Twitter Chat July 9: How Running a Business Has Changed |  |
- Twitter Chat July 9: How Running a Business Has Changed
- Campaigner Wants You to Share (Emails) With Your Network
- Conflict Avoidance Strategies That Work
- Become a DFP Small Business Expert With Google
- Cory Booker Launches #waywire and Teaches You How to Target An Audience
| Twitter Chat July 9: How Running a Business Has Changed Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:22 PM PDT It’s that time again … for another chat on Twitter. The topic is how things have changed over the past decade in running a business – changes both good and not so good — and what they mean to you. Specifically we will talk about such topics as:
Join us on Twitter on Monday, July 9th from 7:00 to 8:00 pm Eastern (New York time). This chat is hosted by BlackBerry (@BlackBerry4Biz). Guest of honor is Ramon Ray (@RamonRay), Editor and Technology Evangelist at SmallBizTechnology, along with yours truly, Anita Campbell (@Smallbiztrends).
BlackBerry is the title sponsor for the Small Business Influencer Awards (nominations open through July 15th), and we’ll also be talking about who influences you and why. The neat thing about Twitter chat is that they’re not just about attending and listening. It’s really about YOU! We want to hear from you. So come prepared to chat and share information and network and have a great time with others. The details: TOPIC: My How Things Have Changed in Running a Small Business! DATE: Monday, July 9, 2012 TIME: 7:00 to 8:00 pm Eastern (New York time) WHERE: On Twitter.com. Participating is simple. Just search for the hashtag #BBSMBchat to see what others are saying in the chat. Use that hashtag in your tweets so that others can see what you say, also. If you're new to Twitter chats, check out Lisa Barone's "How to Participate in a Twitter Chat." We hope to see you there! From Small Business Trends |
| Campaigner Wants You to Share (Emails) With Your Network Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:00 AM PDT These days, websites, blogs and apps have buttons we can click to share them with our social network. Why should email be any different?
Campaigner, an email marketing service and brand of j2 Global, Inc., recently added a ”share-with-your-network” (SWYN) functionality that allows anyone subscribed to an email list to pass on emails they receive via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ using sharable permalinks. This new functionality is now available in both Campaigner's Email Editor and Smart Email Builder. The World of Sharing Sorry to break it to you: not everyone knows about your brand…yet. But if you’re delivering great content, and even promotions or contests that your subscriber base thinks are share-worthy, the tool is designed to let you seamlessly reach more people when they do click that button and post a link to your email on their Facebook walls. Let’s say Sally is a long-time customer of yours. She sometimes forwards your emails to a friend or two, but you may not know how many times she forwards it. But if you encourage her to share that same email across her social channels, you can get a better idea of how many pageviews Sally’s Tweet or Google + share generated of your email campaign. You can determine which email campaigns are the most successful, based on the number of social shares and pageviews. Got a low number? Tweak your email with better wording and offers next time. Got tons of clicks? Continue the promotion or offer a similar one next month. The idea is to take out the middleman of a blog or landing page, according to Paul Turnbull, Product Manager of Campaigner. A subscriber of the email can click the Like button on Facebook directly from the email, with one fewer click, making it easier to share your content:
How Much Difference Does a Tool Like This Make? So, how big an impact will this feature have (i.e., how many shares can you expect)? Getting substantial share results through emails is not one size fits all, explains Turnbull. Whether you have a high number of shares or not will depend on several factors:
The aim of the Campaigner tool, however, it to make it easier for customers and fans to share your email campaign content, through a direct click. From Small Business Trends |
| Conflict Avoidance Strategies That Work Posted: 03 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT In any business relationship there exists the possibility for conflict. It's like Yin and Yang – there's good and there's bad.
Many years ago I worked for a company where everyone knew the CEO was non-confrontational. There were people who took advantage of that. They knew he wasn't going to say anything; he was just going to get mad. The interesting thing is that most people are non-confrontational. And those same people end up in conflict. No matter what position you hold in a company, you run the risk of experiencing conflict. You may have a co-worker who you think isn't carrying their load. You may have an employee who doesn't seem to be working up to par. Maybe you have a vendor who isn't delivering or a client who isn't happy. See, the potential for conflict is everywhere. I further submit that we set ourselves up for conflict. We believe it's going to happen, so it does! Let's explore an example of how this happens: let's say you are working on a project and one member of the team isn't meeting their obligation to the goal. You're annoyed and frustrated. You want to say something but you are sure it'll end up in a confrontation. You are sure the other person won't take it well; they'll get defensive. So, you don't say anything. Over time it continues and your frustration turns into anger. What happens next? You blow your stack. Voices are raised, tensions are high, and defenses are up. Now you really are in a conflict! You haven't gotten your problem solved, have you? Actually, you now have two problems. Your fear of conflict has resulted in two conflicts when before there wasn't even one. Part of the reason you didn't say anything at the beginning is that you made some assumptions. You assumed the other person was acting intentionally. You assumed they wouldn't want to hear what you had to say. You assumed they'd get defensive. So, what can you do to minimize the risk of conflict? Communicate clearly and consistently. When you want people to work with you, your job is to make sure you communicate well. Tell them the goal, your expectations, the consequences of meeting, and not meeting, those expectations, and your reasons for your decisions. When people understand why a decision has been made they are more likely to follow it. It is those seemingly arbitrary decisions that cause trouble. When you communicate all of these things upfront you are setting the stage. Follow that initial communication with continued, consistent communication about those things while adding in the progress. Don't assume people know how things are going. Engaging in conversation is the best way to make sure everyone is on board. It's also the best way to find out if someone is unsure of the direction or unwilling to play along. Assume that the people on your team want to succeed, want to do a good job, and want to help you achieve your goals. Now help them succeed by making sure they not only know the goals but how they can help you meet them. Make sure they understand the expectations and consequences. Not all consequences are bad. When someone meets or exceed the expectation you have of them there should be a positive consequence that results. If you've done all of these things and a disconnect arises that doesn't mean there has to be a conflict. Quite frankly, the work you do up front creates a situation where no conflict need exists. If someone isn't doing their part, there are steps you can implement to determine why and come to a resolution: Step 1: Decide Your Desired Outcome Step 2: Recap The Goal and Expecctations Step 3: Recap What Is Happening Step 4: Seek Input Once they have explained their point of view, work with them to come up with a resolution. When they take part in the problem solving you have a higher chance that the resolution will work. At the same time, if they don't participate in this part they are indicating that they are not a viable member of the team. No voices are raised, no tempers flare, no defenses are up. You are having a logical, structured conversation without emotion. The outcome will be right and best for your company whether it results in the person leaving or staying. The goal is to solve the problem. We'd all like the solution to include all the members of the team staying intact. However, sometimes the solution requires the exit of a team member or two. The best way to avoid conflict from occurring is to communicate, communicate, communicate. Having a goal, sticking to that goal, communicating that goal, and relating everything to that goal will help you keep the team on course. It will also minimize any issues. And of course, if an issue arises, it is the clear, consistent communication that will prevent that issue from turning into a conflict.
From Small Business Trends |
| Become a DFP Small Business Expert With Google Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT In May we let you know about the Webmaster Academy, designed by Google to walk business owners through the process of getting their Web sites up, running and with prime visibility. Well, Google's mission to educate and empower small business owners hasn't stopped there. Meet the DFP Academy, a new resource from Google to walk small business owners through the process of using Google's ad server. First off, what's DFP? If you're not familiar, DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) Small Business is a free, Google-hosted solution designed to help small business owners manage the ads they place on their site when working with AdSense and other partners. DFP lets you control when, where and how your ads are served up. Its Google's attempt to do what it does best – streamline the ad process to make it easier to manage.
And the DFP Academy is a new way to make it easier than ever. The newly launched DFP Academy explains how to organize the ad space available on your site, input the information about your advertisers into DFP Small Business, traffic ads from ad networks and direct advertisers, and leverage AdSense to maximize your overall revenue. If you've ever receive a request from someone looking to advertise on your Web site or you've ever thought about using ads to increase revenue, than DFP Small Business is something worth taking a look at. As the world of paid ads has notoriously been intimidating for many small business owners, the DFP Academy should become a great resource to ease those fears and turn all SMBs into DFP experts. Whether you're somewhat knowledgeable on the subject of ads or if you wouldn't even know where to begin, Google's new DFP Academy is perfectly suited to help you comfortable and competent in the ad world. Just like in the Webmaster Academy we mentioned back in May, the DFP Academy again takes a syllabus-like format. Concepts are broken down by:
Again, clicking into any of the subject areas will provide a quick tutorial on the topic, links to additional resources, and video guides (where applicable). You can find additional training videos on the DFP Small Business YouTube channel. Once you complete all 26 items, you will be deemed a DFP Small Business Expert. If you already have an active AdSense account, you can sign up for your DFP Small Business account today [be sure to use the same login information as you for do for AdSense]. If you don't have an active AdSense account, why not create one and let the DFP Academy show you how to take advantage of the ad space you available on your Web site? From Small Business Trends |
| Cory Booker Launches #waywire and Teaches You How to Target An Audience Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:30 AM PDT There’s a lot of question whether Newark, NJ, mayor Cory Booker’s recently announced startup #waywire is one loaded with potential or just an expensive pipe dream unlikely to get the user support it needs to become the next Facebook or Twitter. Still there’s much to be learned from Booker’s announcement and tips you may want to consider for your next startup. Lessons in StartupThe kids are allright. First, when you create a new startup, target a specific audience. Sure you want everyone on the planet to eventually buy from you or use your product or service, but in the beginning, pick a group you think has a unique need. Booker maintains the millennials don’t have a voice and says he aims to give them one. TechCrunch The smartest guy in the room. Booker is a smart politician and a tech savvy thought leader, but he tapped some of Silicon Valley’s best and brightest when it came to setting up his news startup for twenty somethings. You can use a similar approach. Be smart enough to put together a team that complements your strengths and makes up for any deficiencies. Fast Company Who’s got your back? It’s not just the initial team you build, but the partnerships you forge early on to create your new business. In the case of Booker’s #waywire, he’s sought out some of the most influential investors and tech executives around to partner with him. The partners you choose are also important. CNET Other AudiencesStuck in a rut. While niche audiences can be a good place to begin, it’s important to make sure the group isn’t already being served and that there’s enough room to grow. On one hand, Jammit, a startup creating aids for aspiring musicians, may have little room for growth beyond its targeted community. On the other, it competes against many free resources already available online. The Wall Street Journal Biting the hand that feeds. Once you’ve identified your customer or user base and have connected with it effectively, it’s a bad idea to change direction too radically and engage in a course of action sure to antagonize that base. This is exactly what some critics argue Twitter has done, with moves reminiscent of MySpace and Digg missteps. Gigaom Thinking big. Looking for that next billion-dollar business idea can be problematic. Cincinnati business leaders believe picking the next tech startup superstar will revitalize their community overnight, but many startups begin with a small, devoted following that grows slowly over time. Be ware of the next big thing. It may turn out to be a flash in the pan. Cincinnati.com Startup StylesIrreconcilable differences. When partnering on a startup, it’s important to have documentation outlining rights and responsibilities, says Small Business Trends founder Anita Campbell. But it’s also important to see that you and your partner are compatible and have complementary strengths. Incompatibility among partners can spell big trouble for your venture. CorpNet Acts of desperation. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and successful entrepreneurs have never shied away from taking those steps when necessary. Here are some examples of startup entrepreneurs who weren’t afraid to go to extremes when it came to insuring their company’s survival. Be sure you’re willing to do what’s necessary to help your business succeed. Forbes Final ThoughtsPreparing for the worst. Earlier, we heard about the importance of picking the right partners for your startup. But legal considerations are also important to avoid litigation that may occur between co-founders as the business moves forward. It’s vital to look at some of the reasons founders might sue each other, and talk about some of the more critical issues of partnership up front. Smart Business Ingredients for success. When planning your startup, don’t worry that you might not be the savviest tech entrepreneur, the shrewdest business person, or the most talented leader the world has ever seen. Other elements like hard work also factor into success. Just look at the examples Silicon Valley has to offer. Slate From Small Business Trends |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment