here is a conversation going on at this very minute.  Are you a part of it?  The conversation, among your customers and business associates is occurring on-line with or without you.

According to the folks at Duct Tape marketing, it is not enough to have a nice website.  According to the author:

if you’re not participating in social media, you’re not really online.

To substantiate their opinion, they shared a few statistics from a comprehensive research project developed by Universal McCann.

• 73% of online users read a blog
• 57% join social networks
• 45% have started a blog
• 83% have viewed a video online
• 39% subscribe to RSS feeds
• 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

Source: Universal McCann Wave3 research into social media

So the question is what are you waiting for?   Not a writer that is not an issue..  Your customers and business associates are not looking for elegant prose.  The research indicates they want to hear from you.  Share current information, inside scoop, industry trends, simple, relevant information and they will come back for more.

No more excuses!  if you have a website, it’s time to add a blog.  If you don’t have a website, create a blog, anyway!  Or at the very least start following and commenting on other blogs!

And if you need more convincing - check out Kyle Lacy’s latest blog.. In response to those who are still sitting on the sidelines, Kyle does not mince words.  He says:

“it is important to remember to be IN the conversation. If your demographic frequents any social network GET INVOLVED. This might mean hiring a part time employee or spending some extra time yourself. SUCK IT UP.

Honestly, you don’t have to suck it up. Maybe I was a little harsh? You could keep on ignoring the conversations and drive your brand into the ground. Your choice. I’ll buy you a shovel but don’t expect me to help you dig.”

According to the folks at Duct Tape marketing, it is not enough to have a nice website.

According to the author

if you’re not participating in social media, you’re not really online.

To substantiate their opinion, they shared a few statistics from a comprehensive research project developed by Universal McCann.

• 73% of online users read a blog
• 57% join social networks
• 45% have started a blog
• 83% have viewed a video online
• 39% subscribe to RSS feeds
• 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

Source: Universal McCann Wave3 research into social media

So the question is what are you waiting for?   Not a writer..  not an issue..  your customers and business associates want to hear from you..  Current information, inside scoop, industry trends, simple, relevant information.

No more execuses.  if you have a website, it’s time to add a blog.  If you don’t have a website, create a blog, anyway!

Need help?  Roundpeg can help you get started blogging today!

Taking your networking efforts to the next level requires shift to NetBeing

Handing out your business card at monthly Chamber of Commerce meetings no longer qualifies as networking. Today’s business leaders know that real, profit-generating networking requires more. More strategy, more connectedness, and more trust.

I’d suggest we’re moving into an era where the relationship-based NetBeing, a set of attitudes and actions that foster real meaningful business relationships and build mutual trust, will overtake networking as a business development strategy. Continue Reading »

Absolutely! A business plan is not just an exercise for a banker. It is a concise roadmap for your business. Even if no one else reads it, the process of answering the tough questions, and putting your ideas on paper is valuable for every business owner.

Answer by Lorraine Ball - Roundpeg

Not sure how to get started?  Roundpeg can help

In a recent blog post, Dan Lacy stated:

The 80/20 Principle asserts that a minority of causes, inputs or effort usually lead to a majority of the results outputs or rewards. For example, 80 percent of what you achieve in your job comes from 20 percent of the time spent. For all practical purposes then, four fifthsof the effort- a dominant part of it—is largely irrelevant. This is contrary to whatpeople normally expect.

To read the rest of the article or down load a PDF click here

A rule of thumb has developed among many accountants that if the business will be actively managed by the shareholder[s], and it will be a small business, a sub-S corporation is the choice.
For real estate or other “passive” investment type companies, the LLC is the choice. This decision is vitally important to the financial health of the company and its owners, therefore you are strongly advised to obtain advice from your accountant before proceeding.

Answer provided by Chuck Roach - Roach Law

Are your on-line assets secure?  While your site may not be as attractive to hackers, as Coke or Pepsi’s sites, you still need to protect your blog.  Here are a few simple tips from a WordPress Resource site which apply to any blog or website.

• Protect Passwords
• Run Latest Version of Software
• Always Keep Backups!

Read the rest of the article

I have seen corporations spend thousands sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars more for a company website than they should. I have seen sites that don’t match brand, take forever to load, SEO that doesn’t matter (”I am number one on Marketing Strategy Experts Who Work On Venus”), and even navigation issues that you would think don’t exist this day and age. As a business owner or person in charge of buying a company website; If you remember these 7 mistakes you will save money, be more profitable, and have happier customers. 

TOP 7 Mistakes Businesses Make When Buying A Website

1. Have no idea about the technology

Read the following six mistakes

Bob Hettel - of SearchlightSolutions shares some thought on the impact of short term planning on your customer’s long term satisfaction.

Short term planning almost always has long term implications. Take the cuts that many companies are currently making. Companies are looking to cut staff and improve the bottom line. Many of these cuts are being made in so called “administrative” positions. While this may look good to a company’s bottom line today what impact will this have on your customers? What impact will it have on the remaining staff? Often this impact will take months to become evident. It can show up in decreased morale, increased turnover and ultimately in decreased business.

Take Circuit City as an example, in order to cut costs they decided to let go 3,400 of their highest paid staff. This looked great on paper – these people were doing the same job as their lower paid counterparts. In reality they let go some of their most experience and best trained staff. As a result, customers did not receive the service they need. Customers began defecting to the competition who had better trained staff who could better serve their customers needs. As a result sales dropped and the financial picture got worse, not better, not to mention the PR nightmare this created.

As Circuit City has shown, the long term implications of short term planning can dramatically affect your business in many ways but none is more critical then how your customers are affected.

I discovered Randy & Donny, The Marketing Twins, recently and really enjoy their blog posts.   Recently they asked “how is your business going?”

The year is half over, so how is it going? Have you met your goals? Are you having the referrals, leads and profits you expected?

The Twins have shared a systematic marketing approach to put your sales on track. 

Read full article