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Small Business Community News
May 27th
Like the communities we create around our brands, small business owners make up a community too. Sharing news and information to improve our businesses is a vital part of that community spirit. We hope this latest small business news roundup helps our small business community thrive and we hope you share it with yours as well. We all benefit from the information we share. Please pass it on.
Management
Tips for building an online community. It can be a critical part of boosting your brand, product or service online today, but done wrong it can be ignored at best or actually do harm to your online reputation at worst. Here are 10 tips you should consider while building a small business community online. BizSugar
The boss your business needs. A recent guest post also from our sister site BizSugar.com looks at another important discussion out there in the small business community, namely how to run your small business. Hope you enjoy and will share the post and thanks for the opportunity to share these thoughts with a broader audience. BNET
Accounting & Legal
Six accounting solutions. Nicole Fende, “The Numbers Whisperer” takes you on a video tour of the top accounting softwares for small business, and no, Quickbooks is not your only choice. Watch a demonstration of capabilities and have a look at the positive and negative of each along with an evaluation of the kinds of businesses each is best for and a price breakdown. Matt About Business
What business structure is right for you? There are Limited Liability Companies, S-Corporations and C-corporations, all with their own positives and negatives. But which one is right for your business? In this guest post by Nellie Akalp, we get a picture of the different formats and consider the choices, especially from the perspective of a solo or mompreneur. The Work at Home Mom
Marketing
Adding audio to your text-only marketing. Actually, Morgan Barnhart, in this guest post, is talking specifically about turning ebooks into audiobooks, but the principle can be applied broadly to many of your print marketing materials. Imagine increasing the accessibility of your message by adding a brand new dimension: sound! FamousBloggers
8 tips for the e-mail newsletter. Alan O’Rourke gives us a look at the best way to create newsletters these days: e-mail. The process is simple and inexpensive, but there are still some important tips to keep in mind. Here are eight of the big ones. Bloggertone
Startup
Don’t let these seven mistakes kill your startup. Believe it or not, they are more common then you’d think. The key takeaway? Being bummed out by the economy is NOT a promising beginning. It’s important to focus on what you want to do (you’ll be stuck with this business for a while.) Then figure out how to reach customers and create a plan. Yahoo! Small Business
10 steps to building a business. These are not the steps you necessarily take to create a successful business, but the steps taken to create your business, period. The list comes from David Ronick, co-founder of Upstart Bootcamp and is fairly self-explanatory, but important. Enjoy. Inc.com
Tech
How is your business using QR? If your small business’s idea of cell phone innovation is sending out a text to a preferred customers list, listen up. There’s a whole new game out there and it’s called “Quick Response.” If you’re not already using it, you may want to consider it fast, before rapid moving mobile marketing leaves you behind. WSJ
Policy
What policy changes do most small businesses need? Scott Shane insists one is a loosening up in regulations, but also says some of the policy being pushed for in Washington these days will mean little to many small businesses owners. If small business is the key to economic recovery, it’s time public policy start addressing these needs. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Small Business Community News
May 27th
Like the communities we create around our brands, small business owners make up a community too. Sharing news and information to improve our businesses is a vital part of that community spirit. We hope this latest small business news roundup helps our small business community thrive and we hope you share it with yours as well. We all benefit from the information we share. Please pass it on.
Management
Tips for building an online community. It can be a critical part of boosting your brand, product or service online today, but done wrong it can be ignored at best or actually do harm to your online reputation at worst. Here are 10 tips you should consider while building a small business community online. BizSugar
The boss your business needs. A recent guest post also from our sister site BizSugar.com looks at another important discussion out there in the small business community, namely how to run your small business. Hope you enjoy and will share the post and thanks for the opportunity to share these thoughts with a broader audience. BNET
Accounting & Legal
Six accounting solutions. Nicole Fende, “The Numbers Whisperer” takes you on a video tour of the top accounting softwares for small business, and no, Quickbooks is not your only choice. Watch a demonstration of capabilities and have a look at the positive and negative of each along with an evaluation of the kinds of businesses each is best for and a price breakdown. Matt About Business
What business structure is right for you? There are Limited Liability Companies, S-Corporations and C-corporations, all with their own positives and negatives. But which one is right for your business? In this guest post by Nellie Akalp, we get a picture of the different formats and consider the choices, especially from the perspective of a solo or mompreneur. The Work at Home Mom
Marketing
Adding audio to your text-only marketing. Actually, Morgan Barnhart, in this guest post, is talking specifically about turning ebooks into audiobooks, but the principle can be applied broadly to many of your print marketing materials. Imagine increasing the accessibility of your message by adding a brand new dimension: sound! FamousBloggers
8 tips for the e-mail newsletter. Alan O’Rourke gives us a look at the best way to create newsletters these days: e-mail. The process is simple and inexpensive, but there are still some important tips to keep in mind. Here are eight of the big ones. Bloggertone
Startup
Don’t let these seven mistakes kill your startup. Believe it or not, they are more common then you’d think. The key takeaway? Being bummed out by the economy is NOT a promising beginning. It’s important to focus on what you want to do (you’ll be stuck with this business for a while.) Then figure out how to reach customers and create a plan. Yahoo! Small Business
10 steps to building a business. These are not the steps you necessarily take to create a successful business, but the steps taken to create your business, period. The list comes from David Ronick, co-founder of Upstart Bootcamp and is fairly self-explanatory, but important. Enjoy. Inc.com
Tech
How is your business using QR? If your small business’s idea of cell phone innovation is sending out a text to a preferred customers list, listen up. There’s a whole new game out there and it’s called “Quick Response.” If you’re not already using it, you may want to consider it fast, before rapid moving mobile marketing leaves you behind. WSJ
Policy
What policy changes do most small businesses need? Scott Shane insists one is a loosening up in regulations, but also says some of the policy being pushed for in Washington these days will mean little to many small businesses owners. If small business is the key to economic recovery, it’s time public policy start addressing these needs. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Small Business Community News
May 27th
Like the communities we create around our brands, small business owners make up a community too. Sharing news and information to improve our businesses is a vital part of that community spirit. We hope this latest small business news roundup helps our small business community thrive and we hope you share it with yours as well. We all benefit from the information we share. Please pass it on.
Management
Tips for building an online community. It can be a critical part of boosting your brand, product or service online today, but done wrong it can be ignored at best or actually do harm to your online reputation at worst. Here are 10 tips you should consider while building a small business community online. BizSugar
The boss your business needs. A recent guest post also from our sister site BizSugar.com looks at another important discussion out there in the small business community, namely how to run your small business. Hope you enjoy and will share the post and thanks for the opportunity to share these thoughts with a broader audience. BNET
Accounting & Legal
Six accounting solutions. Nicole Fende, “The Numbers Whisperer” takes you on a video tour of the top accounting softwares for small business, and no, Quickbooks is not your only choice. Watch a demonstration of capabilities and have a look at the positive and negative of each along with an evaluation of the kinds of businesses each is best for and a price breakdown. Matt About Business
What business structure is right for you? There are Limited Liability Companies, S-Corporations and C-corporations, all with their own positives and negatives. But which one is right for your business? In this guest post by Nellie Akalp, we get a picture of the different formats and consider the choices, especially from the perspective of a solo or mompreneur. The Work at Home Mom
Marketing
Adding audio to your text-only marketing. Actually, Morgan Barnhart, in this guest post, is talking specifically about turning ebooks into audiobooks, but the principle can be applied broadly to many of your print marketing materials. Imagine increasing the accessibility of your message by adding a brand new dimension: sound! FamousBloggers
8 tips for the e-mail newsletter. Alan O’Rourke gives us a look at the best way to create newsletters these days: e-mail. The process is simple and inexpensive, but there are still some important tips to keep in mind. Here are eight of the big ones. Bloggertone
Startup
Don’t let these seven mistakes kill your startup. Believe it or not, they are more common then you’d think. The key takeaway? Being bummed out by the economy is NOT a promising beginning. It’s important to focus on what you want to do (you’ll be stuck with this business for a while.) Then figure out how to reach customers and create a plan. Yahoo! Small Business
10 steps to building a business. These are not the steps you necessarily take to create a successful business, but the steps taken to create your business, period. The list comes from David Ronick, co-founder of Upstart Bootcamp and is fairly self-explanatory, but important. Enjoy. Inc.com
Tech
How is your business using QR? If your small business’s idea of cell phone innovation is sending out a text to a preferred customers list, listen up. There’s a whole new game out there and it’s called “Quick Response.” If you’re not already using it, you may want to consider it fast, before rapid moving mobile marketing leaves you behind. WSJ
Policy
What policy changes do most small businesses need? Scott Shane insists one is a loosening up in regulations, but also says some of the policy being pushed for in Washington these days will mean little to many small businesses owners. If small business is the key to economic recovery, it’s time public policy start addressing these needs. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Small Business Ideas and Tips for Our Community
May 18th
Ideas and tips abound for small business owners today, but remember there are dangers too. We’ve included a brief overview that will help you be on the lookout for fraud, a growing problem for small businesses today, according to sources. Meanwhile there are some truly inspiring tips and ideas to get your next venture rolling. Please share the resources below with a friend.
News
Neutralizing the risk of e-commerce credit card fraud. Small business owners running successful e-commerce Websites know the benefits of the business model. Customers know the pluses of shopping online too. Unfortunately, credit card fraudsters have also discovered “opportunities” in the world of e-commerce. Make protecting your e-commerce site a part of your business model, or fraudsters may make your site a part of theirs. Virtuosi Media
More on protecting your business from fraud. The reality is that small businesses continue to be a target for such behavior. In fact, according to a recent report, small business owners suffered an estimated $8 billion in fraud related losses in 2010. Don’t let your small business become one of the statistics. Learn more about the dangers of fraud to your company today. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Strategy
How to turn your artistic talent into a small business. Sprayground is much more than just an entrepreneurial venture. For Co-Founder and Creative Director David Ben-David, it’s a work of art…literally! Learn more about this effort to turn art into small business. Do you have an artistic talent that could translate to a business start-up? Entrepreneurship Interviews
How expert knowledge will help your small business thrive. What’s the difference between your most successful competitors and your small business? Do they have some secret that gives them the edge? Well, maybe not just one. Expert knowledge can make a huge difference in marketing your products or services or even in deciding on the right niche to fit your own particular talents. Leveraging that knowledge can be the difference between success and failure. Here’s why. Site Prebuilder
Marketing
Marketing with your mobile phone. Some experts claim that the emerging field of cell phone or mobile marketing is largely generational with younger consumers being far more likely to respond to text and similar mobile campaigns than their older counterparts. But mobile like other technology may defy these generational divides. What is your experience with mobile marketing campaigns and what, if any, success have you seen? Grow Smart Biz
Could narrower social sites lead to super niche marketing/networking? What if your Facebook account was limited to just 50 friends? While many debates rage over the best size of your social network, newer social media sites seem to be aiming at the extreme low end of the range. As with most tech trends, the question for small business owners may be, what could these narrower social media platforms mean when marketing and networking to an increasingly niche audience in the future? Yahoo! Finance
Self-development
Spam as an effective marketing technique? When choosing the best approach to deal with customers, clients and prospects, cutting corners may lead to short-term rewards. But long-term your chances of a lasting relationship really have to do with the choices you make. If the only question is whether unethical or just plain annoying or sleazy approaches “work”, well, they do. But it’s their cost in the long run not their short-term effectiveness that should raise any small business’s concern. Partners in Excellence
How the world of work and your business are changing. Planning for the future with your small business may require understanding where business and work are really headed. Inspired by a similar post by Chris Brogan, Frank Bradley gives his impressions of what the future may hold for all of us and for the future of our ventures too. Workplace Prosperity
Trends
Crowdsourcing your business design. It’s a trend that contiues to have traction but could it lend better results at a lower price too? Design is one of many services you may need as a small business owner, and getting the best results at the lowest cost is important in everything you do to keep competitive and keep overhead down. How can crowdsourcing deliver for you? Buzz
Why some outsourcing may never be the same again. Does your small business outsource services, particularly services like call centers or other activities that involve sharing of sensitive private information overseas? Well, if those services are outsourced to India or China in particular you may have a surprise coming. Changing laws in both countries may soon make such outsourcing much more challenging, but is this a problem or an opportunity for small businesses seeking to provide similar services elsewhere? Inc.com
Small Business Ideas and Tips for Our Community
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Online Income Achievers – Internet Marketing Training & Community
May 14th
Online Income Achievers Is The Place To learn How To Build Up A Successful Internet Marketing Business Really Fast. From Complete Beginner To More Advanced Levels In Just A Few Weeks! Cash In On This Now! http://www.OnlineIncomeAchievers.com/affiliates
Online Income Achievers – Internet Marketing Training & Community
Small Business News: Community and Customer Service Tips
Mar 12th
Community and customer service are an imperative part of business, large and small. Businesses that forget this fact run the risk of not being in business long. How to you give to the community and to your customers? Here are some examples from companies of all sizes, some with offers you too can take advantage of. Enjoy!
Trends
Google uses tools to aid tsunami victims in Japan. The search engine deploys its Person Finder to help locate the missing in Friday’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Your small business may not be able to do something on quite so grand a scale to help with its community, but look around and decide how you can help. Los Angeles Times
How to make sure customer service isn’t customer annoyance. Sometimes the line between keeping in touch with customers or clients you haven’t seen in a while can be tricky. Don’t stay in touch and they may feel under-appreciated. Contact them now and risk being obtrusive. Is e-mail re-marketing a solution. SeeWhy
Tips
Take a few minutes. Win a customer for life. Yep, Michele Welch isn’t kidding and recounts for you the story of a fellow entrepreneur who, with a single gesture, won a customer for life…and an enthusiastic evangelist for her brand. Want to learn more about how some simple customer service can win over customers for good and create incredible customer loyalty. You’ll want to read the rest of Michele’s story above. NewBizBlogger
Giving to get your business back on track. For small business blogger John Jantsch, there is no better reason to give back than to avoid, as he puts it, “acting out of scarcity rather than abundance.” When you’re having that kind of day, try a bit of giving, including community or customer service. You’ll be surprised at the results. Duct Tape Marketing
Operations
Do your people have the freedom? The freedom to make things right and fix things for customers, that is. Lots of companies give lip service to this concept. Small business consultant Jason Kienbaum insists if your business is going to succeed at customer service, it had better be real. Read more! Business Done Now
Why give must come before get. Susan Peyton explains the basis of establishing trust, something which goes beyond social media, blogging, press releases or any of the typical tools and PR. Fact is, it’s what you do with these tools and how you engage that counts. Kind of like community and customer service, you’ve got to give to get. Are you ready? Small Business Trends
Opportunities
Get a free social media idea eveloped especially for your business. One way to offer great customer service is to offer potential customers and clients an opportunity to sample your product before they even need to write you a check. That’s the idea behind the Social Media Summer Twist. Deadline to participate is Monday March 14th. Channelship
Share your social media tip for an upcoming ebook. Help out small businesses everywhere while getting some link juice and visibility for your marketing expertise with this crowdsourcing project that will result in a resource sure to be popular in a world where social media marketing is becoming more popular and powerful by the day. It’s a great way to share with the small business community and commute your personal brand as well. JeffEsposito.com
Take the tech buying survey for your small business. Ramon Ray would like you to take a few minutes to complete this brief survey about your technology purchasing decisions for your small business. And guess what! For your time, you’ll receive a free “tech insights report” to learn more about small business technology usage for your small business planning. It’s an exciting opportunity to help small businesses everywhere gain insight into technology that could revolutionize their efforts today. smallbiztechnology.com
Learn 101 ways of working with virtual assistance. This free 10-day e-course is another example of customer service doubling as customer outreach. It’s free and promotes a list of ways virtual assistants can improve your productivity. How are you telling others about your business and what are you offering them in return. Learn more by visiting and signing up for the free online course and start thinking about offering opportunities to introduce potential customers and clients to your brand or service. Team Double-Click
Small Business News: Community and Customer Service Tips
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Manta Launches Nationwide Brand Awareness Campaign for SMB Community
Mar 2nd
Columbus, Ohio (PRESS RELEASE – March 2, 2011) – Manta, the world’s largest online community for promoting and connecting small business, has launched a nationwide, multimillion-dollar branding campaign featuring its unique audience of small business owners. The campaign, “You do what? We do small business,” showcases Manta’s value to the small business eco-system, specifically to business owners who must promote their business online and to brand marketers looking to reach small business owners and decision makers.
“Manta’s mission is to fuel the SMB engine, make connections for our audience and make business happen”
“Manta’s mission is to fuel the SMB engine, make connections for our audience and make business happen,” says Pamela Springer, Manta president and CEO. “No one else inhabits the small business landscape like Manta; we provide innovative marketing, sales and networking resources to help our users achieve growth, profitability and greater overall success.”
The new campaign highlights the wide-ranging, unique–and often funny–attributes of the vast array of small business owners featured on Manta. The ads ask, “You do what?” of small business owners and showcase the unique aspects of their particular company. Kicking off the campaign is a series of ads featuring Dr. Nicole Eaton of the Animal Hospital of Polaris in Columbus, Ohio, and her exotic animal care practice. In one implementation, Dr. Eaton is shown listening to the heart rate of a stunted red-footed tortoise; in another, she is pictured with an albino Burmese python. The ads conclude with Manta’s new tagline, “We do small business” and a list of Manta’s most recent accolades, including recent traffic gains and a jump in Quantcast’s Top Site rankings.
“The best way to exemplify our unique SMB audience is to showcase the exceptional and far-ranging attributes of the small business owners who encompass Manta,” said Greg Garrick, Manta’s newly hired VP of marketing. “By giving a face and a voice to small business owners in our campaign, we celebrate their unique characteristics while illustrating Manta’s unique audience unavailable (at scale) elsewhere in today’s marketplace. Our campaign communicates to small business owners and SMB marketers alike that Manta delivers the unique audience they desire.”
Manta’s campaign and its brand marketer-focused message will be featured in traditional advertiser media such as Advertising Age and BtoB, both in print and online, and MediaPost. The campaign initially will focus on reaching small business owners in targeted placements on select sites such as Facebook, but will expand to include top national radio outlets in the coming months. Complementing the creative executions of each advertisement will be videos with interviews of the small business owners featured in the ads, which will be promoted through manta.com and social networks.
Manta’s growing list of onsite advertising partners has increased dramatically as more and more marketers recognize Manta’s ability to reach key business decision makers. According to Springer, this new branding campaign will further support that awareness among marketers as will Manta’s sponsorship of several national trade advertising and marketing events throughout 2011. “Manta provides advertisers with custom solutions that integrate their messaging. We utilize the most sophisticated technologies available today to give advertisers advanced targeting across a wide range of categories, including geographic, behavioral, contextual, day part and mobile. Our registration data and in-depth business information on our 64 million company profiles allows advertisers to further fine tune their audience and connect with their key prospects by title, vertical market, company size, revenue and more.”
Manta’s multi-tiered branding campaign will continue to evolve throughout 2011 with additional creative executions featuring small business owners. Manta’s campaign can be followed online www.manta.com/unique or on Manta’s Facebook page.
About Manta
Manta is the world’s largest online community for promoting and connecting small business. With nearly 64 million company profiles, Manta is used by business owners and professionals to promote and differentiate their offerings and “be found” online by customers and prospects. Manta is ranked the second largest business news/research website by comScore and has an audience of 31 million from the U.S. and around the globe. Manta is included in Business Insider’s SAI Digital 100: The World’s Most Valuable Startups. Launched in 2005, Manta is privately held and based in Columbus, Ohio.
Manta Launches Nationwide Brand Awareness Campaign for SMB Community
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Small Business Marketing and Community Service
Jan 24th
We all have social and community issues that we care about. A green planet for some, children in need for others, disabled veterans, survivors of abuse … the opportunity to give back is endless. But what does that have to do with small business?
Well, social programs not only help people in need, but also provide marketing opportunities for the generous, smart and socially aware small business owner. It can be profitable to serve (for both you and the charity).
Two Profitable Reasons to Support Effective Social Programs
1. COMMUNITY. Effective programs provide hope and opportunity for underrepresented segments of society. They help people survive, learn and eventually contribute. Social programs touch people’s lives, and that’s something the small business owner knows instinctively. We see the faces of our clients daily. We understand that the problem we solve in business helps people, families and communities in our way. Our size allows us to maintain the intimacy of service that our businesses provide. Supporting smart social programs is almost a no-brainer for small business owners. In fact, small businesses are some of the most generous givers in my community.
But we sometimes miss the real marketing benefit–and there is no shame in taking advantage of that benefit, when you consider a few things.
2. MARKETING. When you offer a quality product or service and also support an initiative that you believe in, that’s social networking at its best. It’s your business taking the time to care about both your clients and your community. Tactfully spreading the word helps the nonprofit and helps you. You not only get to tweet it and Facebook it, but you are often included in the event’s or organization’s promotional materials. Remember, that social program typically needs marketing support, too.
Two Ways to Maximize the Relationship
1. PASSION. Find programs that match or complement your business and personal beliefs. If you discover what you are passionate about in business, it makes it easier for you to weather storms as your build your dream. Simultaneously, if you discover what you are passionate about in community service, it makes it natural for you to give (and promote). For example, if you sell children’s clothes, then support a children’s program. If you sell women’s clothes, support the local women’s shelter. But don’t stop at giving.
2. PRESS RELEASE. Use a press release to the get the word out. Send it to your local paper, radio and television stations, and submit it online. You never know when your news can help a reporter complete a story and give you and the local charity publicity that money can’t buy. Since a rising tide lifts everything in the ocean, your promotion brings attention to the charity as well.
QUICK TIP: Be careful about choosing a polarizing issue (unless you are ready to stand by it or your business is automatically connected somehow). There are some issues that may cost you customers. In the end, you want to be both business wise and personally true.
Small Business Marketing and Community Service
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
5 Ways To Reward Your Community
Dec 20th
5 Ways To Reward Your Community
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Image grabadonut via flickr
This time of year, in particular, people turn their thoughts towards saying thanks to their most important personal and business relationships. Traditional gifts such as gourmet food baskets, flowers and iPads go a long way towards this goal, but their as a few other significant ways to reward your community that may just last a little longer than that bar of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark.
Now the word community gets bantered around a lot these days, but for the small business I consider the collaboration universe of your prospects, customers, suppliers, staff, advisors, partners and, in some cases, competitors to make up the community.
Below are five ways to reward that community.
Appreciation
I can’t tell you how far saying thanks goes. Many people do things, such as refer your business, because they know you can help, but it’s sure nice to know that you appreciate the gesture. This is a great place for me to, once again, promote the idea of hand written notes. Don’t reserve this for external folks either, tell your staff, your internal team, thank you and don’t save those words for the annual company Holiday lunch, tell them when they’ve done something well. Pick up the phone and leave messages of appreciation on routine basis.
Education
I think one of the best things you can do for folks is share your knowledge and help them gain a new skills and tool sets. This can certainly come in the form of hosting or presenting training, but it can also be in form of books or a subscription to a tutorial service like Lynda.com. We bought the entire Duct Tape Marketing Consulting Network a copy of Nancy Duarte’s Slide:ology because I think it’s a great book for anyone that needs to create presentations. If you have a special expertise, even if it’s not strictly related to your core business, share it with others as a way to say we care.
Information
One of the ways to show your community that they matter to you is to make sure they have information that others may not. Sure, you can take this as far as creating closed door membership portals or you can simply tell your newsletter list or customer list something that’s coming up before you announce it to the world. Bring your community members into your product development, strategic planning and marketing meetings by some process that allows them to weigh in and give you feedback and insight. These types of gestures help your community feel much more connected and often turn them into some of your biggest evangelists.
Recognition
Recognizing the achievements of others is a great thing to do in the big picture of life. Doing so in business returns rewards that keep the cycle of giving and receiving primed and working. This certainly includes your staff, but keeping tabs on you clients, partners and advisors via Google Alerts or some other form of social network monitoring and making a point of recognizing accomplishments is a powerful thing. This can be a simple as a birthday card, retweet, or clipping a newspaper article and sending it along with note.
Introduction
One of the biggest thrills I get these days is when I can make something happen for someone in my community. This past year I’ve been able to refer business to people, introduce a budding author to my publisher, and connect several bloggers and speakers with clients that could engage their services. Opening doors to opportunities and creating introductions for a team of strategic partners is one of the greatest ways I know to reward your community and build your business. The fact that this works to benefit both parties in the introduction is a tremendous benefit.
The beauty of everything I’ve mentioned in this post is that if it’s done out of trust, mutual respect and the knowledge that your rewarding behavior is the best way for you to help your clients then you’ll never fear you’re giving is too much or that it’s not reciprocated in some manner – and that’s the best gift you can give to yourself.
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
How to Find Your Online Community
Oct 13th
I was surfing the Web this weekend and stumbled across XKCD’s updated Map of Online Communities (here’s the TechCrunch writeup). The map takes real numbers and attempts to map out where Web users are hanging out online. The premise behind the map is that we no longer live in actual communities; instead, we call digital communities our home. As a small business owner and someone who spends a fair amount of time online, that concept really hit home with me.
Yesterday we heard that 69 percent of consumers are more likely to buy from a local business if there’s information available about that business on a social network. We’re hearing more and more that users are turning to social networks for recommendations and information. Small business owners need to know which communities and networks their audience relies on. Having this information helps us find “influencers” so that we can connect with them, leverage them and create content specifically for them.
Do you know which communities your customers are a part of and where you need to be? If not, here are some ways to find out.
Where are you getting traffic?
One of the most important data points you need to know is where your traffic comes from. That means looking behind just Twitter or Google. What other sites or networks drive referrals to your business? If you don’t know, it’s time to get a Google Analytics account and educate yourself.
Once you install Google Analytics, you’ll be able to monitor where you’re getting your traffic from. You may find it’s coming from niche social networks, related blogs, local retailers, niche forums, etc. If you’re having a hard time picking apart the sources, you can set up your analytics to filter out certain sources so that you can really hone in on specific blogs or social communities.
Once you know the sources that are sending you traffic, you can become part of their communities to strengthen the relationship. If these groups are routinely sending you visitors, then it means you have an audience there that you should be aware of.
Who is linking to you?
In business, you’re told to follow the money. On the Web, you have to follow the links. When online users want to share your company with others, they link to you. Monitoring this data and keeping tabs on who is linking to you, how often and how many visitors they send helps you find your audience and the bloggers/customers you should reach out to. If you’re getting a lot of links from an authoritative blog in your niche, then you know that that’s a community you need to be aware of. Maybe that means engaging in the comments there, writing a guest post or specifically tailoring content pieces for the audience. You should also be watching to see who’s not linking to you but is linking to your competitors. Maybe there’s a way to win them over and create an audience you didn’t have before.
Who is talking about you?
Tracking mention of your brands is another good way to find important online communities. By setting up comprehensive Google Alerts for your brand terms (or your competitors’ brand terms), you can be updated any time your brand is mentioned. Monitoring these searches will help you to find new networks and sites where your audience is hanging out. It can also help you find new opportunities for guest blogging or potential partnerships by identifying up-and-coming sites you may not have been aware of.
Which online communities do customers say they belong to?
Ask them! Your customers know which sites they frequent online. They know where they share content, where they post the most, and what blogs they read daily. Offer incentives for them to share this information with you, whether it be via coupons, giveaways or a poll in your newsletter. The more you can identify where “your people” are hanging out, the better you can create content specifically for them to bring them back into your business.
The updated XKCD map is a good reminder of the communities that exist on the Web and why it’s important that we, as small business owners, know which ones are friendly toward us. Knowing where your customers are in social media is the first step in being able to market to them.
How to Find Your Online Community
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