Small Business Community

Personalized Blogging

2010-08-30T06:00:00.039-04:00

I've taken the last few weeks off from blogging, and I think it was a great decision. I had previously been adamant about keeping a rigid posting schedule (3 times a week) and I got burnt out. I became focused on meeting my self-imposed deadlines, and the quality of the blog posts often suffered. So after taking a little breather, I think I'm ready to start writing about things that I care about, and hopefully that will translate into a more enjoyable experience for me as well as for those that read this blog.

It looks like it will be a busy fall for me, and there should be plenty to write about. Next week I start my final term for my MBA program, and the schedule should be pretty challenging. I also will be taking on some new responsibilities at work, which will give me an opportunity to expand my base of knowledge.

I'll try to write at least one post each week, but I don't plan to force it into my schedule when it just doesn't fit. More than anything, I just want to make sure that my blogging experience feels authentic and worthwhile. Anything else is a waste of your time and mine.

Gone Fishing

2010-08-09T09:35:00.000-04:00

When I started blogging at the beginning of the year my goal was to post 3 times a week, no exceptions. Well, last week I posted on Monday, and that's it. When it came time to write posts for Wednesday and Friday I just didn't have it in me. I felt like I had nothing at all to say, and I didn't want to write a boring, meaningless post just to stick to an arbitrary schedule.

I've written before about some of the difficulty I've had keeping up with my blogging schedule, and until now I've always maintained that blogging on a regular schedule was important enough to me that I would continue, even when I didn't really feel like blogging. The difference now is that the quality of my blog posts have been going down (in my opinion, anyway), and that means it's time for me to take a step back and rethink my approach.

I need to rethink a few things about how I approach blogging. For now I expect to post on an ad-hoc basis, most likely once a week. Hopefully a few tweaks can help me feel a little less burnt out.

You Can't Fake Enthusiasm

2010-08-02T06:00:00.041-04:00

Well, maybe you can fake enthusiasm, but probably not very well. And not for very long either.

I had lunch today at a local seafood restaurant and our waitress was great: she was engaging, attentive, and genuinely enthusiastic. The food was great too, but that's beside the point. Even if the food had been just okay I would still have rated the lunch as excellent just based on the great service.

Many customer service experiences lack enthusiasm, which is a shame. Showing some enthusiasm can be an easy and meaningful way for a customer service rep, sales person, or really anyone to delight their customer.

Kindle Not Competing with iPad

2010-07-30T06:00:00.037-04:00

I was very happy to read yesterday that Amazon's Kindle is not being positioned to compete directly with Apple's iPad. Rather than beef up the features it would need to position itself along side the iPad as a multi-use tool, the newest versions of the Kindle will increase it's advantage where the iPad is weakest: it will be much cheaper (starting at $139), lighter (8.5 oz), and thinner (1/3 of an inch), making it the most accessible and convenient e-reader on the market. For more details check out this link.

I think this is a smart strategy. We've seen countless brands try to compete with the iPhone to become the smartphone leader, and most of them fail because they try to compete with Apple at what it does best: develop innovative, high-quality products that can do many things pretty well. By sticking to their original game-plan Amazon is ensuring that the Kindle continues to be the best e-reader on the market.

If the next few generations of Kindle continue to become cheaper and lighter I bet most iPad users will own Kindles too!

Social Gaming is Big Business

2010-07-28T06:00:00.033-04:00

On Tuesday afternoon two large companies threw their hats into the social gaming ring. Gamestop announced their plans to acquire Kongregate Inc., a social gaming forum for free-to-play gaming. Kongregate currently hosts 10 million monthly players. Just hours later Disney announced plans to purchase another social gaming platform, Playdom, for around $763 million.

I'll be curious to see how many companies follow their lead in the next few months. More information can be found here:

Social-game makers scooped up in acquisition deals

GameStop Buys Online-Games Distributor Kongregate

21st Century Resume

2010-07-26T06:00:00.085-04:00

I've been working on my master's degree for a couple of years, and in December I'll finally graduate. I have a meeting scheduled with a VP at my present place of employment to discuss career options, but it's time to update my resume in case that doesn't work out. But updating my resume entails so much more than it used to!

Today a resume is so much more than just one document that I send to potential employers to review. I need to make sure that I present myself properly online as well. Here's a quick look at everything I need to update:

Resume (paper version)- Yes, this is still going to be important. Even in the digital age this is still something that most prospective employers will expect. I think I'll mine done by a professional resume writer to give it a little more polish than the current version.

Social Media- Once I have a revised resume to work from I need to make sure that all of my online profiles are updated for consistency. I'll also make sure to include links to my LinkedIn and Twitter accounts as well as my blog.

Search Results- It also doesn't hurt to make sure nothing embarrassing comes up in a Google search of my name. Actually I don't expect this to be an issue for me: searching the name Pat Henry brings up 14,400,000 results, none of which have anything to do with me. Still, worth checking just in case :)

I also wish I'd gotten around to stating a website earlier this year, because that would be a terrific way to further promote myself in the digital world. As it stands I think the time and effort is better spent elsewhere, at least until I'm done with school. Otherwise I think I have a decent list of things I need to do to have a fully updated resume.

I hope this brief list may provide a good starting point for anyone else trying to update their resume. Anyone with other tips is welcome to share them in the comments!

Flipboard Revolutionary for iPad and Social Media

2010-07-23T06:00:00.013-04:00

When the iPad first came out I thought "Wow, that looks cool, but I don't really have a need for it." The new Flipboard app has me rethinking my position. Launched by Twitter and Facebook co-founders, Flipboard takes links from social network feeds and displays them as pages in a magazine. The Montreal Gazette explains in this article:

Flipboard takes the stories and photos linked to by friends on Facebook and Twitter and lays them out on the full-color screen of the iPad tablet computer like on the pages of a magazine.

Users can personalize the content on Flipboard, create their own sections around particular topics, and quickly flip through the latest material posted by friends on social networks by using the iPad touchscreen.

After reading the article I watched the short video demonstration on http://www.flipboard.com, and the application is very impressive. I may have to consider buying an iPad just to use Flipboard! I'll wait until they iron out some kinks though (Flipboard Responds to Failed Launch).

Few New Businesses Started in 2010

2010-07-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

I just read a rather depressing piece of information: for the first half of 2010 the rate of new business start-ups was the lowest it's been in 24 years. According to a blog post for the Wall Street Journal "the 3.4% first-quarter start-up rate and the 3.9% in the second quarter mark the lowest first-half since (executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas) started recording data in 1986." The reason for such a dramatic decrease from last year is less than obvious:

“It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason behind the decline in start-up activity among former managers and executives,” Challenger Chief Executive John Challenger said in a statement Monday. “On one hand, it could be that the job market has improved to the point that many do not feel compelled to take the risk of going it alone. Then there is the fragility of the recovery and the uncertainty that comes with it. Many small business owners are increasingly pessimistic about business conditions and still find it difficult to get a loan.”

The silver lining for this is the increase in payroll workers over last year, but it's still hardly encouraging news overall. Be sure to click on the link below and read the full WSJ post for more details.

Small-Business Formations Decline

Was Apple's Press Conference Successful?

2010-07-19T06:00:00.028-04:00

On Friday Apple held a press conference to address the problem users have had dropping calls when using the new iPhone 4. As I mentioned in this post a few hours before the press conference Apple's best course of action was to accept responsibility, fix the design flaw, and apologize for letting their customers down.

That's not quite what happened.

Steve Jobs did acknowledge that there was a break in the antenna's reception, but tried to convince users that other smartphones have worse reception and more dropped calls. He also said that "antennagate" is not as bad as the media has made it out to be, and that a fairly small percentage of users have called to report any problems. (I wonder how many users tried to alert Apple only to have the call dropped...)

To Apple's credit they made a generous offer to give away free cases that seem to resolve all reception issues, but I think they diluted the positive gesture by trying to downplay their problems. It doesn't matter if other smartphones have similar issues: Apple users expect their iPhones to be of a higher quality, and those expectations have now been lowered.

Does anyone think the press conference went well for Apple? Did they save face? Will the free cases make users forgive and forget?

Can Apple Save Face?

2010-07-16T06:00:00.048-04:00

Three weeks ago I wrote about The strength of Apple's brand as evidenced by the wildly successful launch of the iPhone 4. Since then, however, Apple's brand appeal has taken an incredible hit as the millions of newly purchased phones began dropping calls. The cause of the reception problems are a result of the antenna design, and this report on bloomberg.com suggests that Apple may have known about the problem long before the phone was introduced to the public:

Last year, Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert, informed Apple’s management the device’s design may hurt reception, said the person, who is not authorized to speak on Apple’s behalf and asked not to be identified. A carrier partner also raised concerns about the antenna before the device’s June 24 release, according to another person familiar with the situation.

The article also indicated that Apple is planning to hold a press conference later today, though Apple has not indicated what will be discussed. Is there anything Apple can announce that will satisfy their customers and reaffirm their commitment to quality? Apple had an opportunity to do this previously and failed:

Soon after Apple released the iPhone 4 in June, some customers complained about losing their signal. Apple last month advised users to buy a case or avoid holding it in the lower- left corner “in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band.”

It's no surprise that this response didn't delight iPhone 4 users. I'm looking forward to today's announcement, and I'm hoping that Apple will accept responsibility, fix the design flaw, and apologize for letting their customers down. Anything else and Apple may be in trouble. And I'll be buying a Blackberry.

Does Blogging Quantity Decrease Quality?

2010-07-14T06:00:00.032-04:00

I received a comment on Monday's post that I should consider abandoning my rigid blogging schedule of posting every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday at 6am. The idea is to focus on quality posts and not worry about quantity. I agree that quality is critical, but isn't quantity important as well?

I think blogging on a schedule has merit. If I were doing anything else business related on a schedule it would imply improved quality (better focus, earlier shipping times, etc.). I try to have the same focus when it comes to blogging, and thought I admit I've posted a few dull ones here and there I think the schedule ultimately helps me remember that this is something important to me. Otherwise I'd just post whenever I felt like it, and it would quickly cease to be a priority.

Do any other bloggers keep to a schedule? Any that don't?

Blogging Failure

2010-07-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

My blogging goal for 2010 was to post 3 times a week: on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 6am. I typically write each post the afternoon or evening before it's scheduled, and when I get up the next morning I paste links into LinkedIn groups and on bizsugar.com. For six months I posted on time without fail, even while on vacation. My schedule had never been broken. Until today.

This morning I realized I forgot to write a blog post. I should have over the weekend, but it was gorgeous out. I took care of regular weekend chores (grocery shopping, laundry, etc.), but mostly I tried to avoid the indoors. A little outdoor dining, a walk downtown, a mountain biking trip... blogging never crossed my mind.

I'm disappointed that I broke my streak (I'm kind of obsessive like that), but it was a great weekend and I'm actually glad I didn't try to force blog writing into it. Plus I'm still getting this up on Monday morning, so I'm not too far off the mark. No harm done!

Social Media in the News

2010-07-09T06:00:00.026-04:00

I'm back at work this week, though part of me is still mentally on vacation. Judging by the modest amount of activity on my social networks many of you are having the same problem! I decided to use this lack of focus as an opportunity to find out what's new in social media. Here are a few of the top stories:

Are Men Using Facebook to Hook Up, Break Up? Ask Sandra Bullock

Some doctors join Facebook, Twitter; others wary

Twitter takes steps towards social media advertising

Increasing Prices for Mediocre Services

2010-07-07T06:00:00.041-04:00

I read yesterday that the U.S. Postal Service wants to increase its rates. Not only are they seeking to increase the cost of stamps by 2 cents, but they also want a 5.6% increase in standard mail rates. What justification do they use for these proposed price increases? They need money.

I don't use the U.S. Postal Service very often these days. There's just not much that they do better than their competitors. If I'm sending something urgent, I use UPS or FedEx because they're faster and more reliable. Anything I purchase online get sent to me via UPS or FedEx (usually) because large company accounts make it too convenient for online retailers not to use them. I almost never mail a check anymore: it's all done instantly online. Pretty much the only time I mail something is an occasional birthday card.

Instead of increasing rates for services that are increasingly unwanted, shouldn't the U.S. Postal Service try to find out what services their customers really do want?

Business Links

2010-07-05T06:00:00.016-04:00

Like most American workers I'm off today as part of a three day holiday weekend, which fits quite nicely at the end of a week long vacation! Anyway, for those who are at the office (or have set off all of their fireworks) I thought this would be a good time to post a few links from my Google Bookmarks stash. Enjoy!

13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn

How to Use Social Media for Competitive Intelligence

Differentiate Or Die: How To Survive The Competition

Social Media for Professionals

2010-07-02T06:00:00.006-04:00

A reader commented on Wednesday's post about how I've been using social media, and he included a link to a business oriented website that I've never heard of: http://biznik.com. I decided to sign up for it when I read the following on their website:

Their tagline made me laugh: "biznik: business networking that doesn't suck."

Their membership terms and conditions includes this statement: "I certify no aspect of my business or the business I represent involves recruiting other people to sell third-party products or services so that I can earn a percentage of their sales (including hosting parties)."

I'm new to it, so I don't have much of an evaluation to share just yet. I'll gladly reference it again in a future blog post if I think it's a "must-use" networking site for business professionals.

Do you use any professional networking/business oriented websites? If so please share in the comments!

6 Months of Social Media

2010-06-30T06:00:00.004-04:00

Today brings the first half of 2010 to a close, which means I've now been actively using social media for 6 full months. I thought this post might be a good opportunity to reflect on how I've been using social media.

Blogging- The interactions I have with readers who comment here, in LinkedIn forums, and on Bizsugar.com have made the blogging experience more worth while to me than any other social tool. I struggled early on to figure out what writing style worked best for me. For the most part I try to be brief to respect my readers' time, as well as my own. Also I hate reading blogs that never seem to get to a point, and I don't want to have one of those.

LinkedIn- LinkedIn has turned out to be the social media tool that has allowed me to make the most real connections. I especially love the group discussions, which have helped me to find an audience for this blog. With their new and improved discussion format it might be even easier to join in other discussions, and I look forward to that.

Twitter- I do an okay job of using Twitter, but I'm certainly not a power user. You know what? I don't think I want to be. I mostly use it to help publicize my blog, but I'm always happy to retweet another article or message that I think others may enjoy, though I consciously do so in moderation (quality over quantity). I also enjoy reading a few other people's tweets, though my follow list is small.

Facebook- I still haven't quite figured out how to use the world's most popular social media tool effectively. With LinkedIn and Twitter connections just seem a little more natural: I follow you on Twitter because you write interesting tweets; I connect with someone on LinkedIn either because I've had a professional relationship with them (work or college) or because we've met through a discussion. Facebook is the tool where users are most inclined to connect with everyone they can, so I get friend requests from people I barely knew in high school and others that I may have passed in the hallway at previous jobs. I've kept my list of friends relatively small, and I'm comfortable with that.

Has anyone else been working to define/redefine their social media strategies this year? I'd love to hear how it's been going!

Using Anchor Text in Hyperlinks Benefits for Several Reasons

2010-06-28T06:00:00.053-04:00

I'm taking time off this week for a much needed vacation. That makes it a perfect time to introduce my first blog post from a guest blogger! Michael Yublosky, MBA, is a successful self taught do-it-yourself Web master and E-Marketer. He combines 30+ years of professional consultative sales experience coupled with sales and marketing management, training, coaching/mentoring experience. He is also an adult educator and conducts classes and seminars in several northwest suburban Chicago locations. Michael shares his knowledge with similarly minded small business owners and managers as well as self employed entrepreneurs.

Anchor text provides useful information about the content of the page you invite visitors to link to. It also tells search engines what the destination, or target, is about. It is important to use proper hyperlink anchor text to maximize search engine results.

Links, or hyperlinks, point to a Web page or to a portion within a Web page. Wikipedia defines a hyperlink as a “reference to a document that the reader can directly follow...” We use links to navigate from one location on the Web to another quickly. At times the target location replaces the source location when the hyperlink is activated. A completely new page may be opened at other times.

Hypertext is the definition of a hyperlink made with text (as versus a graphic, banner or image, etc. being used). The text of this type of link is generally underlined. Its color is often a different than that of the neighboring text. When your mouse hovers over it or once you click on it, it may also change color. The change in color shows you previously followed that link.

Another benefit to using anchor text is enhanced search engine results. Google Webmaster Guidelines (Google Webmaster Central, 4/10/10) state: “Make a site with...text links.” It later notes: “Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it.” Still further on it reads: “Try to use text instead of images to display.....links.”

My conclusion is Google tells you to use text for your links, so it must be a good thing to do so. Why? Because its Googlebot search software reads text to index Web sites. So, if you want to tell the search engine what the page is about, what content or information it displays, use text. When the anchor text reflects the page's keywords it gets a boost from Google, or sort of extra credit.

Use relevant keywords for your target instead of “Contact Us” or “Click Here”. When you use "Contact Us" as the anchor text, you tell the search engines the page is discussing "Contact Us". If you use "Click Here" for words people you want people to click on, you tell them the target is about the subject "Click Here". Do you want to rank highly for “Contact Us” or “Click Here”?

Finally, use words that make sense to your readers!

Yublosky’s free information and tips as well as down loadable pdf files can be viewed at his DIY Web E-Marketing site. Additional interesting small business insights are found at his DIY E-Marketing blog.

Is There a Stronger Brand Than Apple?

2010-06-25T06:00:00.015-04:00

The power of the Apple brand never ceases to amaze me. The iPhone 4 launched today, and loyal Apple fans rushed to be among the first to have the newest generation of iPhone.

Crowds Queue Up Across U.S. For iPhone 4

Is there any other brand that generates such a consistently high level of anticipation for new product releases? Apple has done it with each version of the iPhone, with the iPad, and to some extent with iPods (maybe there's too many versions of the iPod for it to seem so special). Google and Microsoft are their closest competitors in most categories, and I can't imagine people forming lines several blocks long to purchase the latest device from either of them.

Congratulations to Apple for yet another successful launch. I can't wait to see what they roll out next!

Better Conversations on LinkedIn

2010-06-23T06:00:00.022-04:00

Monday I shared information I'd found for the top 10 social networking sites for May, and I was surprised that LinkedIn wasn't listed as one of them. Then I remembered that until a few months ago I didn't even know it was possible to have group discussion on LinkedIn, and apparently many others are still unaware.

It looks like that might be about to change. LinkedIn has begun revamping its groups to make conversations a little bit easier. An article on Mashable.com explains some of the adjustments LinkedIn has made:

There is also a new focus on surfacing quality conversations from influencers. A new feature allows you to scan different conversations and “Like,” “Pass” or “Comment” on a discussion within a group. This information then brings the best conversations to the top of the group. There is also now a “Top Influencers” feature, which highlights quality contributors based on how well they stimulate conversations from other members.

Check out the Mashable.com article to see a short video demonstration:

LinkedIn Revamps Groups with Likes, Follows and Discussions

What do you think? Will these new features help make LinkedIn's group conversations a little more accessible?

Top 10 Social Networking Websites & Forums - May 2010

2010-06-21T06:00:00.026-04:00

This weekend I came across data for the top social networking sites for last month, and I think it's pretty interesting:

Facebook dominates the market, which shouldn't suprise anyone. YouTube has a little more market share than I would've guessed, but it makes sense. There are a few things here that surprised me:

MySpace still gets WAY more traffic than I thought
Twitter gets WAY less traffic than I thought
There are a couple of sites listed that I've never heard of (Tagged, MocoSpace)
LinkedIn isn't mentioned at all

Unfortunately I didn't see any data that backed up the chart, but I think it's worth a look anyway. Click on the link below to see the original chart, as well as many others on marketingcharts.com.

Top 10 Social Networking Websites & Forums - May 2010

Social Networking vs. Social Media

2010-06-18T06:00:00.006-04:00

An across I read on Fobes.com this week points out that many of us (myself included) tend to use the terms Social Media and Social Networking as though they are the same thing. They aren't, as the article points out:

Social media and social networking are not the same. Social media are the tools and social networking is what you do in the communities. You can use one to enhance the other, but they are not the same.

I agree that Social Media and Social Networking aren't interchangeable. They are, however, inseparable, so I think it's okay to consider them part of the same overall process.

The article also points out that social media is more than just the three most popular tools: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn:

In fact, it's not about those sites. It's about a cross section of community sites, blogs, bookmarking sites, photo sites, sharing tools, audio and video tools and some even more advanced tools that are used in conjunction with one another to have a robust social media experience.

I definitely recommend reading the full article:

There's More to Social Media than Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

How Quickly Do You Respond?

2010-06-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

How quickly do you respond to voice mail, email, and social media messages?

Does it depend on the message?

Does it depend who sent the message?

Does it depend on what's going on that day?

Is there a specific time in your schedule when you address messages?

Do you respond to these communications as quickly as you expect others to respond to you?

Simple Branding

2010-06-14T06:00:00.037-04:00

I've been spending much of my time lately on brand management, and it reminds me of what I've always disliked about marketing. Don't get me wrong: brand management is important, and failing to manage a brand appropriately can spell disaster. But how do you go about managing your brand effectively?

According to wikipedia a brand is "the identity of a specific product, service, or business. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol,color combination or slogan."

It seems like there's a huge emphasis on brand design (the name, sign, symbol,color combination or slogan) and how to best display those image factors in a marketing campaign.

Shouldn't most of the emphasis be placed on the first part of that definition? A brand is a representation of a product, service, or business. So if you want to improve your brand's image, why not focus on improving your business and the products and services it offers?

It's easy for businesses to get side tracked into making their brand look pretty, but while that type of branding might attract new business, you won't be able to keep that business if you can't deliver products and services that customers care about.

Any thoughts on this from others with differing insights into branding?

Interruption Marketing

2010-06-11T06:00:00.043-04:00

Monday's post about Curing The Social Media Blues generated some wonderful comments. Unfortunately it also received a comment that was purely spam. There was no attempt from the commenter to even pretend he was participating in the discussion. The comment looked like this:

Free Unlimited Entertainment , Bargain Shopping, and Computer Learning Library.
1 Click Media bar
Our Free Gift to You
100% Free Super Entertainment System
100% Free Super Bargain Finder System
100% Free Computer Learning Videos
(hyperlink to cheesy website)

The comment was on a discussion thread in a LinkedIn group, so I personally couldn't remove the comment, but I did contact the group owner to let him know one of his members is a spammer.

What is the point of posting information about your product or service as a comment to another discussion? I certainly don't mind when readers who make a valid comment include a link to their website or blog (in fact I like that it helps me connect to my readers), but this was pretty lame. There's no way he generates any business this way.

Looking on the bright side, this is a rare occurrence. Most of the feedback I get on my blog (or LinkedIn discussions, BizSugar.com, or Twitter) have been great. Thank you to everyone else who has added something positive to the conversations!

Which Smartphone is Better for Business?

2010-06-09T06:00:00.021-04:00

There's a great article on pcworld.com that compares the upcoming iPhone 4's operating system, IOS4, with Android 2.2 to see which mobile OS is better suited for business users. The quick comparison:

Email: IOS4

Apps: draw

Flash: Android 2.2

Hotspot: Android 2.2

Availability- IOS4

Diversity: Android 2.2

Management Tools: IOS4

Looks like it really depends on which tools are more important to you. Be sure to check out the full article for a more detailed breakdown: IOS4 v. Android 2.2: Which is Better for Business?

Curing The Social Media Blues

2010-06-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Friday I wrote a post about how frustrating it can be to find time for blogging (or social media in general) when other time pressures seem overwhelming. I'm thrilled at the great responses I got, and I'd like to share a few of my favorite tips that I received from readers:

set aside a block of time and write several blog posts at once

keeping blogs short and breaking a topic up over several days

Automate and schedule using tools like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite

invite guest bloggers to contribute to the blogging

take an occasional break, but be careful that the brand doesn't suffer

hire someone to manage social media and/or ghostwrite blog posts

focus on working smart rather than working hard

Thank you to everyone who commented. I appreciate the feedback, and it gave me several great ideas for ways to adjust my blogging & social media approach. More importantly, the interaction reminded me why I love blogging in the first place!

Social Media Blues

2010-06-04T06:00:00.045-04:00

It's been really difficult to find time to blog for the last few weeks, and I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better. I'm taking a couple of evening classes that have turned out to be more time consuming than I expected, plus I've taken on a slightly larger role at work. Add in a little time for exercise (including the mountain bike I bought recently), and a very little time for relaxation, and I'm spent! I definitely enjoy blogging, especially when inspiration strikes, but lately it seems like I've been rushing through it so I can move on to the many other things I need to accomplish.

Really I've been having the same problem with all of my social media. It was fun when it was shiny and new, but there are days and even weeks when it's hard to keep up. I recently removed a few blogs from my reader in an effort to stay current on others. My communications on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have slowed to a crawl as well. I'm hopeful that at the end of the month my schedule will lighten up for awhile (I have 9 weeks off of classes!), but I'm not sure what to do until then.

Has anyone else had this problem? How do you approach it? Do you continue trying to keep up to date on social media, or is it better to take a break once in awhile?

Web-Based Music Becomes Social

2010-06-02T06:00:00.032-04:00

I just read a great article on businessweek.com about the push to combine internet radio with some elements of social networking. Companies like Microsoft and Google, as well as the founders of Skype, have all thrown their hats into the rind with their own unique offerings.

I'm not entirely sure what the social aspects of this are yet, but we should see fairly soon. If this catches on (and I think it will) this could easily be the extra push that the music industry needs to become a primarily digital medium.

Feel free to check the full article out here: New Web Services Put Music in the Cloud

Memorial Day Links

2010-05-31T06:00:00.016-04:00

Rather than write a full blog post I thought I'd share a couple of BizSugar articles I enjoyed reading this weekend. Yes, it's kinda lazy on my part, but that's what 3 day weekends are for! Seriously, both articles are well worth reading. Enjoy!

Ten Great Lessons Learned from Business History: The 1970s Harley-Davidson/AMF Fiasco!

What's In A Name?

Permission Marketing Is NOT Quid Pro Quo

2010-05-28T06:00:00.061-04:00

I'm a big fan of Seth Godin. I subscribe to a handful of blogs, and his blog is probably the one I enjoy reading the most. So when I heard someone misuse the concept of permission marketing this week it bothered me.

I was listening to a lecture, and the presenter was telling us about a marketing campaigns he ran. His client sponsored an event where people could have their pictures taken with a particular celebrity. Once their picture had been taken the client would ask for an email address where they could send the picture. The presenter claimed that their client now had "permission" to email the client, and they could then begin sending them promotional offers.

I don't agree. The people only wanted their picture, nothing more. Maybe a few of the people at the event would have been willing to receive promotional information from the company, but they were never asked.

There's a big difference between permission marketing and quid pro quo. Of course nobody explains the difference better than Seth:

Permission Marketing

Quid pro quo (santa math)

Yahoo!'s New Location-Based Tool

2010-05-26T06:00:00.030-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I admitted in a post that I don't see the value of location-based social media. There were some great comments posted on this blog and in LinkedIn discussion posts. Some had examples of effective location-based marketing campaigns (like Starbucks discounts given to Foursquare "mayors"). Many others recognized that while there may not be apparent marketing benefits yet, location-based media is fun and therefore relevant.

It looks like Yahoo! agrees that location-based media has great potential. Yesterday they acquired Koprol, a location-based social network in Indonesia. This article on Mashable.com explains the possible implications of the acquisition:

This acquisition is especially interesting in the context of Yahoo’s new partnership with Nokia. Yahoo says it plans to continue to invest in the evolving Koprol service, including mobile applications, like its newly released app for the BlackBerry.

I'm still not convinced that location-based media has any value today, but there are enough powerful companies interested enough to make it effective tomorrow!

What Is Your Goal?

2010-05-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

I just finished reading The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement. It was an assigned reading for an Operations Management class, and I wasn't looking forward to reading it. After all, how interesting can a book about business operations be?

Turns out it was quite insightful. Originally written in the early 1980s, it introduced the Theory of Constraints, a management philosophy that can help organizations to work toward their goal. It made me wonder how many companies know what their goal is? How many have identified their goal, but don't effectively work toward it?

Do you know what your goal is? Are you doing everything you can to achieve it?

Don't Talk TO Your Customers; Talk WITH Them

2010-05-21T06:00:00.089-04:00

Social Media gives companies the ability to build customer relationships like never before. Customers can share positive experiences they've had with a company, and when they share negative experiences companies can address them proactively. Companies can use social media to provide their customers with information about new products or upcoming events. Customers can ask questions and receive helpful feedback.

Or social media can be used as just another form of advertising. Many companies use Google AdWords, Facebook advertising, and social media tools simply as a way to drive traffic to their website. They post information about their products and services, but there is no opportunity to interact.

Does your company's online presence help build relationships?

Social Media With A Busy Schedule

2010-05-19T06:00:00.015-04:00

Social media can open a lot of doors for those that are willing to put time into learning and using the tools. I enjoy the social tools that I use, so keeping current doesn't always seem like work. However, there are definitely times when social media can make an already busy day, week, or even month seem unbearable.

I'm having one of those week myself, so I looked to the web to find some advice on how to manage my social media time more effectively. I found a link to an eBook that I really enjoyed:

Social Media Time Management: Strategies for Tackling Information Overload

It's an insightful, well-written eBook and I'm glad I took a few minutes out of my busy day to read it.

The Silo Effect

2010-05-17T06:00:00.043-04:00

Every business, no matter how big or small, has three primary functions that are essential to it's success: operations (production and services), accounting, and marketing. As a business grows other functions are established like customer service, human resources, shipping/receiving, and more. These functions are usually grouped into departments, each with their own sets of concerns and procedures.

Departments often have trouble working together to achieve common goals. The people in these different departments have been given objectives that sometimes conflict (marketing wants to improve quality; accounting wants to reduce costs). This is called the silo effect, and it can destroy a company. When something goes wrong in a business, many managers try to determine which department screwed up. Often it's a failure in how the company processes its products, services, and information.

Blaming a department manager is easy; fixing the system is much harder.

Why Use Location-Based Social Media?

2010-05-14T06:00:00.007-04:00

One of my personal goals for 2010 has been to increase my knowledge and use of social media. The year is not quite half over, and social media has become a useful and enjoyable part of my life. I've been able to keep in touch with friends, make new business contacts, and share my ideas with the world. I've also been able to read some thoughtful, often provocative material, and it's all been at my fingertips to read when the mood strikes. In all I've thoroughly enjoyed most of the social media experiencs I've had.

There is, however, a newer trend in social media that I don't quite understand: location updating. Applications such as Foursquare are a way for people to let their friends know where they are at, and by looking at updates they can see where their friends are (or were recently). You can also post reviews for a particular place you've visited, and you can potentially get rewards from establishments for mentioning that you were there.

Is there a real value to this? I'm sure some people find it fun to use, but for the most part it seems like a hassle. Also, some of the more powerful social media users may not want their thousands of followers to know where they are at all times. So what benefit does this technology provide that might interest mainstream users?

This article on Mashable examines some of the issues with social location tools going mainstream, but believes there are upsides:

One of the ultimate promises of location-based checkins is more accurately targeted advertising. For some users, the privacy concerns of sharing their location might be trumped by the potential utility of receiving highly targeted advertising and promotions.

I'm not so sure targeted advertising will appeal to a mainstream audience, at least not in the next couple of years. The article also mentions that Facebook and Twitter have thrown their hats in the social location ring, so perhaps they can figure out how to add value to the average user.

What about you, do you use location tools such as Foursquare? If so what do you enjoy about it?

Microsoft Joins Google In The Clouds

2010-05-12T06:00:00.059-04:00

Today Microsoft will finally launch its newest software package, Office 2010. One of the most highly anticipated features of this latest version of Office is the ability to store and share documents online, making collaboration easier.

While this may be a breakthrough for Microsoft users, Google Docs has offered this service since before most people knew what cloud computing was. An article on CNNMoney.com shows a great comparison between the two offerings:

Check out the full article here: Google compares Office upgrade to Docs. It's well worth reading.

Another Sales Failure

2010-05-10T06:00:00.041-04:00

Last week I wrote about a door-to-door sales experience that bothered me (posts here and here). This weekend another salesperson knocked on my door, and it didn't go much better.

The salesman said he was from a well known cable company whose service I had used in the past (I'll save them the embarrassment of mentioning which one). I let him know that I'm happy with my current cable service, WOW. I told him it's a great service, there are almost no outages, and I pay a reasonable low rate. When I told him how much I pay each month he said it was a shame that I didn't qualify as a win-back customer, because if I did he could have offered me a lower rate than what I currently pay.

What a horrible thing to tell a prospect! He just interrupted my weekend to tell me that I'm not a priority to his company! Unlike last week's sales rep this guy was an adult, so I didn't feel obligated to explain his error to him. Instead I said "well, that would've been nice" and closed the door.

Social Media Networks for Business Use at Web 2.0 Expo

2010-05-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

PC World posted a great video that explains three new social media offerings from the Web 2.0 expo: itDuzzit, Engage, and Socialtext. All three of these tools are designed to make it easier for companies to use social media to improve their overall business. Click the link below to view the video.

Social Media Networks for Business Use at Web 2.0 Expo

It's great to see applications like these bringing businesses over to social media. This is where smart developers will be focusing much of their efforts for the foreseeable future.

Who's To Blame?

2010-05-05T06:00:00.029-04:00

Monday I wrote a post about a teenager's use of shady sales tactics. I got several comments here and on LinkedIn, and everyone agrees that it's incredibly sad that teenagers and young adults are taught to use sleazy sales methods. I couldn't agree more. There will always be companies that view sales as a zero-sum game, and unfortunately they often hire eager young people to do their dirty work.

But shouldn't the kid take a share of the blame? After all, he's the one tricking people to into buying magazines they don't want.

We don't overlook an adult's use of rotten sales methods just because that's how his company trained him, and I think the same standard applies here. If a 10 year old tries to trick me into buying candy bars I can blame her age, but a teenager should know better than to manipulate people for his own gain.

Does anyone agree with my assessment, or am I judging this kid too harshly?

Shady Salesperson

2010-05-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Friday a teenager rang my doorbell. Usually when kids come to my door they're trying to sell me crap that I don't want, but as I prepared to say "no thanks" he let me know that his motives were not financial. He told me he was in a group for young entrepreneurs, and as part of an effort to practice speaking in public his assignment was to go door-to-door and introduce himself.

They were having a contest, and if I voted for him it would help him win a trip to Europe. He was very charismatic, and since entrepreneurship is near and dear to my heart I agreed to vote for him. I figured he'd then direct me to a website to vote, and he could then begin planing his European vacation. That's when he informed me that to "vote" I would need to purchase a magazine subscription! Not surprisingly I turned him down.

There will always be individuals and companies that are willing to do anything to make a sale. This kid tried to dupe me into purchasing a subscription to a magazine I didn't want, and I'm sure his methods worked on plenty of other people. I'm guessing the kid was duped into believing he has a real shot at winning an all expenses paid trip to Europe (assuming there is a trip) if he can sell more subscriptions than anyone else.

I hope the kid learns one day that tricking people into buying from you doesn't make you a salesperson; it makes you a con artist.

Strategy or Tactics?

2010-04-30T06:00:00.081-04:00

Which is more important in social media, strategy or tactics? That's the question asked this week by TopRank's Online Marketing Blog in great posts here and here. They asked the question to several marketing and web professionals, and the consensus is that strategy must come first.

Why, then, do so many companies try to grow their online presence before they have a clear strategy?

Using eMarketing tools like social media, SEO, and online advertising can help you reach a large audience for little or no money. That can lead to wonderful things for a business that is ready to handle the attention, but it can be disasterous for those that are unprepared.

On Monday I wrote a post about a company that contacted me to offer their services. My interest was piqued, and I clicked on the link to their website. However, the content on their website was so inept that I quickly deleted their message. I will never do business with them, even if they fix their mistakes.

Their tactics were effective enough to get me to their website, but their lack of an effective marketing strategy turned me away. Consequently they're worse off than if they never contacted me at all.

Has anyone else had a similar experience they'd like to share?

Why I Use BizSugar.com

2010-04-28T06:00:00.006-04:00

Over the weekend I was contacted by Shawn Hessinger, chief moderator and blogger for BizSugar.com. He had read a post of mine where I mentioned BizSugar.com as one of the social media tools I use regularly, and he asked if he could conduct an interview with me. I'm a fan of his site, and I'm a sucker for free publicity, so naturally I agreed.

The interview includes a quick bio, how I started using social media, my basic SMM strategy, and my thoughts on BizSugar.com. Check out the article here: Why Do You Use BizSugar.com?

Also, if you haven't been to their website I suggest looking around at BizSugar.com. You'll find links to some of the best business blogs on the web.

Know Your Strengths

2010-04-26T06:00:00.017-04:00

This weekend I received a message from a marketing research firm offering to provide me with high quality marketing services, including email campaigns and data collection. However, their website contained a great deal of grammatical errors and phrasing that didn't quite make sense. Why would I consider outsourcing my marketing communications to a company that doesn't communicate effectively?

Knowing a few things about SEO and web design does not make you a marketing professional. I wouldn't hire a mechanic just because he knew how to drive, so why would I hire a technology firm to run a marketing campaign?

Too Much Communication

2010-04-23T06:00:00.059-04:00

I typically spend 2-3 hours each week blogging, and maybe another hour replying to comments. I also spend 1-2 hours reading tweets, Facebook updates, blog posts, etc. That's on top of the two hours or so I spend emailing.

So I spend around 6 or 7 hours each week on electronic communications. That's a much greater time investment than I thought I was making, but I know people that spend much more time than that.

How much time do you spend on social media in a given week? A couple hours? A few? Several? At what point is it too much communication?

Deciding Who You Aren't

2010-04-21T06:00:00.081-04:00

Monday I wrote a post asking why customers should choose you instead of your competitors. It lead to lots of great conversations, particularly one with Mike Klassen in the comments section of that post. (Not a surprise considering a previous conversation I had with Mike lead to one of my more popular posts.)

Anyway, the discussions here and in LinkedIn got me thinking about how many companies try to be everything to every customer. It's a nice idea, but it doesn't work. In order to find your place in the market you have to decide who you are, and more importantly who you aren't.

Are you high quality or low price?
Are you the fastest or the most reliable?
Are you the sexiest or the safest?

Lots of companies do a variety of things reasonably well. But if you do just one or two things incredibly well then you'll have a much easier time distinguishing yourself from the competition. Then you'll find customers that appreciate you for who you aren't.

Why You?

2010-04-19T06:00:00.013-04:00

Why should someone choose you instead of your competitor?

Are you faster?
Cheaper?
Smarter?
Safer?
More reliable?
More flexible?
More effective?

If you can't answer these questions, your prospective customers probably can't either.

A Little Help From My Social Network

2010-04-16T06:00:00.014-04:00

About 6 weeks ago I posted the following question on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn:

I'm trying to get set up with Google Voice but can't seem to get an invitation. Anybody have one they can send me?

I expected the invitations to come pouring in. Instead I got nothing! Well, one person did ask if I'd had any luck, but there was no offer to help. Anyway, I was a little sad that I didn't get the Google Voice invitation I had asked for, but I was much more disappointed that nobody responded.

Since then I have made considerable effort to expand my network, not by adding random people but by making real connections (particularly through this blog). I'm also constantly working to increase my understanding of these social media tools so I can use them more effectively.

Today I posted the same thing in Ask A Question on LinkedIn. Within an hour of posting I had a Google Voice account up an running! Thank you to Paul for hooking me up.

I know I still have much to learn about effective social networking, but it's nice to know I've made a little progress!

Social Media in National Media

2010-04-14T06:00:00.003-04:00

Tuesday seemed to be a slow day for my social media and RSS feeds. Looking for something new to read, I wandered to Google News and searched for "social media." I found 3 very interesting articles that suggest social media has now taken center stage for many marketing campaigns.

McDonald's hires its first director of social media- http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/26489.as

The Boston Celtics said that they are about to pick a winner for a contest featured in their Celtics Banner Moments social media program- http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2010/04/celtics_look_to.htm

SAS introduces a tool to take the technology challenges out of Facebook, Twitter, blog and public-forum monitoring- http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/utility_ondemand/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=22440012

e-Marketing Isn't Magic

2010-04-12T06:00:00.038-04:00

I recently came across a definition of e-Marketing that I really like:

Very simply put, eMarketing or electronic marketing refers to the application of marketing principles and techniques via electronic media and more specifically the Internet.

Yes, it sounds very simplistic, even obvious. But if you take a look at many of the websites and blogs dedicated to e-Marketing the use of "marketing principles" is severely limited. Many people like to focus on hot topics like SEO, social media optimization, Google AdWords, etc., but it rarely seems to be part of an overall, holistic approach to marketing.

Using internet and social media as tools can be a fantastic way to carry out a well though out marketing plan. Using them instead of a real marketing plan can be a disaster.

Sticks and Stones

2010-04-09T06:00:00.031-04:00

Wednesday I wrote a post called Money Talks; Bullshit Walks. In it I suggested that the measures that matter to small businesses most are financial, specifically cash flows and operating profit. I received comments in LinkedIn group discussions and on this blog that strongly disagreed with me. To clarify, I didn't mean to suggest that money is the only thing companies should ever be concerned with. I'm merely saying that startups and small businesses with limited resources should not worry about trying to measure intangibles like customer satisfaction until they have some financial stability.

I enjoyed reading the comments from those that disagreed with me, even one that suggested my message is for "small minded, intellectually challenged people." There's lots to debate here, and I look forward to bringing this topic up again in the future. I also got a couple of comments from those that did not appreciate my use of "vile language." Honestly, I gave the title of the post considerable thought. I almost used "B.S." or "Bulls**t" or some variation thereof to try and avoid offending readers. I also thought of changing the title to something else to avoid the issue all together, but in the end the title felt right to me.

I'm reminded of a post I read about a month ago on asalesguy.com, a great blog I subscribe to. In it Jim Keenan says the following regarding swearing:

Professional speakers dropping F-bombs that enhance authentic, real, presentations where the swearing brings value is exactly what we need. Gratuitous swearing does none of this and therefore I’m not a fan.

I know my use of swearing turned away some potential readers, but I also know that the same post helped my expand my social network. So does that mean it was a good decision? Did it make my post more authentic, or was it simply gratuitous? I'd love to hear everyone's comments on this. Just please, no swearing!

Money Talks; Bullshit Walks

2010-04-07T06:00:00.044-04:00

On Monday I wrote a post about reviewing business performance, and I got lots of great responses in the LinkedIn groups where I posted it as a discussion topic. There were many different ideas about what metrics are most important, including customer retention, employee satisfaction, and marketing effectiveness.

Each of these measures are helpful, as are countless others. However, for startups and small business with limited resources the measures that matter most are financial, specifically cash flows and operating profit. Customer and employee satisfaction don't matter if your business isn't profitable (and low prices and high wages might be what made them happy!). Even effective marketing campaigns mean little if you can't afford to pay for them any longer.

Businesses need to have their finances in order before they worry about other success factors. No other measure matters if the company can't stay in business. Without cash everything else is just bullshit.

Reviewing Business Performance

2010-04-05T06:00:00.004-04:00

The first quarter of 2010 is now behind us, and it's time for businesses to look back and see how they did. There are typical measures of success that many companies use:

Did we make our target numbers?
Did we do better than first quarter of 2009?
Did we do well compared to our competition?

All of these are valid questions and can give a company insight into their business compared to their projections, their historical achievement, and the rest of their industry. But does that really indicate whether or not a business is doing well? Should you be pleased your company is doing a little better than others in an tumultuous industry? Should you be upset if you don't achieve budget numbers that were overly aggressive? Is it really smart to gauge year-over-year success compared to the worst economic period in recent history?

As corporations report these types of numbers their shareholders will overreact as usual. Good companies will see their stocks devalued because of slow growth, and share prices in a few mediocre companies will increase based on performing a little better than expected.

Small businesses, however, have the luxury of looking at the big picture. Can you meet your short term obligations? Do you have a product/service mix that satisfies your customer base? Is your company well positioned for future growth? These are the types of questions that monthly/quarterly/annual reporting should attempt to answer.

Links To Readers' Blog Posts

2010-04-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

Without a doubt my favorite thing about this blog has been the great conversations I've had with intelligent, engaging readers in the comments section here and in the LinkedIn group discussions where I post each blog link.

Today I'm featuring recent blog posts from three readers whose comments have created fun discussions and have given me a great deal of valuable feedback on my own social media and planning strategies.

B2B Sales and Marketing Team Integration

The value of a great magalog copywriter

Maximize your LinkedIn Profile and Expand Your Web Traffic and Business

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I did. If any other readers have blogs feel free to post a link in the comments section. I'm always looking for new insights!

Over-Planning Causes Inaction

2010-03-31T06:00:00.027-04:00

Last week I wrote this post sharing my social media strategy as it is today. I received a ton of great feedback! Thanks to everyone who commented on this blog and in the group discussions it was posted in. One reader, Mike Y, left a comment offering to review my LinkedIn account and my website. I accepted his offer and we continued our discussion via email.

I had mentioned that I plan to rebrand my website in a couple of months after revising my business plan. His response was to "rebrand now, while it is ripe and your efforts don't go to waste, the investment is minimal." This really got me thinking about my current approach. Perhaps I spend too much time planning and not enough time acting. Don't get me wrong, I still think business planning is critical (I've written about it here and here, plus it's a service I offer as a consultant). I just think maybe I need to move through my planning process more swiftly.

Has anyone else found themselves having to choose between careful planning and swift action? Which do you tend to lean towards?

Oh, and if anyone would like to see what other insights Mike has on e-Marketing check out his latest blog post below. I've looked at a few of his other recent posts and it's pretty useful stuff!

http://diywebjem.com/blog/2010/03/30/maximize-your-linkedin-profile-and-expand-your-web-traffic-and-business/

Outsourcing Should Be A Win-Win

2010-03-29T06:00:00.074-04:00

My grandfather worked in the same factory for 30 years. He worked his way up the ladder (and pay scale), and they paid his retirement benefits until the day he died.

Those days are long gone. Retirement plans have given way to 401Ks. Employee promotions are pretty rare. Most companies view their employees as expendable. Many employees see their employers as nothing more than a means to an end.

Employees often fear their job will be outsourced, and this can be very scary. However, the best, brightest, hardest working people can see this as an opportunity. Why should a talented worker be stuck in a dead-end job with company that doesn't care about them? Instead the top performers can offer their knowledge and skill to a multitude of companies that are willing to pay for their expertise as an independent contractor.

When done effectively outsourcing should be a win-win scenario. Businesses win because they have someone reliable handling their affairs. Talented workers win because they work with businesses that understand the value they provide.

The only people that lose are the under-performers.

How Do You Use Social Media?

2010-03-26T06:00:00.003-04:00

Social media can be quite overwhelming. There are many different ideas about which social networks are the best to use and how to use them most effectively. These are the social media forums I use and how I use them:

LinkedIn- I signed up for a LinkedIn account a few years ago but only used it to connect to a few former coworkers. In the past few months I've found it to be a fantastic resource for making new connections with business professionals, and the discussions in the various groups I've joined are what make social networking worth while.

Twitter- I follow several professionals on Twitter that send out great content, and I love that the format forces us all to get right to the point! While I do retweet things I find interesting or useful I don't create much original content on Twitter.

Facebook- I mostly use Facebook to keep up with friends that I don't see very often. I rarely post on Facebook, but I enjoy reading other peoples' updates. I have a fan page for my consulting business, but frankly it sucks. I may revisit the idea in a couple of months, but it's pretty low on my list of priorities.

BizSugar- The only niche social medium I use. It's a great resource for professionals to link to their blog posts, and the rating system (similar to digg.com) makes it easy to fins something smart to read.

I'm still figuring some of this out, but I think what I have in place works for me, at least for the moment. What about you? How do you use social media?

Small Businesses Need Business Plans Too

2010-03-24T06:00:00.004-04:00

One great thing about small businesses is their ability to produce results. They don't have to worry about many of the things that slow down corporations like stock prices and endless reporting. With less administration needed they can spend more of their time generating revenue and growing the business. But how should the business grow? Where should the business go to find new customers? What products or services can be included to help the company succeed?

These questions (any many others) should be answered by creating a business plan. Business planning is critical to any business's success, but all to often is overlooked by smaller companies. It's also important to review your business plan on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.) and make revisions as needed.

Below are links to a couple of great (and free) resources to help start the planning process.

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html

http://www.entrepreneur.com/businessplan/

Struggling With Social Networking

2010-03-22T06:00:00.025-04:00

A post I wrote Friday about struggling with increasing my network got an incredible response! I received a ton of great comments on this blog and in the LinkedIn discussions where I posted a link . One comment in particular was so compelling that I asked the author if I could re-post it here for everyone to read.

Below is the comment I received from Mike Klassen. I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

I've been wrestling with this a bit myself... more-so with LinkedIn and Facebook. With Twitter, as long as there's some sort of possible common thread (usually in the realm of sales, marketing, consulting, etc.) I'm happy to connect with people there.

I do tend to stay away from the folks whose career seems to only be posting every passing thought on Twitter. I unfollowed one gal who seemed like a very nice person. (She was consultant.) But her tweets were constant. I couldn't figure out how she had any time to work with clients with the daily stream she sent out.

I saw Lewis on the Rise to the Top podcast, too. There's probably a comfortable spot between only connecting with people you know and connecting with everyone who has a pulse. :)

I think what I'm finding these days is that I'm willing to connect with more people I don't know well. The reason is that as my network grows, I may run into folks who need services I don't have direct, personal connections with.

It would be nice to tell those folks, "While I don't know _____ personally, I've been following him/her on _______ and they seem like they know what they're talking about. You might want to check him/her out."

I also appreciate it when people who want to connect with me on LinkedIn or Facebook take just a moment to explain why they want to connect.

It might be as simple as, "I'm in direct marketing and see that you are, too." Otherwise, it almost feels like they're wanting to connect just to boost their numbers which is something you can get a lot here on LinkedIn.

I don't know... am I not catching the true spirit of social media? Should I be connecting with everyone who passes by me on the Internet? Perhaps if I had clearer goals in this area, it would be easier to come up with an answer.

If you'd like to read more from Mike be sure to check out his blog at http://magalogguy.com/blog/. I had a chance to read a few of his postings over the weekend and they're every bit as good as his great comment here. Thanks to Mike for letting me re-post this, and thank you to everyone for all of the great comments. I'd love to hear more of your concerns and suggestions!

Increasing My Network

2010-03-19T06:00:00.021-04:00

As I mentioned in a recent post I have kept my social network very small. Everyone in it was someone I knew personally, and therefore everything I sent and received felt more personal. A couple of things this week have made me rethink this strategy.

1) I've been reading a few posts from Lewis Howes. He is a very strong proponent of using LinkedIn to connect with other professionals, and he posts many helpful suggestions on how to use LinkedIn more effectively (as you can see in this post).

2) I saw a tweet suggesting to use TopFollowed to help increase my Twitter network. I signed up for it, and my network is in fact bigger. I did already have to unfollow a couple of accounts that weren't for me (I hate when people tweet every thought in their head!), but it's too early to tell whether this will help me make any positive connections.

In all I think it was definitely time for me to reach out and begin expanding my network. I'm still going to look for quality connections rather than quantity.

Does anyone have any helpful suggestions or similar experiences? As always feel free to comment.

Do We Really Own eBooks?

2010-03-17T06:00:00.096-04:00

This week I read Seth Godin's Unleashing the SUPER Ideavirus on Vook. I really enjoyed the material, and I absolutely loved experiencing the content as a blend of text, video, and hyperlinks. This is my first time purchasing an eBook (I've read a few free pdfs) and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience.

But I still won't be buying eBooks. Not yet anyway. Many people in cyberspace have proclaimed the death of bookstores, but don't be too sure. It may cost me more money to buy a paperback, but it's completely mine. I can reread it as often as I want. I can loan it to a friend. I can give it away if I want.

eBooks are cheaper than physical books and more convenient to purchase. Click a button and it's on the screen of your eReader in seconds. You can still reread your books, unless you don't want to keep your current eReader. What if you purchased Linchpin for your Kindle last fall? Will you still use your Kindle when the iPad comes out? What happens if you buy the iPad and something new comes out in a year? Does all of the content you bought become worthless?

Last fall I bought Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion at a local Barnes and Noble. Not long after I bought The 4-Hour Workweek from Amazon.com. Barnes and Noble didn't make me give back Influence. I still have it, and I've gone to it for reference at least once after reading it.

Until eBook sellers figure out how to let customers own the material they buy physical book will still have their share of buyers, including me.

Any avid eBook readers please feel free to comment!

Nobody is Great at Everything

2010-03-15T06:00:00.095-04:00

I spent some time this weekend working on a SWOT Analysis for my consulting business. I've done them before, both as an undergrad and as a grad student, and I've always found them easy. But this one has been particularly difficult.

It's tough to analyze ourselves because it forces us to admit there are things we aren't so good at. That's never fun on a personal level, and it isn't fun for a business owner either, particularly when it's a one-person business. But it's necessary to recognize the things we don't do well so that we can structure our businesses accordingly.

If you're bad with finances hire a bookkeeper. If you don't understand technology hire an IT professional. If you need help with marketing hire a consultant (like me!). If you are really good at performing a specific function (like a doctor, lawyer, plumber, etc) but have no business skills maybe you should consider taking on a partner.

It's best to determine your strengths and weaknesses up front so you can plan your business accordingly. As for my SWOT Analysis, I still have plenty of work to do. I think I'll need to outsource a few things (like web development) so that I can focus on playing to my strengths.

Google Apps Marketplace- First Glance

2010-03-12T06:00:00.019-05:00

This week Google launched its newest offering- the Google Apps Marketplace. I'm a huge fan of all things Google (my apologies to all Apple fans), so naturally I'm excited about their app store.

Google Apps Marketplace provides a great opportunity for small businesses, both buyers and sellers. This article on TechCrunch does a great job of explaining the details, so I won't try to here. Instead I'd like to highlight a few of the apps that caught my attention.

Google Calendar Time & Activity Report - FREE

Description

Add time and activity reporting to your Google Calendar.
Calculates and charts hours spent and amount and duration of different event types, for specific users, within a specific date range, etc.

Connects to your Google Calendar data
No software, no setup
Easily manage time and people

Office In Cloud: Microsoft Office Integration for Google Docs

Description

Office in Cloud for Google Docs is the first native and easy-to-use integration between Microsoft Office and Google Docs

Cloud's tagging for personal documents
Save/Open/Update/Merge Google Docs from MS Office
Share documents with others with notifications

BatchBook Social CRM

Description

BatchBook is a lightweight but powerful CRM that allows you to easily organize contacts, monitor social networks and track leads and deals.

Integrates with other small business web apps
Tracks contacts, communications and tasks
Highly customizable; custom fields and reporting

OnState Virtual Call Center for Google Apps

Description

Firmly at the crossroads of Google and SaaS, OnState is a true hardware-free call center and ACD that enables full customer collaboration when paired with Google Apps.

Unified communications across voice, video, chat
Combine Google, Salesforce, SIP, and others
Ensure the right team members are reached

Google Analytics Dimension Analyzer - FREE

Description

Identify and analyze top landing pages, campaigns, keywords, etc. by any metric, e.g. top landing pages by conversions, top traffic sources by new visitors, etc. No setup, runs on your live data.

Connects to your live Google Analytics data
Easily identify top performers across dimensions
No software, no setup

Has anyone else looked at or purchased any of the apps? Feel free to comment.

Social Media Groups: Taking the Good with the Bad

2010-03-10T06:00:00.038-05:00

Monday I wrote a post about The Joy (and Pain) of Social Networking. Another opportunity/challenge that social media presents is joining and participating in groups. I have joined a few groups on Linked In and Facebook, and so far I've had mixed results. I've found several excellent articles from these groups (like this and this). But as with anything online I have to sift through the scam-my stuff to find these gems.

This sours an otherwise enjoyable experience. I tend to put off checking my group discussions until last: I'll go through my email, catch up on blogs in my Reader and updates on my Tweetdeck, then maybe I'll look at a group or two if I have time.

Are you having a similar experience? Am I joining the wrong ones, or do they all have their share of junk posts? Is there a better way to approach groups? Please leave a comment if you have any thoughts or insights.

The Joy (and Pain) of Social Networking

2010-03-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've been increasing my online presence this year, and it's going quite well. I've made friends on Facebook. I've connected with colleagues on LinkedIn. I have a few of tweeps on Twitter. I have a handful or regulars that read this blog (thank you, by the way). Recently I started a website and a Facebook fan page. I've enjoyed it much more than I'd expected. I love reading tweets from @iannarino, blog posts from Seth Godin, and status updates from my friend Tracey.

There have been a few people along the way that make the experience less enjoyable, particularly on twitter. You know who I mean: the people who follow your tweets hoping that you'll follow theirs. The ones that send a personalized message that is clearly scripted. Those who send several updates a day with a link to their website hoping to drive traffic. I quickly remove them from my contacts, but in doing so I usually notice something disturbing: they have thousands of followers! Thousands of people who are bombarded with spam from their "friends" because they are trying to make new contacts.

I'm currently following 6 people on twitter. Only 6. But I find them all interesting, and I enjoy getting new tweets. I only have 34 friends on Facebook. But I know most of them personally, and I love seeing how life is treating each of them. I follow 15 blogs, and I look forward to new posts appearing in my reader (a list of the blogs I currently follow is on the home page).

I purposely keep all of my social networks small so I can manage them. I keep them small so I can be more social.

Startup Advice In Exactly Three Words

2010-03-05T06:00:00.003-05:00

I was browsing discussion topics and news items posted in my Linked-In groups yesterday and this article caught my eye:

http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/11539/Startup-Advice-In-Exactly-Three-Words-StartupTriplets.aspx

It's a collection of 50 pieces of advice for start-ups, all of them three words (as the title suggests). I think it's worth a look. Some of my favorites:

Defer renting space.
Sell something today.
Respect your competitors.
Cancel unnecessary meetings.

My least favorite:

Avoid business plans.

Check it out and see if any are right for your business.

Small Business Use of Social Media Increases

2010-03-03T06:00:00.067-05:00

A recent survey by the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business showed that the rate at which small businesses are using social media doubled from 2008 to 2009 (12% to 24%). There's a great article about it posted here on Mashable and another here on Marketing Pilgrim.

As this graphic suggests most small businesses that are using social media use Facebook and LinkedIn. Twitter usage is relatively small, even smaller than blogging.

Interestingly 50% of small businesses complained that using social media takes more time than they expected. 17% believe social media gives customers an forum for complaining, and 6% believe social media has hurt their business's image.

The main takeaway from this data: Social Media is a great resource for small businesses, but it isn't magical. Any marketing campaign takes effort and planning, and that includes social media.

Clients Don't Want Advice, They Want Results

2010-03-01T06:00:00.014-05:00

In doing some research this weekend (the not so glamorous life of an MBA student) I came across an interesting bit of information about strategic consulting:

Recent trends have shown clients to be tired of strategy in itself. They have become increasingly sophisticated consumers of strategy consulting services, and are looking for results that can be implemented quickly. Clients have become more results-driven with the result being a greater desire for compensation to consultants being tied to these results.

The above is from the Business and Company Resource Center, a proprietary database that I can't paste a link to (check out your local library for access). It's a short excerpt from a much broader industry analysis, but I think it makes two notable points:

Clients want to be able to implement changes quickly. They have a problem, and they want to hire someone to fix it ASAP.

Clients are more inclined to hire a consulting firm whose compensation is based on achievement of predetermined goals.

Both of these points can be good for clients. They force the client and consultant to determine what their objectives are up front, and they ensure that incentives are aligned accordingly.

However, both of these points have their drawbacks. Being held to a rigid time-line and agenda limit a consulting firm's ability to advise. Consultants that are paid to complete a specific task will complete it, even if it is not in the client's best interest.

Should Companies Focus on New or Existing Customers?

2010-02-26T06:00:00.005-05:00

I've read two very interesting articles this week about customer focus:

In Keep Those Customers! on Inc.com Howard Greenstein says that companies focus so much of their energies on obtaining new customers that they ignore the customers they already have. Christopher Penn, Vice President, Strategy and Innovation at Blue Sky Factory Email Marketing, quantifies this perspective:

A good marketer in general can move 10% of the attention they create into qualified leads. With good customer retention, good service, good product, you have a huge amount of control about keeping your customers. They’re yours to lose.

Not everyone agrees. In Dear Catalog CEOs: New Customers, Kevin Hillstrom at MineThatData.com points out that no matter how customer-centric your company is there will always be customer turnover. He addresses the idea of building customer loyalty directly:

If there were easy ways to increase customer loyalty, everybody would be doing it and loyalty would dramatically improve and the economy wouldn't be a mess, right?

His suggestion: "Focus a disproportionate amount of time and energy on finding new customers." His point is that there are far more ways for companies to acquire new customers than ways for them to improve their customer retention rates.

A successful company should strive to both earn new customers and to please existing customers, but often resources are spread thin. Which should be the priority? Should companies give the majority of their focus to existing customer relationships or to creating new customers?

Do Meetings Have to be Boring?

2010-02-24T06:00:00.042-05:00

I've mentioned previously how frustrated I get with meetings, and I know I'm certainly not alone. I spent most of my afternoon today in an especially dull one. There were four or five different presenters, many of whom repeated things that had already been said. Everyone read from Powerpoint slides. It was painful.

I wanted to write a few thoughts on how to make meetings less torturous, but unfortunately my brain has shut down for the day. Luckily I found some posts that present some great ideas:
Make Meetings Fun
How To Make Meetings Less Boring, Super-Soakers Included

I don't recommend trying anything from this post, but if you do please let me know :)
Tricks to Liven up a Meeting

Tiger's Apology Is Too Little, Too Late

2010-02-22T06:00:00.026-05:00

I have tried my best to ignore everything about the Tiger Woods scandal. His personal life is of no interest to me, and frankly I'm sick of hearing about it. That being said, I had to watch his recent apology to see how he handled it. If you haven't seen it yet check out the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs8nseNP4s0

I'm not sure many people watching will view his apology as sincere. Why did he wait for 3 months to issue an apology? Did he think it would blow over? Did he think people would just forget about it? He had an opportunity to speak up early on (he did vaguely apologize for his "transgressions" on December 2nd) but this press conference only took place after he lost several sponsors.

Businesses tend to make this same critical mistake. They often try to salvage their image by denying any wrongdoing:

Ford and Firestone blame each other for deadly tires

Occasionally companies do it the right way:

Tylenol's quick recall causes only slight dip in stock prices

Don't wait for the public to demand an apology. Once a mistake has been made get in front of it as quickly as possible. Accept full, unconditional responsibility. Apologize. Then perhaps you can move forward.

Keep Yourself and Your Employees Well Informed

2010-02-19T06:00:00.086-05:00

One of the things I like most about small businesses is that they can be much more flexible than larger companies. There are fewer layers of management to convince, no board of directors or shareholders to placate, and far fewer regulations to consider. Because of this fewer resources are wasted on generating mountains of reports and a never-ending series of meetings.

But some reports and meetings exist for practical purposes. All companies need to have insight into their business. Every business should be able to answer some basic questions:

Are we making a profit?
If we are not yet profitable are we doing the right things to become profitable?
Do we have enough available cash to run our business?
What are the amounts in our Accounts Payable?
What are the amounts in our Accounts Receivable?

There are countless other questions that should be asked regularly. Most large businesses so this automatically as part of their month end closing process, and small businesses should do the same. It is important to do this every month to catch problems early and ensure that the company is moving in a productive direction.

It's equally important to make sure everyone in your company knows how the business is doing. While you don't necessarily want all employees to have full access to your financials (unless you have an open-book management policy), make an effort to let everyone know about your successes and failures. A quarterly or semi-annual meeting with everyone is a great way to keep employees informed, and it can also be an forum to receive valuable feedback.

Social Media Isn't a Substitute for a Marketing Plan

2010-02-17T06:00:00.021-05:00

I found a couple of articles online regarding social media for small businesses:

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2009/sb20090116_666697.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE59759L20091008

The Business Week article explains that social media is a great tool for small businesses because it's a great way to reach a large audience for free. The Reuters piece, however, suggests that 75% of small businesses don't find social media at all helpful in their business. The article quotes Maria Veltre, executive vice president of Citi's Small Business segment:

"What this survey indicates to us is small businesses are very, very focused on running their business and on generating sales and managing their cash flow and doing the things that are really important, especially in these economic times," Veltre said. "I don't think quite yet the social media piece of it has proven to be as significant."

I think both articles are right. Social media presents an incredible opportunity for small businesses, but it has to be based on a solid marketing plan. And any social media used must be consistent with that marketing plan. Creating several accounts with differing messages (or forgetting to update them) won't help your business. It might actually hurt it.

Charging a Premium

2010-02-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

There's an Irish pub I used to frequent when I was an undergrad. One day I glanced at the drink list above the bar and was surprised to find that an Irish Car Bomb cost $10. That's expensive! Curious, I asked the bartender why one drink cost so much more than everything else they offered (most drinks were $5-$6). I expected him to tell they were bigger than usual, they used a special blend of whiskey, something that justified the high price. He told me the real reason: "We don't like to make them." Wow. I didn't see that one coming.

Years later it makes perfect sense to me. Sometimes a client asks for a service you'd rather not provide. Rather than turning business away (especially if you want repeat business) charge a premium. If they decide you're price is too high, great: you didn't want to do it anyway. And if they accept your price you make extra money. Good news either way!

Specialize Your Business

2010-02-12T06:00:00.007-05:00

Many small businesses make the mistake of trying to sell their products and services to everyone. It makes sense at first: selling to more customers means more money, right? Not necessarily. Different customers want different things, and it is extremely rare for one good or service to satisfy everyone's needs.

Take television, for example. Back in the old days there were three networks: NBC, ABC, and CBS. They all produced similar programming choices (local news, half hour sitcoms, one hour dramas, etc.). A particularly successful show could most American households to watch on a regular basis. Today, however, there are too many viewing choices to count including newer broadcast networks like Fox and CW, cable, premium cable, satellite television channels, and the internet. Many of these networks are highly specialized like themed networks (i.e. Comedy Central or the Travel Channel). The internet is ultra specialized and consumers can find exactly what they want, when they want it.

The Lifetime Channel does not show James Bond movies. The Food Network doesn't air Nascar races. They stick to what they're good at. That's just smart business.

It's All in The Way You Package Things

2010-02-10T06:00:00.005-05:00

Many companies try to sell additional products and services to their existing customer base. This can be a great opportunity to strengthen an existing relationship, but if done wrong it can alienate great customers.

Since buying my house a few years ago I have used the same lawn care service to fertilize my lawn, spray for weeds, and spray for insects. I've always been satisfied with their services, and last spring when I hired them to trim my trees and bushes they did a wonderful job. Despite these positive experiences they nearly lost my business.

Last summer I began receiving "up-sell" calls trying to get me to purchase extra treatments, weather-proofing, and whatever else they could offer. The calls came regularly enough that I recognized the phone number when they called. One day in November I received a call from a representative telling me about a new de-icing product they were offering as an alternative to rock salt. The rep suggested that if I wanted to buy the product they could drop it off when they came out to winterize my lawn the following week. I declined, and he thanked me anyway and said they would see me the following week.

A couple of minutes after the call I realized that I had been conned: I hadn't previously scheduled the treatment, and this guy just tricked me into accepting a service I didn't want! I called the company's main number and canceled the treatment. I told the woman who answered how angry I was that they tried to dupe me and that I wanted to cancel all of their services. She apologized profusely and offered me a discount on my first few treatments next year if I would stay with the service. She also assured me that they would put an end to the constant phone calls. I grudgingly agreed and that was the end of it.

A few weeks ago I came home from work and found a package of ice-melter from the company with a note asking me to accept it as a thank you for being a customer. I like that. I just used it on my driveway last night, and if it works well enough I may consider purchasing some in the future. It's nice to be treated like a customer rather than a target.

The Frustration of Meetings

2010-02-08T06:00:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned in my first post I'm enrolled in an MBA program. I really like it for the most part, but I have one complaint: too much group work! I learn much more when I'm able to go at my own pace. I can skim through things I find easy and spend more time focusing on things that don't come quite so easily. Plus we are all juggling full time jobs and taking evening classes, so getting together to have regular meetings can be unbearable.

The idea behind group work is that members can draw upon each others' knowledge and experience, and therefore the whole is better than the sum of its parts. This hasn't been my experience. This article in Colgate University's student newspaper shares my opinion:

We feel frustrated when our group members don't put in their share of the work or are unwilling to compromise when it comes time to produce a cohesive work. We feel disappointed when the project turns out disjointed and not up to our standards. We never feel any kind of intellectual fulfillment or pride like which the project is supposed to give us.

First let me say that group participation and effort aren't a problem for me. I'm guessing that applies more toward undergraduate projects than to most MBA programs. But we're all reasonably smart, have diverse backgrounds and experiences, and have different ideas about how to approach a project. In order to reach consensus we all must be willing to give up some of our own unique ideas.

Colleges believe group projects are a useful way to simulate the "teamwork" of typical business environments. Unfortunately they are right. The more people that participate in a meeting at work, the less likely it is that the meeting is productive. There may be plenty of discussion, but very little decision. Receiving input from others can be invaluable, but receiving input from too many people can be crippling.

Are Superbowl Ads Worth The Cost?

2010-02-05T06:00:00.004-05:00

A 30-second commercial slot during this weekend's Super Bowl broadcast will cost $3.01 million (excluding production costs). The USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter ranks the commercials for each year’s game by how much viewers liked the ads as they aired. First place on the Meter for 2009 went to a Doritos commercial, a surprising upset over Anheuser-Busch that broke their 10-year winning streak.

PepsiCo, Doritos’s parent company, spent millions on Super Bowl commercials for other products as well. Despite the entertaining advertisements PepsiCo experienced a 1.5% decrease in overall sales between 3^rd quarter 2008 and 3rd quarter 2009 (Q4 has not yet been released). To be fair the Super Bowl commercials weren't directly responsible for PepsiCo's disappointing year, but did they help in any way? Did they increase brand awareness? Did they attract customers that otherwise would not have been drawn to Pepsi or Doritos? Probably not.

At least PepsiCo can afford it...

Marketing Doesn't Mean Much If You Lack Substance

2010-02-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Whenever I tell someone that I started a blog a month ago I get all kinds of advise on what to do, most commonly

advertise with Facebook
advertise wth Google AdWords
join every social networking site possible

All of these pieces of advise have merit, but I can't help but notice they have a common theme: advertising my blog. What about content? A few people gave me advice on SEO tactics without even asking what this blog is about or why I wanted to start it in the first place! This brings to mind two problems in the way many small businesses try to generate new business:

Far too many small companies believe marketing means advertising
Far too many small companies focus on finding customers before they have a product or service to provide them with

I will focus more on increasing traffic to this blog soon, but my first priority is making sure it's worth reading.

Don't Resist Change: Embrace It!

2010-02-01T06:00:00.111-05:00

I recently had an opportunity to hear a small business owner speak with a group at school. He owns a retail store that is struggling to stay afloat. Sure, the current economic climate has much to do with his problem, but his business has been losing money for a few years now. Many members of the audience gave him some helpful suggestions, including working with more specialized (niche) customers and building a website to showcase products. Most suggestions were met with responses like "I don't have the money to put into that" or "that's not where I see the business going."

It's a shame, really. One area where small businesses have a distinct advantage over large corporations is their ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. There is no board of directors to convince, no stockholders to placate, no executive committee to endlessly deliberate: just one or two people at the top that either pull the trigger or don't. Often companies are scared to make changes, even if their current operations are flailing. These are a few examples that come to mind.

Xerox and the Personal Computer

Xerox developed one of the first PCs, the Xerox Alto, in 1973. Though they used the devices in their own facilities they ever attempted to market them to the public. An excerpt from their Wikipedia page:

Xerox itself was slow to realize the value of the technology that had been developed at PARC. After their unhappy experience with SDS (later XDS) in the late 1960s, the company was reluctant to get into the computer business again with commercially untested designs.

In 1979 Steve Jobs visited Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center and was impressed by the technology. He incorporated the graphical user interface into his products, making Apple Computers an early leader in the personal computing market.

RIAA and Digital Music

The popularization of the personal computer created huge changes for every industry, though some resisted more than others. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) had never been thrilled that consumers could share music by dubbing tapes or recording compact discs, but in the mid 1990s digital music presented a problem: consumers plugged into a network could share music files with the click of a button. And everybody was connected to a network! File sharing service Napster became a household name, and in July 2001 The RIAA finally succeeded in shutting it down for allowing users to illegally share copyrighted music. However, the RIAA should have been more focused on developing a way to sell content online rather than fighting to keep music off of the internet. Six months earlier in January Apple introduced iTunes. Now studios must distribute through that channel (and split their profits) if they hope to reach an audience.

Book Publishers and eBooks

I like this example because it's happening right now. eBooks should, by all rights, be great news for publishers. They get rid of printing and distribution costs, and they make stock-outs irrelevant. Also, illegal downloads are nowhere near as likely as in the early days of digital music. Change is frightening though, and some industries will resist change even if it's overwhelmingly positive. Amazon's Kindle was an overwhelming success for eBooks in 2009. Apple is already (tentatively) partnering with several publishers for its upcoming iPad. Does that mean the publishing industry is learning from past mistakes of Xerox and the RIAA? Judge for yourself:

Fear the Kindle
Book Publishers Starting to Delay eBook Releases
Wary Publishers are Fighting the Future

No matter what industry you work in change is always just around the corner. You can either embrace it, or you resist and get crushed by Apple.

Great Ways to Tweak Your Blog (and Mine)

2010-01-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

I read a great blog post yesterday on How to Build a More Beautiful Blog. It contained some fantastic suggestions on how to make your blog look much nicer using free templates (and a little bit of basic html editing). I've tried to figure some of this out for myself, but the posting makes it so simple I had to give it a try. Here's what I did:

Added a new template

There are a handful of links listed, and this is the one I chose.

Edited some of the html
The post I read suggested to start learning html here, but I went on my own. Trial and error is more fun!

The template I chose has a heading for a contact link. Having no idea how to set that up I once again relied on the wisdom of the blogoshpere. This blog post walked me through creating a contact page. It even has a video, which I paused several times as I mimicked the instructions.

I'm shocked at how simple all of this was. An hour or so of playing around and my blog looks much more professional. At least I think so...

Working Without Micromanagement

2010-01-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine recently invited me to a get together she was having with some colleagues. It sounded like a great opportunity to meet some new and interesting people, but when she told me it was on Friday afternoon I passed: Friday is a work day. "I thought you worked from home on Fridays" she said. She was right, I do work from home most Fridays (one of the perks of my job). But that isn't the same as having Fridays off. I've had other people make the same mistake. They assume if I'm not being watched I'm not working.

People who are self employment can work whenever they choose. So how do they get any work done without a boss breathing down their neck making sure they are working? Self employed people quickly learn that if they aren't working, they aren't getting paid. How can I work from home once a week when my boss isn't monitoring my actions? True, my boss wouldn't notice immediately if I slacked off when working from home. But he would notice if my job weren't getting done. In fact, my boss's boss, and her boss, would notice if I dropped the ball. And then I wouldn't be getting paid either. I guess I'll have to meet up with my friend's group a little late.

Choosing a Strategy for Start-up Businesses

2010-01-25T06:00:00.004-05:00

One mistake that many businesses make is thinking they can be everything to all consumers. That is a dangerous assumption and makes it difficult to market the company's products and services. According to Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter there are three generic strategies that companies should use to identify and achieve competitive advantages:

Cost Leadership Strategy- Used when a company offers lower prices than competitors (Sam's Club provides commodity items in bulk for cheaper prices)

Differentiation Strategy- Used if a company creates goods and services that are unique (iPhone has features that other smart phones lack, like multi-touch)

Focus (Niche) Strategy- Used when a company targets very specific market segments (Curves gym for women)

Which strategy makes the most sense for start-ups? Cost leadership is usually not where a fledgling company will find its advantage. Competitors have been around longer will typically have better economies of scale and be prepared to fight a price war. Differentiation can be a great way to charge a premium price for products and services, but it can be difficult for start-ups to reach prospective customers on a large scale. This is why I love targeting Niche markets. Rather than being a small fish in a big pond a new company can quickly become the big fish in a small pond. Or better yet, the big fish in several small ponds.

How to Find Your First Three Paying Clients

2010-01-22T06:00:00.003-05:00

I follow a handful of blogs regularly. One that I've followed for the longest time is iwillteachyoutoberich.com, which as the name suggests is a personal finance blog. I've found several helpful hints there that I use in my own finances (like tracking spending with Mint). Ramit Sethi, the blog's author, is in the process of launching a program designed to help people earn money on the side by freelancing. Unlike most other advice I've read on the subject Ramit's advice is actually helpful. In yesterday's post he points out how much time people waste in developing great marketing strategies for companies that don't yet exist. His solution: go get your first 3 paying clients using the following 2 step process:

LOCATE

Who is your exact client, and where do they go to look for a solution to their problems? Do they read magazines? Go to the grocery store? Ask their priest?

Where are people already looking for solutions to problems, and how can you make a match between them and your service?

COMMUNICATE

Email will be your most important communication tool for pitching clients.

By getting in your clients’ heads, you can write emails that engage and lead directly to paid work

I highly recommend reading the full blog post.

Want to earn more money? How to find your first 3 paying clients

Funding a Small Business in a Slow Economy

2010-01-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

One of the biggest challenges for any small business is funding. What is the best way to infuse your business with the cash it needs? Current economic conditions make it difficult for anyone to get a loan, but small businesses take a larger hit than their larger counterparts. An article on CNNMoney.com tells how banks have cut an additional $1 billion in loans available to small businesses.

Bank Loans- There are fewer loans available to small businesses, but this can still be a viable option.

Venture Capital- Venture capitalists are taking full advantage of banking's reluctance to fund small businesses.

Government Loans and Grants- The government has several loans and grants specifically for small businesses.

Each of these can be a good way to get the cash your small business needs, and if you are able to secure funding you can find some great deals while interest rates are still low.

Are Other Corporations as Brave as Google?

2010-01-18T06:00:00.003-05:00

Since launching it's search engine in China in 2006 Google has received criticism for caving to the Chinese government's demands that they censor certain information (like Tienanmen Square). I'm sure anyone with an internet connection has learned by now that Google issued a statement on its blog last week indicating that they have reversed their position and will either offer uncensored searches or leave the Chinese market. An excerpt of their blog post is as follows:

We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.

Check out Google's full blog post here.

This is definitely a bold move on Google's part. China has one of the most rapidly growing economies in history, and most corporations would give anything to enter that market. So why is Google willing to risk a lucrative relationship with China? The most common answer suggested around the blogosphere is that Google's founders are still a large part of the company. These are two posts I read on the subject that explain it nicely:

The Founder Factor

Entrepreneurs: Risk Takers or Predators?

This is why I love small businesses. The founders are almost always the owners and operators of the company, so the company's priorities remain consistent. Few corporations are able to maintain their original vision in the founder's absence (Apple is a wonderful example). That's what makes Google's decision an anomaly in the corporate world. Everyone else's priority is to provide maximum value to their shareholders. Google's priority is "don't be evil."

Online Tools to Help Run Your Business Cheaply

2010-01-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

One of the biggest challenges facing any new business is controlling start-up costs. Depending on your business's needs you might have to shell out a ton of cash on things like facilities, equipment, labor, materials, etc. Why not save a few bucks wherever you can? Here are a handful of ideas to help keep those costs to a minimum.

Google Apps

I'm a huge fan of all things Google, and I use many of their free applications (obviously Blogger is one of them. Some of their other great free applications include Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Sites. As your business grows you can expand your capabilities with their business package for $50 per year, per user.

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online offers free usage for 1 user, provided you have 5 customers or less. It's a great way to get started, and once your business grows beyond 5 customers (congrats!) you can upgrade to the Online Basic version for $9.95 per month.

Skype

You can use the basic version of Skype with unlimited calls for just a few bucks a month. Once your business grows you can upgrade to their small business platform and get additional features like the Business Control Panel, which is relatively inexpensive when compared with other business phone networks.

Fear of Complacency

2010-01-13T06:00:00.003-05:00

There is a post on http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/ this week that discusses several excuses most of us use to explain why they can't make more money or start a new business. Here is the full post:

“But starting a freelance business is too risky!” and other reasons people don’t earn more money

One aspect he mentions in particular is fear. The following excerpt puts it nicely:

Jonathan Fields puts it best:

How do you handle fear?
“Well, comes my answer, “that depends. Fear of what?”
“Of failure, of course.”
“Wrong fear,” I add. “You wanna be afraid, really afraid, take a look at what your life’ll look like not if you try and fail…but if you keep on keeping on for decades. That’s the real nightmare scenario for most people.”

I'm sure most of us can relate to the fear of failure (I know I can). We all know deep down that we must face that fear if we want to achieve, but how? What can we do to move past this fear when changing careers or starting a business?

Effective Planning- Don't rush into new business endeavors without thinking them through.

Follow-through- Don't go into something if you aren't committed to it fully.

Support System- Have at least one person you can turn to for unbiased advice.

Fail- Yes, I know this isn't something we do on purpose, but honestly, once you fail and realize you're capable of handling it you will have something that is much stronger than fear: experience.

How to Use Social Media to Connect With Other Entrepreneurs

2010-01-11T06:00:00.004-05:00

There was a great post on Mashable.com this weekend. It featured a few great ways to use Social Media to connect with other Entrepreneurs. Check out the full blog post here. The highlights:

Follow Entrepreneur Twitter Lists

I read through the top Entrepreneur Twitter Lists and found one that I like: Inc Magazine does a great job of incouraging interaction, not just broadcasting information.

Connect With Amazing Entrepreneurship Communities

Hacker News seems to have some great posts, but as with any bulletin board you have to tune out some noise (like a post about killing programmers if for not knowing statistics). I guess that's an unavoidable side effect of free form discussion boards.

Use Social Media To Find Local Events

As the post says "there is no substitute for shaking hands and meeting in person." I checked out Meetup and seems like a great resource to find local groups for just about anything.

Struggling With Social Media

2010-01-08T06:00:00.004-05:00

In the past I have had a negative view of "social" features on the internet. I had a MySpace account a few years ago and I didn't care for it. I really wasn't interested in trying to feel a connection with someone just because we were in the same 10th grade science class, so I eventually lost interest and deleted my account. I signed up for Facebook, but just followed a couple of friends and played a game or two.

I took a Persuasive Marketing course last term (taught by S. Anthony Iannarino) that caused me to rethink my relationship to online networking. I've since updated a long forgotten LinkedIn account and created a Twitter account. I'm working on making my Facebook account more professional, but I'm beginning to run into the same issues as with MySpace. How can I use Facebook to find new contacts and stay in touch with the people I want while tuning out the noise?

I've found a couple of helpful resources like 32 Ways to Use Facebook for Business and How to Market Your Business with Facebook, but neither really addresses the issue of finding quality contacts rather than just having as many random friends as possible. I also found 8 Things to Avoid When Building a Community, which gives me something to aspire to. For now I will try to learn as much as I can as I go along.

Are Kindle and Nook About to be Obsolete?

2010-01-06T06:00:00.018-05:00

2009 saw a major push in mainstream acceptance of eBooks. Kindle was Amazon's best selling item of the year. Barnes & Noble's Nook came out and was immediately out of stock (and still is). Though there are a few differences they are essentially the same product: a lightweight reader with a 6" paper-like display for conveniently reading eBooks, newspapers, and blogs. Both offer a few other features like mp3 capabilities, but both are primarily designed for reading. That is why Apple will crush them both.

Apple's upcoming tablet, possibly called iSlate, could be officially unveiled sometime this month. This tablet looks like a super-sized iPhone, and judging by the functionality should have the same game-changing impact as its smaller cousin. While Kindle and Nook simply offer electronic versions of books the iSlate will focus on interactive content. This demo of Apple's tablet featuring an electronic issue of Sports Illustrated says it all: the content is supported by pictures, sound, video graphics, hotlinks, and more, all of which is fully integrated. Though it will be more expensive (reportedly just under $1,000 compared to Kindle and Nook for $260) there appears to be more than enough features to justify the increased cost. Oh, and I bet you can read books on it too.

Update: as I was about to post this blog I learned that Apple may not have a free path to tablet dominance. At least not if Google has anything to say about it.

Update #2: I just saw that Microsoft is expected to unveil their tablet device, Courier, today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Do Small Businesses Matter?

2010-01-04T06:00:00.004-05:00

There is always quite a bit of discussion in the news about businesses. On any given day there are articles about the stock market, international regulations, and of course federal bailouts. But what about small businesses? Don't they deserve out attention?

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy in 2006 98.2% of all firms in the U.S. had fewer that 100 employees (this breakdown by Entrepreneurship.com puts that number even higher at 99.7%). So why, then, do all business related news items revolve around large corporations? I think there are two main reasons:

Though small companies account for the majority of U.S. firms they provide only 35.6% of jobs.
Most small businesses aren't publicly traded, so there are no stockholders clamoring for information.

While these are both good reasons to pay attention to what the big guys are doing small businesses provide a substantial contribution. According to the same piece on Entrepreneur.com small businesses account for:

52.6% of all retail sales
46.8% of all wholesale sales
24.8% of all manufacturing sales

Let's hope that 2010 is the year that small businesses finally get the respect they deserve.

Welcome to My blog!

2010-01-01T12:00:00.009-05:00

I started a blog toward the end of 2009. It was interesting, it was witty, in fact it was brilliant! Okay, it was a few random snarky comments that I posted anonymously. Realizing that the blogosphere has more than enough of that already I decided to scrap it and start over with a blog worth putting my name on. So here we are. My name is Pat Henry. Welcome to my blog.

I have spent my career working in a several areas including accounting, customer service, and legal. I have a B.S. in Operations Management from Ohio State University and I will complete Capital University's MBA program in December. Though there are a few instances of entrepreneurship thriving in corporations I'm particularly excited by small businesses and their ability to become anything.

Here are some of the topics I will be posting about:

Small Business
Sales/Marketing
Finance
Technology
Economics
Social Media
General Business

Of course I'll probably post about other things as the mood strikes me. I plan to post 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That being said I will aim for quality over quantity, so if I slack off while working on school projects I apologize in advance.

Happy New Year!

Contact Me

2010-01-01T01:00:00.000-05:00