Top 5 Reasons to Call or Visit Your #Customers #smallbiz #lists #clients

It is easy to maintain a good open communication with your clients via email. But with limited "voice" contact in our daily lives when should you actually call your client or even setup an in-person meeting.

Here are your top five reasons to call or have an in-person meeting with your customers:

5. Your customer or client has been concerned about what you are actually doing for them.
4. Your contract is about to expire in 60 days and you need to find out if they intend on renewing.
3. Your client recently had a bad experience interfacing with one of your employees
2.  Your replied to your client's email, but they sent you an email wondering why you haven't replied back to their first email

and the #1 reason to call or have an in-person meeting with your customers is...

1 # The person who signed your contract is no longer with your client's company 


Do these sound obvious? Well you would be surprised. Here is an example of #2: I recently sent a complaint email to a company that I hired to do work for me that I needed feedback on an email that I had sent and I was wondering why I had not gotten a response from them. Another 24 hours went by with no response to my second email and so I called my vendor. Turns out they had responded to my first and second email and didn't consider the fact that I probably was not receiving their emails (duh?). So if I didn't call them they probably wouldn't have continued to respond to my emails vs. trying to find out why I wasn't receiving their responses. The issue? A word in the subject line was blocking my servers from delivering their emails.

Bottom-line: My vendor should have picked up the phone to call me after learning I had not received their first email, even if it was only to see if I had checked my spam folder (the emails were not in spam).


Check These Out:

Receive Your Complimentary Guide NOW!

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Considering a site redesign? If so, you're probably contemplating all of the potential benefits that a redesigned site will have on your inbound marketing program. Perhaps your goal is to achieve an easier to use or navigate website, or to migrate to a new CMS in order to scale production and publication of new content. Perhaps the intent of your redesign is to give your presence a much-needed facelift. Get it Now

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OfficeLive Users: The Cheap Easy Solution to Replace OfficeLive Site #smallbiz

On January 31, 2012, Microsoft announced that it will discontinue the OfficeLive free website hosting and storage service. There are a lot of the website builders out there Word Press and Yola make it incredibly fast and easy to replace your OfficeLive website.  You can buy a domain name from GoDaddy.com and be up and running in a few days. The folks at office live have also made it way easier to transition your domains to another provider. I use GoDaddy.com and they make it pretty easy to transfer a domain to them. I personally  have two sites in OfficeLive (http://pradviser.net and http://retailsecrets.net) and now I have to migrate them to another content management system. I recommend all current OfficeLive users to migrate their sites to Yola.com. I have been a Yola Silver customer for almost three years I have over seven websites in Yola and I must tell you it is far better than OfficeLive and way easier to use!

Top Benefits of Migrating to Yola from OfficeLive:

- Easy user interface                 - Html and Text WYSIWYG widgets  - Google Adsense integration
- Preview before Publishing     - Easy Navigation editing                     -  Google Analytics Integration
- Social Media Widgets            - Use flash, javascript or query and much more!

This is the actual Yola user interface. As you can see it is easier to use and there is more options to enhance pages.

Download the PDF of the above image: Click Here 

Although Yola is free for up to 5 websites with free hosting and limited file storage you are much better off buying the Yola Silver Package if you plan to launch more than one website. With the silver package you can build 25 websites, plus receive a free custom domain, 5 GB of storage, premium phone and email support, unlimited premium templates (which are usually way more customizable headers and site backgrounds) Plus, Get FREE advertising credits worth $100 with every Yola Silver purchase. Limited offer, sign up now!

Here are some of my websites in Yola today check them out:

http://glutenfreedays.com/ (using premium template in Silver Package)

http://emailmarketingfreeoffers.com/ (free template)
http://localeventplanner.com (free template)

http://enewsletterfreeoffers.com/  (free template)

http://retailsecret.com/ (free template)

One more thing: There is a downside to web-based website builders with free hosting - all sites are on the same servers so you suffer the consequences when there is server outage. But if your website is not mission critical to your business, then if you lose some up time it won't make that much of a difference.  Check out the service providers to find out what type of security is used on the servers.

It helps to know something about html. Here is some recommended Do-It-Yourself Website Reading:

*FREE*Download the Build Your Own WordPress Site Guide now, and read it on your computer today! With this free guide you will also receive daily updates on new cool websites and programs in your email for free courtesy of MakeUseOf.

The Really, Really, Really Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Own Website: For Absolute Beginners of All Ages (Really, Really, Really Easy Step-By-Step Guide To...)

Building Web Sites All-in-One For Dummies

Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML and CSS, 2nd Edition

Creating a Web Site: The Missing Manual

Good luck folks!

Small Business Owners: Don't Get Hosed By a Photographer

If you need to hire a professional photographer for an event, portraits or commerical photography you need to be clear about what you want back from the photographer.

A client hired a photographer to take photos of her work. She pays the guy his day rate (full or half) to take photos. That fee structure is typical.  The guy delivers all the photos website quality 72 dpi on a disk. I let the client know that she would need high resolution images if she wanted to do any printed material. She was unaware that her photos could only be used on a screen.

She put me on the phone today with the photographer and when I asked if he would deliver a disk with all the high resolution photos he explained that he provides a disk with all low resolution images for you to look at or use (again can only use the images for screen). He added that if my client would like high resolutions images she would select those photos and he will charge AN ADDITIONAL FEE.

OK she pays him his full rate - no matter what but his rate only includes low resolution images?  Keep in mind at the time she engaged him several months ago - she had no website and had no plans for one.  This is what I call getting seriously hosed because of misinformation.

The small business owner client didn't understand what she was getting until I told her. I also let her know that  Ihave hired many photographers and they have delivered dvds with all high resolution photos upon my request.

I understand that photographers have to get paid, but there is no way that it should be EXTRA to get a high resolution photo - #1 the photographer SHOOTS high resolution- PERIOD.  You can not shoot low resolution and make it high resolution. The pixels are not there to work with - it cannot be done. He is not doing anything to the image to make it high resolution. He may adjust color etc - but he is not making magic. Retouching is almost always extra, but sometimes unnecessary.

I advised my client to kick the photographer to the curb - PRONTO.

Before you hire a photographer:

• Find out what you are paying for
• Clarify you want high resolution images (you can always make them low resolution for the web)
• Tell the photographer you would like a disk with all the high resolution images - no extra fee
• If you don't need retouching and are happy the photos as is ...don't pay for retouching. Minor color balance and contrast adjustments should not/not be extra - PERIOD

If the photographer says that you have to pay for this and that ...move on. Find a photographer that is willing to work with you and not rake you over the coals in order to deliver the service you desire.

Check this Out:
The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between People and Possibilities - Free Book Summary

Dried Up Referrals Turn Websites into Brass Ring

Small business owners who never needed to advertise got hit with a brick wall of no referrals when the downturn kicked in. Now those who shunned the web, because they didn't need it, are hoping it churns out an influx of business.

Word Press and Yola make it incredibly fast and easy to have a web presence. Individuals can buy a domain name from GoDaddy.com  and be up and running and few days.

Ten years ago you hired someone to do your website for you and walked away from it. Today, business owners want a way to update the website themselves so they can add sales, specials and social media bells and whistle.  The internet was built on template websites, then there was a period you had to have a  custom site.  Guess what - templates are new again.

I am hearing from many small business owners who never once advertised and was proud to run their business on recommendations and they now tell me that their business is dying. With many of the website builders that out there, I am findt that some small business owner still can't be bothered with their own . It's there loss.

Wordpress which was born as blog application has taking the website building mecca by storm. No matter for what purpose, WordPress has proven to be one of the most efficient, most diverse, and most accessible platforms. Creating your own website, even using WordPress, is not something that should be taken too lightly. You can learn more by  reading the "Build Your Own WordPress Site Guide." Inside the guide you'll find everything you need to know to get your first, second, or tenth website successfully off the ground, ranging from finding a suitable web host and setting up your blog or website, to using an offline blogging client and even designing a simple website banner! Want to learn from the pros, and make your mark on the internet? Then you're in the right place! It doesn't matter if you're an internet newbie or a nerd on steroids, this guide will get you to where you need to go.

Download the Build Your Own WordPress Site Guide now, and read it on your computer today! With this free guide you will also receive daily updates on new cool websites and programs in your email for free courtesy of MakeUseOf.

I am personally head over heels for Yola. Although Yola is free for up to 5 websites with free hosting and limited file storage you are much better off buying the Silver Package if you plan to launch more than 5 websites. With the silver package you can build 25 websites, plus receive a free custom domain, one free premium template (which are usually way more customizable headers and site backgrounds) and $50 in advertising credits for Yahoo Sponsored Search and Google Adwords. Basically, you get your first year free because of the ad credits! 

Get FREE advertising credits worth $50 with every Yola Silver purchase. Limited offer, sign up now!

I have a couple of websites in Yola today check them out:

http://glutenfreedays.com/ (using premium template in Silver Package)

http://emailmarketingfreeoffers.com/ (free template)

http://enewsletterfreeoffers.com/  (free template)

http://retailsecret.com/ (free template)

One more thing: There is a downside to web-based website builders with free hosting - all sites are on the same servers so you suffer the consequences when there is server outage. But if your website is not mission critical to your business, then if you lose some up time it won't make that much of a difference.  Check out the service providers to find out what type of security is used on the servers.

Recommended Do-It-Yourself Website Reading:

The Really, Really, Really Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Own Website: For Absolute Beginners of All Ages (Really, Really, Really Easy Step-By-Step Guide To...)

Building Web Sites All-in-One For Dummies

Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML & CSS, 2nd Edition

Creating a Web Site: The Missing Manual

Lessons Learned from Pfizer: Choose A Spokesperson Carefully

Having a spokesperson for your business is only a good idea if the spokesperson truly represents your message. Using a celebrity either of the hollywood or ground-breaking kind can really give your product or service a boost. But when the chosen spokesperson is scrutinized for not being all that your company purports, your company receives unintended negative attention.

That is what happened to Pfizer recently when its commercials featuring Robert Jarvik were scrutized for offering "misimpressions." You might remember Jarvik as the pioneer behind the artificial heart. In Pfizer commericals for Lipitor, Jarvik refers to himself as a physician. It is that reference that is under scrutiny.

You see Jarvik is not a practicing physician - anywhere at this time. I have seen the television commericals featuring Jarvik (prior to the scrutiny) and I wondered whether he was still a practicing physician myself. You see I remember all of the hubbub over the artificial heart and I know for a fact that I was just a little girl. It was at least 28 years ago. So when I saw the commerical for the first time, I said to myself "is this guy really still a doctor?" Obviously, that same thought came to the minds of the Federal Drug Administration officials - hence the removal of the ad campaign.

So Pfizer has now pulled all of the ads featuring Jarvik. But I wonder who were the marketing and advertising executives that thought it was okay to have a non-practicing physician reference being a doctor or physcian in an advertisement? Had someone on the advertising team (external or internal) raised their hand and asked "Can we have Jarvik reference being a physician even though he is currently not?" I would not be writing about this topic. But alas, I am because someone on Pfizer's team failed to do their due diligence on the matter. Just think, if he had only referenced his experience in the medical field rather than calling himself a physician these ads would have been fine and still effective. Who would lik

The lesson here is to choose your celebrity carefully and conduct due diligence. Yes, it might be nice to have a local celebrity represent your car dealership in ads and commercials, but it will do your business no good if that same celebrity has a record of DUI's and perhaps one of them driving one of your cars.

Do your business and yourself a favor: when selecting a company spokesman make sure you ask the right questions of your spokesman and your marketing team. Avoid embarrassing moments like having to pull all of your advertising (which wastes money) and having to apologize to your customers.

Recession Proof Your Business with Steady Marketing

During down times, many large companies make cutbacks to departments that are considered excessive overhead. In many cases, the marketing department is the first to conduct layoffs and cutbacks in a down economy. For a large multi-million or billion dollar company that may mean releasing half of a 100 person marketing workforce and reducing advertising spending by 50%. Even with a reduction, large organizations can still have a decent amount of marketing to get the job done. Smaller firms should not follow this approach and actually do the complete opposite -keep spending.

Economists are forecasting that we are heading toward a recession (with some saying we are in one already.) Small competitive businesses should not look to cutback on their marketing and advertising. In fact, small businesses should be spending as much as money possible on marketing to keep new business opportunities coming in.

For business-to-business companies the strategy is simple, invest in marketing and advertising to increase/maintain your company's brand awareness. In no way do I suggest that small businesses divert all dollars toward marketing and branding efforts. Instead, small firms should consider maintaining or stepping up existing marketing initiatives. This could mean taking out a few extra targeted ads in print publications or conducting a smart online ad campaign on high traffic website your customers might visit. It also means keeping your sales force strong and providing additional incentives to keep them motivated.

Business-to-consumer firms should offer more incentives to keep customers spending. Perhaps, offer reduced prices on slow moving inventory to generate more sales. Post new banners and signs in store front windows letting your customers know about deals you are offering. Start a Do-It-Yourself email marketing campaign to increase buzz. If you have a nice office or store space, offer your space for a charity event and draft a press release to send to local media.

When it comes to advertising, you may find that publishers might be willing to reduce advertising fees due to a decrease in advertising volume. You might be able to negotiate rates for a series of advertisements that meet your budget. Maximize your ad dollars by placing ads in programs or journals at business events in your area. There are many ways to advertise without breaking the bank, investigate the opportunities that best meet your business goals.

Brand awareness is essential to the ongoing success of your business. Make sure that when the economy is at its worst that you are poised to remain competitive and provide services as you always have. Stay top of mind and make it easy for your customers and clients to continue spending their dollars with your business.


About the Author:
Shakira Brown is an award-winning public relations and marketing professional with nearly 15 years of experience in radio, print, and television journalism and corporate communications. She has worked with high profile news broadcasters, entertainers, moguls, financial experts, small business owners and c-suite level executives in various industries. Learn more about Ms. Brown at www.pradviser.net and prbrandingzone.blogspot.com.

Small Businesses Shouldn't Try to Be Something They are Not

Recently, I entered a small street level eatery which appeared to be your standard pizza shop. It had neon signs in the window with the name of the establishment "Joe's Italian Kitchen" and the word "pizza". Seeing a neon sign means to me this is a casual eatery where I can get fast food. (How many upscale restaurant's have you seen with neon signage? Not many I would guess.)

I entered the shop and went to a counter where two people stood. One was an older woman on the phone taking an order. I asked for two slices. The young lady said to me that they didn't have slices. I thought perhaps she meant there were no pizzas at the time for slices. The older woman (who I believe was an owner) got off the phone and explained that they do not sell slices, but rather individual thin crust pizzas for $5.95 each. Let me just say that this place looked like a regular fast food pizza joint. Two inexpensive tables, soda and juice fridges, and nondescript decor. No pizza slices? Remember the neon sign did say "pizza", usually an indication of very casual dining.

The thought in offering the individual pizzas I believe is that every customer will get their own fresh pie. But this was a shop on a busy street. What about those who want to just get a QUICK slice to go?

My issue is that is not easy to convert a $2 slice purchase that takes two mintutes into a $6 pie purchase that would probably take 10 - 15 minutes. So why bother? I have a feeling that this "Italian Kitchen" is trying to be something it is not - a nice italian restaurant. But it has all the looks and feel of a pizza shop. The best part of this is that there is a REAL PIZZA SHOP about 30 yards away on the same side of the street that sells slices. So that is where I ended up.

The average person walks into a pizza shop looking for a slice. So sell it to them. Most pizzeria's mark up the slices about 40% per slice. For instance you can buy a large cheese pie for $9.50 but purchase a slice for $2. This is a great revenue stream.

If you want to brand your restaurant as a fine italian restaurant don't use standard pizza shop branding like a neon sign and nondescript decor. Quite frankly, if they didnt have the neon sign that said pizza, I would not have wasted my time going in there. Make sure your storefront branding matches what you really are. This will prevent disappointed customers leaving your establishment to spend money elsewhere.

I do understand that it is up to indiviual proprietors to sell the merchandise they wish, but you have to be smart about it. When I walked into the restaurant I mentioned above, they were taking a phone order, but they were NOT bursting at the seam with customers. They lost my sale, I just wonder how many customers they lose each day to their competitor just 30 yards away because they have made the decision not to sell slices. I wish that the restaurant looked at selling pizza slices as a way to market their food and not a way to diminish it. Perhaps they could have converted me into a new customer. I sometimes drive 20 minutes away to buy A whole pizza pies from a place that I fell in love with when I purchased just a slice at lunch one day. Joe's Italian Kitchen won't get that from me.

Virtual Small Businesses Can Thrive with the Right Technology

Office space and equipment can be very pricey. The decision to start a small business usually hinges on the start-up costs. Fortunately, high-speed internet connections and online business productivity tools can help you start-up and run a business that is both professional and efficient.

For instance, I run a small public relations consultancy. I originally started out using my cell phone number as my business number. On the website I created for free with Microsoft Office Live Basic, I wanted my website to be found easily, so I did a little search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure that those who needed my services could find me via search engines.

Well, I had done such a good job with my SEO, that my website was coming up when people were searching a certain Columbian singer who shares my first name. (I dare not mention her name with the fear that it will have consequences.) People from all over the world were calling me looking for the singer. I was getting calls from the Ukraine at 3 am! I was receiving emails from people professing that they were my biggest fans. It was terrible.

I needed to remove my cell phone number and email address pronto. Because I do not like overhead, so I started searching for free voicemail services online. I lucked in when I found NetZero’s Private Phone. Basically, you can have a phone number and area code from your business area ring directly to a voicemail – all for free. The best part is you can set it to ring a number of times, rather than go straight to voicemail. It is really a great free way to have a telephone number for a small business. I also set it up to send me an email and text message to my cell when I have a new voicemail. This solved the problem with the crazy phone calls. I solved the problem with the emails by setting up an email contact form on my website rather than provide my direct email. (Unfortunately, I just learned that Private Phone will be discontinued as of February 19, 2008, so I will need to find a new service.)

For small businesses that have employees that work remotely, services such as WebEx MeetMeNow can help your remote employees better collaborate with each other. MeetMeNowallows small business owners to engage clients and customers in a formal setting. MeetMeNow gives you unlimited, cost-effective, and easy-to-use web meetings on demand.

Ring Central is a communications productivity tool that can help you run a smoother virtual business. It can give you all the appearances of running a brick and mortar business. Basically you can have a virtual phone system from $9.99/mo. Ring Central takes the hassle out of communications and allows small business owners to focus on their business.

If you are running a small business, I highly recommend you utilize online productivity tools. For one they will help you and your staff work more efficiently. But they also help to give your company a feel of it being a professional establishment, which is important to your overall branding. Go the extra mile with your business to make it great for your employees as well as your clients and/or customers.

Here is another helpful productivity tool:

GoToMeeting: The Next Generation in Online Meetings Has Arrived - Try it FREE today!

GoToMeeting is the easiest and most cost-effective way to organize and attend secure online meetings. Sign up for a free trial today with no obligation to buy! Host meetings on-the-fly with sales prospects, perform live demos in real-time to multiple customers or collaborate on projects with your colleagues. You'll be able to host unlimited online meetings - with up to 10 attendees per meeting!

Sales Demonstrations: Give spontaneous demonstrations during sales calls.

Presentations: Conduct presentations as if you were in the same room with your attendees.

Collaboration: Boost productivity by collaborating with colleagues in real-time.

Training: Save the hassle and expense of travel by conducting live training sessions with GoToMeeting.

Find out for yourself how GoToMeeting can change the way you do business.

Try it today, absolutely FREE!

Abandoning A Dying Trade Might Leave a Monopoly

Recently, I was looking into ordering reprints made for an article that a client was featured in. When my assistant called the company we worked with last year, she found that they had been bought buy a larger provider. The estimate the larger company gave her for a one page color reprint was twice the amount we paid for a 4 page color reprint purchased just under six months ago. When we tried to negotiate, they dismissed us without trying to win our business. The fact is they have a monopoly.

As we later found out, almost all of the reprint companies we called six month ago had been gobbled up by bigger players. I remember getting estimates from several companies and they were all willing to low-ball each other. Now, with only the big boys left, there is no more negotiating, just outrageous prices.

Should the smaller reprint companies have sold-out? For some it might have been the only alternative for others, I think they just gave up. The print business is re-invention mode and maybe the owners of reprint companies felt they didn't stand a chance in the digital world. But the smaller reprinters who were willing to negotiate pricing for companies with small marketing budgets has helped the larger print publishing companies become monolopolies.

Being the last one standing is a benefit in this case. The larger reprinters now are getting all of the business without competitive pricing. I am now trying to help my client negotiate with the magazine directly for reprint permission, so they can have them printed up themselves. It is a small magazine so it shouldn't be a problem. In the end, the larger reprinters might find that reprints will become less popular due to the enormous cost to produce them.

I also noticed that one hour photo desks at large retailers are disappearing. In Pennsylvania Station in NYC, there is a K-mart that used to have a one hour photo desk on the main aisle where commuters walked by. You didn't even have to go in the store, it was right there on the aisle for commuters to dip in and out on their way home.

Today, I walked by and notcied that the one hour photo has been replaced with a quickie pharmacy department. Now commuters can dip in and out for their favorite meds. With more than 50% of Americans printing their own digital photos, one hour photo shops are becoming a thing of the past. But I am sure for the precious few that hang on, they will be compelled to charge outrageous prices at some point, just because they can.

But I know one thing for sure, there is no chance that precription drugs will disappear anytime soon. For every ache and pain there is a medicine. The quickie pharmacy department at the train station is a brilliant idea. As long as there are still diseases, ailments and illness, pharmaceutical retail sales will remain a safe bet.

Holiday Hours and Seasonal Employees are Important for Your Business

This Christmas Eve, I found myself on a wild goose chase at 7pm trying to find establishments that were open for business. First stop – Whole Foods Markets. I got there around 7:15pm on Christmas Eve and they were closed. They appeared to have been closed for a while. There were no cars in the lot. Their normal Monday hours are until 10pm.

Second stop - a local restaurant. I wanted to use a coupon at a local pizza restaurant. I stopped in there at 7:30pm on Christmas Eve. We walked in and the girl behind the counter didn’t hesitate to say “Uh the dining room is closed – we closed it at 7 pm.” I mentioned my dine-in coupon and she said “sorry.” The regular hours for this restaurant are until 10pm. It would been nice if they offered to honor my coupon for take-out, alas they did not.

Third stop in my quest for a meal BEFORE 8pm on Christmas Eve was a desperate move. We were going to our local Wendy’s. We didn’t have to pull into the driveway of Wendy’s to see that the lights were off and that they were closed too. This was unbelievable as Wendy’s normally stays open until midnight.

So as we were making our fourth stop to a Chinese take-out restaurant, I noticed the 24 hours neighborhood Dunkin Donuts was also CLOSED before 8pm. The best part was a vehicle pulled into the Dunkin lot as I was waiting at a light. It seemed that patron was also in awe at the closure as well – he was just sitting there staring at the door as if it would magically open.

So we headed over to the Chinese take-out in the next town, but before we got there I noticed a nicer Chinese restaurant was open and ready for business. We got in and they were packed – I guess all of the hungry folks from my town ended up in there too. Of course, this restaurant was open for its normal business hours.

My point in bringing all of this up is simple, Christmas Eve is not a holiday, so try to keep your regular hours. If you want to give your regular employees time off do it, but do not sacrifice your business. Consider hiring seasonal employees who want extra money and will not mind working regular hours. There was no reason for any of the places to be closed so early. There are plenty of people who are willing to make extra money during the holidays.

Find the talent you need today. Post your job on Yahoo! HotJobs.

I remember about 15 years ago, certain retail stores would be open until midnight on Christmas Eve. That seems to be a thing of the past. So if your regular employees want more time off , give it to them. Make sure you bring in seasonal employees starting in November to learn the ropes so they can jump right in the jobs in December.

I was looking to spend money on Christmas Eve and nearly no one was open for me to do that. Don’t miss out on last minute sales and dinner seekers on holiday eves. Hire seasonal employees to keep you up and running. And pay your management extra money to stay their regular hours so the seasonal employees have leadership. I guarantee that if any of the four places I noted previously had advertised for seasonal employees, they would have gotten lots of inquiries. You can use online job placement services like hotjobs.com or others to find people to keep your business open for regular hours during the holidays.

Going Green is Good for Your Business and Brand

Thanks to Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth, going green is big with everyone these days. Even the folks who could have cared less about the environment and even poked fun at people who obsessively recycled are now trying to do something green. But being environmentally friendly is no longer just for individuals, it is for businesses too.

Believe it or not, you could probably increase your business if you did something "green." Why? Because there are business leaders who are green and looking to do business with other green businesses. It is a statement of your businesses committment to helping the environment, which could mean a lot to your potenital clients or even customers.

If you are doing anything green, publicize it. For instance, if you are only using 100% recycled paper products or operate your business in a certified "green" building, make note of it on your website and marketing materials. I recommend this especially if you are a subcontractor for large corporations. Many large corporations have environmentally-friendly initiatives in place. If your business has similar intiatives, you might be considered over companies that do not share the same values.

In today's competitive landscape, any edge up over the competition helps. It is not hard to implement a green program. It could be as simple as providing multiple trash cans at your business for employees and customers to separate trash for recycling. You can purchase recycled ink toner, energy efficient light bulbs and even install lighting timers to start your green program. If you have a business that utilizes company vehicles consider purchasing hybrid vehicles for your fleet. (Note: there are nice tax advantages for purchasing hybrid vehicles.)

Going green is good for your bottom-line and your company's branding. In the very near future, it could be what tips the scale to attain new business or even recruiting talented employees. Jobseekers who are passionate about living a green lifestyle typically want to work for companies who share their interest in the environment. No matter what your beliefs are about the green movement, it is here to stay. Consider finding ways for your company to take part in our green world and maybe save a tree or polar bear in the process.

Thanking Past & Present Employees is the Best Marketing

I recently learned that a major online brokerage firm, that acquired another firm two years ago, mailed bonus checks to PAST employees that were given packages due to the acquisition. Many employees of the brokerage firm were given significant packages to stay on through the transitional period before being laid off. The firm has now awarded the employees that stayed on during the transitional period with bonuses because they helped to increase productivity and revenues.

I find this gesture extremely important to the overall branding and marketing of the firm. Anyone who had ill-will due to the lay-offs will now feel very good about this company. The letter they sent was quite nice and thanked the former employee in the form of a $1500 gross check. How many companies share their success in the form of money with former employees? This is brilliant marketing and branding!And a great public relations tactic.

This holiday season, consider sending small tokens of appreciation to employees who left on good terms. Remind them that your company is good and cares about its people. It doesn't have to be a large amount of cash, as that could hurt a small businesses, but think of sending them holiday cards. If you can afford to splurge on a gift card, send them a $15-25 gift certificate thanking them for their service and helping your company become a success. The word-of-mouth on this will be tremendous. I have chosen not to mention the name of the firm above, however, former employees will be happy to share how wonderful your company is.

Small Business Charitable Giving Programs Make For Good Public Relations

The Wall Street Journal published a nice article about how small business owners have built charitable giving programs into their businesses. Some of the businesses made charitable giving a mission of the firm that hinged on the success of the company. I do not advise that any small business do that, however, having a charitable program is a good idea and can be a conduit positive public relations.

Think about calling a local United Way or Salvation Army and find out how you can get involved with a toy or clothing drive. Once signed up with a program, promote it to your employees AND customers or clients. Get everyone involved. You want your charitable program to be a success.

Before the organization picks up what you have collected whether it is toys or coats for the needy, stack them up in a small room to take a photo. Ask a few staff members to join senior executives for a photo-op. Use the photo to promote your charitable activities on your company website and client newsletters. You can also submit the photo to business event sections of local business journals. Most of the www.bizjournals.com publications carry submitted photos.

If you have staff members that want to be more involved with your charity, ask if your staff can be on hand to volunteer and give out the materials collected.

Charitable giving is a great way to give back to your community and to promote your business. Link up with a local charity this season.

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Customize Your Small Business with Branding

What is branding? It is how your customers recognize your small business. McDonald’s brand includes it golden arches and Ronald McDonald. Apple’s brand is ingrained in our minds by a simple partially bitten apple.It is so important to the company that it inverted the apple logo on the top of laptops and the back of monitors so that it can be viewed properly when people are using them - on the street and on the big screen.

So what is your brand? I find that most small businesses don’t have a defined brand. Entrepreneurs are busy trying to run a successful business and often neglect developing an actual brand. Well, it not hard to come up with branding elements. In fact, you can work on developing a brand inexpensively online.

Start with a logo. You don't have to spend a lot of money. There are companies online that provide ways for small businesses to create their own custom logos for a minimal amount of cash Create your LOGO in just minutes
with Logomaker.com. I have personally taken advantage of the free trial they provide to create a logo to use online. But you have to purchase the file in order to get a high-resolution logo to use in print. Try them out.

If you have an artistic side, you can use open source design software such as GIMP. I recently used GIMP to design a header for my retail blog. I admit it is nothing fancy, but I was able to do it on my own with GIMP. GIMP is a cross between Adobe Photoshop Elementsand Adobe Illustrator - except it is free. Download GIMP and play around with the functions available.

How do you come up with a logo? You can start off with something that represents you or your business. Maybe it could be a play on words or something from your childhood. Shawn Fanning, founder of NAPSTER and the genius behind music file sharing, named his "company" after the nasty nickname kids called him when they made fun of his hair texture. Sure he got into some trouble with his company initially, but now it seems Fanning had the last laugh on that one.

Try to be creative and not cliche. If you own a plumbing business just don't throw a wrench and sink together and call it a logo. Try to stand out from your competitors. Tap into your customers, maybe have a contest for suggestions and giveaway a prize like an iPhone 8GB. Maybe ask some design students at a local college to assist you. They need the exposure and they will be cheap (if not free.)If you decide to do either of the two, just make sure the person who designs the logo you wish to use signs a release to give you full-rights to their art for all uses.

Happy Branding!

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