Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Get The Word Out - Seven Ideas To Get Your Business Booming During The Slow Times


You can substantially increase the amount of traffic that your company's website receives each day by engaging numerous communities on the social media networks, launching a pay-per-click campaign and giving countless promotional products to potential customers.

High-Quality Content


The more often you post high-quality content on your website, the higher the site will rank in the organic search results.

The targeted keyword phrases that you write about should receive at least 5,000 monthly queries in Google, but they should be phrases that have little competition from other companies in your niche.

Social Media Optimization


Facebook currently has more than 1 billion users, and YouTube is the third most popular website in the world.

In addition to creating pages on each of these networks, you should frequently post promotional codes on your profile, comment on the posts of other users and upload photographs of customers happily using your company's products and services.

Promotional Products


You should give away many products that include your company's logo, phone number and website, and some of the most effective products that are used for advertising include t-shirts, pens, promotional golf balls and accessories for playing the sport, wristbands and mouse pads.

Local Directories


After you place ads for your business in numerous local directories, you should encourage patrons to leave positive reviews about your company in these directories by offering the customers a 15 percent discount on their next order for each beneficial review that they post.

Backlinks


A marketer must consistently establish high-quality backlinks, or incoming links, on webpages that are in the same niche as your company's website.

In order to leave links on other webpages, you can add comments underneath blog posts, post articles on informational and educational websites and add a link to your website under instructional videos that your company posts on YouTube.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising


By starting a pay-per-click campaign, you can choose the geographical areas from which your website receives traffic, change the amount of money that your business pays for each click at any time and even place large ads next to the organic search results in Google.

Pay-Per-Call Advertising


Numerous studies have shown that businesses earn 30 times the amount of money per call than companies earn for each click that their websites receive on average.


When you launch a pay-per-call campaign, you can choose the amount of time that each call must last for the affiliate to be paid and give substantial bonuses to affiliates who perform well in order to encourage them to generate more calls.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The 5 Pieces of Technology that Every New Business Should Consider


Anyone that is starting a new business can't afford to disregard the growing importance of technology. There are many businesses that can't adapt with the times, which often ends up with them getting left behind. The problem is that there are so many different devices and services available that many businesses can become overwhelmed, not knowing which things they actually need to succeed. Here is a quick look at 5 pieces of technology that will be sure to help any business.

5. Google Analytics


Google Analytics is a fantastic Google-powered service that creates in-depth stats about the traffic that websites are getting. It also gives insight on where the website traffic is coming from. It's a very simple piece of technology and gives business the insight needed to expand their web presence. Google also offers some quick and simple training programs that will allow for you to begin utilizing this powerful service within a matter of hours, though, you can always hire a professional to do this work for your business.

4. Dedicated Servers


When a business purchases a dedicated server, it will have an entire server all to itself. This is much more efficient than using a shared server, since you will not have to worry about other sites taking up your needed power and storage. Dedicated servers offer a variety of different benefits, such as enhanced security, overall control, and a much higher performance quality. It is also possible to find some less powerful dedicated servers for extremely affordable prices, which is a perfect option for smaller businesses that might already have tight budgets.

3. Skype


Skype was first introduced as a social network, but it has evolved over time to become an extremely powerful tool that allows for people all over the world to connect with one another. The functionality of Skype has led to it becoming an extremely communication important tool for a lot of businesses. It is fast, free, and it can be a great way to conduct video conferences or business calls with people that are in different countries. Too many businesses continue to spend money on purchasing overly expensive, high tech video calling software. Skype is a much better alternative in almost all aspects, and it is also free in most cases.

2. Google Cloud Platform


Another brilliant Google service, Google's Cloud Platform is an excellent tool for all businesses. Cloud storage and cloud computing has been getting more and more popular. Instead of being forced to spend money on expensive hard drives, Google's Cloud Platform allows data and applications to be saved to Google's data center. This allows businesses to access data and use certain applications wherever they have an Internet connection. It's an extremely cost effective option for any new business.

1. LinkedIn


Having a LinkedIn presence is one of the best ways to get people to join your business. Frequent job interviews and hiring recruiters not only costs money, but it can be a waste of time. LinkedIn is a good way to browse through a large pool of prospective employees and find the talent that's needed for any blooming business.



Technology is here to stay. Whether you find technology fun and exciting, or boring and confusing, a little bit of tech know-how is necessary for having a successful business.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Baidu SEO Notes - 9.23.13

Important Backlinks only

Baidu will give a priority to trusted websites on backlinks such as government websites and main online newspapers.
Baidu gives a priority to websites of the Baidu network, Baike the Wikipedia of Baidu, Zhidao, the Questions/Answers and Tieba the forum of Baidu.
To succeed on Baidu, you have to be focused on acquisition of important links.


Backlinks which are not important

Mondial websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are blocked in China and thus are useless for Baidu.
Links in another language than chinese are invisible.
Links from chinese SNS don’t count so much, Sina Weibo, Kaixin or Renren because they are competitors of Baidu.
Websites blocked by the chinese government don’t have any influence on the positioning on Baidu.


Quantity of links before everything

Baidu puts on the top websites with a big quantity of links which point out to the website, without discrimination on the links. The more you have links, the more you go up…

Blackhat strategies of massive acquisition of links work very well on Baidu. Without a lot of incoming links, it’s hard to show up on the most competitive market of the world.

Links of the home page and in footer count a lot for the Baidu Rank.
For example, the main chinese online newspapers have a homepage with a lot of links.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Five Best Tech Deals for Your Business

Staying ahead of the competition as a business owner can be difficult. One thing that can certainly give you an edge is technology. However, investing in new tech can also be extremely expensive. To help, below are five of the best tech deals you can obtain for your business.
 

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is far cheaper than having your own servers. It also allows you to connect to a network from anywhere in the world, permanently backup files, and remotely run applications. If you run a business, making the small investment in cloud computing can certainly pay off. All you have to do is sign up for an account with a cloud hosting provider.

Paperless Fax

Paperless fax machines are now available and can be worth a lot for a small business. Dealing with paper can be an expensive hassle. However, now there are a number of paperless fax machines on the market that can send and retrieve a fax as a digitized file. Nothing has to ever be printed. Use this technology to connect with clients and customers in an easy and convenient way.

Instant Messaging

Facilitating easy communication between employees is integral to running a smooth operation. In the past, everyone had to be gathered in the same room, or sent memos to communicate. This is no longer the case thanks to instant messaging programs like Skype. All individuals involved in your business will be able to video chat with each other instantly. Better yet, the program is free to download. Consider using email chat as well to have employees connected to each other at all times.

TV on Demand

One thing many small businesses need is television. Whether it is a bar, or dentist’s office, providing TV can help keep customers satisfied. Cable and satellite TV subscriptions, however, are expensive. One solution is to obtain a TV on demand service. Set-up is simple and to run Bell TV on demand, all you need is to hook up a remote PVR. While it may seem like an extra expense at first, when you look at the whole picture, TV services can really lend a hand to any business.

Mobile Devices

Your employees also need to be able to communicate when not in the office or at home. A lot of work is done on the road. To help increase efficiency, providing your employees with mobile devices is a great idea. One good choice is Bell mobile phones. These can be bought with service plans in bulk for your employees. They will allow your employees to communicate, and access the company network from nearly anywhere on the planet.


Overall, technology can increase efficiency, productivity, and help you reach new customers. While investing in technology can sometimes be expensive, there are ways to obtain the benefits of new tech while staying within a budget.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

COMMUNICATION ETHICS



Ethics has become a progressively more important issue in today’s workplace. An employee

can save himself/herself a lot of headaches (and potential legal problems) if he/she follows the

guidelines below:



ETHICAL GUIDELINES



1. Maintain Candor-Candor refers to truthfulness, honesty, and frankness in

communication with other people. Although there may be times when openness is

not preferred (such as in negotiations), it is usually wise and ethical to be as open as

possible.



2. Keep Messages Accurate-Always try to be as accurate as possible when

communicating with others. Ethical communicators don’t “embellish” stories to make

them more “juicy.”



3. Avoid Deception-Intentional distortion is not only unethical; it can lead to uncomfortable

situations. Someone may “call” you on the distortion—and the worse case scenario—

may be termination.



4. Maintain Consistent Behavior-One noticeable example of unethical behavior is saying

one thing and doing another. This will quickly jeopardize your image. Consistency

between communication and action is imperative to being considered ethical in the

workplace.



5. Keep Confidences-When someone tells you something and expects you not to tell

anyone else, trust has been placed in you. If you tell someone else and make her/

him promise not to tell others, chances are the information will get back to the original

source—undermining that person’s confidence in you.



6. Ensure Timeliness of Communication-Holding back information from someone can

also be considered unethical. This is especially true when it is done intentionally. It’s

not always what you say, but what you don’t say.



7. Confront Unethical Behavior-To maintain a consistent ethical viewpoint, you must

confront unethical behavior when you observe it. Public acknowledgement of the

behavior isn’t always necessary, but confronting someone privately sends the message

that you are not tolerant of such activity.



8. Cultivate Empathic Listening-By lending a sensitive ear to those who are troubled by

unethical behavior, you can better understand and help to solve the problems associated

with these acts.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

CHOOSING THE CORRECT AUDIOVISUAL AIDS


In this class, our presentations will take the form of a graphics program (PowerPoint). But, there

are many other audiovisual aids from which to choose when producing a presentation. Below is

a brief description of some of these choices.

ß Overheads/Transparencies

ß Chalkboards and Flip Charts

ß Audio and Audiovisual Equipment

ß Handouts

ß Computer-Generated Presentations

o Advantages-Inexpensive and easily available

o Disadvantages-Technology can fail (e.g. burned out bulb) and is now considered

“old fashioned”

o Advantages-Do not require electricity, chalkboards are “reusable”

o Disadvantages-Hard to “hide” from audience (can’t put a piece of paper over

them like an overhead) so can draw attention away from presenter

o Advantages-Can bring vivid examples to an audience

o Disadvantages-Presents chance of technical failure, requires great effort to

ensure that the audience can see and/or hear them

o Advantages-Inexpensive, don’t depend on technology for their use

o Disadvantages-Audience might focus on them and not the presenter

o Advantages-Allow for “special effects” such as computer-played video, Internet

connection, etc.

o Disadvantages-Potential equipment failure and can become “overdone” and

gimmicky

Friday, November 8, 2013

Communication - Topic, Purpose, and Audience

One of the biggest mistakes that a presenter makes is not to clearly identify (and stick to!) the

topic of the presentation. It is very effective to have a “cover” slide—much like the cover page

of a paper—that might state things like who you are, who you represent, and the main topic(s)

of your presentation. PowerPoint offers a way that you can link the topics on the cover slide to

future slides—pulling all of the information together.



Before you begin preparing a slide show, ask yourself the question, “What is the topic of

this presentation?” You should re-ask this question periodically throughout the presentation

preparation to assure that you are staying on track.



Closely related to identifying and keeping with the topic is determining the purpose of the

presentation. Presentations can have the same topic—but much different purposes. Below are

some examples of purposes:

ß To inform—these presentations provide ideas, alternatives, data, or opinions. When

giving this type of presentation, you act as a “teacher.” It must be accurate, reliable, and

credible. It is important to cite sources and double-check your data.

ß To persuade—these presentations can change or reaffirm existing attitudes, try to

gain audience commitment, or motivate change. Credibility is very important in this

type of presentation. Thus, you must conduct conscientious research to provide

truthful information. There’s nothing less persuasive than someone suspecting you’re

fabricating data just to get them to agree.

ß To motivate—these presentations heavily rely on stimulating emotions/feelings. As we

learned earlier in the course, the best way to motivate someone to act is to appeal to his/

her needs. Appealing to emotional intensity is critical to putting together a successful

motivational presentation.

ß To celebrate—sometimes presentations are made to acknowledge or honor someone,

to celebrate an event, etc. When preparing this type of presentation, you should always

consider the common ties that bind the participants together.



KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE



Another important consideration when preparing a presentation is to analyze your audience.

This includes such things as the size of the audience, education level, age, occupational status,

attitudes, perspective, etc.



It is important that your audience understands your presentation—that it is clear and concise.

Don’t use words/terms that the audience may not be familiar with and don’t use technical

expressions or jargon that the audience cannot relate to.



Part of putting together a presentation is to find out as much about your audience as possible.

An excellently organized presentation can be poorly received if it does not meet the needs and

expectations of the audience.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Business Advertising: 5 Ways to Do It Right




The more you know about your target audience, the more effective your advertising will be in convincing consumers to buy your product or service. Knowing what potential buyers desire, fear, or envy; and what motivates them, how they think, and when they will act, will enable you to tailor advertising messages for maximum effect. Take these tips into your business model to increase visibility and sales.

Social Networking

How are social networks able to attract major businesses and pull in billions of dollars while offering what looks like a free service? It's because their users' willingly share valuable information about who they are, their interests across several industries, their age and gender, where they live, their occupation, and more. This information arms businesses with the ability to micro-target consumers and direct specific, personalized ads to particular individuals, and it also provides them direction on which new products to develop. When your company is using social networks, your goal is to not only post messages, pictures, and updates, but to actively engage your audience by introducing games, surveys, contests, and the like based on information they've already given you.

Product Comparisons

Today, product comparisons are common, particularly for pain relievers, cars, and detergents. Some product comparisons have become legendary. When the makers of 7-Up wanted a share of Coke's market, they dubbed their product "the Uncola." When Pepsi also started to eat away at Coke's business, The Coca-Cola Company responded by saying of Coke: "It's the real thing". Pepsi answered with a series of blind taste tests against Coke that doubled Pepsi's market share within a year. The example shows that going after your biggest competitor head-on isn't a bad idea if you are prepared. The business game is a grueling boxing match and the consumers are the judges.

Attention Please

Another good way to increase the number of people who view your ads is through borrowed interest. Research has shown, for example, that babies grab attention, so many advertisers use babies in their advertising, even if their product has little, or nothing at all to do with babies or children. You can also borrow interest from current or major events. For example, at the close of the Gulf War, a telecommunications company aired an ad featuring a montage of soldiers in the desert, women at home watching war planes on TV, a soldier on the phone, and other images, followed by a shot of planet earth. "Never is information more crucial for democracy than at times like these," read the text, as it rolled down the screen. As a viewer, you would think that this telecommunications company was a crucial player in international communications, however, the company actually only provided local telephone service. Similarly, the advertising of many companies took advantage of the events on 9-11.

The Spending Power of Kids

Children fourteen and under spend tens of billions of dollars a year and influence purchases by parents, grandparents, and others to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Experts say that kids are particularly vulnerable to the persuasive effects of advertising because they lack the skills and the experiences necessary to analyze advertising messages. If done right, you could have great success marketing cool gadgets, games, merchandise, clothing, food, services, and more to children.

Clothing

These days, you don't have to be in the clothing industry to make clothing. T-shirts with slogans on them have become a popular and effective marketing tool that can turn your championed product, service, phrase, or slogan into something viral as fast as the internet. And with people willing to dish out $20 or more for a embroidered T-shirt, you can make an instant profit off your advertising. Don't forget the little accessories that people use daily like hats, sunglasses and even backpack patches or pins. Find small accessories like this at patchsuperstore or other retailers. Make your logo stand out wherever it is by putting it on your customer's everyday items.


As an advertiser, it's your job to know the names and addresses of doctors who own muscle cars, people who raise reptiles, men who are bald, and women in California who vote Republican. You need to know who is likely to buy a truck and who wouldn't be caught dead in platform shoes. How do you find out these things? If you actively engage your consumers, they will tell you.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Affordable Rugged Laptop Rental


There are many agencies that are coming up with laptop and other peripheral rental services. Laptops are delicate and light weight, easy to carry machines that normally are used by businessmen when they are traveling. Using the services of the laptop rental agencies is the best thing for the traveling businessman. He will have one bag less to carry. Most of the agents have their own branches in almost all locations and it is more convenient for them to ensure the machine will be delivered to the client at the stipulated time and date.

There are times and situations where the normal delicate and sleek looking machines may look vulnerable at on site environments. You would need tough heavy duty laptops that are called rugged laptops. These are suitable to withstand the toughest and harshest of conditions and professions.

The rugged laptops can withstand bitter and severe conditions like spills, dusts, drops, extreme heat. You cannot risk your sleek and sophisticated machines here. You could hire these rugged machines at reasonable prices. Here too you get a choice from fully rugged to flexible business ready to semi rugged ones. You get the machines from branded companies like popular Panasonic Toughbook, Durabooks, Itronix GoBooks and other models from Dell, Toshiba and Getac. You can get your required business or office software and data preloaded so that you are always ready for your deals.

Why the laptops are rugged:

The following features are found in a rugged laptop

  • The heavy metal alloy casing gives the extra protection against bumps, falls and jolts
  • With the tempered glass display, the chances of cracks or splintering are prevented.
  • Screens can be read both indoors and outdoors.
  • Rigorous tests are conducted against drops, moisture, dust and other materials
  • Shock absorbing compounds are used to mount the internal hard drives to give the drives protection from impact of a fall or jolt.
  • Sealants are used to protect the keyboards and touchpad or PC card slots from any liquid or dust seeping in.

The rugged laptops are specially made to withstand all types of climatic conditions that Mother Nature throws at it. You cannot afford to expose your personal laptop in these conditions so rugged  laptop rentals is the best alternative. You still can continue with your business with your machine safe and paying reasonable rental charges.



There are even other types of laptops that can be hired. The laptop rental types include the netbooks or ultra portables, regular normal laptops, Mac series, Tablets, iPad, and any other types or models. There is no limit in quantity too. You just have to inform the agencies and your temporary technology will be ready. You could hire them for a day or a week or a month.

One piece of advice is it is better if you buy insurance for any machine or machines that you take on hire. It would be an added safety though you may lose a little amount. You would have some piece of mind


Hire laptops when going out of station to avoid extra luggage and discomfort.