Can Blogs Do Big Wonders For Your Small Business?
Short and honest answer to this question is “Yes”, after all blogs are hot and happening. From my experience, small businesses would be wise to have a blog of some sort. You always need to advertise your business, well; a blog is yet another effective marketing investment. It can prove to be a platform for your customers to interact casually with you and provide you with ideas and hints, which can actually earn you more business.
A survey has witnessed more than 39 million blogs in existence while 75,000 blogs are created every day. The web presence a blog gains for you is much more reader-and –user friendly, which can develop wider audience and potential customer base for you business.However, remember one thing, every business varies and has its own way of serving their targeted customers.
For you I bring few aspects to light which make blogs an effective marketing tool for small business.
- Find out the issues surrounding your business that are worth discussing;
- If you are in a swiftly changing business, like technology, then discuss your company’s latest trends and products on blog;
- You can hold polls and quiz to know what exactly what your customer requires;
- It will let people come up with different ideas and hints to solve your minor business issues;
- For “consultants” (engineers, marketers and event planners) a blog is a way of showing your expertise and establishing yourself as a trustworthy authority without doing the travel;
- The feedback loop created by a blog between you and your customers helps to prove the better options you are providing than your competitors do
- The instant-feedback mechanism of blogs, allows the readers to respond to your posts or link to them on their own blogs
- They facilitate spread of buzz about your company’s latest news regarding customers and prospects;
- Small business owners target very narrow market, a blog helps to focus the targeted audience;
- Blogs help small business owners offer products and services which are highly requested by their customers;
As a small business owner if you decide to start a small business blog, there are few don’ts, you need to, strictly follow.
#1: Do not have someone write about your business on your blog, no one can convince your customers better than you can.
#2: Do not make your blog sound as if you only want to promote your products and services, no one will be interested reading.
#3: Do not let your blog go unattended for long period; you will loose your credible customers.
Since promoting your business through this unique way is easy to set up and pay for (some are free), launching a blog should be at the top of your to-do list.
I’ll love to hear from any of you small business owners, if blogging have been doing big wonders for your small business… keep in writing.
Merging Business and Marriage = Multiplied Challenges
Have you ever thought of starting your small/home business with your spouse?? If you have done so or have such plans, then let me caution you… Get ready to face multiple challenges and risks because inappropriate organization will make something suffer inevitably – business, marriage or both.
Planning a home based, small business with your better half is a great way to combine your family and business activities under one roof but without setting up clear boundaries and dividing responsibilities you cannot expect to be successful.
Therefore, I thought of bringing you few steps that can turn real life partners into successful business partners.
# 1: Do not step on each other’s foot
Roles and responsibilities of both the partners should be well defined and clear. For example, one spouse may be responsible for sales, marketing, and networking while the other can be made in charge for bookkeeping, ordering, and office tasks. Similarly, home-related tasks can be also taken care simultaneously.
#2:Do not bring your business conflicts to the kitchen
Just imagine, how difficult life could be if business conflicts spill over your personal life issues. Without following an effective plan, there is a high likelihood of business related issues taking over your personal life.
#3: Childcare provisions
In a home based, small business, kids are the main distraction, which are hard to avoid. In such a critical business situation one of the spouses’ have to step out of the business mode into the parental mode. Some couples get outside help for the childcare so they can concentrate more without disruptions.
#4: Strictly follow the self-made rules
If you won’t be confining yourself to few limitations, your hard-earned business can turn into a money-losing hobby. Most importantly, you won’t be able to achieve targeted goals if you will not follow self created rules, to increase productivity.
#5: Develop an effective way of resolving disputes
Good communication does not only make a marital relation strong, in fact, it is just as important in a business relationship. If both the mates don’t agree over small issues, then it might become difficult to turn your small business into money making venture.
#6:Setting goals
It is important to divvy up your roles in business and personal life, so that later you don’t blame each other. One partner is the “front of the house,” handling sales and business development and preparing proposals and job estimates. The other partner acts as the “back of the house,” handling the day-to-day operations and taking care of the bookkeeping.
#7: Skip the traditional gender ideology
You will have to neglect the conservative gender strategy. If any one of the spouse starts taking decisions to brag about his/her superior gender (especially men, you know how egotist they are) will have difficulty resolving many problems that will inevitably crop up as the business grows.
Careful and advance planning is the key to navigate a small/home business successfully with your spouse. Always remember, liberal amount of communication and trust can make your partnership a profitable deal.
So, what do you think? Is it a smart move for the life partners to become business partners as well?
Kill Your Fear of Failure – You will Win!
“I’d love to start my own business but I fear if …”
This is the point where I find so many small business owners lacking behind. The fear to fail, fear of doing something stupid and being ridiculed by your peers for decades, just don’t let these striving guys progress boldly.
I believe that every single person, who dares to dream, possesses the potential of turning it into a reality, but their apprehensions don’t let them grab their dreams. I bring this post so you don’t let your fears grow bigger than your faith.
If it is the dreadful thought of failure, preventing you from starting a small business, I bring you a list of actions-to-do, to help you overcome this feeling.
- You meet a business owner who could benefit from your product/service but you get too nervous to make him the offer because of their “prestige”… Go ahead!
- You want to send design options for a card or flyer to someone but you think they won’t approve it…Let them decide. Send it anyway!
- The phone feels like 1,000lbs when you are trying to pick it up and make that prospecting call…Don’t hesitate!
- You have an unusual marketing idea clicking your mind, but you don’t share it with others thinking they will laugh …Say it!
- You plan to invest more on marketing your business but think you are wasting more money…Do it!
Starting and running your own small business could be one of the most enriching experiences of life. Don’t let your fear of failure make you miss out.
Therefore, promise to kill your dreads because “Courage is not absence of fear, but mastery over fear.”
