PayPal Improves Credit Offerings for Small Retailers

PayPal Improves Credit Offerings for Small Retailers
What Fears Are Holding Your Small Business Back?
How To Identify Your Social Influencers
Apple Unveils iPad Mini, Asus Pushes VivoBook

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT

With the holiday season approaching, many consumers will be searching online stores for great deals, but small merchants can't always offer the same deals and payment options that large retailers can. But that's why PayPal has been working to create an easy solution for these small businesses.

PayPal unveiled some new payment options this week that will allow online merchants to offer enhanced buy now, pay later options for purchases of $99 or more.

Through PayPal's existing Bill Me Later service, businesses can now automatically accept payments on credit from customers, including no interest for six months. Businesses don't pay any additional costs for this feature, and they still receive payment right away.

Consumers who choose this option will be subject to credit approval through PayPal. But they can use the option with no interest if the purchase is paid off within six months.

This offering will allow businesses to give their customers even more payment options, making it easier, and thus more likely, for them to make purchases. This type of financing has been an option for larger retailers for years, so this new offering may help to level the playing field for smaller retailers that don't have the resources to sort through the legal and regulatory restrictions necessary to market credit to customers on their own.

And the change comes just in time for holiday shopping season, so PayPal has also offered businesses banner ads to promote the credit feature directly on their sites, so that customers know they have that option when shopping.

Previously, Bill Me Later didn't offer the same type of credit without interest options to customers across all retailers. And there was not one simple, centralized way of advertising the option to consumers.

Of course, many online retailers can accept credit card payments as well, but this addition to Bill Me Later is just one more option businesses can offer consumers, which can only lead to more customers and sales for online retailers.

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What Fears Are Holding Your Small Business Back?

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT

Halloween is almost here and creepy things are everywhere. It's the time of year when we enjoy a good fright. But are there other (not-so-fun) fears holding your small business back from getting where you want it to go?

One of the joys of running your own business is that you get to decide what happens next. You don't have to do what a boss is telling you. But sometimes, that can backfire if you avoid doing things that make you scared or uncomfortable. Yes, you may be able to get your business to a certain level of success without ever facing your demons. But if you want to achieve breakthrough growth, you need to push past the fears that are holding you back.

business fear

What kinds of fears are you facing (or failing to face)?

Below are some common ones:

Fear Of Technology

Technology moves so fast today that sometimes it's tempting to just throw up your hands and say, "I'll never get up to speed." Well, your business can't afford that attitude. Even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool technophobe, you need to get over it, because today technology is essential to give your small business an edge.

Start by hiring someone (inside or outsourced) who knows the stuff you don't and can get your company up to speed. If you must, take a class (online or off) to learn the basics. Enlist a patient friend to tutor you. Anything that gets you comfortable with what you need to know.

Fear Of Sales

This is a huge one for lots of entrepreneurs, myself included. When we first started our business, I struggled with fears of seeming pushy, aggressive or money-grubbing when I went out to ask for the sale. I wish I could tell you there's some easy formula for getting over this fear, but there isn't.

I just had to do it over and over, until it got easier (I didn't say easy). Practice makes (almost) perfect.

Fear Of Being A Boss

When your company is young and small, it's easy to feel like you and your tiny team are pretty much equals, and that's more comfortable for many entrepreneurs who don't want to be perceived as the distant "boss-man." However, as your business grows, you'll have to distance yourself a bit so you can take on sometimes scary tasks like making unpopular decisions, or disciplining employees who aren't working out.

I'm not saying you can't be a nice, friendly boss, but acknowledging that you are the boss is a crucial step in getting your business to the next level.

Fear Of Networking

It's easier than ever to network through social media today, and many of us are great at that. But you also need to go offline sometimes and get up close and personal. Networking has earned an unfortunate reputation as phony "schmoozing," but in reality, it's how relationships are built and business is done.

Make sure you invite your online connections out for coffee or lunch on a regular basis, attend networking events and industry conferences, and generally put yourself out there. If you're shy (like I am), start with things in your comfort zone (like coffee with one person) and move up to the big leagues gradually—but do move up, or your business won't.

Fear Of Success

When you get stuck in the day-to-day running your business and making payroll, sometimes your sights get set too low. Do that long enough, and you may decide it's not worth dreaming big because you'll never get there anyway.

That's the surest route to business stagnation and a ho-hum life. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, take your eyes off the ground and make time to look at the stars.

Fear Photo via Shutterstock

The post What Fears Are Holding Your Small Business Back? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

How To Identify Your Social Influencers

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Whether you're a small business, a one-man brand, or you're the social media manager for a large agency, your first goal in social media is the same – influencer identification. You need to identify the people in social media who are important to your business. This includes the folks who have already been talking about your brand on social channels, as well as the users and outlets you want to be talking about the brand.

But how do you find these illusive influencers? Below are some tools to help you get started.

Search

It's not always flashy, but I like to use an old fashioned Google search when I'm in the early stages of influencer identification. It's an effective way to find those initial "linkerati" aka the people in your industry who have the ability to link to you or send you traffic. This will include industry-related blogs, writers, reporters, media outlets, and even those who are frequently quoted in news about your industry. These are important people to be connected to as they're your link to future press mentions and visibility. You can also do searches for competitors to see who is talking about them and where they're getting mentions. Start keeping a list to help you keep track of all the names you're collecting. Once you find the person or site via search, you can work backwards to find their social information.

Staying along the lines of search, setting up Google Alerts related to your brand will also help you to find people who are already talking about your brand and whom you may want to reach out to again.

People Tools

Thanks to the rise of social media (and the need to market to social users), a number of powerful tools have emerged to help businesses connect with people who are relevant to their business. Tools like Twitter Search, FollowerWonk, SocialBro, WeFollow, Twellow and FindPeopleOnPlus can all be invaluable in helping to track down influencers on Twitter, Google+ and the social Web.

As marketers you want to find people with established networks who have shown a propensity to be interested in what you have to offer. It may be they list a specific interest or they've recently had conversations about a similar topic. Once you use these sites to identify who they are, again, add them to appropriate lists and start looking for avenues to build relationships with them.

Influence Measuring Tools

Aside from tools designed to help you identify people are tools designed to help identify social influence. While I don't think any of these tools do a perfect job of determining if someone is truly influential on the Web, they can be used to get a baseline view of a particular user's network and who they are connected. Tools like PeerIndex, Klout, and Kred are all tools to help you identify users who are deemed influential in certain subject areas. If you're a local bakery, maybe you want to find people influential in cooking or cupcakes or a certain method of cooking. These sites are designed to help you do that.

Again, none of them are perfect so you'll want to use your own common sense when looking for topics to pinpoint and whether or not you think a specific user fits into your demographics. However, if you're looking for a starting point, these sites can often give you that.

Lists & Circles

Before you go too far creating your own lists, don't forget to take advantage of the lists others have created for you. Twitter offers users the ability to create Twitter Lists to help them group and segment their Twitter followers. Once you have a short list of Twitter influencers, check to see what lists they've created and who they are getting information from. If you're a local artist, you may be very interested in the City-specific lists they've created or they lists on Top Artist Blogs. You can also use a tool like Listorious to help you find relevant Twitter lists, as well.

While these aren't always as nicely segmented, you can also find new influencers by searching through the Google Circles others have created.

Those are a few ways that I go about finding influencers and people I want to connect with on social media. What's worked for you? What tools are you using to keep track of the influencers you find?

The post How To Identify Your Social Influencers appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Apple Unveils iPad Mini, Asus Pushes VivoBook

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 02:30 AM PDT

New Apple and Asus products introduced Tuesday offer great possibilities for entrepreneurs and business users alike. The long anticipated Apple iPad mini is joined by a fleet of new Asus Windows 8 machines including notebooks, ultrabooks, and all-in-one desktops, all offering greater mobility and flexibility. This roundup looks at how these tools and other developments are offering ever increasing productivity for your business.

Better Tools

Apple introduces its new device. Check out the incredible capabilities packed into a device so thin and light. As Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller explains, “iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless—all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.” Apple Press Info

iPad mini offers mobility. This review by tech and business blogger Wayne Liew looks at how the new iPad mini specifically will improve the lives of business owners and entrepreneurs. “For business owners and entrepreneurs, as the device is highly portable, you can basically get tasks like emails, web browsing, news reading and even minor document editing done wherever you are,” Liew writes. Sprout Geek

Asus offers many flavors. In a separate announcement Tuesday, Asus introduced a gaggle of new machines ranging from the VivoBook, with multiple possible configurations and two screen sizes to the VivoTab Series tablets, featuring optional keyboard docks, making them a hybrid between a mobile device and a notebook or laptop. PC Mag.com

Better Techniques

Build a mobile business tool kit. Whether you’re a work-at-home dad like Timo Kiander or the head of a small to medium sized company who’s always on the go, this list of simple tech tools (hardly revolutionary these days, as Timo himself observes) will keep you productive not only during times specifically set aside for work, but during the “time pockets” in your daily life when you loose valuable time while away from the office. Productive Superdad

Master every minute you have. Improving productivity means just one thing: master your time! Here Mark Long, lecturer and clinical professor at Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, gives us a look at five tips intended to strengthen your time management, making you able to accomplish more in your business. Buzz Small Business Magazine

Write a shorter e-mail today. Yep, your e-mails are probably too long. Business consultant Matthew Needham got this idea straight from 17th century mathematician Blaise Pascal who, in a letter roughly translated once wrote, "I made this letter so long only because I didn't have the time to make it shorter.” The Big Red Tomato Company

Don’t forget to take a nap. We aren’t joking here. Some companies are beginning to realize nap time is as important to productive adult workers as it is to pre-schoolers, maybe more so because pre-schoolers aren’t trying to run a business or launch a new product or service. Take a lesson from companies like Google and “The Huffington Post”. Everybody needs a nap! Spark Hire

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