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Want to Run Your Business Blog Into the Ground?

Business blogs are great. Not only do consumers get information on company's marketing campaigns, successes, and industry news, but also insight on the company itself. Blogs used correctly will draw people in, and create a great business-customer relationship. Those blogs which fail at creating this relationship and are used incorrectly could prove detrimental to your business. There are a few simple things that your business blog can do stop your blog up for business failure. Do you want to run your business into the ground? Don't Include RSS Feeds "Who cares about making it convenient for those who are following you? If they want to find your blog, they will. What's the use for an RSS feed?" RSS feeds are a great way for your loyal readers to receive updates immediately each time your blog is updated. These people could include employees, customers, potential customers, competitors, or random people on the internet looking to gain in... [Read Full Article]


Small Biz Tip: Blogs: Guest Bloggers

Tips from March 19, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss having a guest blogger contribute to your blog. Do your research. Find out who has good information to share and who you can trust. Reach out to colleagues, industry experts, or even other employees. Send emails, tweet, or pick up the phone and call. Give guidelines, but allow creative freedom. Give a word range that guest bloggers should shoot for. If you would like your guest to talk about a certain topic, tell them. Be as specific as you need to be to generate the post you want, but don't be too picky. Give them freedom. Prep your guest blogger. Give them a rundown of your blog, including the style, typical length, and readership. Additionally, announce your guest on blog a few posts in advance. Spread the word! After the guest blog is published, thank your contributor. Gauge the results and your reader response. Suggest your guest blogger posts a link on their... [Read Full Article]


Small Biz Tip: Blogs: Marketing Your Business

Tips from March 17, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss marketing your business with your blog. Listen - Do you know what is going on in your industry? Your blogosphere? The world today? You need to listen to know what others are talking about, what people want to know, and what people need to know. Listen first, then blog. Personal & Professional - Create a relationship with clients, or potential clients, in the blogosphere. Include others you work with who contribute to your blog. Create a short bio on each employee, and let them interact as well. Don't Be Too Salesy! It is okay to sell to your readers, but only after you create a brand and a relationship with your readers. Avoid being too salesy, instead, blog about what is important to your industry, followers, and clients, and add a short product placement at the end. Get into a rhythm of posting to your blog. Post a few times every week, about 2-3 times is a go... [Read Full Article]


Small Biz Tip: Blogs: Types of Blogs to Get Comments

Tips from March 15, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss different types of blog posts to attract visitors and receive comments. Competitions - Read: FREE GIVEAWAYS. Encourage people to comment on your blog to interact, share ideas, or discuss your post, and offer a giveaway for the most insightful comment. Interesting/Quirky Information - Share a unique story or interesting link on your blog, and discuss. Ask your readers if they've heard of your information/link. Encourage a discussion. Debate - Pose two debating topics or opinions to your readers, and let the comments fly. State the facts for each, and again, ask your readers what they think. Lists & Resources - If you are posting a good amount of information with links and resources for your followers, your readers will comment with compliments, or with their own suggestions. For those resources you include, email them to inform them you are including them on your blog. They will mo... [Read Full Article]


A Jump Start for Stalled Small Business Lenders

Management and Operations Marketing Lowdown: Five Steps To Better Retail Displays A recent poll asked average Americans which of their five senses they would least be willing to lose. The result? Overwhelmingly, the eyes have it. But before we can learn anything with our eyes, we must be interested enough to look. Our attention must be captured. ManageSmarter.com Management and OperationsManaging the Direct Marketing Supply ChainA direct marketing offer can reach its potential customers through print mailings, e-mail blasts, Website offerings, television advertising, Internet... [Read Full Article]


Small Biz Tip: How to Write for a Blog

Small Biz Tip: How to Write for a Blog Tips from July 21, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss how to write for a blog. Plan out your blog first & foremost. Decide from what you know & what you want to write about before your initial posts. Use "Foundation Posts" to start your blog. Take 3-4 postings to sum up the area & concept you will be covering in your blog. Set up your RSS feed. Beginners are best served using a third party instead of writing XML. Try http://wordpress.org. Don't self-promote. People will get annoyed & stop reading. Write useful information that others following your blog can use. Daily Overview: Planning is essential in starting your own blog. Give it some personality, state your opinions, and get writing! [Read Full Article]


Small Business Brief for 11/18

Politics and Government What Change Really Means to Small Business? Many small business owners are skeptical of President-elect Obama's tax proposals and the long-term direction he wants to take with the economy. Paulson, Bernanke Defend $700 Billion BailoutWASHINGTON (AP) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke waged a stout defense of their management of a $700 billion financial bailout on Capitol Hill Tuesday, just one week after the administration abandoned the original strategy behind the rescue. Bernanke: Borrowing Conditions Still Far From Normal Federal R... [Read Full Article]


13 Ways for Small Businesses to Build a Powerful Social Media Presence

Social media is leveling the playing field for small businesses. With an effective social media presence, a small business can build their online visibility and ultimately remain competitive with the big boys. In short, social media marketing has completely shifted the way businesses are marketing themselves. But to get the most out of your social media campaign, you have to make sure you’re going about things the right way. If you just blindly rush into social media marketing, you could end up doing more harm to your brand than good. Follow these tips for building an effective social media presence for your small business. Do Your Research- The first step to any marketing campaign is to do your research. With social media marketing, this means analyzing all of the different social media sites to determine which best suits your needs. When studying these sites, take note of what types of stories go hot and what kind of audience uses the site. [Read Full Article]

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