10 Reasons to Boost Your Twitter Presence |  |
- 10 Reasons to Boost Your Twitter Presence
- How Social Media Can Impact Trade Show Traffic
- Small Businesses in Europe Can’t Borrow to Stay Afloat
- 10 Ways To Stand Out, Get Noticed and Be Remembered
- Mobile Conference Calls: Taking It On The Road
- Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions About Incorporation
| 10 Reasons to Boost Your Twitter Presence Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:00 AM PDT
Twitter recently relaunched its revamped Twitter for Business site as a way to again show businesses the power of a Twitter presence. Businesses, it turns out, need little encouragement. A recent survey by email marketing provider Constant Contact shows an increasing number of small businesses see the value of Twitter, 25 percent today versus just 7 percent in May 2012. If you haven’t done much with Twitter lately or aren’t sure of its true potential for business, below are 10 reasons you should boost your Twitter presence. Twitter Presence: 10 Reasons Your Business Needs ItOther Businesses are Doing the Same - The Sydney Morning Herald The study cited above isn’t the only evidence small business use of Twitter is on the rise. For example, a recent Yellow Pages Social Media Report (PDF) suggests 27 percent of small businesses in Australia now use Twitter, and 78 percent expect to increase their social media engagement over the next 12 months. If you’re not using Twitter and other social media, be assured your competitors are. It’s a Great Recruitment Tool ~ Business Insider Don’t think Twitter is only for marketing. Developer Joe Budzienski has launched a free Twitter app called Gozaik that uses Twitter to connect employers and employees. Gozaik aggregates Twitter information to locate job openings for users. The app then helps applicants create interactive resumes that give employers a picture of prospective hires based on their online social sharing. It’s Useful in a Variety of Industries ~ RISmedia While some social media platforms may be better for certain industries or kinds of business than others, Twitter shows great versatility. For example, in this post, Burke Smith, chief communications officer for HSA Home Warranty, cites a 2011 National Association of Realtors Technology Survey (PDF) suggesting a third of realtors are already using Twitter. He then gives some suggestions to others in the industry about how to get started. It’s Changing the Way Information Spreads ~ Mardle Capital You don’t need to know anything about banking or being a currency analyst like Kit Juckes to understand how Twitter can spread information quickly. In his post, Juckes writes about the way Twitter has replaced carefully regulated communication with quick, on the spot analysis. In marketing parlance, this might be described as “buzz.” Though caution must be taken when tweeting and when acting upon what is being tweeted, it remains an excellent way to take the pulse of an industry. It’s a Great Place to Network ~ PerthNow While marketing is certainly a possibility, social media consultant Michelle Prak suggests Twitter can more effectively be used to network with peers to be a thought leader in your industry. Leave Facebook for longer, insider stories, talking with your “fans” or making special offers and promotions. Twitter, she says, is for your inner circle. Use it to leverage your connections. It’s Becoming the Business Channel ~ Bloomberg Businessweek The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this week approved disclosures on Twitter and Facebook from publicly held corporations. The approval is contingent upon investors being told in advance, reports Joshua Gallu. Though most small businesses certainly don’t fall under the regulations governing publicly held companies, this is a sign that Twitter is quickly becoming a channel for business. Especially if you operate in the B2B market, this also means your customers are here. Customer Support has Taken Notice ~ Business 2 Community According to Gartner research, Twitter and other social media channels will be as common as phone or email in dealing with customers by 2014. Customer support personnel at many companies are trying to get ahead of the curve, says blogger Don Power. Studying the practices these pioneers have already put in place could help you do better at handling customer support issues from your followers. Vine Provides Even More Options ~ Goshen News Twitter launched Vine, an app allowing creation of brief looping videos, in January. Businesses have been quick to seize and use the technology. In this post, tech columnist Mike Gingerich offers some suggestions about how to use Vine to promote your business. The post begins with a straightforward how-to explanation and moves on to suggestions about making Vine a part of your marketing strategy. There are Tons of Monitoring Tools ~ Creative Ramblings From TweetDeck to HootSuite there are many tools, some directly created by Twitter some by third party developers, all aimed at helping you monitor and manage your Twitter feed more effectively. Journalist and content curator Cendrine Marrouat lists 20 of these tools and gives a brief description of each. It Allows You to Get Even More Creative ~ LocalVox Some of these suggestions, from how to identify influencers to how to locate talent and customers, have been mentioned previously. However, blogger Stephen Murphy emphasizes in this post how many things business leaders just like you are learning to do with Twitter. Of course, his list is just the tip of this particular digital iceberg. The only limits to new tools are an entrepreneur’s imagination, so roll up your sleeves and start experimenting to determine how you can make the best use of this platform. Twitter Bird Photo via Shutterstock The post 10 Reasons to Boost Your Twitter Presence appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| How Social Media Can Impact Trade Show Traffic Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT With the powerful force of social media supporting you, you can generate traffic to your trade show like never before. All it takes is knowledge to harness this power before, during, and after the trade show. You can maximize exposure and generate interest in what people have to gain by attending. Below is everything you need to know to use social media to draw the crowds. How Social Media Can Impact Trade Show TrafficCreate Buzz Leading Up to the Event
Buzz Photo via Shutterstock Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linked In, Pinterest and YouTube are excellent tools to get the word out about your trade show. Don’t just announce it, generate buzz about it. Write high quality copy about who will be there, free giveaways, and how people can benefit from attending. It’s best to do this in small bursts instead of a single press release with all of the information. Create an account on each of the social media sites listed above, and post one or two times per day with exciting news, unique information and teasers leading up to the event. Make it exciting so people will want to share your page and your posts with others. Generate Excitement During the Event
Excited Photo via Shutterstock Make it possible for users to check in to the trade show on Facebook. Make a hashtag so people can keep up with what’s going on via Twitter. Designate someone at the event to keep up with the social media conversations, so you’ll know if the response is positive or negative. After all the planning involved, you want to make sure people are enjoying themselves. Regularly post updates to all your social media accounts during the event. Announce giveaways, special appearances, entertainments, drawings, freebies and other things to lure folks over. Be sure to include high quality photos and videos, because people pay more attention to visual cues than written content only. Post to Pinterest, YouTube and other highly visual sites where people interested in your topic are likely to see what you can provide them. Encourage attendees to engage in the conversation by hosting voting polls and online contests, in addition to the drawings and giveaways at your booth. Keep Up Communications After the Event
Promotions don’t end when the trade show closes. Use your new contacts from the event to keep people involved and interested in you and what you have to offer. Post highlights of the trade show on YouTube and other social media. Send out a hearty “thank you” to those who attended on Twitter and Facebook. Don’t leave out the people who, although interested, were unable to attend the trade show for some reason. Reach out to them with information they’ll find helpful, such as videos of demonstrations or speeches they could learn from. Give them as much of an experience as possible without actually having been there. Trade shows and social media have one thing in common: They’re both excellent opportunities to build relationships with customers. Today’s consumers aren’t just looking for one-way advertisements. They want to feel like they’re a part of the conversation. Trade shows are a great way to gather followers for your social media marketing messages, so make it worthwhile by giving them something valuable and useful. The post How Social Media Can Impact Trade Show Traffic appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Small Businesses in Europe Can’t Borrow to Stay Afloat Posted: 03 Apr 2013 01:30 PM PDT
Small business owners in Europe are continuing to face the difficult economic times felt here in the U.S. for the last several years. We recently reported on small business lending improving for the first time in 10 quarters here, but in the Euro zone, several countries’ small business owners are facing difficult and uncertain times in the months ahead, and they’re finding it difficult to take out loans to keep their operations going through this year. According to a Reuters report this week, defaults on loans to small business owners in Spain and Italy are increasing at a worrying rate. The state of the banks in these countries increases the worry, since they are not in a position to lend money to spur economic growth. Just as it is here, small businesses carry the load in Spain, Italy and much of the Euro zone, but their inability to borrow money to bail them out of these difficult times has many facing the decision to close. Reuters reports that 1 in 10 loans in Spain in December was behind in payments and the country saw an 82 percent rise in businesses seeking credit protection. The amount of "bad loans" has forced many banks to set aside large sums of money to cover losses this year, hampering their ability to loan to small businesses. Three of Spain's biggest banks posted an average of 60 percent profit loss last year. Italian banks set aside more than 14 billion euros to cover bad loans there, too. Closed Business, Barcelona, Spain Photo via Shutterstock The post Small Businesses in Europe Can’t Borrow to Stay Afloat appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 10 Ways To Stand Out, Get Noticed and Be Remembered Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:00 AM PDT
In creating and building an online presence, ultimately we want to stand out, get noticed and be remembered for the right reasons.
This requires a thoughtful, strategic, purposeful process and most importantly, consistency. We remember negative things more than positive, and we always remember people by how they make us feel. Mary C. Lamia, Ph.D. in clinical psychology, from “Emotional Memories: When People and Events Remain With You” says:
We can create and control these positive emotional memories for our community and clients. It doesn’t happen quickly or overnight, and even when we notice someone, if you research them, usually they have been working at it for a while. But, it does happen:
Do an Internet search of yourself to see how you are branded and see how everything you are doing is working. The search engines simply publish what you create, they don’t edit anything. What’s your hub and home for your brand and content marketing? Where do you point people? Ask:
We are connectors, publishers, curators and authors who now have several ways and means to promote and market what we do and create. 10 Ways to Stand Out, Get Noticed and Be Remembered
If you want to stand out and be found, do things and create things that people will remember you positively for. Show up, join in, get involved. A colleague and fellow blogger Lisa Baron in “How to Be Remembered,” talks about “using all the tools available to me so that I can be me as loud as I possibly can.” She offers some common sense, easy to do suggestions that anyone can use and follow to stand out. What do you do to stand out, get noticed and be remembered? Apples Photo via Shutterstock The post 10 Ways To Stand Out, Get Noticed and Be Remembered appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Mobile Conference Calls: Taking It On The Road Posted: 03 Apr 2013 08:00 AM PDT
When you say conference call, most people believe you will be in an office to take the call. However, chances are these days you may be in an airport, a hotel room or in your car sitting in a parking lot between appointments. Today’s small business owner is often on the road, in the field or juggling tasks from a warehouse floor. Since it isn’t always possible to be in the perfect indoor location, below are some mobile conference tools and recommendations to keep the communication flowing, clear and safe. We checked in with Judi Hembrough, Small Business Marketing Director of Plantronics, for some additional insights into mobile warrior practices: Mobile Conference Tips1. Make Sure Your Web Conferencing Platform Works With Your Device(s)If you’re going to be doing a Web demonstration, webinar or screensharing, you’ll most likely be using a Web confereing solution. The big and little guys that offer Web conferencing solutions are quickly embracing mobile. You'll see Cisco's WebEx and Citrix's GoToMeeting, as well as smaller companies such as AnyMeeting and MeetingBurner, offering an iPad app. When doing a Web demonstration or interactive screen sharing, most of the time you’ll be using a tablet. You could do it on a mobile phone, too, I suppose, although that seems pretty risky to me. It would be a lot of scrolling around using a tiny smartphone screen! Plus, incoming calls could be disruptive. It’s imperative that a Web conferencing solution be compatible with whatever devices you are using. Test them in advance. The last thing you need is to have an appointment with a prospective client to do a sales presentation in 2 minutes, only to discover that you are having trouble downloading the Web conferencing software or that it won’t recognize your headset, or some other issue. It will fluster you, at a time when you most want to feel centered, calm and in control. 2. Use Hands-Free DevicesSure, you can hold that phone or tablet to your ear, or you can use a built-in microphone/speakers in the device, but it makes sense today to have a hands-free device. There are several advantages to using a hands-free headset, as Judi Hembrough notes:
Make sure you have the right hands-free tools at your disposal. As I mentioned, there are products in the portable speaker phone arena that can turn a hotel room or corner of a quiet coffee shop into your own little conference room. Most of these work with a laptop or a mobile phone via Bluetooth. If your laptop does not have Bluetooth, many of the speakers offer a USB dongle-type device that you simply plug in and synchronize with the portable speaker. I use a Plantronics Voyager Legend, but I also have one of their speakerphones, the Calisto 620, which doubles as a mini speaker for your own private hotel music system. These two items allow me to have crisp, clear calls with ease on the road. (Note: I had these two items even before being commissioned to write this article by Small Business Trends.) 3. Get a Special App, Visit the App StoresI have to say that this one special app is part of what sold me on the hands-free Legend - Plantronics has a free conference call app called InstantMeeting for mobile devices for iOS, Android and BlackBerry, which automatically identifies conference calls in your Outlook Calendar and uploads the date, time, phone number and password attached to each conference call. I'd love to see some hooks to the Google Calendar interface at some point. How it works: You receive an alert on your app when it’s time for the conference call, and with the touch of a button, the app dials in and enters your password, automatically putting you right into the call. This is a big “painkiller,” in my book, because half the challenge of a conference call is finding all that information to log on successfully. With today's powerful mobile devices, you don't have to stay tethered to an office or one location to have a successful Web conference or conference call. With a few apps or additions to your mobile phone, iPad or Android-based tablet, you can find that you are just as productive in your prospect's office or at home in your office. Let us know in the comments what gadgets or apps make your conference calls or Web demonstrations more successful. Headset Travel Photo via Shutterstock The post Mobile Conference Calls: Taking It On The Road appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions About Incorporation Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:00 AM PDT
Do you know the difference between an S Corp and a C Corp? Have you ever wondered if you should form an LLC for your business or where you should incorporate? Or maybe you're not sure if you need to create a non-profit for your activities? These are just a few of the frequently asked questions about incorporation. Assembled below are all the answers to the most frequently asked questions when it comes to incorporating your business. If you're a small business owner, read on to learn more about the various business structures and how you should incorporate your business. Frequently Asked Questions About Incorporation1. What are the benefits of incorporation?The main reason to incorporate (or form an LLC) is to minimize your personal liability. Once your business is incorporated (either by forming an LLC or Corporation), it exists as a separate business entity. Essentially, you put a wall separating your personal assets from anything in the business. Of course, there are other benefits too. Here are the top reasons to incorporate: 1. Minimize your personal liability and protect your personal assets. 2. Get more flexibility when it comes to taxes (talk to your CPA or tax advisor for specific advice on your personal situation). 3. Boost the credibility of your small business. 4. Add a layer of privacy (don't use your personal name and home address to represent your business). 5. Start building your business credit. 6. Protect your business name and brand at the state level. 2. What are the drawbacks of incorporation?The only real "drawback" of incorporating is that you'll need to operate your business at a higher administrative level than you're used to as a sole proprietorship. In addition, incorporating as a C Corporation can result in higher taxes for some small business scenarios due to double taxation. With a C Corporation, the business needs to pay taxes on any profits, and then owners are also taxed when any profits are distributed to them. Obviously, if you're looking to put your small business profits into your own pocket, you may end up paying a lot in taxes. However, as the following question shows, there are ways to avoid double taxation while still getting some of the benefits of incorporation. 3. What's the difference between a C Corp and an S Corp?As mentioned above, the C Corporation's tax structure isn’t optimal for many small businesses, since business owners often are taxed twice on the profits. However, Corporations can elect for "S Corporation" tax treatment. Often called a "pass-through" entity, an S Corporation doesn’t file its own taxes. Rather, profits and losses of the business are passed through and reported on the business owner's personal tax return. To qualify for S Corporation tax treatment, you'll need to fill out Form 2553 with the IRS. You'll need to do this no more than 75 days from the date of incorporation, or no more than 75 days from the start of the current tax year. Be aware that not every business can qualify to be an S Corporation. For example, an S Corporation cannot have more than 100 shareholders and shareholders must be U.S. citizens or residents. 4. What's an LLC?An LLC (Limited Liability Company) is a hybrid of a sole proprietorship/partnership and corporation. This structure is very popular among small businesses, and for good reason. The LLC limits the personal liability of the owners, but doesn’t require much of the heavy formality and paperwork of the corporation. This makes it a great choice for business owners that want liability protection but don't want to deal with exhaustive meeting minutes, addendum filings or other paperwork you'd need to file as a corporation. You can structure your LLC to be taxed as an S Corporation (as described above) where company profits flow through to the owners and are taxed at the personal income rate. 5. What's a non-profit corporation?A nonprofit is created for charitable, educational or other purposes (actually there are five recognized purposes: charitable, religious, scientific, educational and literary). Nonprofits cannot benefit the owners: all money above operating costs must be used to further the goals of the nonprofit. This allows nonprofits to operate tax-free. Approval is needed at both at the State and Federal (IRS) level. Just like with other corporations or LLCs, a nonprofit corporation offers a corporate shield that helps protect the personal assets of the nonprofit's stakeholders. In most cases, as long as the legal structure remains correct, stakeholders of nonprofit corporations are immune from individual liability. 6. Where should I incorporate?You often hear of companies incorporating in Delaware, Wyoming or Nevada. That's because Delaware offers flexible, pro-business statutes, while Wyoming and Nevada feature low filing fees as well as no state corporate income, franchise or personal income taxes. However, as a general rule of thumb, if your business will have fewer than five shareholders, you should incorporate in the state where you actually live or where your business has a physical presence (such as an office.) When you incorporate in a different state from your physical presence, you'll need to deal with added fees and paperwork, since you're considered "operating out of state." And for most small businesses, the added hassle and fees just aren't worth it. 7. When is the best time to incorporate?In most cases, it's best to incorporate or form an LLC as soon as possible. After all, the main benefit is liability protection and by waiting to incorporate, you can be exposing yourself to liability. Keep in mind that your corporation’s start date is not retroactive. This typically means filing two business income tax returns for the year. For example, if your corporation was formed on June 1, you'll need to file as a sole proprietor (or whatever your previous entity may have been) from Jan. 1 – May 31 and then file as a corporation from June 1 – Dec. 31. 8. How can I incorporate?There are three common methods for incorporating or forming an LLC. Each has its pros and cons, depending on your needs:
Whichever method you choose, you may want to speak with a tax professional to determine what business structure will be the best for your particular circumstances. The post Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions About Incorporation appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from 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