Business advice flows from experts with the force of Niagara Falls.

Tag Line: by; Milo Dakota

Business advice flows from experts with the force of Niagara Falls.  There’s no shortage of millionaires and billionaires who opine about the secrets of their stellar accomplishments.  But sometimes it’s nice to hear the success stories of the still-in-the-trenches small business owners who live the messages they preach.

Here are some words to the wise from business owners in three diverse Industries:  travel, insurance and fashion:

Look at the Calendar, Not the Clock

Sean Rollinson, marketing manager of Escapes.ca, says it’s crucial to not underestimate the time required to launch and manage a business:

“Being a business owner, especially at start-up, requires a lot of time, dedication and long hours,” Rollinson said in an interview.  “One of the main reasons why so many businesses fail within the first few years, next to simply a bad idea, is because new business owners don’t realize or realistically calculate how much time will be involved in running their business.”

Business owners hoping to achieve a balance between their personal and business lives should not look to achieve this on a daily or weekly basis.  They need to think of balance with a longer view in mind.

“Keep in mind that balance may be defined in years, not days,” Rollinson says.  “The first few years may take away a lot of one’s personal time but, once you get established and are able to hire some good employees, then you are able to take back some of your personal time.”

The need to adapt to changes in the business climate means, however, that even owners of established companies need to spend considerable time thinking about their business even if they are not physically present for long hours at the office.

“Even after you are established, while it may consume less of your personal time, it should still consume a lot of your thoughts.  Those thoughts show that you are still passionate about” what you do.

Balance Risky and Conservative Measures

When Ronny Jetmore launched his own insurance company 12 years ago, he had no money, no products to sell and limited experience in the insurance industry.  He was 25 and didn’t contemplate the risks.  If he didn’t succeed, he’d give up the business and get a job.  He succeeded.  He has learned from both his missteps and success and has advice for entrepreneurs who want to limit mistakes and garner easier success:

“First and foremost, find what you like to do that makes money and seems to have a good future, for 30 years out,” he says, and do market research to make certain you are filling a need.  He also recommends keeping a part-time job until the new business earns enough to pay your bills and advises that you keep expenses as low as possible.

“Put up a good front.  In other words, don’t buy a $60,000 car to impress clients if you can buy an $8,000 car that will do the job and look respectable.  Spend on things like a few nice shirts, a nice sign, envelopes, letterhead and get some decent furniture, not a $5,000 desk but a neat old wood one from a sale for $200 that you might have to paint.”

Like Rollinson, Jetmore says to work hard — at least 60 to 70 hours a week until your income stabilizes.

Love What You Do

Jared Young, owner and partner of AppetizingAprons.com Owner/Partner, AppetizingAprons.com, says that if you[re passionate about your business, the hours don’t seem like a hardship.  It also helps that he loves his business partner, his wife Nancy.

“Most small business owners don’t go into business for themselves because they have no other option; they do it because they love the freedom and challenge that comes from relying on your own wits to survive. There is a joy in doing what you love that can’t be found elsewhere and I think as a small business owner it’s important to embrace that. Each individual has to examine what they want out of life and apply that to their work/life balance,”

Young adds that you should take breaks as often as you need so that you are doing things that bring you pleasure.  If the long hours needed to run a business are too much of a hardship, entrepreneruship may not be for you.  “You should never be working so much it makes you unhappy. If that’s the case, you should just go get a job; it’s much safer.”

Written by: Guest Blogger : Milo Dakota

 

May the “SEARCH” be with You

B2C Content Marketing

Have you noticed that when you do a search for yourself or your business link, that you don’t see what you would expect?   Yes, that’s right.  The world of SEO as we know it is forever changing and it did it again,  right before your eyes and you didn’t see it coming.

Here’s the scoop.  Search Engines are combining individual post that seem mundane, straight advertising, so to speak.  Again, Google is all about “content” for your post, your website, your white pages and social streams.  Do you want to be seen on searches?  Do you know which social networking venue is getting you hits?  Do you check your Google Analytic for source traffic?  You should.  There is a wealth of knowledge in those stats that can help you drive traffic to your products the way you want.

I have been over an over about “good content” and yet, Google keeps asking for more from us.  Be original in your post, mix it up, be bold in your title and descriptions of your products, but … remember the rules of engagement, don’t spam the keywords and keep it short and to the point.  Title is everything, descriptions are your keywords in a nutshell.  Use #hashtags when ever possible, those keywords help the “trending” searches for the day.

What Google wants to see now is original, real content created by original real people, content that attracts the user’s attention because it’s well written, relevant and enjoyable.

Such content is eagerly shared with friends, family and acquaintances, which shows Google that the material is real, not some canned, generated garbage simply meant to inflate search rankings. Google’s updates change search rankings so that shares, replies and views matter more. Companies who try to trick the system so that their sites come out on top are punished.

Granted, bringing in professionals to produce quality content will cost, but in the long run, if the improved material brings more hits to the website and consequently increased sales, it’s a worthwhile investment to make. Hiring a VBA is more and more common among Small Businesses. Marketing is more than just clicking a product into the social streams, it’s manning the ship and steering toward your business goals.

What this means in a “nutshell” of SEO … Google loves to share!  Liking a product or website (on any social network) doesn’t mean a thing to the SEO search bots.  But, if your product or website is viewed and shared around, it is search rank’able!

What the “search filters or search bots” (and there are over 200+ search bots that craw your link, your page, your photos and you content), is to combine similar posts to go behind the main LINK of your social network page. So there is very little “individual posts” that you will see now on any given search page. But what you will see, is the original real posts that catch the attention of the search bots. Just do a generic search of your business link and you will see what I’m saying.

If you wonder why this is so … go back and look at your Google Analytic Account, view your source links.  See exactly where the browser hits are coming from.  From there you can also break it down to see what items in the searches were viewed. Individual links that got the buyer to your website, blog or product. I’m not a “full geek” but I love to see how the numbers talk to you.  This is business sense to take you to the next level.

I have but one “pet peeve”, it’s “content for business”.  I stand by it, work by it and talk about it excessively.  Business friends, work it correctly via your post, your blog and your website and it will bring you positive views and sales every time.  If I can be of assistance, contact me by email.  Free Consults are just that, FREE!

From your wordy gal, Taylor

Please share with friends.

Comments always welcome

nativebydesignz@gmail.com

Native By Designz
NBD Media Solutions

 

Engagement: Social Networking in your Pocket

Social Networking:  Engagement

I know most of you are familiar with the term “engagement”, bringing to mind a coming of two people into one union.  I want to talk to you about a different kind of engagement.  Social Networking.

Social networking is the “stream” of your information in today’s fast pace world, especially if you are on the internet.  We pass notes to each other, pictures; share our thoughts, feelings, opinions and more, daily, 24/7, 365.

What “had been” just as engaging to our social needs, have come a long way to where we are today,  ie; hand written letters, telegrams, home telephone, beepers, the cell phone, email, and now we have brought “engagement” to a new level.  We see each other on our cell phones, we can “engage” face to face in a wireless world, we can put pictures out into the world at a click of a finger, and we mass rush to get all the internet social “toys” downloaded to our cell phone, iphone, ipad, and computer, all in the hopes of sharing like-minded “engagement”.

Many of us “baby boomers” marvel at the pace of technology and strive to gain knowledge of this new measure of technology.  Our kids will never know the feel of a hand held Princess phone, or the cassette tape messages we long remember.  To keep up with this and expand ourselves, we “engage”.  Oh, forgive me, I’m dating here.  Yes, back to the point of this post.

Social Networks are always trending, by this I mean, that one day they are the “Top” of the mountain, then “poof” gone in a click of “delete”.  Wonder where they go?  You were having fun, right?  It was your favorite place to shop, or share or places your products are for sale… and now what?   Welcome to our ever changing world of social networking.  We would never know this without the sharing of knowledge among our peers.  Social Networking.

The old phrase comes to me, “nothing is ever promised”.  You must work for it.  I believe this and I try to pass on the positive meaning to those that wonder why a selling venue didn’t work out or why they don’t seem to get many people to their website for product sales.  When we stretch ourselves out too far, we can lose sight of our goals, especially if you are a Small Business Owner.  You have so much on your plate that you don’t know where to start, let alone, keep a daily list of social networks to maintain.  Then, at times, we don’t seem to stretch far enough.  What is the best formula?  In my opinion, time and experience play an important part in this rule of “engagement”.

For the past 20+ years we have watched our Social Networking venues come of age.  MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Yahoo, Tumblr, Instagram and several others, and they are ever changing to meet the needs of technology, from our kids to our businesses.   We are “engaged” with it.  What we didn’t know, we learned.  What we did for our business, we do better, share further and can increase sales with our new form of social networking tools available at the click of a finger.  Sweet!

New online businesses are added daily to the internet stream of our social “engagement”.  Engaging in social networking is much like enjoying an engaging conversation with your best friend.  We want to reach out to the public, be their friend; share with them our products, opinions and knowledge of our business.  We are proud to be in the digital world,  as we should be.  But just like talking to our friends, how much time do we have to engage with the social networking venues and which ones are the best to get our message across?  This has been a question that is asked time and time again.  Media marketing firms are always in a “huff” to get you to sign up here or sign up there, as it’s the best place to get your information out to the world.  In truth, my opinion, you must choose the one, or ones you believe to be right for you.  Just as you, would choose your friend.

I do however; believe that you must engage daily in your business growth, just as you grow your friendships online, unseen, but with your best interest at heart.  Know which social networking venue is right for you.  How is it helping your business to grow on the internet?  Which search engines are listening to you?  Which social networks couple to “engage” you further out into the wider world of social streaming?   Keep a daily management list of what to track, which network is giving you the “push” for your visibility.  Are you spending your advertising funds in the right place?

I am but a small pea in the garden of this wonderful world of digital media and I love the research and knowledge that comes with it.  I do not profess my post will make you a star business, or put your business at the level of Amazon, Sears, and other big brand names, but I do hope you will break through the “hype” of “more is better”, as when done effectively, less can be just as successful.   One doesn’t need 100 search engines to gain business, but one does need to maintain and nurture the major search engines with good company content, solid links, appealing graphics, and active social networking content.

If you thought I would be targeting the social networks, I don’t feel I know you that well to make a suggestion, which many have made in the past on this subject.  I wanted you to make a comparison of how you spend your time, socially or business with engaging with the social networks.  I also suggest searching for your business on all three major search engines. If your social networking venue is not sharing your business content with the search engines, that would be a big clue that the social networking venue you are on, is not working for your business.  If you do not find you have the time to devote to a social network that will produce the actions you desire for your business, hire a VBA or Virtual Business Assistant to help you with what needs to be worked on.  Small business marketing and advertising people work harder for you, knowing your business and needs to help you grow.

Enjoy your day.
From your wordy gal

By Taylor @ NativeByDesignz, CEO @ NBD Media Solutions.
To obtain a PDF of this blog post, contact me @  info@nativebydesignz.com

 

THE “WRITE” STUFF

Making Keywords Work

          The “WRITE” Stuff

What moves your business to the front?  Key words.
Keywords are not only for website searches, titles or description            services or products.  Keywords are so much more.

          WHAT is a Keyword?

“A keyword is any word or short phrase that describes a website topic or page.
The more a keyword is used by searchers and websites the more attraction power it has.

 

Have you given thought to the “key words” that go into your blogging?  You haven’t?
Then it’s time to explore and expand on your “Write stuff” for your blogging for content.
Keyword research is “market research” that you can do in advance of writing your blog.
Do you know what keywords your visitors use to find you?  Ever wonder how those that follow your blog found you?  It’s keywords.  Let’s call them “short topics of interest” so you can see how to make finding you, much easier.

Diaries, journals and online writing, blogging for content has become very popular in the world of technology.  We all have something to say, or services and products to offer to others in the internet realm.  What better way to connect with those then in the world of blogging. Once you have a blog set up, how do you attract your readers?  Today blogging venues offer you some great tools or short cuts on “tagging” or “keyword” subjects to include with your topics.  Are you offering product information or talking about services that Small Businesses can benefit from?
What ever you are offering, “keywords or key phrases” are your “meat and potatoes” of your blogging content.

You can search on the internet for “keyword search tools” and come up with hundreds, all claiming to be the best. Some offer monthly packages to help you target your keywords and draw in tons of visitors.  Is it worth it? Does it work?
That depends.  If you are a large company with a ton of products, you might want to invest in the $30 to $99 monthly fee.  However, it’s not necessary.  A smart marketing business person will capitalize on the FREE ENTERPRISE method and put some elbow grease into it.  You have your Google Analytic, a free stat program that is just as good or better for helping you with keywords that can attract your visitors.

Oh, blogging with keywords. Ha, I didn’t forget you.
Let’s say you are looking to put information out about a certain product. From a traffic perspective, targeting a post at the right keywords can bring you 10,000 visitors, where one that you write off the top of your head might bring you 100 visitors instead.

Let’s use a mobile phone for example.
Your internet business is mobile ready and you want people to know you are available anytime or anywhere and they can save you to their phone bookmarks.  All the information and “how to” is explained in your blog.  What “keywords” do you focus on?
What information do you “underline” or Link to capture their interest to “click”, take that “call to action” and grab their mobile phone and bookmark you?  You target the “keywords” of your topic and lead them to your business.

An example of keywords for the example above would be:

Mobile phone, digital devices, mobile bookmarks, mobile marketing, mobile shopping, your business name or a few of your business products.
You can also do a “keyword” search to see how many consumers are using those keywords or what is related that would be more attractive in your blog topic.

Some recommended links:  (Some require sign-up, per your browser provider.)
Google Keyword Tool
Bing Keyword Research Tool
WordStream Keyword Generator (useful if you want to see what everyone else is looking at)

Keywords are not a mystery, but as I mentioned, rather a “short word topic” that can easily be found and converted into sales for your business.

Remember to relate to your topic of interest with your keyword, key phrases, and if you use categories, make sure you can add more than one to your post. Look at related topics from others in your field. Are they blogging?  Do you have them listed in your “what I read”, many will link back to your blog, creating a positive back link.  Make sure to add your signature blog link to your emails, website and share with your social networking community.

You are setting a presence, building your foundation as a knowledgeable business person in your arena. Branding your business character is just as important as branding your services or products you are offering to the consumer.

I hope I have been informative and dispelled the “keyword” mystery and given you more sound incentive to include keywords in everything you do for your business.

Have a great day!
IF you like this topic, please re-blog, like and share.
From your “wordy gal and wanna be geek”
Taylor
NativeByDeisgnz.com
©NBD Solutions 2013