10 Simple Steps Will Improve Your Business Blog

10 Simple Steps Will Improve Your Business Blog
Microsoft Now 5th Largest Tablet Seller, Propelled by Upbeat Ad
Merchant Versus Customer: Both Sides of a Chargeback
What is 3D Printing?
Monster Loyalty: Savvy Engagement Tips From Lady Gaga

Posted: 13 May 2013 02:00 AM PDT

blog improvement

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook enjoy huge popularity, but blogs are still an important tool for small business marketing.

Jennifer Bourn, Owner and Creative Director for Sacramento WordPress Web design and branding firm, Bourn Creative, claimed they are “no longer optional for small businesses” in a recent guest post at The Sacremento Business Journal.

So if you don’t yet have a blog – start one. And if you do have one, apply the blog improvement steps below to kick it up a notch.

10 Simple Blog Improvement Steps

Make Things More Personal ~ Huffington Post

Publishing a blog for your business is great, says tech writer Drew Hendricks. But sometimes business blogs can get a bit too…well, business-y. Instead, Hendricks suggests adopting a more personal approach by letting readers know more about the people behind the blog. Here are some of Hendrick's specific suggestions.

Choose a Monetization Strategy ~ Remarkablogger

Say you start a blog to promote your freelance services. Wouldn’t it be great to diversify a bit and find other ways your blog could generate revenue for your business? One option suggested by blogging consultant Michael Martine is the use of affiliate marketing, which can deliver more steady income even when other aspects of your business are in a dry spell.

Build a Powerful Network ~ MyWifeQuitHerJob

Blogger Tom Ewer insists the two secrets to creating a successful blog are to create great content and to create a network or community of like-minded people who will happily share that content for you. Ewer shows you what building relationships can do for your blog and a simple strategy for creating those relationships.

Grab the Reader’s Attention ~ ProBlogger

SEO and marketing copywriter Belinda Weaver insists a great opening for your blog post is the key to getting readers to give your post their attention and return to your blog week after week for more. Weaver says great blog openings begin with a great title and go on to intrigue, startle and touch readers on a personal level. Here is her recipe for success.

Recruit Some Guest Bloggers ~ Ms. Ileane Speaks

Ileane Smith, owner of Basic Blog Tips, shares her personal experience opening her site to guest bloggers. She says the process gave new and seasoned bloggers a chance to promote themselves and share their writing while also promoting her blog’s community. But Smith says blog owners need to take steps to vet guest bloggers to make sure they and their content are right for the blog.

Don’t Overdo the Keywords ~ Search Engine Roundtable

Industry observer Barry Schwartz shares the advice of Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller to a site owner on a forum. The site owner was confused about why his seven year old site was failing to rank for its keyword. Mueller explained the site currently contains over 1000 mentions of a single keyword. That’s too much of a good thing for Google. Don’t overdo it on keywords, Mueller says.

Use Vine and Instagram ~ Chris Brogan

As a way of enhancing your message on your blog and other social media, Chris Brogan suggests participating with what he calls “outlier social media tools” like Vine and Instagram. Check out these tools as a way of being a bit more human and creating what Brogan calls “bitesize” content. All the while you’re boosting your blog’s brand and building more community.

Set Up Google Authorship ~ Trafficado

Rob Parsons suggests some tips for improving the SEO and effectiveness of your blog. Among those suggestions is taking advantage of Google Authorship. The process involves verifying your identity with Google as the author of specific posts. The idea is that Google will favor authors who regularly create quality content, allow your image to appear next to content in search and thus improve click through.

Make Your Blog More Mobile Friendly ~ Lo Cost Marketing

Blogger Scott Dudley writes about the increasing popularity of mobile devices and the need to be sure you make your blog mobile friendly. With a growing number of potential readers using mobile devices, Dudley says making your blog mobile friendly is a simple way to grow your audience. Dudley also offers some simple options for making your blog accessible to readers interested in accessing your site through a mobile device

Start Allowing Online Payments ~ Famous Bloggers

If your blog promotes products or services offered by your business, it’s time to make sure customers visiting your business blog 24/7 will be able to pay online for those products or services. Blogger Laura Burkley offers benefits for accepting online payments on your blog. She also suggests some simple ways set up online payments for your business.

Blog Photo via Shutterstock

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Microsoft Now 5th Largest Tablet Seller, Propelled by Upbeat Ad

Posted: 12 May 2013 03:30 PM PDT

Surface pro business tablet

Microsoft has joined the ranks for the top 5 tablet sellers according to research firm IDC. The Redmond, Washington based tech giant sold 900,000 units and had 1.8% market share for the first quarter of 2013.

Now it might sound as if 1.8% market share isn’t much to crow about. Keep in mind, though, that a year earlier Microsoft had zero market share.

Even more telling is Apple’s drop. A year ago it had 58% market share of shipments. This year in the first quarter of 2013 Apple shipments made up just 39% market share.

Most of Microsoft’s tablet sales came from the Surface Pro, which uses the Windows 8 operating system and targets business users. ”An interesting factoid from IDC is that the more expensive Surface Pro made up a large amount of the 900,000 total Surface units. The Surface Pro first went on sale in the U.S. and Canada in February, and Microsoft has plans to expand it even further across the world to 25 countries in May,” writes Jake Smith on gadget site PocketLint.

Surface Pro: A Business Tablet

Microsoft products appeal to business users. And the Surface Pro is a business tablet.

One of the advantages of a Surface Pro over other tablets is the ability to use Microsoft Office programs you might use at work, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. You don’t need to learn a new operating system if you’re using Windows 8 on your desktop computer.

Equally attractive for business users is the hardware. The Surface Pro straddles the line between laptop and tablet. There’s a built-in stand, and a snap-on keyboard that doubles as a cover. And it comes with a stylus so you can draw, select items or make handwritten notes.

And that’s exactly the kind of business tablet that business people need. Tablets that are mainly navigated through touch are great for browsing and playing games. They are ill suited for work such as creating and editing documents.

My Google Nexus 10 (made by Samsung) is light enough to hold with one hand and slip into my tote bag. It is terrific for watching videos and reading the news. But trying to write a business document or create a post with it is frustratingly slow. Nor can I edit a PowerPoint presentation or an Excel spreadsheet.

An Effective Ad Campaign for Business Tablet Users

Microsoft has an effective television ad campaign going on now for the Surface Pro that I have to believe is helping raise awareness.

The ad features business people (actually professional dancers) doing a “dance” while sitting around a conference table. The music is catchy and upbeat. The ad conveys that meetings can be fun and exciting, not dull and boring — IF you have a business tablet like the Surface Pro. The ad flashes quickly to the Surface Pro tablet being used for business purposes. Those few quick flashes are enough. We business users already know what kind of applications Microsoft offers – we don’t need more.

Some commentators have criticized the ad – I could not disagree more. Perhaps to a geek the commercial seems old fashioned. But from the perspective of a business user, the ad is energetic, memorable and manages to say quite a bit about what the Surface Pro tablet can do for business users — all in 30 seconds.

The 30-second version showing on television now has better business focus than the longer online version embedded below, because it leaves out the distracting middle part with the beatbox. The ad ”speaks” to business people, just as the Surface Pro itself “speaks” to business people.

Image of Surface Pro: Microsoft

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Merchant Versus Customer: Both Sides of a Chargeback

Posted: 12 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT

If you are a business owner that accepts credit cards for payment, you may be already familiar with the frustrations of the dreaded chargeback process. This is when a customer contacts their credit card company to dispute a charge or have a charge reversed. But have you ever stopped to look at them from the point of view of your customers?

By gaining a better understanding of why and how they occur, you might be better equipped to prevent these potentially costly situations in the future. In the following infographic, Chargeback.com takes a look at "Two Sides to a Chargeback."

[Click to view full size version]

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What is 3D Printing?

Posted: 12 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT

3D printing for small business

3D printing is like having a small-scale manufacturing device right in your home or office.

3D printers are devices that can create three-dimensional objects. Most 3D printers create objects in plastic. Some use ceramic, metal or other materials. There’s even a 3D printer that forms items out of chocolate or cheese.

How does 3D printing work?

In a way, the term “3D printing” is misleading. It sounds like a 3D printer somehow folds ordinary paper into objects – like origami.

But that’s not how 3D printing works. Instead, 3D printers start with a computer-generated design for an object. Then the printer forms a three-dimensional object out of plastic or other material. Most 3D printers work by layering the material in thin layers over and over until the material builds up.

The technology isn’t new. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, aerospace companies and auto manufacturers have been using large, industrial-grade 3D printers for about 25 years. What’s new is the availability on the market of cheap 3D printing options affordable by small businesses.

Recently, 3D printers became a sensation online, when one was used to create a functioning handgun. The YouTube video demonstrating it has over 3 million views. The U.S. State Department has demanded the files be taken offline.

How can small businesses use 3D printing?

3D printing can be used to create prototypes of new products. It can be used for industrial design and even small-scale manufacturing operations.

For inventors and small business manufacturers, developing product prototypes can be a laborious and expensive process. 3D printing can simplify prototyping by allowing creators to make digital files of their new designs and then simply print them on-premise. For certain items, this could prove easier than fabricating prototypes by hand. It can be less expensive than finding an outside facility to produce prototypes.

In certain cases, 3D printers can even be used for the manufacturing production process itself.

Examples of 3D printed items

3D printed items can be used in a wide range of industries. Its use is not limited to creating prototypes. Here are some examples:

Architects have used the technology to create small models of buildings or pieces to see how they fit together in real space.
Toy builders could use 3D printing to make small dolls or action figures.
Jewelry designers could use 3D printing to create bracelets, pendants or other accessories.
People have even used 3D printers to create much more complicated items like clocks, human prosthetics, and cars.

Pros and Cons of 3D printing

Pros

Protoyping Speed – One of the main advantages of 3D printing is that it can speed up the prototyping process. Rather than having to design a conceptual model and then finding the materials and equipment necessary to create a physical prototype, businesses can simply design the model digitally and then print it.
Reduced costs - Aside from the initial investment in the printer and materials, there isn't much cost associated with 3D printing if you do it yourself.

Cons:

Production Speed - If you’re a small-scale manufacturer or crafter, 3D printers can be used for the manufacturing process. But the printers are relatively slow. This makes them unrealistic for manufacturing large quantities.
Intellectual property - Another concern is that 3D printing could give people an easier way to create counterfeit items based on digital designs of others.

What is the cost of 3D printing?

3D printers still vary greatly in size, capacity, and price. Industrial grade 3D printers go for up to $1 million.

However, you can find affordable, do-it-yourself options on the market. A 3D printer called the Cube (pictured), made by 3D Systems, can be purchased online and will be available at Staples stores in June for $1,299. The Cube is preassembled and can hook up to a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to download their designs and print them into real objects. Or you can insert a USB stick with the design and print.

Other small 3D printers run as low as $999. There’s even an open source 3D printing community called Fab@Home.

For those who don't own a 3D printer, there are online 3D printing services like Shapeways that allow users to create digital designs and have them printed and shipped by the company. Users can even set up their own shops to sell their designs to others.

Image: Cube 3D printer by 3D Systems

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Monster Loyalty: Savvy Engagement Tips From Lady Gaga

Posted: 12 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT

lady gaga book To me, the fun fact about famous people is not the TMZ-style stories of who-left-whom-for-who. It's the business end. I get a bit fascinated by musicians, and how they attempt to balance artistic statement with being accessible to the public – another way of saying, "Gimme enough sales so I can continue my artistic statements."

At least that was the thesis for the music business of yore. Without a doubt, the Internet and digitizing the music format has reshaped how music artists garner fans. Witness how YouTube expanded the careers of Justin Bieber or Psy.

Lady Gaga's success has been outstanding, and she has been named to the Forbes top celebrities list. A viable business model underscores her fame, a model with tactics that small businesses could adopt on a smaller scale.

Author Jackie Huba (@jackiehuba) examines Gaga's model in her book Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga Turns Followers Into Fanatics. I was intrigued by how the book came about – a blog post on Lady Gaga garnered the most replies on the author's blog. So I downloaded a NetGalley copy for review.

Lady Gaga's career history is as extensive as a 27 year old singer’s can be. Despite her first singles having achieved 6 number one hits – a record – Lady Gaga does not have a storied musicianship like, say, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson or Madonna, an artist she is regularly compared to. So those artists may have more material for an author to research and draw business concepts from.

But the context Huba sets for Monster Loyalty is worth the study. Lady Gaga's success is examined against a social media and digital marketing landscape in which the target audience must be constantly engaged and immersed in an experience. It is a different audience landscape from the one in the heydays of Madonna, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones and others. Small business owners are more likely to identify with Madonna than Lady Gaga, but reading Monster Loyalty teaches a different spin on the value of social media – one that does not require a discussion about a tweet or like.

Take the first chapter of the book, for example. It examines the value of the "one percenters" – that core audience that responds to your product. The one percenters are your superfans – the “Little Monsters” as she calls them. Lady Gaga spends nearly all of her effort on this highly engaged fan base.

In other words, your marketing should be on those who are responding the most to your product or service. Huba notes this philosophy against 2011 research by Forrester showing most marketers are focused on new customers, not existing ones, and certainly not on such a tiny group as the one percenters:

"Fifty nice percent of CMOs say acquiring new customers is one of their top priorities…Only 30 percent of CMO respondents say they are focused on retaining customers as a top priority."

With such a deliberate focus on addressing her fan base, you might conclude that Lady Gaga is a manipulator. But she doesn’t come across that way in the book. Instead she just comes across as someone who knows on which side her bread is buttered. When it comes to her fans, Lady Gaga believes:

"I’m not the beginning anymore. I don't see myself as the center. They're at the center. I’m the atmosphere around it…I will continue to become whatever it is [the fans] would like for me to be."

Lady Gaga's viewpoint could fit into Gary Vaynerchuk's The Thank You Economy quite easily. That is the point of business books written about famous people – to learn more than leadership from sources seemingly disparate from your own past experiences.

Huba deftly enhances her points with a mix of business data and highlights from Gaga’s career. For example Lady Gaga understands her one percenters – her devoted fans. The book reveals how Gaga developed her own community network.

"In late 2010 Gaga and her team realized they could create their own private place for the superfans, the Little Monsters. Gaga herself dreamed up the idea after seeing an advanced screening of The Social Network….[her manager Carter] partnered with some of the best in Silicon Valley, and created a firm called Backplane, which would build a niche social-network platform that could be used by other artists and even brands. Gaga invested her own money into the venture."

The suggestions may seem out of reach for the small business owner. Yet a small business owner can learn the value of Lady Gaga's choices. In Thank You, Vaynerchuk refers to the context of relationship and how your brand "must improvise and be willing to go where the consumer leads you." In Monster Gaga demonstrates that improvisation, built on the context before her. She may have certainly had the money to build a social networking platform of her own, but the structure of the idea can be emulated through similar, affordable platforms that you learn about everyday on Small Business Trends.

Business tools alone do not guarantee success. It's how those tools are applied to make a sustainable business model. If you read Monster Loyalty you will learn the right attitude to apply to the numerous digital marketing strategies touted every day. It will be the winning attitude that will take your business to the next level.

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