Tips from April 8, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss rebranding strategies using social media.
Change your tone on all social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc). Be upbeat, excited, and open to discussing your rebranding and company.
Change your look. Try incorporating your new rebranded logo and design to acknowledge you're in a transition period. Be consistent on all social media accounts.
Twitter is a great social media resource for rebranding efforts. It allows for you and your followers to interact publicly to answer any and all questions with @ replies.
Include pictures! Twitpic, yfrog, and Facebook Picture Uploader allow pictures to be instantly uploaded to those who follow you. Take advantage of this! Remember: Pictures speak louder than words!
Daily Overview: Communicate, update, and inform your followers in real time via social media to discuss your rebranding.
By Cheryl Sowa · April 09 2010
small business tips
My full article is posted on SearchEngineGuide. Here are the cliff notes:
Google's local search algorithm, in Layman's terms, looks something like this:
Ranking = Location + Information + Corroboration + Input + X
Understanding the variables in this equation are a critical part of getting found online. Businesses have just two meaningful representations in the local search space: a website and a business listing. The latter of the two is worth discussing in detail.
Let's take a look at the anatomy of a local search results page and see where local business listings fit in. For this example I did a Google search for "cleaners boston ma"...
By Dave Cosper · April 07 2010
bing, google, lbc, local search
Tips from April 7, 2010 The Small Business tips today entail how to discuss rebranding on your business blog.
Track your progress on your business blog. Go over each important step - what you're doing and why. This will keep people involved and informed.
Give detailed explanations. For example, if you're redesigning your logo, explain why. What is different? Is there a new meaning? Why are you changing it? What does it mean to you?
While it is important to update and educate your customers and consumers about the rebranding, keep in mind your competitors are also following your every move. Don't divulge important information or strategies you do not want them to know.
Encourage two way communication. Pose questions on your blog, and ask them to comment with responses. Additionally, dedicate a blog post to strictly asking if your followers have any questions about the rebranding.
Daily Overview: Your business blog will help you get...
By Cheryl Sowa · April 07 2010
small business tips
Tips from April 6, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss communicating while rebranding your business.
Many people will have questions about your rebranding. Answer questions that are posted on your website, in comments, on social media, or any other communication channel publicly. This way, others who might have the same question will be able to see your answer. Explain the change, and what you hope to accomplish in each answer.
Be authentic. When you're communicating to others outside your company make sure you are accurate in explaining what exactly is going on. Tell the truth. Be real. Any discrepancies will look poorly upon your company.
If you announce something, make sure you follow through. There is nothing worse than consumers, customers, and competitors with high expectations and be let down.
Keep communication lines open and available. Your website is a great communication tool, as well as your social media accounts (more later th...
By Cheryl Sowa · April 07 2010
small business tips
Health Care Reform
Employers Weigh Costs of Keeping, Dropping Health Coverage The hidden costs of dropping their health care plans could far outweigh the fine that employers would face for not offering health care coverage, experts say. Workforce.comFinancial IssuesGencorp Restores 401(k) Match; Report Cites Growing TrendDefense and aerospace company GenCorp Inc. said it was reinstating its 401(k) plan matching contribution, the latest in a growing number of employers that have done so or will be doing the same. Workforce.comFinancial Issues
By Cheryl Sowa · April 06 2010
small business brief
Tips from April 5, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss rebranding strategies.
Create a strategy first. Going into a rebranding without having a set goal or plan of attack will not only look sloppy, but it can damage your brand, reputation, and business.
Keep your employees on the same page. Inform everyone at your business about the new rebranding campaign. This way, all employees can answer any questions that may come up about your new campaign.
Make sure key players agree on the rebranding plan. A plan which is only agreed upon by a few of the upper level management will not work in the long run. Keep making changes until you find a plan that everyone agrees on.
Build a timeline. It takes time to rebrand: marketing collateral, logo, social media (look for tips this week!), getting the word out, and any other odds and ends to take care of.
Daily Overview: Rebranding without a plan is a bad idea. Take the time to thin...
By Cheryl Sowa · April 05 2010
small business tips
Google is known for its speed in returned results, and proudly displays how long it takes to return its result sets. Google is also known for their classic Google April Fools pages. Generally you will see (0.002 seconds) or similar. They have been playing around with this today:
times the velocity of an unladen swallow
Planck times
Skidoo
Femtogalactic years
Centons
By Jorge Cordova · April 01 2010
google, serp, april fools, result speed
If your business doesn't have a webpage on the internet already, you're way past overdue to get one.
By Cheryl Sowa · April 01 2010
small business, website
