinterest
Use reclaimed wood paneling around a fireplace
In lieu of a traditional mantel, line the wall around a fireplace with a multicolored blend of wood panels that reach up to the ceiling. This technique will make your space appear larger and draw the eyes upward. Try this idea with fireplaces that have two exposed glass walls, or with double-sided fireplaces that divide a room.
Bins or display stands
Give your store an earthy or rustic feel by using reclaimed wood panels that match the color scheme or tone (warm or cool) of your space to create unique-looking storage solutions.
Give ceilings a modern appeal
Create a space that has a country, shabby-chic, colonial or Victorian feel by lining a ceiling with reclaimed wood paneling. As with paneled walls, you can arrange wood panels on a ceiling in non-traditional or clever patterns.
Create a room divider
Save money on construction materials and create a partial wall out of redwood paneling (or panels in the color of your choice) to divide a large space.
Source: sweetpeachblog.com via Victoria on Pinterest
Line bars, counters and kitchen islands
Give these items in your home or business aesthetic appeal and durability with your choice of reclaimed lumber. Since the wood panels are made from lumber proven to withstand a beating, your bar, island or counter will be kick- and bump-resistant.
Make custom doors and tables
Who says you have to use reclaimed wood paneling to beautify the construction of a room? Use this lumber to create sturdy, unique-looking doors and tabletops. If you want to give an entrance an old-world flair, consider using wind-worn textured paneling. Use redwood paneling for tasting room tables and matching room accessories.
Panel a staircase
Instead of using iron or wood balusters on a staircase, use reclaimed wood paneling between the newels. Choose paneling that’s uniform in color for a sleek look, or mix it up with reclaimed wood paneling in light or dark blends.
You can’t go wrong
You can’t go wrong when you integrate paneling into your interior design, especially if the panels are made from eco-friendly reclaimed wood. These panels boast some of the strongest and most beautiful types of lumber available, without the guilt that comes with using freshly cut timber.
Five Things Your Business Should Tweet About | Katonah NY Real Estate
Five Things Your Business Should Tweet About
If your local business isn’t on Twitter, then you need to ask yourself why. Twitter is one of the most widely used social media networks, with more than 140 million users and 340 millions tweets sent in any given day. (For beginners out there, a “tweet” is a text message“ transmitted via Twitter in 140 characters or less, often including a Web link.) Twitter provides a way to send information to a large target audience in such a way that they can decide in a matter of seconds if they want to read more. Your goal as a business owner is to build a following who will read your tweets and share or “re-tweet” them to others.
But what should you tweet about to make this happen?
There’s so much a local business of any sort can tweet about, so get creative, and use the following five ideas as starting points:
Promote promotions. Anytime you’re offering a special deal, be sure to tweet about it.
Humor’s a good thing. Every once in a while, consider tweeting a comment and link to a humorous story or a funny image. This shows you have a personality while being professional.
Share upcoming events. Anytime you’re attending or holding events of any sort, share that information with others.
News you can use. Share quick tips or links to newsworthy information relevant to your industry and business. Also tweet links to your business’ blogs, articles, and other fresh website content.
Make them think. A great way to catch people’s attention is to share a link to an inspirational image or quote. Asking questions in your tweets will also generate more interaction.
If you’re not on Twitter, set up your profile today, and start using these tips to begin tweeting to build a following for your business. Next week we’ll share tips on how to optimize your Twitter presence online.
How to Take a Stress-Free Vacation From Work | Bedford Hills Realtor
My entrepreneur friends talk about this all the time. They’re going on vacation. They plan to retreat, relax, recharge, reflect, recreate… This time, they’ll even disconnect!
We all know how that turns out.
In spite of their best intentions they don’t totally disconnect. They can’t, not completely. That’s just not how they’re made.
And when they ignore that reality and decide not to plan ahead (because this time I’m really going to do it!) they end distracted and anxious and scrambling to cobble together ways to check in that just makes it worse for everyone: Their staff, their family, and themselves.
Admit it. You’ve been there too. And you’re a terrible MacGyver.
The key, according to Jim Secord, CEO of Kashoo, a Vancouver-based online accounting software firm (that also makes a very slick iPad accounting app), is to accept the reality and plan for a partial disconnect. Here’s how:
Embrace the cloud before you go.
Few things are worse than sitting on a beach thinking, “Wait, do I have that file?” and realizing you don’t. Who wants to fire email attachments back and forth?
If you’re hesitant, start simple with something like Google Docs, and you and your in-office team can track the status of various projects.
Clone yourself.
Designate someone on your team to take all inbound inquiries from the rest of your staff. Let everyone know that person is “you” for the week. Give them guidelines for what can wait, what they can handle on their own, and what you need to know about immediately.
You’ll lighten the load of trivial emails and increase your ability to actually relax.
Invest in a tablet.
Lugging your laptop with you on vacation is like waving a flag that screams, “I’m working!” to your fellow vacationers. (Plus, on the practical side, the battery life is lousy by comparison.)
A tablet straddles the fence between work device and entertainment device: When you’re poolside you can crank out a few emails, tap into your newly embraced cloud, pull up the reader app… and no one will ever know the difference.
Set check-in times.
No one wants to watch you check your email every 20 minutes, regardless of the device. Instead wake up 30 minutes before you normally would. Grab a cup of coffee, sit out on the porch or beach, crank through your email, make a few calls–and be done with it for the day. Or pick a time that’s least likely to intrude on family activities. Then prep your team in advance so they what to expect.
Note: If you slate a morning phone check-in with the office for, say, 7 a.m., think about a peace offering in return. Say lunch on you for the team for the week?
Follow the “no-charge rule.”
Sure, you can charge your devices overnight. But don’t recharge them during the day. That way, if you run out of battery at, say, 2 p.m., that’s too bad. There’s nothing you can do. You’ll naturally try to conserve your batteries… which means you’ll have to step away from the device more often.
A no-charge rule is certainly easier to set than to follow, but if you can, hats off to you!
Skip the “Out of Office” auto-response.
If you will respond to email, why put one up? All you’ll do is fill the sender’s inbox. Plus, your primary circle of contacts knows you’ll be checking emails periodically. If you need to respond, you will–otherwise your clone can handle correspondence.
Only set up an auto-response if you’ll truly be out-of-touch.
Check your data plan.
If you’re traveling abroad, make sure you’re set on the data front before you leave. Otherwise you could return to a pile of huge fees.
Understand that everything will be okay.
If you’ve set all the right expectations and have the right processes in place, everything will be fine while you’re gone. Work will be waiting for you when you get back.
Never forget: Having the ability to make your own schedule is one of the reasons you’ve chosen the entrepreneurial path–so embrace it and enjoy it!
via inc.com
Household net worth shrinks 35% from 2005 | Chappaqua NY Real Estate
The housing bust cut the median household net worth to $66,740 as of 2010 from $102,844 in 2005, according to Census Bureau data released Monday.
“The overall decline in net worth reflects drops in housing values and stock market indices,” said Census Bureau Economist Alfred Gottschalck.
Middle-class Americans of all age groups and education levels suffered the worst blow because so much of their net worth is tied to the equity in their home. National home prices remain 35% below the peak in 2006, according to the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index.
Excluding equity, the median net worth actually increased to $15,000 in 2010 from $13,859 in 2009.
Some lost a much larger percentage of their worth than others.
Households between the ages of 35 and 44 saw net worth slashed by 59%, compared to a 37% decline for those younger than 35 and a 13% drop for those aged 65 years or older.
Those with a high school diploma saw net worth fall 39%. But even those with a bachelor’s degree had a 32% decline.
In 2000, those who completed college had twice as much net worth as those who did not. In 2010, the gap was 3.5 times as large
via housingwire.com
Can You Be Replaced? | Armonk NY Homes
As an entrepreneur, your first response to that question will likely be a resounding, “No, I can’t be replaced!” After all, we have been programmed to believe that being replaceable is a bad thing, like maybe what you do isn’t sufficiently important or involved. But I’m here to tell you that not being replaceable is a problem. A big problem!
Hear me out on this, because I know it is probably unsettling, at first, to think that you should want to be replaceable. After reading this, however, I think you will find that there are some benefits to be being replaceable that make it a must for every business owner.
For starters, if you have built a company and can’t be replaced, you have, in fact, built a trap. And that’s not something you want to get yourself into. Your job as a business owner is to make sure that all facets of your business are systematized, so that it can sustain itself and grow, as people come and go. And that, my friend, includes you.
Your job is to make yourself replaceable by systematizing everything you do. Document the duties you perform. Bring in contractors and employees to do what you are doing. If they can’t do it, go back and fix the system. If they still can’t do it right, it’s time to go back and fix the system.
Here are some of the reasons why you need to be replaceable in your business:
• Saleable. When you are replaceable, your company is more saleable. When someone buys your company (and trust me, this is a happy day), they will value it more if they can just take over the reins and it runs. If your absence will cause it to struggle, because you haven’t made yourself replaceable, the value drops.
• Freedom. This is probably one of the reasons you started the business in the first place. If you are the critical piece, you won’t be able to take time off. If you can make yourself replaceable, you can go out and enjoy life while the business grows.
• Leadership. When you can systemize the day-to-day actions, you can shift into a role where you seek out new opportunities, try new things, and innovate. In other words, you will be able to lead your company where you want it to go.
• Outside In. If you can manage to get yourself out of the day-to-day, it will give you a chance to watch the business from afar. This is big, because it will give you a chance to make little tweaks and changes and watch how the business reacts. You become the chef, rather than just being a part of the stew.Now you can see that there are benefits to making yourself replaceable in your business. Another thing you may not have thought about is what would happen to your business if you were to suddenly find yourself too ill or incapacitated to carry on your work. While we don’t like to think about these things, we really need to. If you are not replaceable, and something happens to you, it could mean the immediate closing of your business. But if you have made yourself replaceable, others could easily step up and carry on, so that things are running smoothly when you return!
So go ahead, make yourself replaceable. It doesn’t mean that you will immediately be replaced, but it does mean that your business, which you have worked so hard to build, is ready to carry on, even if the day comes when you can’t, or no longer want to!
