When looking at the U.S. economy, the only thing that can be said with certainty is that we are in a period of extremeuncertainty. Consumer confidence hit a 30-year low as consumer spending hit a record high for the year. Wall Street is announcing record corporate profits while main street is suffering. And corporate CEOs are receiving massive incomes at a time when the country has unacceptably high unemployment rates. We have entered the Bermuda Triangle of economic indicators, where our economic compass has gone haywire. The U.S. stock market has entered a period of extreme volatility. Stock indexes lost over 5% of their value the day after S&P’s debt downgrade, only to fully bounce back a few days later. Eventually, these extreme market fluctuations will subside. Until that occurs, however, the market’s volatility will ripple through the economy with very real, albeit uneven, force. These wild fluctuations in the stock market are causing consumers to tighten their spending, thus causing increased pressure on small businesses. While large companies can weather the storm by dipping into cash reserves or discounting prices, the neighborhood business has no such buffer. Small businesses, already squeezed for operating capital by vendors and lenders, will need to adopt methods to bring stability to an otherwise unstable and uncertain landscape. Here are five such tips for doing so. Although banks are hesitant to provide small businesses with access to capital, there is an alternative form of financing available — trade credit. By asking for longer payment terms such as 60, 90 or even 120 days, a small business can turn their receivables into a form of operating capital. Facebook and Twitter are not just for fun; they are also immensely powerful business tools for marketing and customer outreach. Even better, they are free. Chances are, your customers are already on these networks, which is why you need to be there too. Heed Seth Godin’s comment that “five thousand people who want to hear your message are more valuable than five million who don’t.” Rather than cast a wide and perhaps ineffective marketing net, employ Facebook and Twitter to target your audience directly and inexpensively. Economic uncertainty often compels companies to reduce all expenses, but some cuts will prove more expensive in the long run. For example, as a cost savings, your competitors may be skimming on customer service. You should resist the impulse to do the same. Remember, it’s generally more expensive to acquire new customers than to keep existing ones. Furthermore, when others are cutting the quality of customer care, improvements to your service will get your company noticed. In order increase traffic to your business (both online and off), seek out web directories that are free or where registration is relatively inexpensive. Google Places offers a free and useful directory of businesses. Bing,CityGrid and other business directories offer similar services through which consumers can learn about your company. Apply for a credit card under the name of your business as opposed to your own name. Building a business credit history distinct from your personal credit will enable your business to qualify for better payment terms, credit lines, loans and other forms of capital. Keep in mind that banks and other lenders will not loan to a business if lacks sufficient credit history, so if you haven’t established credit card and checking accounts under your business’ name, now is the time. Over time, the switch will provide the double benefit of building up your business credit while protecting you from having to give personal guarantees. Image courtesy of Flickr, mikeleeorg 
1. Request Better Payment Terms
2. Social Networking
3. Improve Customer Service
4. Use Online Directories
5. Separate Your Personal from Your Business Credit
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
4 Tools for Building a Business Mobile App
In a world where there’s always “an app for that,” more small businesses see the value in creating their own mobile apps. The technical know-how necessary to develop an impressive app and the cost of hiring a professional developer, however, have discouraged the production of many would-be branded applications. Affordable do-it-yourself alternatives give all companies — even those with minimal tech expertise — a way to create their own apps. Even the code-illiterate can build passable apps using these four new platforms. Bizness Apps focuses on industry-specific features. If you’re building an app for a restaurant, for instance, its builder might suggest that you add a menu and a specials feature. If you’re building an app for a gym, it might recommend a weekly workout planner. It’s a difficult platform on which to customize beyond color choices, but it’s a tool that’s incredibly easy to use. Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, HTML5 Price: $39 per month for the iPhone app plus $10 per month for an iPad, Android or HTML5 app. MobiFlex, while not the prettiest of the app creators, will integrate with back-end data sources and incorporates functions like the phone’s camera, speech recognition and GPS into its native apps. There’s a better chance of creating and releasing a useful app with these features, but users also have a steeper learning curve than some of its competitors. Platforms: Android and iOS Price: A one-time setup fee of $99 plus a monthly fee of $25 for up to 50 users and two pages. If your main objective for creating an app is to distribute content, AppMakr might be a good choice. Publishers such as The Atlantic and Harvard Business Review have made apps using the platform. Other than adding content through multiple RSS feeds, uploading a photo gallery and sending push notifications, its code-free apps can’t do much. One appealing aspect for content creators, however, is the option to serve ads through several networks. iSites, Swebapps and App Co offer similar approaches for content distribution apps. Platforms: iOS Price: Free Red Foundry offers options for the intermediate coder and newbie app builder alike. More advanced users can choose to design their apps with an xml-based coding system instead of using the startup’s template. RSS feeds are the focus of the free version of the product’s point-and-click app builder, though it’s easy to add other extras like photo galleries, maps, social feed and commerce options like a Paypal donate button. What’s most obviously distinct about the platform is its test-as-you go app,Viz. After you load the program onto your phone, you can use it to test your app as you build it. The platform also makes widgets that show analytics, social activity and push notifications from your app that you can add to your desktop. Platforms: iOS products Price: Basic apps are free; more advanced options start at $39 per month. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, izusek
1. Bizness Apps
2. Mobiflex
3. AppMakr
4. Red Foundry
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
4 Innovative Ways to Use Web Video for Small Business
| This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. You’ve seen videos of people doing ridiculous things on the Internet. But you probably haven’t seen too many videos of small businesses sharing their good work. Web video is more or less the domain of the ridiculous — whether that means something cute or something painful. Even top ads and commercials have a touch of the absurd (Old Spice, Dos Equis, I’m looking at you). So how does a small business compete with disturbingly low attention spans and a whole Internet of viral videos? Read on for five ways that small businesses can take advantage of web video without blowing their budgets and let us know your own success stories in the comments below. 1. Request User Submissions“Going viral” is a frustrating term both for its elusiveness and effectiveness. Viral videos can quickly get your product and brand out to a wide audience, but there is also practically no guaranteed way to “make” a video viral. Save yourself the trouble and get your audience to do the work for you. Ask your fans or customers to send in videos of themselves using your product. For some, this can be a guaranteed hit. Such is the case with Michael Di Pippo, inventor of Pen Fishing Rods, a telescoping fishing rod that collapses to the size of a large pen. If that didn’t spark your interest, check the above video of someone actually catching a fish with it. Di Pippo bet that the shock value of it actually working would inspire customers to take videos using his product. The result was a motivated user-base and free publicity. You might not be selling something as unique, but you can still encourage your clients to send in videos of them using whatever you’re selling. It’s a good way of extending the relationship past the point of sale and building a community. Alternatively you can try to create a viral sensation like Blendtec’s Will It Blend? series. Rather than testing their blenders on tomatoes and walnuts, they started blending strange products like glowsticks, an iPad, and a crowbar. As a result, the videos (and Blendtec’s product) received millions of views and all it took was a little creativity. And a crowbar. 2. Replace ContentTry making a video instead of writing out your business updates. It’s easier for people to click play on a ~5 minute video than read a 500-word news brief. It helps to have some experience with basic editing and a decent camera, but people will ultimately tune in because your content is interesting or useful. Try offering deals or discount codes through your videos, while also talking about your product or service. Using video to share business news or deals will help your business feel more personable as customers get accustomed to seeing you speak. This choice isn’t for everyone and every business, but it can help make your updates easier to digest and give your homepage a boost of personality. 3. Teach Them and They Will Come Product demos are fun, but may not work for every type of business. For example, it could be tough to do a “demo” if you sell quilts or home garden supplies. Instead think of ways to teach and give back to your customers while also using your product. Selling quilts? Try a “How To” video on how you sew your quilts. Garden supplies? Make a video on how to plant a variety of bulbs and seeds using the products you sell. If you’re business isn’t based around a physical product, think about doing a webcast or video on how to use your advanced features or set up the service. 4. Make Some Face Time If you’re a small business, you can make your size work for you with video services, like Skype or even video calling on Gmail. Huge corporations like PepsiCo and Virgin are constantly trying to make their outreach more personal by attaching real people and real names to their customer service and social sites. To get even more personal, create a business Skype or Gmail address (or any other service that allows you to video chat). Let customers know they can call you for some digital face time if they have any questions about your product or need help troubleshooting it. Doing so will help you build a stronger relationship with your customers and make your business feel more approachable at the same time. |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
5 YouTube Marketing Tips for Better Engagement
n addition to its incredible success as the de facto portal for video uploads and viewing, YouTube is itself a community. For brands, it provides an additional viable opportunities to spark discussion with followers. It’s a place to build relationships and create a space for users to converse with each other about branded content.
Just as Facebook has become an incredibly popular place for brands to maintain a dialogue with their customers, YouTube offers a similar opportunity, although the conversation is driven primarily by video content. Treating YouTube not only as a platform for video distribution, but as a forum for engagement deepens the customer experience.
So how do companies make the most of the conversations happening on YouTube?
1. Start With Great Content
Whether you’re a popular consumer brand or an emerging B2B company, engaging content that prompts discussion and social pass-along requires outside-the-box thinking to make an impression (pun intended). Like any other content provided to social audiences, videos on YouTube must be engaging and compelling enough to spark those discussions and encourage sharing.
A classic example of this is “Will it Blend?” Blendtec’s famous video campaign that purées popular gadgets is an ingenious way to captivate viewers while demonstrating the power of the product. The ROI equaled its creativity, with sales jumping 700% since the campaign started four years ago. Great content brings users to your channel and your videos; engaging them once they arrive is another challenge.
2. Don’t Post Your Videos and Run
Pairing good content with a commitment to engaging viewers and commenters will help strengthen those relationships on YouTube. Old Spice is a fantastic example of how great content worked in conjunction with a smart response strategy. After an intensely popular run for its initial commercials, Old Spice took the relationship building potential of the YouTube community to a new level by creating 180 individual video responses to those who commented on the originals. It’s now highlighted as one of the most successful interactive campaigns in history, with 40 million impressions in the first week and a 107% jump in sales after the first month.
3. Know Thyself
Understanding what your brand voice is and what your goals are will shape how your brand interacts in this space. Are you aiming to be a resource for your customers with how-to videos? Be ready to respond to questions and be as helpful in the comments as you are on film. Going strictly for the fun factor? Take a cue from Old Spice and approach your responses with the same attitude in your content that got the discussion going in the first place.
4. Use Data to Inform Your Actions
Pull lessons from platform-specific data points, such as what people “like” and “dislike” on YouTube. Initiate discussion about what’s popular and what’s not. Your viewers are voting with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down — try to get a dialog going about why.
5. Cross-promote
There are discussions happening on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, often about the same content. If you post the same video to Facebook and YouTube, draw on conversations happening in other spaces.
For example, when you post a video to Facebook that’s seen traction on YouTube, point it out in a post:
“10,000 people in Acme’s YouTube community ‘liked’ this video. What do you think? Tell us here and join the discussion on YouTube.”
You’ll expose different parts of your community to other opinions and potentially encourage others to join the conversation regularly on more of your company’s social pages.
Like Facebook and Twitter, YouTube can be a fertile ground for interacting with your customers. Its features and content may differ, but the basic principles for interaction remain the same. Keeping this in mind and taking a savvy approach to YouTube responses can help your company make the most of this incredibly popular social space.
Article provided by Mashable
Monday, April 25, 2011
Where is Twitter headed? Is it still a social network or is it becoming a broadcasting platform?
Its supercharged adoption rates two years ago took it from 9 million unique visitors in March 2009 to 17 million the very next month. But that kind of growth has ended. For the past year, Twitter’s unique visitor number has held steady at about 27 million. While 27 million is definitely a lot of people, unlike Facebook, which surpassed Google in 2010 as the most visited site on the Internet, Twitter appears to have hit a plateau. What will become of the site now that it’s 5 years old and flat-lining? At the height of its growth two years ago, 10 percent of Twitter’s active users were producing 90 percent of its tweets according to a study by the Harvard Business School. Today, it appears that even more content is being generated on Twitter by even fewer accounts. According to a report published by Yahoo, 50 percent of tweets consumed on Twitter are now generated by only 0.05 percent of its users. That amounts to 20,000 so-called Twitter elite. The elite include traditional media sources like the Today Show with 756,000 followers or CNN with close to 2 million. They include celebrities like Ashton Kutcher with 6.5 million followers or Oprah with 5.5 million. And they include organizations like the White House with 2 million followers. Some bloggers have also amassed major followings. The technology blog Mashable is followed by 2.6 million people on Twitter, for instance. After five years, is it possible that Twitter is morphing from a social network into a broadcasting platform? For brands, businesses or people who are already famous or well-known, Twitter has clearly proven itself as an excellent platform to speak directly to customers and fans. But as a social network, customers and fans are also supposed to have the opportunity to respond. When Shaquille O’Neal, one of the early celebrity adopters, first began using Twitter, he directly engaged his fans even sharing his location and asking them to come say hello. He continues to respond and interact, but many celebrities use Twitter primarily for one-way communication with fans. The Yahoo study found that when elite celebrity users interacted with others on Twitter it tended to be with other elite celebrity users versus fans. Elite media and blogger accounts also were found to prefer to travel within their shared circles of influence. One point of difference was that elite bloggers tended to share one another’s content more frequently than other elites. Twitter as a broadcast platform actually works well for elite users, but it’s not a model that works for ordinary people and businesses where the rules of social networking still apply. For average Joes, Janes and Jones Incorporateds, Twitter is a better place to meet some new, like-minded people or cultivate a few new customer relationships and positive word-of-mouth. But growing a sizable following that could support a broadcast model is highly unlikely without a full-time dedicated social media manager. Unless Twitter continues to grow and succeed as a social networking platform and appeal to ordinary users, it will not hold its value to elite users as a broadcasting platform. With stagnating growth and the consolidation of its content into the hands of the few, Twitter is at the crossroads and, if nothing changes, could start losing its appeal to both elites and the masses. Story by www.signonsandiego.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tactics for Responding to Online Critics
March 16, 2011
http://officialblog.yelp.com/2011/03/tactics-for-responding-to-online-critics...
blog.html
Tactics for Responding to Online Critics
Posted by Luther, Local Business Outreach
In an entry yesterday morning on the NYT Boss Blog, Southfork Kitchen owner Bruce
Buschel writes earnestly about a pain-point we frequently hear about from business
owners:
What’s the best way to deal with an online critic?
I won’t recount the piece in full here. The gist: one of Bruce’s customers has written a
negative review about his restaurant (on Yelp and elsewhere), recounting a crummy
experience. Bruce wants advice on how to address the critic.
I feel your pain, Bruce. As the manager of business outreach, I’m constantly out on the
road for Yelp, mainly speaking at gatherings of small business owners -- some of whom
get panned on the website that employs me. As a human representative of a forum
where businesses’ dirty laundry is sometimes aired, I’m accustomed to encountering
critical feedback (though anyone can yelp Yelp).
It’s never easy to read negative things about your business on the Internet.
Here’s some advice on how to respond when it happens:
2
Step 1: Stay Calm.
Give yourself a cooling down period. When someone is using a public forum like Yelp to
attack something you’re pouring your heart and soul into, a very natural response is to
get emotional. Don’t. The last thing you want to do is overreact to someone online (See:
Streisand effect).
Step 2. Respond (Privately)
If you haven’t already, unlock your business listing on Yelp. One of the tools you’ll
unlock is a free review response feature. Start out with a private response. Most
online review platforms (Yelp, Yahoo Local, TripAdvisor, Citysearch, etc.) allow
business owners to respond to their reviews. On Yelp, a business owner can respond
privately or publicly. We recommend starting with a private, diplomatic response. Here’s
a template:
• Introduce yourself. (“Hi, It’s Bruce, the owner of Southfork...”)
• Thank them for the review. (“Thank you for sharing your feedback...”)
• Apologize. (“I’m deeply sorry you didn’t have a 5-star experience...”)
• Acknowledge their complaint, and explain what you’ve done to address the problem.
• Don’t be too defensive. As tempting as it is to try to convince reviewers to see things
from your vantage point, it’s easy to come off as dismissive of their accounts.
• Invite them to return. (“We hope you’ll consider joining us again... Here’s my direct
contact information if you do...”)
In short, embrace that old mantra, “The customer is always right.” Jeff Diamond, of
Farmstead Wine & Cheeses. (See the URL for video of Jeff Diamond)
Optional Step 3. Respond (Publicly)
If the reviewer doesn’t change their review after you’ve apologized privately, and there’s
something flagrantly inaccurate within that review, write a short public response to
correct the facts. (i.e. “Molly mentioned the bar closes at 10:00 PM, but we actually
close at midnight.”). You shouldn’t view the public comment feature as an opportunity to
nitpick at slight inaccuracies within a review; instead, it’s a chance to demonstrate to
would-be customers that you’re on top of your customer service. The overwhelming
number of people who are on Yelp right now are reading reviews, not writing them.
Approach each public comment with caution, because if something is miscommunicated
by you, other potential customers will be able to read it. Again, don’t be defensive.
Getting your side of the story out isn’t as important as demonstrating you can keep your
cool when problems arise and that you care about customer feedback.
While only constituting 17% of Yelp, 1- and 2-star reviews seem to receive
disproportionate attention from just about everybody -- except consumers themselves.
Generally speaking, using common sense and applying a customer-is-always-right-
(even-when-they’re-not) mentality is the best way to keep your online reputation strong.
Mar 16, 2011 5:30:00 AM | Permalink
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Check out the testimonials!
Here are a few links to videos that have a lot of testimonials, as well as testimonial reels themselves. www.wetubeu.com/ssl/Client/SDNCC/Videos/SDNCC_QuicktimeFINAL_v5_H264.movwww.wetubeu.com/ssl/Client/TessaSims_KW/Red_Day/CorporateREDdayfinal.mov www.wetubeu.com/ssl/Client/WTUCorp/SalesReels/SalesReels/WTU_Testimional_Reel_1_Fine_V3_H264.mov www.wetubeu.com/ssl/Client/Zenbi_Salon/Testimonials/zenbi_testimonial_final_H264.mov www.wetubeu.com/ssl/Client/StreeterPrinting/Testimonials/Dan_Sinton_Testimional_Final_V1_H.264.mov www.wetubeu.com/ssl/Client/BBQGaloreCooking/BBQStore/FinalVideos/BBQ_Galore_60sec_w-testimionals_Fine_V4_H264.mov ILane Elliott
Posted via email from WeTubeU
Friday, July 16, 2010
online video ads and marketing for a small business
online video ads and marketing for a small business
Your marketing approach can become more dynamic when you use online video ads to being your products or services to the people. Using videos online for your company's marketing is getting easier to accomplish, since you can produce them at cheaper prices now, and still keep them looking like a professional recorded them. Sites with video content, like YouTube and Video Jug, receive more traffic every day, and since nearly everyone multi-tasks these days, media that doesn't require reading is getting more attention.
You can put together a video today using techniques for inexpensive digital cameras, or you may opt to rent or lease more expensive equipment, since that is certainly more accessible now. Video can be embedded into your business emails and e-newsletters. They can be placed on your site, and they serve as a valuable means of marketing for a small business. Using videos on your blog will make it more dynamic and attractive, and you can insert links to your videos in forums where issues pertinent to your business are discussed. Possibly the most effective use of online video ads is placement at content sites, and also free video sites. These will get your company more traffic, and more potential customers.
This is a moment of opportunity for managers seeking new ways of marketing for a small business. Medium sized businesses as well may wish to make a commitment to develop a marketing and business plan, rather than waiting for the market to make a positive turn.
Small company managers and owners no longer need to shy away from the planning process, in contrast to those in larger businesses. Small business owners may feel that they are too busy in running their businesses, and they choose to ignore the advertising options available to them. They may feel that the process of marketing for a small business takes too much time, and that it isn't “that important” for a business their size.
There is, in actuality, a compelling reason for small business owners to begin to plan their marketing process now. These owners need to listen carefully and seriously, and learn how to better compare vendors, to research, and to make important decisions. Many advertising decisions are of more importance now, due to the recession.
In order for small businesses to compete in the global marketplace, they must have a marketing plan that is built on a strategy that will redefine the mission of their business model. They will need to use proper competitive strategies that will turn their businesses around, and help them to grow to the next level. They need to create innovative strategies so that their business can grow and develop into niche markets. Using newer advertising methods like online video ads will increase their stream of revenue, improve their return on investment, increase their share of the market, and provide greater customer value. In taking on a process to create a new marketing plan, small business owners will make better decisions, since planning, in effect, deals with how their decisions will affect them in the future.
Posted via email from WeTubeU
