Home Wealth Project
Extensive Research On How To Build Wealth From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.
Hugely Popular Job Interview Guide: Unspoken Rules Of Getting Hired
Dec 6th
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Hugely Popular Job Interview Guide: Unspoken Rules Of Getting Hired
The New New New Rules of Marketing and PR
Sep 20th
The New New New Rules of Marketing and PR
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Marketing podcast with David Meerman Scott (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes or subscribe via other RSS device (Google Listen)
My good friend David Meerman Scott stopped by the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast recently to talk about the release of the 3rd Edition of his mega best selling book The New Rules of Marketing and PR. This book changed the way many people think about marketing and has remained on many a “must read” list since it was first released.
The first edition came out in 2006, right at the edge of the social media explosion, so naturally version two included the addition of social media.
So, what’s changed in the last few years enough to warrant a third edition?
The Third Edition, features completely updated case studies and examples also includes a very useful Marketing and PR Strategy Plan template that will help people get started using a step-by-step approach to social media.
In addition there’s a new chapter on social media measurement and ROI tracking. David is staunch promoter of the “The Power of Free.” and that chapter should be required reading for all marketers. The book also includes a discussion on the use of Real-Time tactics made available by the real time nature of news and events reported online. The case studies in this vein are extremely interesting and feature some very creative marketing thinking.
The biggest addition to the book, however, is the inclusion of a section on mobile. Mobile is last year’s social and marketer need to understand both the new tools and new behavior that comes with building a business in a world gone increasingly mobile.
View full post on 
You can listen to the show by subscribing the feed in iTunes or a variety of other free services such as Google Listen (Use this RSS feed) or you can buy the Duct Tape Marketing iPhone app. (iTunes link – Cost is $2.99) or
6 Rules for Creating a Business Homepage
Sep 1st
If you caught yesterday’s post, you know that your small business needs a website. If you missed it, well, maybe go give it a read now. Because it’s the truth. Your website is how your business will be able to build a presence, a brand and authority online. It’s also how you ensure that you’re getting in front of your target audience instead of hiding from them in a sea of obscurity.
Or at least it is if you design your site correctly.
While there’s a lot that can be said about how to design a business website, I thought I’d focus on some best practices for one of the most important pages on your site – your business home page.
Below are six rules to keep in mind when designing the home page for the rest of your site.
1. Give the Who, What, When, Where, Why & How.
Someone’s just landed on your home page. Quickly tell them who you are, what you do, and where they can find you (your actual business location) in case this is the first time they’re hearing about you. Then tell them where they can go on your site to get more of this kind of information. Once you do this, move on. Your home page isn’t the place to get into your company’s life story or to establish your whole point of difference. You have other pages on your site that should be dedicated toward that, like your About page or your Services pages.
2. Focus on what you want people to do.
OK, so someone landed on your website. What do you want them to do next? Do you want them to read your blog? Do you want them to click on your Services area? Do you want them to enter their email address into a site contact form? Whatever your goal is, that is the direction your home page should point people toward. Often site owners try to make their home page their everything. They include links to every page on their site, showing off every product they offer, everything they sell and everything they’ve ever written. They give people a dozen different choices of activities they can perform.
Unfortunately, most people can’t process this many options.
Remove all links from your home page that don’t serve your purpose. When it comes to your home page, less is often more. You really want to cater to who you are and your core competencies. If someone likes the T-shirts on your site, they’ll dig around on their own. You don’t have to bombard them with links to every other page on your website.
3. Create the path you want people to follow.
OK, so you’ve decided what you want people to do when they land on your home page. Now carve out a path to help them navigate through the rest of your site. Build that conversion funnel that leads people toward the actions you want them to take. Without that path it’s too easy for a customer to get lost, become confused or hit the back button. By creating a path you help keep them exactly where they belong – navigating through your site. A path is created by focusing on the things you want someone to do and removing the options for them to do what you don’t want them to do (like click to the home page from inside a shopping cart).
4. Give them a way to get in touch with you.
If someone landed on your home page instead of one of your interior pages, it may mean that they conducted a broader search. They weren’t looking for what you sell; they were looking for your brand name. If that’s the case, then help them learn more about you by providing quick links of places they can go to get to know more about you. Maybe it’s your Twitter account, your Facebook page, your company LinkedIn profile, your blog, etc. These all serve as important trust cues and they help customers get to know the voices and faces behind the company, which is often exactly what they’re after.
5. Avoid clutter.
Yes, you want to make your homepage more dynamic by introducing customers to the other arenas they can go to learn more about you, but you don’t want to clutter your homepage up with so many buttons and links that customers start getting NASCAR flashbacks. Pick what’s important, decide which accounts you want to highlight and focus on those. You can include all the other social media profiles, accounts and author profiles on a more in-depth About page.
6. Don’t steal your competitor’s text.
You have a blank home page in front of you waiting to be written. Where do you go for inspiration or some “help” getting started? Well, if you’re like most business owners – you go straight to your competitor’s Web site.
Stop. Go back. This is a bad idea.
Using your competitor’s text as a “guide” or straight-out copying lines from their home page isn’t going to help you convey your site’s brand message. It’s not going to get across what’s different about how you do business, why you’re the better choice or what you have to offer. While it may be tempting to use a competitor’s home page for inspiration, try not to. Take some time to really think about your business and your customers. What information are they looking for and what needs do they have? How can you best market yourself to them?
Those are some things to keep in mind when designing or redesigning your site’s home page. Do you have any examples of home pages that really get the job done or ones you think could benefit from a re-do?
6 Rules for Creating a Business Homepage
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Rules for Startup Entrepreneurs
Aug 3rd
There may be few road maps when it comes to starting a small business, but there are certainly things to keep in mind. Here are some important tips to keep in mind when getting started and when running your business as well that can help you along the way. Enjoy!
The Basics
Keep your mind on funding. For example, special incentives in place right now may make it a perfect time to look for investors for certain kinds of domestic corporations. The incentives may not be right for your business but could help with startup or expansion in company’s meeting the prescribed profile. Always be on the lookout for opportunities for funding. WSJ
Figure out your customer. There are a lot of things that go into figuring out your market, whether the market for a new product or service or a market into which you might want to expand an existing business. But creating a profile for the ideal customer can be a great place to begin. Respectfully Disobedient
Buy a business that works. Of course, you don’t have to start a business from scratch to launch yourself into entrepreneurship. Why not buy an existing business instead. The key to this process, of course, is to make a good purchase on a business that works and that you can work at and expand with time and hard work. WSJ
Marketing & PR
Understand the Web. This does not mean you need to be a Web guru or even that you should go and hire one. It does mean that a good understanding of how the Web works including some practical common sense understanding of SEO is advisable for any entrepreneur seeking to launch almost any business in an era so dominated by online communication. Directory Journal
Embrace the social media. Yes, we said embrace! It’s not enough to know and except its existence. Facebook, Twitter and their ilk have transformed communication forever, and whether they remain in existence next year or even a decade from now is beside the point. As an entrepreneur, you need to understand how to get to your customers and right now they’re all on FB. M4B Marketing
Learn the basics of public relations. Whether you intend to hire someone to do PR for your company or not, understanding the basics of PR are key to any entrepreneur or small business owner. Advertising and marketing are both huge costs. To the extent you avoid those costs with a bit of simple public relations instead, the importance for your business could be huge. EMSI
Setting Up Shop
Learn the art of the press release. Along with the basics of PR management, every entrepreneur should learn the basics of the press release. Though writing may not be your long suit, when starting out small it can be critical to have a basic grasp of how to tell others, most importantly the media, who you are and what you do. David Coyne
Invest in the talent you need. Whether tech specialists or other employees, your workforce will be important to your success, at least if your business expands beyond a one man or one woman operation. So the question becomes, how do you find the right people for your business and attract them to your company? The answer may not always be money. WSJ
Find the right location and make it work for you. You’ll here it a lot in small business circles: location, location, location. But the fact is that answering this question for your business could be more important than most., Do you need the best location in town? Do you even need a location or will a virtual office serve just fine? Are questions to answer as your business plans move forward. The Frugal Entrepreneur
Extra Tips
Virtual assistants: the future is here. Possibly the most important innovation for the overworked entrepreneur is the virtual assistant. Often entrepreneurs themselves, these workers have emerged as an outgrowth of both outsourcing and online technology allowing support that gets you what you need when you need it at cost you can typically afford. They may be working for other people too, but there’s no need for you to hire another employee or the headaches that go with it. The Rise to the Top
Rules for Startup Entrepreneurs
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Facebook Simplifies Promo Rules, Shifts Burden
May 25th
Are you using Facebook Promotions as a way to increase your number of fans and bump up engagement? If so, you’ll want to make yourself aware of the fresh updates Facebook just made to their Promotional Guidelines. And if you haven’t been using Facebook Promotions, well, you should know about this, too.
Facebook announced last week that they were simplifying their Promotional Guidelines, dropping the site-wide prohibiting of promotions involving tobacco, diary, gambling, firearms, prescription drugs and gasoline. The new guidelines also permit marketers to require a purchase for entry and to target those under age 18 or in countries previously banned (like India, for instance).
But not so fast!
That doesn’t mean the floodgates have been opened. It just means it’s not Facebook that will be policing your promotions anymore. Now it’s up to you to make sure you’re adhering to any local laws governing how you can and cannot market to people. All Facebook has done is made itself no longer responsible for your bad marketing behavior.
According to Facebook, the changes were made to ensure that their Promotional Guidelines were more consistent with Facebook’s other Terms & Policies. However, common thought is that Facebook simply got tired of having to play judge and jury, and that they’re looking for ways to increase revenue on the site. Opening up ads to once-prohibited areas sounds like a pretty good way to do that. So don’t be surprised if you see tobacco-related ads suddenly calling Facebook home.
As a marketer, this is an announcement you want to be aware of. First off, it makes it vital that you know your local laws in terms of how you’re able to market to people. Second, it’s also a sign that Facebook’s promotional opportunities have come of age. With certain restrictions being lifted, it’s likely that we’ll see some brands shift over their advertising budgets to Facebook in hopes of targeting a more engaged, connected audience. And that’s something worthy of both watching and noting.
Though it’s certainly not a free-for-all, it’s nice to see Facebook simplifying its promotional guidelines, if only because it makes them easier to understand. One of the major complaints I’ve had with Facebook Promotions is the number of hoops you had to hop through and how inconsistently the rules were enforced, causing you to question what was or was not allowed. Now with Facebook merely stating “Don’t look at us; look at your local laws,” it gives small business owners (and everyone else) a clear direction to go in.
And that’s good. Because clearer rules leads to increased adoption. For small business owners looking to grow their presence on Facebook, running promotions and giving people an incentive to like, share or interact with your page is a good way to do it. And once you get someone to like your Brand page, it really does open up a new world of ways to engage with them.
Facebook Simplifies Promo Rules, Shifts Burden
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Business Book Review: Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World
May 14th
“Customers are more than five times as likely to post something online when they feel like they’ve been taken advantage of….Right away the odds are stacked against you. But treating them well is all you need to start changing the odds.”
This quote is from Peter Shankman, best known as the founder of HARO and currently CEO of his own boutique marketing and PR firm, The Geek Factory. The quote appears in his guide Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World. I picked up a copy while browsing in Barnes and Noble Union Square in New York. Even with a few page flips, you’ll find this a helpful handbook to keep your customer service, and your business, on track.
Actionable Ways to Improve Customer Service
Call me a sucker for deja vu, but this book really reminded me of Empowered, a book on infusing social media through employees, IT and management (read the review here). Empowered was about how to empower employees with social media so they could provide better service within an organization and to customers. The same theme occurs in Customer Service, though with fewer case studies to explain nuances and successful efforts, as well as with fewer pages. So the theme becomes crystalized in a few sentences, like the comment below:
“The key to good customer service through social media starts in the company as a whole….The happier the employees are, the better they’ll be at administering stellar customer service…If the company is happy, good customer service becomes second nature.”
Here’s what I really liked about this guide: Customer Service provides specific to-dos (and to-don’ts) scalable to small business, along with first-rate reminders of those actions. As a case in point, Shankman created an acronym for treating customers: WARS.
- Make them feel Welcome
- Make them feel Accepted
- Make them want to Return
- Make them want to Share
Shankman also has a penchant for thinking about how to classify responses. His names for the kinds of complainers are just cool, such as the Dear @cnnbreakingnews Complainer (one who will gladly go to the media with their grievance). Shankman uses these interesting descriptions to explain what needs immediate attention, and if so, what kinds of steps are effective at appropriate times.
Take the Never-Complained-Before complainers. Shankman suggests that the you address them immediately, because you may not distinguish them as truly angry or in the Multi-Complainer category (one who likes their dissatisfaction to be heard repeatedly via many different channels.) These kinds of approaches and subsequent steps are a godsend if you’re in the throes of business building and not sure where to begin. As Shankman mentions in the section “Always Be Aware – It’s the Thing You Don’t Think of That Can Kill You”:
”No matter how busy you think you are running your business, you need to keep one ear to the ground looking for problems. Problems tend to be immediate surprises.”
The nice aspect of Shankman’s approach is that no idea is offered in a paltry attempt to cause ongoing panic about customers. Instead the goal in each tip is to manage your engagement as best as possible.
The social media tools recommended are pretty basic, such as reliance on Google services but no mention of other alert services. For Twitter, there are no suggestion for apps such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck. But given the rapid proliferation of applications and even quicker introduction of upgrades, this content skip-over is probably wise. Consider how this guide can fit your immediate social media tools selection.
What Books Are Potentially Complementary?
Customer Service did not read like rehashed blog tips, and contained some very solid suggestions. The successful and not-so-successful examples are presented similarly to those in Power Friending (see the review here), which is a good thing as far as I am concerned. In addition, if you have just upgraded your website using tips like those from Effective Websites for Small Businesses (see the review here), you’ll find a book like this a second wind to make your site an effective working asset and wonderful online experience for customers.
You can follow Peter Shankman on Twitter at @petershankman.
Business Book Review: Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
The No Rules Diet — Excellent Niched Product — Promote Now!
May 5th
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The No Rules Diet — Excellent Niched Product — Promote Now!
Unapologetic Rules for Entrepreneurs
Apr 14th
Unapologetic Rules for Entrepreneurs
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Marketing podcast with Andy Kessler (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes or subscribe via other RSS device (Google Listen)
In this episode of the the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, former hedge-fund manager Andy Kessler gives his “unapologetic” advice and rules for helping entrepreneurs find that next big game changing innovation. The title of his most recent book – Eat People – comes from rule #7 – Find ways to get rid of useless jobs.
Some might be asking what a hedge fund guy knows about rules for entrepreneurs. Well, Kessler built a wildly successful fund by understanding and identifying the 12 rules outlined in this book as his way of picking winners from the losers. It’s a great point of view, unbiased in some ways from the traditional entrepreneurial thinking.
The book rides on the underlying theme that we’re all entrepreneurs and that the days of the traditional job are over – even inside of big companies. In fact, big companies are trying to act more entrepreneurial to stop the onslaught the nimble small biz.
Kessler explains how the world’s greatest entrepreneurs don’t just start successful companies-they overturn entire industries. He offers twelve surprising and controversial rules for these radical entrepreneurs, such as:
- Eat people: Get rid of worthless jobs to create more wealth for everybody
- Create artificial scarcity for virtual goods
- Trust markets to make better decisions than managers
You can listen to the show by subscribing the feed in iTunes or a variety of other free services such as Google Listen (Use this RSS feed) or you can buy the Duct Tape Marketing iPhone app. (iTunes link – Cost is $2.99) or
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
SBA Overhauls Rules for 8(a) Set-Aside Program
Feb 23rd
The Small Business Administration has announced major changes to the rules for its primary set-aside contracting program. The changes to the 8(a) program were made in an effort to reduce fraud and make sure contracts go to deserving small businesses.
“The regulations, first and foremost, help ensure the benefits flow to the intended recipients,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said in announcing the rules. “By tightening the regulations, along with unprecedented oversight over the past two years, SBA is demonstrating its commitment to preventing waste, fraud and abuse.”
The new changes will include:
- Joint Ventures –the 8(a) firm is now required to perform at least 40 percent of the work of each joint venture contract awarded.
- Economic Disadvantage – the new rules clarify how economic disadvantage is determined related to total assets, gross income, retirement accounts and other factors.
- Mentor-Protégé Program – mentors must provide assistance to protégés or face consequences.
The Washington Post, reporting on the changes, noted that the 8(a) program has been abused by large companies and entrepreneurs who don’t meet the criteria as disadvantaged, but still take advantage of the rules. Enforcement could remain problematic, though, since agencies are short-staffed and many procurement officials are too unfamiliar with the rules to administer them properly.
In October, a Washington Post investigation led the SBA to temporarily suspended a large contractor, technology company GTSI, from doing business with the government after evidence came out that GTSI had used two small businesses to get contracting work to which it wasn’t legitimately entitled.
I think we can all agree that ensuring contracting opportunities go to the right companies is a worthwhile goal. These changes are the first comprehensive overhaul of the 8(a) program in over 10 years, and were made based partly on input from small business owners at public meetings held nationwide.
SBA announced the new rules on February 11; will become effective in 30 days on March 14, 2011. You can get full details on the revisions and a guide to the 8(a) program at the SBA website.
SBA Overhauls Rules for 8(a) Set-Aside Program
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Small Business News: New Social Media Rules
Feb 19th
Social media is coming into its own as a tool for networking and marketing in small business and larger brands a like. Beginning with blogs and moving into the rapidly expanding worlds of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more there is a lot to learn AND a lot to be gained, so log on and enjoy!
Basic Tips
First, avoid these social media mistakes. Before you even get started plunging into the world of social media, it’s probably not a bad idea to look at some of the things you shouldn’t be doing. Make no mistake, there are major errors that will cause this fantastic tool called social media not to work effectively, or, worse yet, do more harm than good. Have a look. Bloggertone
Seven great sources of blog inspiration. Yea, we know. That blog content can be hard to come by, not just finding the time to write but just finding all the ideas needed to churn out a decent post day after day. But never fear. Even the greatest writers in history had dry spells. Here are some places to look when you hit yours. Sociatic
Dos and Don’ts
Using Twitter for business: Q&A with Cindy King. Editor of Social Media Examiner Cindy King fields key questions in this live online question and answer session held via Facebook earlier in the week. The session was perserved in transcript form for all to enjoy. (Thanks to Niall Devitt for making it all happen.) Follow along to see if your burning Twitter question is answered. Social Media Ireland.
How not to spam friends on Facebook. Mistreating your friends in social media is no different than mistreating them in the real world. If you do it too often, you may soon find you don’t have friends anymore. This can be disastrous for your online brand and business of course. But with social media so new, how can you be sure you are not accidentally making these mistakes? We’re so glad you asked. Social Media Virtual Assistant
Customer Service
Feeding your customers with social media. A very small part of networking and social media is actually getting your community’s attention. A much bigger part is keeping it. But what is the trick to getting and keeping a community loyal and slowly turning them into customers? It all comes down to what you give them and whether it leaves them wanting more. BizSugar Blog
Social Media SEO
How does social media drive Search Engine Optimization? How much do Twitter, Facebook and the rest affect your Website’s standing with the major search engines? The question continues to be asked among Internet marketers but a statement recently from Google has caused even more speculation. Here’s one analysis of what social media really means to SEO. SiteStream
Content Basics
Stop writing boring blog posts! Seriously. Stop assuming your blog posts are boring because of the subject matter. There’s probably a much better reason and it’s you. Here’s an unsettling look at what’s really wrong with your social media content and some advice and how you can go about fixing it. Business 2 Community
How to be a bit more discerning. When was the last time you started a blog post and then decided to change course in mid-post completely abandoning what you were working on for something you think is better? Or when was the last time you finished a blog post completely, looked it over and ended up pushing “delete” instead of “publish.” If you haven’t done either of these things recently, maybe that’s what’s wrong with your content. And it’s got to change. Blogging Bookshelf
How to deliver on Twitter or any other social media platform! Though Jason Kienbaum may have assembled a great list of tips here for how to handle your Twitter account, it seems to us that his suggestions will work well on just about any other social media platform too. We hope you agree and that you will join us in checking out and implementing Jason’s great tips for socializing online today. Business Done Now
It may be one of the most powerful social media tools of them all. But with all the publicity lavished on Facebook and Twitter, you might not think of LinkedIn immediately when mapping out your social media campaign. But while the site that evolved from an online Rolodex into a huge business networking community may not be as flashy as some of its rivals, it has some important features that cannot be ignored. RhinoSEO
Small Business News: New Social Media Rules
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
