Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on October 20, 2009 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship | Be the First to Comment

I’m not talking about contingency plans in the event that the business fails to succeed according to the roadmap outlined in your business plan. Neither am I referring to alternative funding sources or any other form of “Plan B” for financial survival. If your small business does not have these in place, by all means, develop these plans and have them in place before they become a necessity. But an arguably more pressing matter is having a backup plan for one of your most important assets – your business’ data.

This past week, users of T-Mobile’s Sidekick handsets were shocked to hear that personal data including contact information, calendar and appointment entries and photos was lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft-owned Danger’s data centers. To add insult to injury, these same users may never recover their lost data, due to a failure in the backup database. The ensuing attempts to recover this lost data, as well as to compensate affected users, will undoubtedly cost T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger millions of dollars in additional wages and lost revenue, as well as severely damage their reputation with current and potential customers.

This story should serve as a cautionary tale to all small business owners. If you do not have an adequate backup plan in place when your data is lost, you may face significant financial losses in the effort to reclaim that data. In order to do so you will probably have to work with an outside technical support company who will typically charge anywhere from $300-$500 an hour in order to help you recover your lost data, but may not be able to recover all or event part of it! While investing in an adequate backup solution will involve an initial expenditure ranging from $100 for an external backup drive to upwards of $500 for a hosted backup solution, it is well worth the money spent. A loss of your customer or payroll records can deal a fatal blow to your business, but it can be easily prevented.

Work with a competent IT professional to develop a data backup plan for your small business that will adequately serve your needs, and implement that plan immediately. By doing so, you will ensure that intangible yet crucial asset – data – is secure.

Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on October 15, 2009 under Small Biz Marketing | Be the First to Comment

Article writing is a critical factor in your small business’  marketing and SEO strategies.  First, article writing is a great way to make the public aware of your expertise and knowledge in a given industry.  It will build your credibility as a small business owner and as an product or service expert.  Second, article writing can generate a multitude of back-links and traffic to your website by using applicable keywords and hyperlinks placed throughout the article. 

While the benefits are obvious, many small business owners are hesitant to start writing.  This may be becuase article writing can be a bit more tricky than writing for a blog.  Writing an effective article requires an understanding of professional writing and AP standards, along with the capability to merge SEO tactics throughout the body of your article. 

Ready to take a stab at article writing? Follow the tips below and you will be on your way to “Expert Author” status in no time!

• Make an outline of the story you want to tell: In order to manage your thoughts, it is a good idea to create a structured outline: For Example: Title-“Remaining in Compliance after Obtaining 501 Status”; Introduction paragraph-“organizational administrators must be diligent in educating themselves on all state and federal regulations”; Body paragraphs… etc.. Creating a guide will help ensure that your story flows well and is readable by your audience.
• Identify keywords: Because article writing for marketing and SEO purposes is two-fold, not only do you have to structure an informational story, but you must integrate your identified keywords. Your keywords should relate to both your article’s content and your website’s content. Usually 2-3 keywords used 3 or 4 times a piece will prove to be the most effective; depending on the length of your article. Once you choose your keywords remember to link them to the associateed pages on your website.
• Make your point: In order to sustain readers make your point early and then explain. Grab your reader’s attention with urgency or by asking a question that they want the answer to or stating a strong fact they want explained. This is often done in the first paragraph of your article; the following paragraphs should explain the problem, offer solutions to the problem or answer the question implied.
• Write with momentum: Adjust the tone to match the content of your article. If you want to provoke urgency, sadness, excitement etc., choose your words wisely to reflect that emotion. Also, regardless of your tone choices, write with suspense to keep your readers on their toes until the very end.
• Review, review, review: Proofreading and editing is king when it comes to article writing. Have someone else read your draft and give comments. Read your draft out loud to find errors in punctuation, tone and the overall readability of the article. Evaluate your word use to ensure there are not better options for word choices. Once you do all of this, do it again. Nothing is worse than a piece of writing that cannot be read due to grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.

Any other tips you can think of? Share them in the comments section.  Otherwise, Good Luck Writing!

Posted by Jennifer Nelson on October 7, 2009 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Marketing | Be the First to Comment

The Pew Internet and American Life Project, says e-mail remains the number-one online activity of Americans. So as a small business, it’s important to capitalize on this trend. E-mail marketing can still deliver a higher return on investment (ROI) than methods such as direct mail and newspaper and radio advertising. Not only do people access thier e-mails on computers, now a growing number of people are able to receive e-mail on their cell phones and PDAs. E-mails have many advantages, but here are the three most popular:

Cheap E-mails are free or extremely cheap to send and receive. Unlike sending out mass correspondence through the post office, e-mails don’t cost much money. The only cost to you is the time you spend constructing them and if you choose to use an email client to assist you with design creation and list management .

Fast E-mails can be sent out instantaneously to thousands of recipients. The recipients can be previous customers or interested parties who submitted their email through your website.

Measurable Software can track e-mails opened, clicked on, and purchases made. Many of these e-mail tracking softwares are inexpensive and easy to install or already come with an e-mail client. They can help you see which e-mails are translating into sales and which e-mails aren’t performing.

Often times users flag irrelevant e-mails as spam, so it’s important to make e-mails relevant and segmented to grab your reader’s attention. A 2006 report by MarketingSherpa found that e-mail marketers using segmentation saw click-through rates that are 72% higher than e-mail marketers who aren’t segmenting their opt-in lists. Some of the most popular ways to segment your company emails include:

• Purchased items
• Location
• Brands
• Age

Your segmenting options are limitless! Experiment with different categories and see which ones offer your business the greatest success. Don’t forget to stay on top of your “subscribe” and “unsubscribe” requests. Not being thourough can cause you trouble with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Anti-Spam Laws. Always review your subscribe and unsubscribe requests right before you send out an e-mail blast or use a e-mail client to have them automatically managed for you. Following these simple rules is a great cheap way to have e-mails add to your bottom line without breaking your wallet.

Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on October 1, 2009 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship | 3 Comments to Read

You’ve made the right decision if you have decided to certify your minority or woman-owned business through either the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program, Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program, National Minority Supplier Development Council Minority Business Enterprise certification program, or the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Woman’s Business Enterprise Certification.  These certifications will not only create opportunities for Federal, State and Local government contracts and private enterprise contracts, but will also provide your firm with an added sense of legitimacy in the eyes of your prospective customers.

Now that you’ve decided to certify and have worked with a qualified professional to complete the required application forms, you have only one small hurdle to clear – gathering the necessary supporting documentation for your application package. Correctly completing the required application forms and submitting them to the correct agency is only part of the puzzle. This application must be accompanied by documents that corroborate the information in the application, such as:

• Certified Articles of Incorporation or Organization
• Minutes of the First Board of Directors and Shareholder meetings
• By-Laws or Operating Agreement
• Copies of Stock certificates front and back, if any, with Stock ledger
• Third party agreements, such as rental or management service agreements.
• Income Statement
• Corporate income tax returns
• Balance Sheets
• Notes Payable, if any
• Copy of Bank Signature Card or a Letter from Bank identifying the signers on your company’s checking account
• Business License
• Facility Lease agreement, if any
• Proof of citizenship
• A brief history of the Applicant Business Concern
• Owner resumes

If your business does not have these documents in place prior to applying for business certification, do not delay in getting these items in order! Certifying agencies will not accept your application package without these items. Work with a competent professional who can assist your business in reconciling bank statements and invoices into standardized financial statements, purchase a corporate book including stock certificates and meeting minute templates, and contact your State’s Department of Corporations in order to obtain certified copies of any necessary documents. With increased competition for federal contracts and other opportunities, it is more important than ever before that your business be prepared for the certification process, and your first step in this process should be to get your supporting documentation in good order. By doing so ahead of time, you will avoid unnecessary delays during the business certification process.