Why You Need a Comment Policy on Your Blog |  |
- Why You Need a Comment Policy on Your Blog
- Ways the U.S. Government Shutdown is Affecting Small Business
- LinkedIn Groups: Your Secret Weapon for Sales Success
- Google Plus Could Use Your Profile in Ads by Default
- Will Peer to Peer Loans Replace Bank Loans to Small Business?
| Why You Need a Comment Policy on Your Blog Posted: 14 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT
If you're running a small business blog, you probably treasure comments from readers. Comments on your blog are like the Internet version of gold stars. They mean your blog is effective, engaging and able to generate interest and discussion. Comments say, "You're doing a good job… keep it up!" But many bloggers are so hardwired to the positive aspects of comments—any comments—that they don't see the need for a comment policy. Why should you have a comment policy in place? Isn't it "restricting" your readers from having the freedom to comment any way they want, or making them jump through more of the unnecessary hoops (like Captchas and banning anonymous comments) that discourage them from commenting in the first place? Well, yes and no. A blog comment policy may discourage some people from commenting. But the good news is, in most cases, these aren't the people you want to comment on your posts anyway. What a Comment Policy Can Do For Your ReadersSpam comments, irrelevant links, advertising and offensive comments aren't just annoying for you. They can also be off-putting to readers. One of the main purposes of a blog is to foster a sense of community. And long comment trails full of spam, promo and rude statements are like walls full of graffiti, spoiling the neighborhood. With a blog comment policy in place, your readers are assured that they can comment and discuss in a constructive, civil environment. This acts as encouragement for those with something valuable to say, rather than Web crawlers who are just looking for more places to link to their affiliate programs. A comment policy also says something about your business. It lets readers know that a real person is monitoring your blog and comment sections. So if they ask a question or offer a compliment, they're likely to receive a response. What a Comment Policy Should NOT DoWhile you can and should prohibit vulgar language, rude or antagonistic comments, personal attacks and derogatory remarks from your blog comments, you should not place a general ban on disagreements or contradictory views. Blog owners who delete criticism and rational arguments from the comments section are typically viewed as thin-skinned at best, and may be perceived as unwilling to listen. News that you're deleting negative comments is also likely to spread and harm your brand. The idea behind a blog is to connect with and listen to your customers and visitors, even if you don't necessarily like what they have to say. Negative comments also give you the opportunity to offer a solution and win back dissatisfied customers. How to Write a Comment Policy for Your Small BusinessComment policies vary as widely as the blogs they appear on. They can range from simple statements to more complex lists of restrictions and consequences (such as deleting comments or, in extreme cases, banning users). Your comment policy should take into account your target reader and what they'll expect to see (and not see) on your small business blog, and the type of environment you want to create on your blog. These examples can help you create a blog comment policy. Short blog comment policy example:
Long blog comment policy example:
A comment policy can increase your blog readership and encourage more people to join in the discussion. Do you have a comment policy in place? comment Concept Photo via Shutterstock The post Why You Need a Comment Policy on Your Blog appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Ways the U.S. Government Shutdown is Affecting Small Business Posted: 14 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT
As the U.S. government shutdown enters its 14th day with negotiations over the budget ongoing, how are small businesses being affected so far? As Scott Shane pointed out last week, the U.S. government shutdown initially affected few small businesses. But as the shutdown continues, small businesses along with the rest of the economy, are beginning to feel the impact. And if the U.S. government’s borrowing authority lapses near the end of this week on Oct. 17, it could trigger recession or worse, reports Bloomberg Businessweek. Below are ways small businesses are directly and indirectly being affected already. Small Business Administration Closed for BusinessFirst, the Small Business Administration remains closed for business. A notice on the SBA website indicates the agency is closed for non-distaster related activity. The site further explains that this means information won’t be updated and any transactions made through the site could be delayed. And, of course, inquiries won’t likely be responded to because the agency is shut down and employees have been furloughed. The shutdown has also brought a halt to all new applications for small business loan guarantees handled through the SBA. Shutdown of Parks, Employee Furloughs Affect SomeShutdown of all national parks and monuments, furlough of some federal employees and delay of pay to others all continue to have a trickle-down affect on small businesses, of course. For example, lodges and other businesses dependent upon tourism around U.S. national parks are already seeing the impact, the Los Angeles Times reports. Also, some federal workers have been sent home without pay and others in critical areas, for example in the U.S. military, are working without pay. So businesses depending heavily upon these customers are affected. Federal Contractors May See Cash Flow ProblemsFinally, while lucrative government contracts are usually cause for celebration, small businesses that have them may not feel that way now. National Federation of Independent Business economist Bill Dunkelberg says this group will also continue to be affected, though hopefully not long term. Still, delay in payments to government contractors may cause some to experience cash flow problems, Dunkelberg says. And, of course, if the U.S. defaults on its debt, the situation could be much worse…for everyone. Shutdown Photo via Shutterstock The post Ways the U.S. Government Shutdown is Affecting Small Business appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| LinkedIn Groups: Your Secret Weapon for Sales Success Posted: 14 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT
Did you know that people who participate or engage in LinkedIn Group discussions get an average of four times as many profile views? LinkedIn Groups allow you to connect with thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people. Many more than you could connect with via your first-level connections. Using LinkedIn Groups for Sales SuccessThere are over two million groups on LinkedIn, with a focus on a variety of topics. These include:
The popularity of LinkedIn Groups led LinkedIn to recently updating the look of Groups pages, more streamlined and visually appealing. That's good news, because many experts believe that LinkedIn Groups offer your best chance at business development success. Where Do You Start?With over two million groups, sometimes it's hard to navigate successfully in the LinkedIn Groups world. In the newly launched book, “42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn (2nd Edition): Learning to Generate Results Using LinkedIn for Leads” (by Chris Muccio and Peggy Murrah), the authors offer some advice. They suggest that you should:
Joining GroupsLinkedIn currently allows its members to join as many as 50 groups. Of course, it's important to join groups that match your business focus. How do you find groups to join? Here are some tips shared in 42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn:
Another reason to join groups (especially those with a large number of potential prospects) is the ability to send a message to anyone in your group, even those people who aren't first-level connections. This functionality opens up your ability to connect with thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people you might not have any other connection with. Participate in a FewThe same rules apply to participation in groups as they do to the rest of LinkedIn: Provide value. Blatant sales pitches are a big turn-off. Instead, provide and share useful information, ask and answer questions, offer comments and recommendations. In a word: Participate, and do so in a thoughtful way. Once you've spent time investigating groups, you'll want to actively participate in five to ten groups. What kind of results can you achieve through Group participation? Notes Alison Pruett, Marketing Manager – Client Engagement, for Waco, TX-based Interview Stream:
Dan Freyer, owner of Los Angeles-based AdWavez Marketing, offers this example:
Create and Manage a GroupAccording to LinkedIn, more than 8,000 LinkedIn Groups are created every week. While creating and managing a group requires effort, there are many benefits. First, it offers immediate credibility. Similar to writing a book, creating a group means putting yourself out there as an expert in a certain area, especially as you continuously provide value through content and group interactions. Next, by being the leader of a LinkedIn Group, people want to connect with you. Group managers usually receive many requests to connect outside of the group, as a first-level connection. Another major benefit is the ability to send weekly email messages to group members. This is especially powerful for those group managers who build groups of thousands or more. Last but not least, Group Managers often get the best sales opportunities. Notes Charles Krugel, a management-side labor and employment lawyer and human resources counselor based in Chicago, IL.:
Krugel has gotten business from creating and managing his group, including landing a retainer client and clients that needed project work. Fred Schenkelberg, Reliability Engineering and Management Consultant, manages six groups, and gets 50% of his revenue from leads generated via Linkedin, up from none three years ago. Most of his revenue is generated from his ASQ Reliability Division group. Schenkelberg participates in 10-20 groups, and finds the time to do this by working with volunteers who manage the day-to-day activities in several of his groups, and using posting services such as Buffer to post content quickly. If you'd like to start a group, LinkedIn's Help Center offers answers to many questions regarding setup and management of groups. LinkedIn Groups offer many opportunities for small business owners to connect with others, build relationships, and get new business. Sales Photo via Shutterstock The post LinkedIn Groups: Your Secret Weapon for Sales Success appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Google Plus Could Use Your Profile in Ads by Default Posted: 14 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT
Imagine turning on the TV one day to find your conversation with a friend about your favorite restaurant used in an advertisement without your permission. You talk to the owner of the restaurant. He points to a sign that says any customer comments can be used in advertising unless you specify otherwise. Well, Google’s new policy to use the profiles of members of its Google Plus social network to advertise for products they have liked, shared or reviewed isn’t quite that bad. New Google Plus Ads Sell Profile InfoThe policy, which will go into effect Nov. 11, will only allow, say, your review of an album to be shown to friends, family and other connections with whom you generally share. As the company explains in its official terms of service update:
It’s also true that Google gives users what appears to be a fairly easy way to opt out of having them use your profile in ads. How Google Plus Users Opt Out of AdsIn order to opt out, users must visit Google’s Shared Endorsements page. Under “Setting: Shared Endorsements in Ads” un-select the checked box that permits Google to use your name and use your profile in ads. Then hit “save.” The problem is that the company is doing all this without asking first, writes marketing expert and blogger Seth Godin. It’s also without sharing any benefit with users, who are presumably the reason businesses want to advertise with Google Plus in the first place. As Godin explains in a recent blog post:
Do you believe Google is wrong to use Google Plus members’ profiles for ads by default? Would you give Google the right to use your profile in ads? TV Photo via Shutterstock Anonymous Photo via Shutterstock The post Google Plus Could Use Your Profile in Ads by Default appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Will Peer to Peer Loans Replace Bank Loans to Small Business? Posted: 14 Oct 2013 05:00 AM PDT
The online sites Prosper, the Lending Club, and others offer credit to small business owners in a way that wasn't available a decade ago – by matching borrowers directly with individual lenders, cutting out the bank as middleman. While still a miniscule slice of the $1.1 trillion of outstanding small business credit (PDF), peer-to-peer lending, as this type of financing is known, has grown rapidly since its introduction in the mid-2000s. A Federal Reserve Board of Governors' report (PDF) to Congress indicated that the value of small business loans provided by the two major largest sites – Prosper and the Lending Club – nearly tripled between 2011 to 2012. While some observers believe that peer-to-peer lending will someday replace much of bank lending to small business, right now it isn't a true alternative to most small business bank loans. Rather, it’s substituting primarily for credit card borrowing by small business owners. Replacing credit card debt hits the sweet spot of peer-to-peer lending – swapping cheaper debt for more expensive alternatives. Federal Reserve Board research (PDF) indicates that approximately half of Lending Club loans are for debt consolidation. Peer to Peer LoansPeer-to-peer lending faces several obstacles to becoming more than just an alternative to credit card loans. First, it is expensive. According to the analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the average interest rate paid in 2012 for a small business loan at The Lending Club was 13.4 percent. That's substantially higher than the average short-term small business bank loan interest rate of 6.3 percent reported (PDF) by the National Federation of Independent Businesses for June 2012. Because peer-to-peer lenders charge higher interest rates than those on small business bank loans but lower than those credit card debt, peer-to-peer lending is a more attractive alternative to credit card borrowing than to other bank loans. Second, loans from peer-to-peer lenders tend to be small. The Lending Club caps loans at $35,000, and its average small business loan was $16,200 in 2012, analysis by the Federal Reserve shows. That's not far off the average small business credit card loan of $11,639 when measured in 2012 dollars, Federal Reserve Survey of Small Business Finance data (PDF) show. Thus, peer-to-peer lending provides a different way to obtain a similar amount of money that many small business owners get by maintaining balances on their credit cards, but not enough to replace the amounts that they typically tap from banks. Third, peer-to-peer lenders don't provide collateralized loans, generally offering only unsecured credit. That makes it difficult for peer-to-peer loans to replace small business bank loans backed by business and owner assets, like vehicles and equipment. Fourth, getting a peer-to-peer loan is more similar to obtaining a credit card loan than a traditional bank loan. The low-level of paperwork involved, the heavy focus on personal credit scores in the evaluation process, and the quick decision making timeline lead borrows to think of peer-to-peer loans similarly to credit card debt. Peer-to-peer lending is a new source of small business finance, and is likely to continue to grow substantially in the future. But for now, it appears to be substituting primarily for small business owners' credit card borrowing rather than the traditional bank loans. Peer-to-Peer Photo via Shutterstock The post Will Peer to Peer Loans Replace Bank Loans to Small Business? appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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