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June 18 Google Dashboard and YouFirst, let me start with my often-repeated caveat - I know very little about technology so it is really important for you to take the time to read the tech-focused articles I feature before forming an impression about the usefulness of the content. That being said, I am really excited about today's featured piece from Small Biz Trends. It discusses a new service Google is offering to small businesses called "Google Dashboard".
Quoting from the Small Biz Trends article, "this customized dashboard [will reveal]... stats like how often people visit your site, your top search queries, how many times people asked for driving directions and the cities the people who ask are from." After reading this description, it still was not totally clear to me how these stats could be helpful in any useful way to small business owners. After watching the youtube video describing this new "dashboard" feature, however, I must admit that I am impressed. (See the video presentation embedded below).
Note, however, that this dashboard feature is only available to customers who sign up to Google's Local Business Center (don't worry it's free and it takes as much time as signing up for an email account). In addition, there is a concern that Google "will probably mine the information SMB owners offer up to for the dashboards to serve them better ads in the future." Despite these potential drawbacks, the author of the featured article believes you should go ahead and sign up anyway as the benefits outweigh the costs. Personally, I also think it's a pretty amazing tool - but I'm always a sucker for new technology. I will, however, advise you to watch the video and read the featured article before deciding whether or not this move is right for your business.
Google Offers Free Business Dashboard for SMBs Posted By Lisa Barone On June 17, 2009 @ 9:00 am In Small Business Advice The dashboards offered by Google give businesses a quick lesson in Google Analytics without overwhelming them with too much information. They provide a small amount of strong analytical data to help people understand what is happening on their site and which queries are bringing them traffic. Knowing what queries searchers are using (or are not using) to find your Web site, and which zip codes they’re from, is valuable information for anyone thinking of starting a local paid search campaign. This data can very easily be used to create targeted ads that hone in on a very small group of searchers to help you maximize your ad budget and not waste dollars on frivolous clicks. If empty traffic is one reason why SMB owners have been reluctant to adopt local search, this helps solves that. June 11 Social Networking Cheat SheetBack on January 30th, I encouraged you to capitalize on the social networking craze by signing up for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. I continued to promote the use of these sites in subsequent posts. (including my last technology-oriented blogpost titled, Implementing An Effective Marketing Strategy Online). However, as I have stated in all of these blog entries, I am not an expert in this area (I didn't even know about Facebook until last November!). As such, I was very happy to run across today's featured article from Forbes Small Business that highlights the pros and cons of the different social networking tools that are currently available.
According to the author, the featured piece provides a "breakdown of the complex world of social networking, beginning with separating external and internal applications, depending on whether the connections occur inside or outside your company." After providing a summary of the internal and external appliations, the author went on the describe the varios social networking functions (which include blogs, microblogs like Twitter, discussion forums, Wikis, etc.) and the advantages and disadvantage sassociated with each. Finally, the author provided a list of Do's and Don'ts to follow when implementing a social netorking strategy.
Given my very limited knowledge of technology, I will not elaborate further. But please, don't let my technological illiteracy deter you from checking out this piece for yourself. Though it has been six months since I joined Facebook, I'm still constantly amazed by this application's ability to bring people together. I have even been using it to promote this blog! Also, it is important to note that the featured article is clear and concise. As such, it is an easy read and I believe it will make an excellent blueprint for those who are still lost in the social networking wilderness. As always, print and review the piece, develop a social networking strategy, then get started on the implementation process! Good Luck!
Frederic Paul, 06.05.09, 12:08 PM ET
Next to mobility and cloud computing, social networking was the talk of Interop this year--especially at a conference session devoted to social software tools and a portion of the Unconference, where real SMB users talked about how to make the most of it. But perhaps the best thing I learned about social media came in a meeting with security vendor ESET. Just as at a recent Intuit town hall where I discovered Social NOT-working, at Interop, ESET director of marketing Liz Fraumann shared the abbreviation for Social Media as "So Me." Perfect, isn't it? Anyway, Social Software Tools: A Critical Evaluation offered useful insight into the choices SMBs need to make when moving into social networking. Tony Byrne, founder of CMS Watch, started with a useful breakdown of the complex world of social networking, beginning with separating external and internal applications, depending on whether the connections occur inside or outside your company. May 26 Implementing An Effective Marketing Strategy OnlineBack on January 30th, I wrote a post titled, Optimizing Your Website to Increase Sales. One of the articles I featured in that post was from CNNMoney wherein,the author helped a brick and mortar retailer "make the transition online". In responding to her plea that she is averaging only one sale per month on her website, the author advised her to totally overhaul her web presence. As such, they redeveloped her website to make it more appealing and buyer-friendly; next came the advice about search engine optimization and marketing; and finally, she was told to also told to start a blog to keep her site updated and her clientele informed.
Today's featured article from Small Biz Trends builds on the January 30th post by proving a simple, but more detailed, primer on search engine marketing for small business owners. The information in the featured piece was based on a webinar from Anita Campbell about the five ways in which small business owners can increase their web presence. The headings for the information discussed were: (i) starting with a solid home base, (ii) getting found in search engines naturally, (iii) increasing findability offline, (iv) amplifying your online presence with social media, and (v) knowing when to bring in a professional. After reading this piece, I can honestly say the information provided in this article is common-sense practical advice that just about anyone can implement.
As business people, we all know that there is no point in investing in a great product or service if no one knows it is there. In this information age, many of us are not tech-savvy enough develop a formidable presence on the web. That is why articles like the one featured today are so important - they give us everything we need to imlement an effective marketing strategy online. And, as successful business people understand - marketing is key.
A SMB Owners Intro To Search Engine Marketing Posted By Lisa Barone On May 26, 2009 In Small Business Advice You’ve heard it a million times: The Web has leveled the playing field for small businesses. Great. But what does that mean. The Web is intimidating. How does someone take advantage of that new playing field? Where do you start and how do you get the most bang for your buck?
Last week, [2] Anita Campbell was kind enough to take part in Verizon’s Small Business series webinar and shed light on some of these questions, giving small business owners five ways to increase their Web presence. Got a pen? February 26 How Banking Online Can Save You Hundreds of $$Earlier, while searching for an article to feature in today’s blog post, I came across a piece from Forbes titled, “Why Are You Still Not Banking Online?” My response: “Huh?! There are still business people out there who do not bank online?” Then, I thought, “No – that couldn’t be it. Maybe the author was just highlighting new technology related to the banking industry that I am not aware of.” However, one click of the mouse later, I realized I was wrong; the author was really only discussing basic online banking – you know, the same online banking that has been around now for about 15 years! I couldn’t believe it! I can still remember the first online banking floppy disk I received from Citibank in the mid 1990s. (Yep – I said floppy disk – it was that long ago!) I was still living at my parent’s house and, as a college sophomore, I couldn’t wait to be on the cutting edge of technology. (Back then, the operating system on most PCs was Windows 3.0 and most people’s online experience was limited to email.) After my initial use of the product, I became an instant convert to online banking. Unfortunately for my family, I was then hell bent on persuading them to join in the fun. My Dad and brother soon relented and quickly signed up – my mom and aunt, however, chose to continue banking the traditional way. Frankly, until I read this piece, I thought they were the only two people left in America that still did this. But, apparently I was wrong. According to the author of the featured piece, he and 95% of his 500 clients still did not bank online. This stat made me realize that there may be many of you out there that also still tied to the old, traditional approach to banking. That is why I chose to feature this Forbes article today: it is my belief that this author has done a masterful job of highlighting the benefits of online banking. He was able to show the hundreds of dollars you can save per month by using this service instead of relying on a bookkeeper. In addition, he gave a concise explanation of the process involved in setting up your vendors for one time electronic or recurring payments. Then there are the bookkeeping features that allow you to quickly “check balances and cash flow; print out reports; and receive e-mail reminders when bills are coming due.” Finally, with this form of banking, you to easily track electronic payments and almost all of your payment information is stored in the bank’s database. People – believe me, if you haven’t done so already, sign up! In almost all instances, this service is FREE and it will save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. Trust me - the featured article is not exaggerating the advantages of online banking. I have been using this service for 15 years and I have no complaints! Actually, when I went off to law school, I initially tried to save money by taking advantage of the incentives offered by one of the smaller banks in our area. Unfortunately, this bank did not offer online banking, and after one year, I quickly ran back to the larger banks because it was just way too time consuming to manually pay my bills. (Now you don’t have to worry about that as most banks, large or small, offer this service.) In addition, let's not forget that the cost of paying for checks and postage can really add up. With online banking, this expense is covered by the bank. Finally, please don’t tell me that you are still worried about your private information being online. This is the internet / information age – I am confident that your banks have your privacy covered on this front (after all, they’ve had more than a decade to work out the kinks!). Just remember, online banking is a prime example of the type of actions (that reduce costs and increase efficiency) that we need to be undertaking right now.
Why Are You Still Not Banking Online? When it comes to helping entrepreneurs compete, I try to eat my own cooking. All the tips and strategies I share in this column I aim to apply at my 10-person technology consultancy. But I have to come clean: I'm woefully negligent in one crucial area--and it's costing me.
I'm talking about online banking. Embarrassing as it sounds, I don't do it. Nor, as it turns out, do roughly 95% of my 500 clients. Why? Sheer laziness, I suppose.
Cindy Horn, on the other hand, is anything but lazy. She runs a 10-person fitness and wellness center in downtown San Francisco. She teaches people how to take care of their bodies, eat right and live fully through Pilates, Yoga and Martial Arts. And when it comes to banking, Cindy does it quicker and better than most because she bothered to figure out how to do everything online.
February 04 Digitally Input Your ExpensesCan you believe it is already February 4th?! Whether we like it or not, it is time to start seriously turning our attention to taxes. Yep, the dreaded 5 letter word. If you are using accountants, great! Just hand them your bag of receipts and let them figure it out. If, however, you are like me – you know, the Quickbooks, Turbo Tax type, then this article posted on CNNMoney, might be for you!
The piece discusses the new scanners that digitize the information from receipts and business cards then download it into software applications like Excel and Quickbooks. The great news is that they are both reasonably priced, ($200 for the portable scanner and $400 for the desktop version) and accurate.
So, given all of these features why do I say this type of scanner “might” be for? Well, if you, like the author of the article (self-described as “no stranger to expense reporting”), are looking to beat the time it takes to manually do your inputs – then this instrument is not your best bet. It is significantly slower. If, however, you are like me and are currently facing the prospect of a shoe box full of receipts, who cares if it takes 22 minutes to accurately input five receipts? I mean, that is still less than 5 minutes per receipt, right?! For me 22 minutes of unfocused attention that allows me to surf the net or watch TV is much more appealing than 10 minutes of focused concentration inputting business data. I don’t look at it as 12 minutes lost, but instead, 22 minutes gained!
But, I understand that everyone is not like me. For the people who are extremely detailed oriented and “on the ball”, you might want to skip this article. However, for the procrastinating, batch-processors of the world, this one is for you!
Have any personal experience with these scanners? Share your story by leaving a comment below.
Can machines do your expenses?
Our fearless reviewer takes two new receipt scanners for a spin.
By Matt Hulett
January 30, 2009: 10:38 AM ET
SEATTLE (Fortune Small Business) -- As CEO of a fast-growing internet ad network, WidgetBucks, I travel a lot. And I'm no stranger to expense reporting, having previously run the corporate travel division of Expedia (EXPE). I've long dreamed of a device that could generate my expense reports at the touch of a button.
The only manufacturer that comes close to realizing this vision is The Neat Company, which claims its scanners and patented software can pull data from your receipts and drop them into spreadsheets such as Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) Excel or Intuit's (INTU) QuickBooks. So, for my latest business trip I tested Neat's two most recent models.
My goal: Beat the time it takes me to submit my expense reports manually.
The NeatReceipts scanner ($200) is portable and resembles a wand. NeatDesk ($499) is the larger desktop version and looks more like a top-loading printer than a scanner. Installation took half an hour for both models, and the calibration process was simple. The optical character-recognition software puts everything you scan into one of three files: receipts, business cards and other documents. For receipts, the software assigns billing categories.
January 30 Optimizing Your Website to Increase SalesIf you follow this blog closely, you know that I try to feature at least one post per week dedicated to each of the following small business topics: government programs, start-up advice, management tips, technology and finance. Today’s topic is technology but the two most interesting articles I found seemed to be promoting conflicting viewpoints! The piece from BusinessWeek supports the idea that most small businesses should forego the investment in a website. The other from CNNMoney was giving tips on how to optimize your website to increase sales. After I read the articles, I realized that I agreed with both! Hmmm…how was I going to choose which one to feature today? The answer: instead of choosing, I’ll just do a comparative analysis of both to find out which advice would be most useful to the readers of this blog. First up, the BusinessWeek article. According to this piece, “gas station owners, restaurateurs, insurance agents, shopkeepers…CPAs, architects, landscapers, plumbers, and electricians” do not need websites. Supposedly, because their work is “not complex”, a simple webpage with contact information and a picture or two will suffice. With respect to gas stations and corner stores, I definitely agree with the author. These are convenience and price driven businesses – their clientele consist of people in their immediate vicinity. The only marketing they really need is a big sign out front. However, with respect to the other types of businesses mentioned, I have to say I disagree with this argument. Let's pretend for a moment that you are seeking an architect or landscaper. You do a search on the internet and you find two listings. One has just name and phone number, while the other has a website showing pictures of past designs, positive customer testimonials, beautiful offices, smiling employees, the designers’ professional biographies, and the contact information. Which would you choose? The answer is almost always architect / landscaper # 2. As a consumer, you want to get as much information as you can about a professional before you make a final commitment. Websites allow you to do this by giving prospective customers a general sense of the business and its principal(s). In addition, I disagree with the author’s proposition that websites are expensive to create and maintain. This is simply not necessarily true today! Almost anyone can create a website. First just pick a site template (most webhosting companies provide you with hundreds of choices). Next, add your language, upload your pictures and video and just like that you have a website! Trust me - I am speaking from personal experience. I have very basic computer skills and I was able to create the website for my mediation practice. Though it doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, it conveys information about my company, my experience and my services. Total cost: $10/month (Feel free to check it out at my website at http://frmediation.com/). Of course, a referral from a credible source trumps the most amazing website, but do you really want that to be your only means of obtaining new clients? The second article from CNNMoney (featured below) shows how having an ineffective website is almost as bad as having no presence on the internet. This piece is written in response to a plea for help from a business owner who is decrying the fact that she only gets “just one sale a month” from her site. The staff at CNNMoney assembled a team of experts that performed a detailed analysis of the business owner’s site and provided her with solutions that, I believe, can be helpful to all of us. Some of the issues discussed were: (i) how to make your site more aesthetically appealing to customers; (ii) a step by step analysis of how to layout a site to mimic a more intuitive, personal experience; (iii) finding ways to reassure customers about the security of your site; and (iv) expanding the reach of your site via search engine optimization and cross promotions and partnerships with other local businesses. This article has so much useful information, I intend to print out a hard copy and and use it as a guide to update both my own mediation site and this blog! My analysis of both articles simply reinforced my pre-existing belief that having a website is a necessity in the information age. As a fellow small business owner, I understand any concerns you may have about cost. However, most of the email services from Microsoft, Google and Yahoo already provide website templates to their subscribers - use them! In the end, it is clear that the CNNMoney article should be today's featured piece. The website optimization advice it provides is geared toward giving you solutions that can make your business more productive. And that, after all, is what Small Biz Co-op is all about.
'My online store gets just one sale a month!'
We enlisted e-commerce experts to help a bricks-and-mortar retailer make the transition online.
By Emily Maltby, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 29, 2009: 11:18 AM ET
(CNNMoney.com) -- Dear CNNMoney.com: I have owned and operated a retail storefront for the past three years. I recently launched an online e-commerce Web site. I have paid an SEO guy each month and have aggressively marketed the site, but I'm only getting one sale a month. I am losing faith in all of the work, time and effort that has been put in. Do you have any suggestions on how to jumpstart the e-commerce portion of my business?
Do you think I am too rigid in my beliefs that each company should have a website? Click on the comments button below to share your thoughts.
January 23 Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter – Time To Sign Up!A few weeks ago I mentioned that, until last November, I did not have any idea what facebook was. So, when I found the featured article from Businessweek encouraging small business owners to take advantage of the many social media tools on the internet, I knew I would not be able to write intelligibly on the topic unless I signed up myself. First on my list was facebook – the biggest and most popular network out there (with 200 million users worldwide!). Signup was a breeze and they even give you the option of using the names from your email contact list to find “friends” on the network. However, I decided that I would instead search for people who went to high school with me in Kingston, Jamaica – you know, in the Caribbean. I was blown away – I recognized just about every face on the list! And these people were living all over the globe! Wow. They even gave you the option of looking at the people in each friend’s network. How cool is that?! Next, I browsed through the Groups List. Some were impressive, others not so much. Still, I joined groups for French-speakers, photographers and entrepreneurs. I then finished my profile page where I included all the schools I attended, the name of my company and links to both my mediation site and this blog. My grade for facebook, based on user-friendliness, reach and networking/marketing capabilities: B+ The next social site I checked out was Linkedin (described in the featured article as “facebook for professionals.”) There are approximately 30 million people in this network and signup was even simpler that it was for facebook. Once I was actually signed in, I was asked to select my criteria for finding people, and having people find me. I decided that I wanted to be contacted based: career opportunities, consulting offers, expertise requests and business deals. On Linkedin, your profile reads like a digitized resume – only better! In addition to education and work experience, etc., they ask you to describe your specialties and write a summary of your abilities. Like facebook, you can also provide links to your website and blog. They also offer you a selection of applications that you can use on the site. Some of the more useful ones include: Huddle Workspace (a private, secure space for you to work with your network online); and Slideshare Presentation and Google Presentation (both allow you to upload your presentations and share them with other members). Then there are the Groups – talk about extensive! (I can’t wait to tell my Dad about the group that give you the inside scoop on how to get selected for federal contracts.) If you can imagine a group, it is there. And if on the off-chance it is not, they give you the option of starting your own group. My grade for Linkedin, based user-friendliness, reach and networking/marketing capabilities: A After exploring both sites for over 4 hours, I started suffering from technology overload. However, after I give my “mature” brain a day to unwind, I will be heading over to Twitter to see what that’s all about. So what is my recommendation after personally experiencing the power of these social media tools? Definitely Sign up! You cannot go wrong! If your goal is business networking, Linkedin is a bit more effective. However, facebook is downright fun! And, there is no reason why you can’t use both – especially given the fact that they are FREE. So, review the featured article and make the time to check out Linkedin, facebook, and the other social networking sites the author discusses. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with the results - I wasn’t.
Why Social Media Is Worth Small Business Owners' Time Columnist Steve McKee explains why experimenting with free Web tools and using them to promote your company or forge connections makes sense By Steve McKee YouTube (GOOG). Flickr (YHOO). Digg. Metacafe. Stumbleupon. Technorati. Del.icio.us. Kaboodle. Fark. Furl. Swik. Mixx. Are social media tools like these the future or simply new ways to waste time? Can't we slow this train down? Unfortunately, we can't. But if you think about it, we don't want to either. The Web is a vital source of innovation, and it levels the playing field between small businesses and corporate giants. The only problem is keeping up with the pace of its rapid (some would say rabid) advances. Taking advantage of all the Web has to offer is like eating your vegetables or getting exercise—most of us don't do enough, and even those that do could always do more. The first thing I want to encourage you to do is relax. Take a deep breath and release that tightness in your chest. This column isn't about making you feel stupid for not knowing what Reddit.com is, or chastising you for not having three extra hours a day to spend tweeting and blogging. I simply want to encourage you to get started. (For background on social media, check out this story.)
January 22 Make An Infomercial For Your Business For Only $1,000!Back in 2007, I was quite pleased when I opened a neighborhood magazine and realized that the publication had decided to sell column spaces to local business entities. These spaces were used by dvertisers to publish articles describing their companies and the products and/or services provided. Seeing that mediation is still a vague concept to most people, I jumped at the chance to personally frame the benefits of my services to potential clients. The column I wrote ran in only one monthly issue and my reach was limited to the magazine’s very small audience. Cost: $700.
Fast forward two years and for only $300 more, you can have your own web-based infomercial! Yes, I know that the word “infomercial” carries negative connotations. As a “night owl” I am exposed to more than my fair share of loud-mouthed sales people making wild, unbelievable claims. However, in this new digital age, having a presence on the internet that separates you from the pack is an absolute necessity. The featured article from CNN Money describes how a company called TurnHere (so far the industry leader) “is fast becoming the first choice for local businesses around the country that want to show off their wares in a quick online movie, but have no idea how to make it look professional.” Though the article is primarily focused on examining this emerging industry and its major players, I decided to post the piece here because I truly believe this an ingenious approach to marketing that you should explore.
So, as mentioned in the headline, the average total cost of one of these infomercials is $1000. So, what exactly do you get for that kind of money? Well, you get a professional videographer who first coaches you regarding the best way to represent yourself and your business in the infomercial. (According to the head of TurnHere, "We want real people telling real stories, authentic and full of information. The Web demands believability.") Then, the videographer shoots, directs and edits the video – all in a single day! After the infomercial is complete, most entrepreneurs choose to upload it to listing services and search sites like YellowPages.com, Superpages.com, Citysearch.com and Kudzu.com.
Back in the stone age when people actually used hard copies of the yellow pages, I would always utilize the services of the companies that had really large advertisements. I mean, who had time to go through the thousands of businesses listed in each category? Well, the same rules apply here – having a web-based infomercial gives you a similar edge over your competitors. Need an example? Well, the featured article describes how a 168 year old restaurant in New Orleans attracted 300 new customers in the first month after it uploaded its online infomercial. Talk about being effective! People, we are living in an age where everything (especially technology) moves at the speed of light. As we are about to enter the second decade of the 21st century, you have to make a critical choice - either get onboard, or get left behind.
Instant infomercials: Making millions from YouTube ads
Web media startup TurnHere churns out 1,000 corporate videos every month. That might just be the future of Web advertising.
January 21, 2009: 6:15 AM ET
EMERYVILLE, CALIF. (Fortune Small Business) -- Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans had never been the subject of a TV commercial, let alone an Internet ad. The 168-year-old business, where third-generation waiters serve gumbo and other Creole delicacies to third-generation customers, had only ever advertised in print and on radio. So last June, the owners decided to drag the restaurant into the 21st century with an ad on YellowPages.com, complete with a promotional video.
January 10 Best Bang For Your Technology BuckUntil recently, I considered myself technologically advanced. However, my illusions were shattered when I recently asked, “What exactly is Facebook?” and everyone in the room just stared at me in disbelief. Yes, let me go ahead and admit it: I am from quite possibly the last generation that believes telephones are for conversation (not texting, watching TV or listening to music, etc). Yep – it’s official – I’ve become my grandma. I even begin sentences with the words – “Back in my day…”. This kind of resistance to technology, however, does have a price. Look at how it was expertly used by President-Elect Obama during the elections. No one can deny that because of it, he was able to overcome almost insurmountable odds and defeat both McCain and Clinton. Now we have to learn capitalize on the same technology if we are to survive this recession. To save us time and money, Forbes has narrowed the field to the three most important technologies we need to embrace this year.
Forbes.com For many small businesses, survival is the goal for 2009. In these difficult times, the notion of spending on novel networking products or services is a hard sell at best. Yet ignoring network infrastructure can cripple a business. Which technologies to embrace in the new year? The kind that can provide clear-cut, bottom-line savings. Here are three likely candidates:
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