The effectiveness of your internet marketing effort can make or break your small business. That's why many small businesses and home based business owners are seeking to outsource this task to reliable internet marketing professionals.
While there are many reputable individuals and agencies offering internet marketing services, there are unfortunately myriad expensive, elusive, and unethical agencies yielding disappointing and sometimes damaging results. Responding to the demand for results-oriented marketing professionals, the Virtual Buzz Assistant or VBA was born.
A VBA is a virtual assistant certified in the complex workings of internet marketing. Skills that a VBA possesses begin with an excellent command of the English language, proficiency in the use of the internet, and a love for social networking.
A VBA can immediately raise a small business client's visibility in the marketplace by taking charge of a client's list and brand management, blog writing and online promotion, community management, social networking development, resource development, and a host of other essential marketing services.
"Buzzoodle," the website which identified the need for and trains VBAs in the latest proven, ethical marketing strategies provides a list of ways a VBA can help your business grow, and provides a directory of VBA's available immediately to take your small business to a higher level. For more, visit Buzzoodle and see for yourself.
Simple Tags: Small business trends, home based business, internet marketing, networking, outsource, small business, social networking, virtual assistant
Hello out there - Thanks for stopping by…
Here's a question I came across today, When Did Hiring Independent Contractors Become Illegal? Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends discusses the current Congressional hearings (April 2008) that appear to criminalize small business owners for using Independent Contractors (1099) rather than employees, making the assumption that the only reason for this relationship is to avoid or reduce tax responsibilities, thus operating in a "shadowy" Underground economy.
Anita reports: According to the statement by Senator John Kerry, Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business, the definition of underground economy that the Committee is looking at includes small businesses that may misclassify independent contractors instead of employees. Senator Kerry’s statement notes: “Too many workers are being misclassified as independent contractors — an arrangement in which the employer is not responsible for withholding of income or paying employment taxes. Employers who erroneously misclassify their workers stand to save as much as 30 percent of their payroll costs. This puts law abiding employers at a disadvantage.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m troubled by this expansion of the definition of underground economy to include misclassification of independent contractors/employees.
What do you think?
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Simple Tags: Small business trends, business management, business owners, Online Business, outsourcing, small business owners, virtual assistance
Filed under Small business trends by Linda.
Evidence is mounting that the U.S. economy is in the most difficult type of slowdown for a business to weather. Companies are likely to face inflation–caused by the weakness of the dollar and rising commodity prices–in addition to slowing sales.
In the article, "Guiding Your Business Through the Recession", Ridgely Evers of NetBooks (www.NetBooks.com) offers six tactics to put your firm in the position to navigate hard circumstances and emerge stronger.
1. Focus on your existing customers. Remember, they are under the same pressures you are. Make sure that you are the company they choose to work with when times are difficult.
2. Make sure you keep your best employees.
They will be pressured by inflation and may be tempted to switch to higher-paying positions, if they are available.
3. Invest in systems and technology. While this may seem like a strange time to be making investments, there are two good reasons to do it now. First, in this less-hectic time for your business, you and your staff may be more available to assess options and make changes. Second, improved systems will enable you to provide better service to your clients while at the same time enhancing your employees’ productivity.
Read more
Simple Tags: Small business trends, business management, developing business plans
Do you have a daily plan to control the success of your small business? Most small business owners have short and long term goals, but they lack the daily control systems necessary to advance toward those goals. On his blog The Small Business Guru, Andrew Brown lays out the steps necessary to ensure that you remain in control of your business, and that your business doesn't take control of you. Read more
Simple Tags: Small business trends, small business
Filed under Small business trends by Linda.
An attendee at the Disney Entrepreneur Center in Orlando, Florida, shares some business tips for entrepreneurs and owners, including those offered by the center's director, Jerry Ross. The center is a partnership dedicated to the success, growth and advancement of small business, sponsored by the masters of , the people of Disney. The 35 quick tips are:
- Reducing expenses is the quickest way to increase cash flow.
- Effective networking requires planning and targeting the right contacts.
- Good recordkeeping will save you time and money at tax time!
- Use your business contacts and business counselors for perspective and advice.
- Always be prospecting for new clients!
- Qualify a client before you do a sales presentation.
- Can you clearly convey why a client would WANT to do business with you?
- Objections are an opportunity to educate your client on your product or service.
- People are led, things are managed.
- Business education needs to be an ongoing process! Attend a seminar this week!
- Ask for referrals from everyone! Even those who don’t buy…yet.
- Tradeshow expenses are wasted if you do not follow up on the leads.
- Take the time to do it right the first time!
- Customer service is not an expense, it is a competitive advantage.
- Build your team of advisors and use them!
- It is cheaper to keep a good customer than to find a new one!
- Don’t make a rule that you do not intend to enforce!
- Think globally and creatively…at least once a week.
- A goal without a time frame is a wish.
- Hold yourself and your employees accountable.
For the remainder of the tips, read the article on the blog "startupstudents.com" Here.
Simple Tags: Small business trends, marketing, small business
Filed under Small business trends by Linda.
Every time you meet someone new, whether personally or in business situation, you are presented with an opportunity to market yourself and your small business. The phrase "elevator pitch" refers to the 15 seconds in an elevator that you might spend with a stranger, conveying exactly what product or service you're in the business of selling. Stefan Topfer, Chairman and CEO of WinWeb and The Small Business Blog, suggests that to take advantage of every introduction and opportunity, every small business owner should have an "elevator pitch." Read more
Simple Tags: Small business trends, marketing, small business
Filed under Small business trends by Linda.
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