Archive for January, 2009

By the book

Posted by ArcherTC on January 30, 2009  |   No Comments »

What to include in your employee handbook

Think your business is too small for an employee handbook? Worried that your written policies will open you up to lawsuits? Whatever the excuse, the truth is an employee handbook is an essential resource in your business–as an introduction for new employees and as a reference guide for your existing staff. Scratching your head on where to start? Follow this simple checklist to create an effective employee handbook for your small business…more at By the Book – NFIB.com (https://www NULL.nfib NULL.com/object/IO_39832 NULL.html).

Flickr photo credit: Wan Zafran ( http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/xaph/90490411/ )

SMB’s need more “local” outreach

Posted by ArcherTC on January 30, 2009  |   No Comments »

I spoke at a local Chamber of Commerce (http://www NULL.tualatinchamber NULL.com/) here in the Portland area last week, giving a brief presentation on the fundamentals of SEO. Unlike a previous event (http://www NULL.davidmihm NULL.com/blog/smbiz/what-i-learned-about-web-on-friday/) I’d attended just three months ago in eastern Washington, about 75% of this audience had actually heard the term “SEO” before.

But after my brief synopsis on local search, I still received a couple of questions from the audience related to “claiming your listing” and what that was all about. It seems that even in incredibly savvy small business markets like the one I spoke in, the concept of a local search engine remains foggy for SMB’s… read more at SMB’s Need More “Local” Outreach (http://searchengineland NULL.com/smbs-need-more-local-outreach-16304).

Flickr photo credit: Uncleweed (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/uncleweed/168758026/)

A dirt-simple system for qualifying sales prospects

Posted by ArcherTC on January 30, 2009  |   No Comments »

It is easy to fall into the habit of believing that everyone is a potential client. Some business owners will even say that they want to obtain ALL of the business out there … that everyone is a prospective client. This is a dangerous mindset.

Business growth isn’t about selling to everyone; it is about selling to every right one – that is, everyone who is a “qualified” prospect.

When you try to sell to everyone your efforts are too broad. You aren’t focused and you soon are faced with failures, because you are wasting time trying to sell something without understanding the value in other people’s eyes – or even whether they are truly a good fit for your product or service.  In short, you aren’t qualifying companies/individuals in the field.

Qualifying – that is, effective prospecting and information gathering – leads you to the clients you should have.

Qualifying prospects includes 4 steps …more at A Dirt-Simple System for Qualifying Sales Prospects | Small Business Trends (http://smallbiztrends NULL.com/2009/01/system-for-qualifying-sales-prospects NULL.html).

Flickr photo credit: Lougan Manzke (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/louganmanzke/2722701187/)

No better time for e-mail marketing

Posted by ArcherTC on January 30, 2009  |   No Comments »

What do the best franchise owners know about online marketing that you need to know, too?

With the new year comes new challenges. As business owners and operators, consumers, and citizens, we know that the climate has changed radically in the last year. However, as I indicated recently in my column–there’s no need to panic. I talked then about cultivating stronger customer relationships, and provided tips on how to do so. My advice applied to anyone working to establish and build a successful entrepreneurial venture, whether it be an independent restaurant, a consulting firm, a successful franchise or some other type of business. For all of us who are business leaders, everything begins and ends with customers. I’d like to dig a little deeper into how a customer-oriented culture impacts franchises–a market that has its own opportunities and challenges. …more at No Better Time for E-Mail Marketing – Franchise Challenges – Entrepreneur.com (http://www NULL.entrepreneur NULL.com/marketing/onlinemarketing/emailmarketingcolumnistgailfgoodman/article199842 NULL.html).

Flickr photo credit: m-c (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/m-c/2250563337/ )

The Obama brand: lessons for the nonprofit sector

Posted by ArcherTC on January 29, 2009  |   No Comments »

A Respected Brand Can Get You Through Tough Times

When friends, coworkers and even family members find out that I went to Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration of President Barack H. Obama, they ask, What was it like? In their usually hushed voices, you hear one part awe, one part envy and two parts reverence. Even one of my husband’s friends, who mostly just nods when he sees me, asked to speak with me – during their sacred weekly call about football – when he heard that I was on the National Mall for the swearing in.

Certainly, everyone from my mom to Rupert Murdoch and from the Guardian to CNN, MSNBC and Fox News (and how often do they all agree?) have called Barack Obama a rock star. Even rival John McCain pejoratively referred to then-Senator Obama during the presidential campaign as a celebrity. …more at The Obama Brand: Lessons for the Nonprofit Sector « TSNE – Strategic Communications Blog (http://tsne NULL.wordpress NULL.com/2009/01/26/the-obama-brand-lessons/).

Flickr image credit: tsevis (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/tsevis/2279253649/)

‘My online store gets just one sale a month!’

Posted by ArcherTC on January 29, 2009  |   No Comments »

We enlisted e-commerce experts to help a bricks-and-mortar retailer make the transition online.

Dear CNNMoney.com: I have owned and operated a retail storefront for the past three years. I recently launched an online e-commerce Web site. I have paid an SEO guy each month and have aggressively marketed the site, but I’m only getting one sale a month. I am losing faith in all of the work, time and effort that has been put in. Do you have any suggestions on how to jumpstart the e-commerce portion of my business?

- Joanne Versaggi, Mélange Home Décor (http://melangehomedecor NULL.com/), Marlton, N.J.

Dear Joanne ... read more at ‘My online store gets just one sale a month!’ – Jan. 29, 2009 (http://money NULL.cnn NULL.com/2009/01/29/smallbusiness/slow_sales_at_store NULL.smb/index NULL.htm).

Flickr photo credit: Pascale PirateChickan (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/piratechickan/2965571299/)

Turning around a struggling business

Posted by ArcherTC on January 29, 2009  |   No Comments »

Consumer confidence is at an historic low and the financial news seems to get worse by the day. With a new Administration in Washington, there’s a lot of uncertainty about exactly how and when promised changes will take place.

But even if your business is struggling, you can take steps to turn it around and be poised to grow this year, says Paul Rauseo, managing director at the George S. May International, a Chicago consulting firm. Practical tips from Rauseo and other small business experts follow….more atTurning Around a Struggling Business – BusinessWeek (http://www NULL.businessweek NULL.com/smallbiz/content/jan2009/sb20090127_740634 NULL.htm?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz%20index%20page_top%20small%20business%20stories).

Flickr photo credit: Digital Explorer (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/aeroworks/97338266/)

What works in online video advertising?

Posted by ArcherTC on January 27, 2009  |   No Comments »

When it comes to advertisements in online videos, Web surfers don’t know what to expect. Watch an episode of The Office on Hulu (http://www NULL.hulu NULL.com/), and you’ll get a couple of 15-second ads from sponsors like Target. View a National Geographic Channel clip about emperor penguins on YouTube, and you might see clickable ads for an Arctic cruise company across the lower portion of the video. Other sites opt for a lowly display ad off to one side of the screen.

Whatever form they take, online video ads are confusing for consumers. Can an ad be skipped, and what happens when you click on a banner or link—those are just some of the questions that leave Internet users scratching their heads. …read more at What Works in Online Video Advertising? – BusinessWeek (http://www NULL.businessweek NULL.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090126_341533 NULL.htm).

Flickr photo credit: codenamecueball (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/cheesepuff/2406468228/)

Career path: how I became an ethnocentric digital marketer

Posted by ArcherTC on January 27, 2009  |   No Comments »

I started to tear up at lunch today while talking to Lizie, a young woman who works with me. She’s from Mexico, and about a year ago she didn’t know a CPM from a CPA. But I hired her because she was bright, driven and eager to learn. She’s so driven that this past holiday season, while home in Guadalajara, she took time out of her personal schedule to visit some local advertising agencies. She came back with stories of how she’d ended up teaching an impromptu class on online advertising to a hungry audience. The pride I felt when she told me this took me back to my motivations for starting Consorte in the first place. …read more at Career Path: How I Became an Ethnocentric Digital Marketer | Hispanic Marketing | Fast Company (http://www NULL.fastcompany NULL.com/blog/alicia-morga/hispanic-marketing/running-ethnocentric-digital-marketing-company).

6 non-salesy ways to ask your customers to promote you

Posted by ArcherTC on January 26, 2009  |   No Comments »

Want to know the #1 reason your customers don’t recommend you to their friends? It isn’t because they don’t like your product, or because they don’t care or are too busy. The real reason is either because you don’t ask them to, or you don’t make it easy for them to do it. If you ask them in the right way, however, the word of mouth referrals and additional business you can get from the experience will easily be more powerful that just about any other advertising or marketing you could do. Here are a few ideas for getting your customers to promote you to their family, friends and social networks in a way that won’t make it appear as if you’re paying them to like you… 6 Non-Salesy Ways To Ask Your Customers To Promote You – Social Media Today (http://www NULL.socialmediatoday NULL.com/SMC/68935).

Flickr photo credit: Duchamp (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/duchamp/15296832/)

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