How to Choose the Right SEO Tactics for Your Small Business

When it comes to SEO, many business owners are overwhelmed. There’s so much information out there, much of it conflicting, making it nearly impossible to drill down to the right strategies you should be employing. In this post I’ll try to walk through several of the considerations you should be taking into account in determining which SEO tactics to prioritize for your business.

seo

Different people often describe different SEO tactics in different ways, but at a high level we can think about SEO in two basic categories:

  • On-site SEO: This is basically anything that you’d do to your own site to generate more relevant search engine traffic. This includes specific on-page elements such as title tags, image ALT tags, meta descriptions, internal linking strategies, as well as technical SEO (i.e. duplicate content issues, etc.). On-site SEO is important for any Website, but may be more or less valuable depending on the type of site you have – for instance this should often be the primary focus for larger websites that have a lot of robust content, broad distribution “built in,” and already have a lot of authority and trust with search engines (such as news sites).
  • Off-site SEO: This is essentially a variety of things that would be classified as “link building” such as guest blogging, link outreach and producing share-worthy content. If your site has a relatively small amount of content and is targeting a smaller basket of keywords that are highly relevant to your business, after you get the basics in place with regards to on-page SEO your focus will likely be on building links to help rank for your core terms.

Choosing the right SEO strategies – those that make the most sense for your business — is the first step to a successful campaign. This is followed by the decision between managing these tasks in-house and outsourcing to an SEO agency. Here’s a breakdown of the main strategies falling under each category and how to determine what tactics will make the most senseyou’re your business.

On-Site SEO

On-site content: The content appearing on your Website is the foundation on which you can build the rest of your SEO strategy. Without a solid base of content, traffic-building efforts will produce lackluster results. If your business involves highly technical information, and you have someone on staff with both the bandwidth and the skills to produce quality content, it makes more sense to retain content production in-house.

On the other hand, if your content needs exceed the capabilities of your staff, options include outsourcing to a content provider or hiring a dedicated staff writer. It’s also possible to maintain production in-house and outsource to an editor to refine content before publishing.

Blogs: Blogs alone can require a significant time commitment. But the nice thing about blogs is that having multiple voices is encouraged. In this case, multiple staff members can often contribute content, at least initially. But as your audience grows you may find that you need more frequent updates, so you may choose to outsource to an agency. Like on-site content, if the blog content is highly specialized, it’s probably better to keep it in-house.

Keywords, site structure, & technical SEO: Formatting the navigation and code of a website is one of the most technical aspects of SEO. This is one task not easily managed in-house, unless you’re already employing an SEO specialist or developer knowledgeable in SEO best practices. That said, for many smaller content sites a periodic SEO audit can be effective in keeping your site up to date with best practices without having to retain an SEO on an on-going basis.

Off-site SEO

Overall link building strategy: There are a variety of methods that can be used to drive traffic and links. One of the most effective that is also highly useful for branding and thought leadership is content marketing. You’ll want to spend some time thinking about the different types of content creation and promotion that will be the most efficient and effective for your business, and consider how best to use your resources to execute a content marketing strategy. This could be as simple as periodically publishing well-thought out articles and infographics, or it could be as complex as publishing multiple posts a day and adhering to a strict editorial calendar.

Guest blogging: Guest blogging is a widely-used strategy for both networking and linkbuilding. The process involves outreach, pitching and producing content appropriate for placement on related websites.  Guest blogs are often used as a way to establish thought leadership and brand awareness, so informative posts coming from a CEO or other high-level executive have a bigger impact. Still, it’s possible to have posts ghostwritten if you don’t have the capabilities to produce it in-house.

Content creation and linkbait: This category includes case studies, white papers, list posts, edgy blog posts, infographics, webinars, and all the content pieces that can be used to grab attention and encourage social sharing. Infographics should almost always be outsourced unless you employ a skilled graphic designer, while the other tasks can be managed either in-house or via outsourcing depending on the skill level required and the technical level of the content.

Before you determine whether your focus will be on on-page SEO or more on content creation think about some of the following questions:

  • Do you have a large site that targets a number of different keywords on a variety of different pages? If so your focus should likely be on technical SEO issues and internal linking and information architecture.
  • Do you have a smaller site focusing on a shorter list of keywords? If so you’ll want to find a way to build links into specific pages, likely spending more of your efforts – particularly your ongoing efforts – on content marketing and link building.
  • What types of content resources do you have available (who has the ability and bandwidth to write a blog post, an in-depth article, etc.)?
  • What types of outreach resources would you have available (in the event that you need to identify a list of sites to promote a contest/piece of content/etc. to who could carry out contacting those sites, if anyone)?
  • Do you have any graphic resources available internally?
  • Do you have any programming resources available internally (someone who could potentially build a simple widget designed to attract links or make updates to the site that would benefit SEO)?

Obviously in areas that are logical for you to focus on where you have adequate resources you can get those internal resources to work for you. If you’re lacking in the areas that you’ll want to dedicate the most attention to, however, (if your focus should be on technical SEO but you lack technical resources, for instance) those would be areas where you’d want to consider outsourcing.


SEO Photo via Shutterstock

From Small Business Trends

How to Choose the Right SEO Tactics for Your Small Business

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

Twitter Chat: Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Business?

Save the date and join us next Tuesday, May 15, 2012 for a Twitter chat that’s all about branding.  And before joining us, ask yourself:

“Is my brand helping or hurting my small business?”

If this question only has you asking more questions, without answers, then you will certainly want to join us for this chat as I will be discussing common branding mistakes and providing tips to fix them.

$100 Gift Card as Giveaway

As part of the chat, Small Business Trends will be doing a giveaway of a $100 gift card. The gift card will be good for services at a FedEx Office store near you. To be entered into the giveaway here’s what you need to do. Just tweet out the following, filling in the blank with what a statement about the value of a professional logo.  At the end of the chat we’ll randomly choose from among the best responses received:

Q:  A professional looking logo …

Example answers:  

- A professional looking logo gives customers confidence in your company’s professionalism.  #FedExOffice

- A professional looking logo says your company cares what customers think.  #FedExOffice

Your answer needs to be no longer than 140 characters, and must include the hashtag:  #FedExOffice

This Twitter chat is part of the FedEx Office® ”FedEx Office Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat Series.”  The discussion will be moderated on the @FedExOffice Twitter handle and the chat will take place under the #FedExOffice hashtag.

Submit your questions in advance of the Twitter chat to the @FedExOffice Twitter handle, either via direct message or in a tweet, using the #FedExOffice hashtag.  And we will be there to answer them!

Be sure to join us:

TOPIC: Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Small Business?

DATE: Tuesday, May 15, 2012

TIME: 1:00 pm ET (New York time)

WHERE: Twitter.com, of course! Simply follow the hashtag #FedExOffice.

Be sure to follow me, @smallbiztrends as well and if you’re new to Twitter chats, check out Lisa Barone’s “How to Participate in a Twitter Chat.”

Disclosure: FedEx Office compensated me to participate as a small business expert during the FedEx Office Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat program and write this post. FedEx Office also provided the $100 gift card. The ideas in this blog post are mine and not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.

From Small Business Trends

Twitter Chat: Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Business?

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

Starting Your Own Business Profitable Paint Manufacturing

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3 Common Small Business Pricing Mistakes

You’re rocking the sales funnel, bringing in new business and delivering to your clients like a super star. So why aren’t your profits growing too?

oops

You may be an unwitting victim of common pricing mistakes. These drive-by villains can kill your bottom line. Read on to learn if your profit margin is a target.

Small Business Pricing Mistake #1 – Everybody’s Doing It

You’re almost ready to launch a new product, but still haven’t set the price. To save time, and let’s be frank (or Betty or Joe… ) , to avoid the number crunching, you set your price based on your competitors’ prices. Although the lowest is $99, and the highest is $875, most are in a tight range between $425 and $475. Hmm… how about $462? $462.15? Perfect!

Does this scenario sound familiar to you?

There are two basic problems with this approach. The first is the assumption that your competitors are making a profit with that price. Even big corporations can have the wrong price and take a bottom line beating. While I hated hearing it as a kid, this type of pricing has me quoting my mom:

“If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump off too?”

The second problem with this approach is apples, or perhaps I should say apples to oranges. How does their expense structure stack up against yours? Is this truly an apples to apples comparison? Or did some Florida oranges sneak in? Even if, and that is one BIG if, their product is priced correctly, your expenses may be higher which would result in a price that is too low for your business.

In fact, if a direct competitor is an exact clone of you, how do you stand out? You can’t be a leader if you’re following someone else.

Small Business Pricing Mistake #2 – Death by 1,000 Cuts

When working with clients on their pricing I invariably hear, “Why are you asking about that? It’s such a small amount?” This profit killer isn’t a drive-by, it’s death by 1,000 cuts (yes that was really a form of execution). Small doesn’t mean harmless.

Consider a weekly expense that is $5. Seems like peanuts in the grand scheme of things. Now multiply that number by 52 weeks, at $260 it doesn’t seem quite so small. What if you were ignoring five different $5 expenses every week? That’s $1,300!

Small things add up, ignore them at your own peril.

Small Business Pricing Mistake #3 – Why Are You Working for Free?

Many entrepreneurs assume that their pay is in the profit margin. Wrong. Profit margin is what your company earns. What about your time? If you did that same work for another company wouldn’t you bill them? Any product or service you sell involved some of your time, shouldn’t you be paid for it?

Look at it another way. What if someone else had done the work? Wouldn’t you have to pay them? Calculate the cost of your time (if it helps, imagine you’re the employee) and include that in the price. And don’t forget to actually pay yourself.

If you still want to work for free give me a call – I have plenty of projects on my desk!

Final Thoughts

Have you made these pricing mistakes? Are there others you struggle with? What would be the easiest for you to fix today to grow your bottom line?


Oops Photo via Shutterstock

From Small Business Trends

3 Common Small Business Pricing Mistakes

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

Small Business Awards and Contests You Should Check Out

Apply for a contest or award today — there are good business reasons to do so.  First, you get recognition and publicity for your business — and that’s just good marketing.  On top of that, it’s good for employees.  You give your team something to excite them and to rally around.  Finally, awards are good strategy: being nominated and winning can set your business apart from competitors.

But remember, YOU must make it happen, by applying for awards.  Don’t be shy — nominate your company.  Or nominate a customer or client for an award and show them you care about THEIR success and want to honor them.

The list of awards and competitions below is brought to you by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

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Enter by May 11, 2012

In celebration of National Small Business Week 2012, the U.S. Small Business Administration is looking for creative videos from small businesses that show how they have been assisted by an SBA program or service (counseling, training, guaranteed loans, government contracts, disaster recovery, etc.). The video contest will help showcase small businesses across the country that SBA works with on a regular basis. Winning videos will be shown on May 23, 2012 in a Google+ Hangout with the SBA and the White House.

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Win FREE Business Cards From MOO
Moo business cardsEnter by May 12, 2012

If you have a business with 10 or more employees, you are eligible to enter the random drawing for a chance to win $1,000 in free businesses cards, from Moo.com.  The details are here.  It runs through May 12, 2012 — so don’t wait.   And if you have clients or business partners with 10 or employees in their companies, please let them know about this terrific opportunity. Enter the giveaway here.

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The New York Enterprise Report 2012 Small Business Awards
Enter by May 21, 2012

The New York Enterprise Report Small Business Awards is the annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of the 500,000+ small businesses throughout the tri-state area. The Small Business Awards will recognize 5 small businesses for their best practices and 3 businesses under the “Best of the Year Awards” categories.

A panel of experts in the related fields will judge all award packages. Awards will be presented to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages, revenue profits and/or long-term value. Please note the criteria and requirements listed on the awards website.

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SMB Influencer Awards 2012Small Business Influencer Awards 2012
Enter by July 15, 2012

The 2012 Small Business Influencer Awards are now open for nominations!   The Influencer Awards honor companies, organizations, apps and people who have made a meaningful and lasting impact on the North American small business market. Impact may mean (i) providing products widely used by significant numbers of small businesses, or (ii) influencing significant numbers of small businesses by being a thought leader, or (iii) providing information or services of note to significant numbers of small businesses.   Nominate here.

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Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition
Enter by August 8, 2012

The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition is an annual international business plan competition in Michigan. The event is the world’s largest business plan competition with more than $1 million in prizes. The goals of the competition are to promote Michigan as a venue for innovation and opportunity and stimulate job creation.

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The New York Times Make Your Pitch Contest
Enter by August 29, 2012

Submit your pitch on video, telling about your product or service, your marketing plans, your customer base. Tell what makes your business different — why it is one to watch? Do you need capital? If so, how much and what for? Most important, how are you going to make money?

All video pitches that meet the submission guidelines will be featured on The New York Times small-business Facebook page and selected pitches will be featured on the New York Times You’re the Boss Blog.

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To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar.
If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it’s free).

Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.

From Small Business Trends

Small Business Awards and Contests You Should Check Out

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

Are You Hiring For Your Small Business?

Are you hiring for your small business? If you’re like other small business owners, your hiring may have slowed a bit last month. Here are some of the reasons and some additional information on the state of small business hiring.

Hiring Slows

Majority of small businesses aren’t hiring anytime soon. It seems that, despite positive signs in the economy, small businesses will be staying cautious. Is your business being careful about moving forward with new hires? Sacramento Bee

Putting small business hiring within a bigger context. Hiring in general is slower than it has been in seven months across the job creation spectrum. The small business slowdown is part of that larger picture. Los Angeles Times

Inside the Issue

What April’s slow down is all about. Check this report from the National Federation of Independent Business about small business hiring numbers for April. Why has hiring slowed among smaller firms? Reuters

Why are owners so reluctant? We know hiring numbers are not what some were expecting last month. So what’s behind all this timidness? Is there a reason entrepreneurs aren’t priming this particular pump? Mercury News

The Real Deal

Small businesses are creating jobs. Don’t be fooled. While a hiring slow down is cause for concern, there is some context that should be added. Small businesses haven’t stopped creating  jobs, but the numbers must be seen from a broader perspective. The Street

Data behind bad hiring numbers. There’s no one reason why small business hiring is in a slump. But all these factors together are taking their toll. Do you see your own business’s story here? The Washington Post

The Broader Perspective

Still hiring faster than the big boys. It’s important to remember that while small businesses aren’t creating jobs as quickly as some might like, they’re still filling more positions than their big business rivals.  Entrepreneur

Hiring is down, but not everywhere. Though both small business hiring and size of payroll suffered a drop in April, it turns out that result was not seen everywhere. Are some communities and some businesses bucking the trend? Phoenix Business Journal

Where We Are

Nobody’s given up yet. The good news is that slower hiring rates have nothing to do with small business optimism or stability. Small companies are bouncing back, even if they aren’t hiring as fast as some had hoped. Inc.com

Hiring halted by real concerns. Lack of access to credit heads the list of reasons small businesses aren’t hiring as much as might have been expected. What factors are holding back your hiring and job creation plans? eWeek

From Small Business Trends

Are You Hiring For Your Small Business?

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

The Evolution of Business Cards [infographic]

Since the 1500 hundreds in China, to the 21st century Business Cards have evolved in a world where technology has advanced business cards are still very common.

Moo has put together a great infographic that details the rise, and continued use of the business card.

The Evolution of Business Cards


View full post on Business Pundit

10 Best Business Conference Hotels

Whether you want to teach a seminar, maximize your profits, reach out to investors, introduce new products, or host your most valued employees for a week-long retreat, the properties on this list have everything you need. These top 10 hotels offer the best locations, accommodations, spaces, facilities, meals and high-tech amenities.

1. Seaport Hotel. Boston, MA

A luxury hotel only 10 minutes from Logan Airport. Seaport offers more than 40 flexible meeting and event spaces, it offers some of the most varied options in the city, from intimate boardrooms overlooking the waterfront to a large amphitheater equipped with cutting-edge audiovisual technology.

Seaport encompasses 180,000 square feet of venue space – more than any other Boston hotel. Choose from over 40 distinctive Boston meeting venues and function spaces, including eight ballrooms, a massive exhibit hall, a high-tech amphitheater, as well as elegant private dining rooms and outdoor gardens.

For those seeking a less corporate environment for smaller gatherings, the 18th floor Admiral Suite has 3 distinct seating areas, private pantry, conference table for 8 and panoramic views. All rooms and suites come with wi-fi and large work desks.

2. Aspen Meadows Resort. Aspen, CO.


This Aspen conference facility has received awards for their unique spaces including the ultra-green, Gold LEED certified Doerr-Hosier Center boasting smaller-scale rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, a permanent art gallery and the expansive McNulty Room
praised as one of the best Aspen meeting venues.

With 40 sweeping acres, 22,000 sq.ft. of meeting and event space, 14 meeting rooms throughout 6 different buildings, state-of-the-art audio-visual technology and 24 hour business center, it’s no wonder why heads of state, diplomats and business leaders from around the world book this hotel for business and corporate retreats.

3. Lakeway Resort & Spa. Austin, TX.


This venue, is unlike any other in Austin or the Hill Country and is built on the shores of Lake Travis, providing a stunning view for guests. This resort has been long recognized as one of the top meeting, executive retreat and conference destinations in Central Texas. Lakeway Resort and Spa is a unique combination of a luxurious resort and spa with top level conference facilities.

Lakeway Resort offers; 24,000 Sq. Ft. of Flexible Function Space, 5,800 Sq. Ft. of Exhibit Space, 5,200 Sq. Ft. class-enclosed ballroom, 17 meeting rooms, 4 ballrooms, conference services & AV staff onsite, sound system & video conferencing, basic LCD projectors included in the CMP, TV & video playback equipment, overhead projectors, lapel & handheld microphones, ergonomic chairs with work tables & white boards.

There’s natural lighting in the meeting rooms, wireless internet access throughout property, 24-Hour Business Center, and a conference planning manager to assist in all aspects of planning and executing your program.

Lakeway Resort and Spa has been awarded over ten industry awards in its conference history. Lakeway Resort is the ideal location to host a business event or interactive and recreational group outing with a golf course to boot!

4. Gaylord Palms Resort & Conference Center. Orlando, FL.


Gaylord Palm offers easy access, elegance and functionality in every aspect of 400,000 square feet of flexible convention, exhibition and pre-function meeting space.

Located on one level; the 178,500 square foot Exhibition Hall, the 3 ballrooms and the 61 breakout rooms were creatively designed to ensure smooth ease & flow between meetings. These meeting spaces are just steps away from guest rooms and incredible outdoor function venues.

The 4 1/2 acres of lush gardens and winding waterways under glass to explore is one way to unwind and relax at the end of the day.

5. Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. Los Angeles, CA.


A recent $1 million renovation included the 100,000 square feet of meeting space, which features the largest ballroom in the city and the California Showroom exhibition hall for trade shows.

Whether you need space for a private executive session or a gala ball, you’ll find it there, along with a 24-hour automated business center, gourmet catering and The Spa at Equinox Century City for unwinding during breaks.

Comprehensive selection of high-tech equipment including; digital audio, professional cameras, multi-image presentations and computer data projection, webcasting and archiving of all your meeting presentations, exhibit displays and set design with flat screen and plasma monitors.

6. Hilton New York. New York, NY.


More than 150,000 square feet encompasses classrooms, theaters, banquet rooms, receptions areas and a selection of suites.

Better yet, planners will make sure that every detail is taken care of, right down to pens for attendees and ice water on the lectern.

New York is one of the finest places to host a conference, or an event, and the Hilton Hotel is one of the best locations in the world to do just that.

7. Emory Conference Center. Atlanta, GA.


A full resort and conference center. Inspired architecturally by Frank Lloyd Wright and set in a 26-acre forest preserve.

This Green Seal-approved property blends the casual elegance of prairie style and environmentally friendly policies with a 32,000-square-foot conference center.

Along with the expected ballroom, meeting rooms, this hotel has the largest amphitheater in the southeast U.S.

Atlanta is also one of the finest places for a conference or event and this historical location would be a great place for any large event.

8. Kellogg Conference Hotel. Washington, D.C


The Washington D.C. Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center has hosted thousands of conferences, seminars and social functions since 1952 and is the perfect setting for a gathering of ten to 1,000.

The 32 fully functional meeting rooms offer a total of over 35,000 square feet of flexible space including a 300-seat auditorium and a 50 seat tiered lecture hall.

DC is a great location for conference as it offers very many hotel and flight options for any East Coast event.

9. Caesar’s Palace. Las Vegas, NV.


Featuring an elegant classical Roman design, the state-of-the-art meeting facilities are set apart from the action of the casino yet just an elevator ride from guest rooms in the Palace Tower.

Large or small groups will find an incredible range of flexible spaces in close proximity to freight elevators, spacious pre-function areas, and countless configuration options to meet any need.

Located on the strip of Las Vegas, this hotel offers; 45 restaurants and lounges, Apx. 300,000 Sq. Ft. of meeting and convention space, 3,348 guest rooms and suites, 180 retail outlets, Wi-Fi access throughout the meeting and convention area, event coordinators, basic LCD projectors, TV & video playback equipment, overhead projectors, microphone and podium access.

Plus, it’s Vegas… need we say more? It’s the excuse you’ve always wanted.

10. Brown Palace Hotel. Denver, CO.


Whether it’s creating an Oval Office for bilateral meetings with world leaders, or organizing a simple training session.

This downtown Denver conference facilities offers More than 13,000 square feet of event space, including 12 separate rooms.

Features that include: Internet access hubs in all meeting rooms, onsite audiovisual services, web casting and video conferencing abilities, full-service business center, dedicated conference service manager for each function.

Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel has hosted nearly every president and has the nickname the Oval Office of the Rocky Mountains because how frequented it was by President’s during trips out west.


View full post on Business Pundit

Founder of Radius Intelligence, Darian Shirazi: Sales Intelligence Comes to Small Business

If you’ve ever attempted to acquire contact information or background data about a specific company or small business for sales prospecting and were unable to do so, there’s finally some good news for you. Darian Shirazi, Founder of Radius Intelligence, joins Brent Leary to share his solution and break down those obstacles.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends: Can you give us a little bit of your background first?

Darian Shirazi: I have been in the internet business for quite some time.  I have worked with eBay, Facebook and a bunch of different startups.  My interests are really around big data and technology solutions.

Small Business Trends: How difficult is it to get good quality information on small businesses?

Darian Shirazi: The challenges that a lot of companies have had in the past is that they don’t really understand or are not able to predict how difficult it is to acquire data about small businesses. You really notice that of the data sources out there, the ones about small businesses are not really complete, and they don’t have a lot of useful data.  They don’t have a lot of social data or data on how well the business is doing, who the owner is, who works there and basically the presences across various sites like Yelp, CitySearch, OpenTable, etc.

To get this data you really have to build technology that can do something called named resolutions. What that means is you can basically identify business names in text.  So if a news article gets written about a specific business, the technology is able to identify when the news article mentions the business name. Same goes for views, tweets, social data or any piece of content. The program automatically identifies business names in free form text.

This is something that we spent a couple of years on.  It is really tough to do well and is something that most companies spend most of their time researching.  The only companies that really do it well are Google, a few small startups and us.

Small Business Trends: So just how much information do you have on small businesses?

Darian Shirazi: We track 15 million small business in the United States in real time and we have more than half a billion pieces of data right now.  We are adding about 10 to 30 million of pieces of data per month, depending on the month and the amount of new data we can find. The data types are social data, government data, people data, business listing metadata, daily deals, news articles and reviews.  We have hundreds of thousands of sources that we track on real time. We do our best to make sure that everything is always fresh.

Small Business Trends: You also stated you have a lot of localized information?

Darian Shirazi: We have targeted a lot of really interesting local data sources and the reason why is because businesses get mentioned in articles that are on local blogs. Whether someone really likes a specific dog grooming company or dog grooming business.  Or does not like the specific dog grooming business that might be written in the local blog more so than any other sources.

Small Business Trends: You mentioned in a previous conversation there are around 10 millions sales people that are actively trying to do business with very small businesses? What is the biggest challenge you hear from them?

Darian Shirazi: The biggest challenge is really just prioritizing leads and knowing which leads to go after. They are trying to get more intelligent about certain things but, all in all, they are having trouble prioritizing leads for local sales forces. In our situation, we really are trying to help these local sales forces identify, understand and prioritize small business leads.

Small Business Trends: So how do those kinds of people use your services? How easy is it for them to find and then follow that information?  

Darian Shirazi: It is very easy.  You literally go into Salesforce.com and find our ad and immediately start generating new leads off of our service. You can prioritize leads and import data directly into Salesforce, which is particularly useful.  Being able to import data is a big deal and you can use it inside of other CRM applications.

For sales people who don’t use CRM, which there are a lot of small business sellers that don’t use the typical “bells and whistles” in systems like Salesforce.com or Microsoft Dynamics, they can use the product as a standalone.  They can go to Radius.com and get an account.

Small Business Trends: You are able to get contact level information on these folks that work at small businesses?

Darian Shirazi: For some businesses, yes. We are working on getting it for every business. The government data that we have acquired has all of the owner names, mailing addresses and those kinds of things that we have for a good number of businesses. We have phone numbers and other contact info for most of the other businesses.  Actually, phone numbers for every business.  But other contact information depends on the business itself.

Small Business Trends: Where can people learn more about your service?

Darian Shirazi: Check out the product and sign up for a free trial at RadiusIntel.com or RadiusIntelligence.com.

Brent shares a few of his impressions of Radius’ offering on his blog as well.

This interview is part of our One on One series of conversations with some of the most thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This interview has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click the right arrow on the gray player below. You can also see more interviews in our interview series.

Whether you’re growing your business or starting a new venture, BlackBerry solutions provide you with the freedom you want and the control you need. [Series sponsor]

From Small Business Trends

Founder of Radius Intelligence, Darian Shirazi: Sales Intelligence Comes to Small Business

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

The Truth About Pinterest for Your Small Business

The new social media site Pinterest has some definite benefits for small business, but be aware there are some negative aspects too. Like many other tools, it has pros and cons you should understand before getting started.

New Frontier

Tips for new tools. Here’s an introductory look at how Pinterest can be used as a small business tool. There are also some helpful tips on how to get started using the site with small business in mind. SeaCoastOnline.com

Hurt by social media? You’ve probably heard the advice by now that Pinterest can have a positive affect on your business. But one business owner had quite the opposite experience with spammers on the site who actually did her business harm. Mashable

Business Opportunities

Affiliate marketing opportunities. Pinterest has had a shaky history where affiliate marketing is concerned. Initially, the site’s own Skimlinks affiliate program caused an outcry among users. Currently, an independent affiliate marking program called PinDollars is being treated as spam by the social network. Small Business Trends

A new home for crafting businesses. It wasn’t so long ago that Etsy was dominating the news as a place for crafting small business owners to market their products. Today, Pinterest is appealing to this group in a different way. ReporterNews

Big Success

Pinterest’s founder speaks. If you want to know how this innovative social network changed the game in social media completely, there’s no better place to start than with the story of the company’s rise and no better place to hear that story than from the company’s founder. Business Insider

Big brands discovered it. How about you? If some of these companies are using the features of the world’s most talked about social media network, why not your small business brand? How can Pinterest boost your company’s visibility? InvestorPlace

Digging Deeper

A new era in marketing. In April, business coach Stephanie Ward participated in a live chat with the BizSugar community on Facebook about marketing small business using Pinterest. Here is a brief overview of that session with a link to the archived chat. BizSugar Blog

Some fatal flaws. Despite its increased user base and growing popularity, some critics say Pinterest presents some problems not easy to ignore. Are these issues bigger than those troubling other social networks? CreateHype

Reality Check

The legal deal. One of the biggest concerns raised about Pinterest again and again is one of copyright infringement. Before starting to use Pinterest for your small business, explore the legal ramifications possible for this new tool. JD Supra

The big appeal. Before you start using Pinterest, maybe it would help to better understand the appeal the site has with its rapidly expanding fan base. Here are some important things to consider about why we love love Pinterest. Los Angeles Times

From Small Business Trends

The Truth About Pinterest for Your Small Business

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