Don’t Miss This List of Small Business Events, Contests and Awards |  |
- Don’t Miss This List of Small Business Events, Contests and Awards
- Social Media Basics, Changing Business Models and More
- Tips for Starting a Voice Artist Business
- Are You Ready to Engage to Outbehave Your Competition?
| Don’t Miss This List of Small Business Events, Contests and Awards Posted: 23 Nov 2013 04:30 PM PST Be sure to check out this hand-picked collection of small business events, contests and awards. This list of useful resources will help you keep learning; find funds for your business; and grow your business skills. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards
The BIG Innovation Awards recognize organizations and people who bring new ideas to life. Whether that idea is big or small, these ideas change the way we experience the world. We recognize every innovation that our judges deem worthy!
Dell World is Dell’s annual tech conference. This year it features a keynote address by Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, and one by Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal. Entertainment by CAMP FREDDY. Small Business Trends will be there! Hashtag: #Dellworld
Win $25,000 in pay-per-click advertising budget for 2014, plus marketing tools from WordStream and Constant Contact. Grade and get paid today! Hashtag: #25KforPPC
AM Days is the must attend event for affiliate managers who are responsible for their company’s affiliate marketing strategy, management and operations. Whether you have an existing affiliate program or you are creating a new initiative, AMDays offers you valuable insight into how other online retailers are successfully implementing and managing their affiliate programs. Topics include: Affiliate program set up; Affiliate recruitment techniques; Affiliate marketing fraud; M-commerce; and much more.
#ICON14 is the eighth annual conference for small business, hosted by Infusionsoft (previously called Infusioncon). Over 3,000 attendees expected. Confirmed speakers include Seth Godin, JJ Ramberg and Peter Shankman. Hashtag: #ICON14 More Events
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This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology. The post Don’t Miss This List of Small Business Events, Contests and Awards appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Social Media Basics, Changing Business Models and More Posted: 23 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST
It’s time for another community news and information roundup. We’ve searched the Web for the best content from our small business community. Now we’re sharing that content with you. Please do the same and share it with your community too. And be sure to check the bottom of this post for more on how you can help. Social Media for Beginners (Effective Enterprise) You’ve probably heard it from just about everyone. Social media is important for your business. But where do you go from there? If you’re still a novice when it comes to what these tools are and how you can use them for your business, Josephine Hagan has this guide. It’s Time for a Change (Gannon Solutions Online Blog) Change is hard on everyone. But like it or not, it’s inevitable. That’s especially true for entrepreneurs, says Shawn Gannon. It’s the best solution when you discover you’ve got the wrong business model or you’re serving the wrong customers. Don’t sweat it, though. It’s just time for another approach. Always be Ready to Learn (Simply Social) The key to success in today’s world, whether in education, employment or just about anything else, is to be willing and able to keep on learning, says Tyler Arnold, CEO and co-founder of Simply Social. We think it’s the same for entrepreneurs, too. Take a look at Tyler’s inspiring video. You Need These 50 Habits (Business Chat) All entrepreneurs are different. But perhaps they all have a thing or two in common as well. Here are 50 habits many successful entrepreneurs posses, according to David R. Kiger. We’re curious if you agree. Helping Others to Help Yourself (Black Expansion) The most effective business models are those focused on meeting a need. Help others to meet their needs and they will help you meet your own in the process. Here’s a look at how one entrepreneur built her business out of supporting the dreams of others. 11 Tools You Should be Using (RMB Marketing) If you do a lot of content marketing (and what small business doesn’t these days), you should find these helpful. Andrew Powell and Ryan Lindsay have collected this set of 11 tools they use regularly for content marketing. They may work for you too. Adopting Two-Way Communication (Larson Marketing & Communications LLC) One way communication is rigid and formal. It may measure employee sentiment, says Leslie A. Larson. But it won’t turn your people into brand ambassadors for your business. The Best Way to Use Negative Reviews (Search Engine People) Reviews are so important to entrepreneurs these days. Especially online reviews which have given all your customers — including the unhappy ones — the opportunity to be heard. But it turns out even bad reviews of your product or service have value to you as an entrepreneur, explains Mike Campolattano. Interview with an Entrepreneur (Woman Around Town) Ever want to pick an entrepreneur’s brain? Us too! And in this case it’s the brain of Small Business Trends founder and CEO Anita Campbell. Check out this questionnaire from a NYC based website. Pick the Right LinkedIn Group (Nicole Munoz) LinkedIn Groups are still one of the best places for networking in social media. But not all LinkedIn Groups are created equal. This post led to some added discussion in the BizSugar community. If you’ve got an idea for something you feel would improve the content shared in this roundup, please don’t keep it a secret. Email us at sbtips@gmail.com with what you think we should share. Or submit the story via the BizSugar community and we'll consider it for a future post. Reading Photo via Shutterstock The post Social Media Basics, Changing Business Models and More appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Tips for Starting a Voice Artist Business Posted: 23 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST
Imagine starting a business with no other resource besides the sound of your voice. The voice artist business is drawing more attention lately with the sudden celebrity of Susan C. Bennett (@SiriouslySusan). Bennett is the woman behind the voice of Siri, the virtual assistant incorporated into the mobile operating system for Apple’s iPhone and now the iPad. Bennett’s work on Siri began back in 2005, thanks to a connection with GM Voices, an Atlanta-based company. The company provides voices for automated tech services. According to Bennett, in a message on her official website, being a small business person who has played a part in such a huge tech innovation has been surreal.
Of course, Bennett isn’t alone in offering her voice talents as a service. San Antonio-based voice artist Morgan Barnhart has been providing voice overs for radio, TV and Internet projects since the early 2000s. She operates a business called, “Voice Overs by Morgan Barnhart” and has done a variety of jobs in the field for brands like Best Buy, FOX, Monster Free Apps and more. What can aspiring freelancers interested in entering the voice artist business learn from these two small business owners? Get Plenty of ExperienceBennett lives in suburban Atlanta and began working as a voice artist more than 20 years ago. Aside from her work with Apple, she has also done voice over and radio work for companies like Ford, AT&T, Macy's, Coca-Cola and more. She has also worked on TV promos, narrations, jingles, done on-camera work and live performances. Morgan Barnhart also gained experience in the voice over and announcing business early. Her website talks about her early interest in recording, stating, “At the age of 11, Morgan picked up her bright teal boombox and began making her own radio shows at home, which quickly peaked her interest in using her voice.” In an email interview with Small Business Trends, she adds:
Learn How to Market Your Unique ServiceBennett has her own website, which showcases her work experience and provides demos and contact info so that interested parties can reach her for work or collaboration opportunities. She also owns Audiocam Music, a full-service recording studio, with her husband, guitarist and composer Rick Hinkle. The studio focuses on original music for commercials and videos, voice-overs, on-hold messaging and music, live rhythm sessions and more. Barnhart likewise does a great deal of marketing, the majority of it online. She stresses the importance of having a strong Web presence:
Barnhart’s website offers sound file samples of her voice talents as well as testimonials and a list of brands with whom she has worked. But she says networking and word-of-mouth also play a huge part in securing the jobs necessary to succeed as a voice artist:
Know How Your Voice Will Be UsedFor Bennett, becoming the voice of Siri was actually a surprise. Her work for the project involved reading a series of nonsensical words and phrases for hours a day in her home recording studio. Siri's answers to all of your questions could then be formed once scientists were able to take each different sound from Bennett's recordings and put them together into endless combinations of phrases. At the time, Bennett didn't know exactly what her voice would be used for. It wasn't until the iPhone 4S was released that she learned her voice was part of a device that would be used by so many people. Had she realized her voice would become such an institution, perhaps she could have negotiated for more money.
By contrast, Morgan Barnhart says she makes it her business to always know how her voice will be used. She explains:
But Barnhart says there’s another good reason to check in advance how your voice is likely to be used before agreeing to a job:
Imagine a friend calling you up after recognizing your voice on an X-rated animated film and asking, “Is this you?” It’s the perfect reason to insist on knowing how your voice will be used when working in the voice artist industry. Make Sure You Select the Right MarketThough Bennett might not have been aware of how her voice would eventually be used, she had built up a resume of national and international work. As a result, when the creators of Siri were looking for a voice for their virtual assistant, Bennett was among those who stood out. But then again, there may be personal reasons you’d rather not end up working for big national and international brands. Barnhart explains she’s structured her own business with other goals in mind:
When building a voice artist business, you must focus on the market you hope to serve. That resume of work will tend to attract other similar projects. So be aware that your list of accomplishments becomes part of your marketing, too. It tells potential clients the kinds of jobs in which you have the most expertise. Make Sure You Have the Right ToolsAs a working voice artist, it’s a given that you need a good voice for success. But other tools can certainly help you refine that product and make it more appealing to potential clients. For example, Bennett has her own home recording studio in which she creates her vocal parts for her clients. Barnhart likewise lists a home recording studio equipped with a Shure Super 55 microphone and ProTools Suite editing software among her assets on her website. Do some research into the kinds of equipment you may need to make proper professional sounding voice recordings. Then consider making this investment as soon as possible so that you can create the kind of professional quality voice recordings you’ll be proud to include on your resume. Microphone Photo via Shutterstock Siri Image: Apple The post Tips for Starting a Voice Artist Business appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Are You Ready to Engage to Outbehave Your Competition? Posted: 23 Nov 2013 06:00 AM PST
That's the overarching message of a new book I've just received to review, Engaged! Outbehave Your Competition to Create Customers for Life by Gregg Lederman (@GreggLederman). Lederman is only hitting on the obvious. The Gallup organization has done relentless and extensive research on the power of engaged employees and customers. They even have an index for it that measures the level of either employee or customer engagement. And guess what they found? The more engaged your employees and customers – the more profitable you are. But the one thing that Gallup doesn't tell you is how to engage these critical groups. This brings us to the contents and subject of this book. Which is Better? Focus on Employees or Focus on Customers?There is an old on-going argument in management about where to put your focus to increase profitability. There are two camps; the customer camp and the employee camp. There are examples of success from both sides. Engaged is a book about the employee side of the success and profitability equation. Here is the basic philosophy behind the book:
Profits and Success Come From Systems Integrity and Personal IntegrityI'm using the word "integrity" here from it's definition of being "whole, complete, undivided." Lederman says that without this kind of brand integrity and consistency – you can't hope to compete. Engaged gives you and your team the tools that will take you from ho-hum to highly effective. The book is divided up into two distinct sections: Part 1: Define a Living the Brand System: This section is devoted to understanding and articulating exactly what your brand experience is and pulling together a system that incorporates it across the entire organization. A lot of organizations make the mistake of giving this responsibility to HR and Lederman warns against that. The three steps of this process are to clearly define the brand experience, remind employees about how to deliver the experience and finally quantify the experience and link it to financial results. Part 2: Measure and Manage the Experience: There is an old business phrase that says, "You can't change what you don't measure." Lederman gives you the tools you'll need to begin quantifying the brand experience in all of the components of your business. You might find the information in the book either challenging or confronting, because Lederman's goal isn't to give you the answers, rather it's to give you the questions to ask yourself and your team. Not Just for Large Businesses – But for All BusinessesWhen I first picked up this book, I thought it might be irrelevant to the millions of small business owners who are solo-preneurs who don't have full-time employees. But this is not the case. Granted Lederman does focus on businesses with full-time employees, but early in the introduction he defines employees as anyone who gets a paycheck from your business. And that certainly includes all of your virtual team members and vendors. The Experience is Your MarketingIf you are one of those business owners who is completely and utterly overwhelmed by marketing and the plethora of strategies out there, you'll be glad to know that Lederman says that the experience your customers have with your products, services, organization and employees is your marketing. If you focus on that first, the rest of the strategies will fall into place and you will feel less overwhelmed. About the AuthorGreg Lederman is the Founder and CEO of Brand Integrity, an experience management company focused on delivering branded experiences to increase customer loyalty and profitability. More than 50% of Lederman's client companies are widely recognized as "best places to work." He's also the author of Achieve Brand Integrity: Ten Truths You Must Know to Enhance Employee Performance and Increase Company Profits. Muster the Courage to EngageAs I was reading this book, it occurred to me that many organizations either think they have an engaged workforce or they want an engaged workforce. Here is something I know for sure. Reading this book will not give you that. Doing what's in the book is what it takes – and this will require courage on the part of the business owner. As the business owner, you might be afraid to see the real picture of how engaged or disengaged your workforce is. But your desire to make an impact and a difference in the world will have to override your fear. Courage means to be afraid and do it anyway. Engaged gives you the roadmap to engage employees and customers that build profits for your company. So get on the road! The post Are You Ready to Engage to Outbehave Your Competition? appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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