Getting the Most from Your Online Presence

More than 10 years after the popularisation of the internet as a means of mass marketing, entrepreneurs are still finding this frontier a place one could easily get lost in.  Case in point are the millions of entrepreneurs worldwide who are finding out the hard way that having a fantastic looking website doesn’t necessarily ensure visibility and increased sales.

In fact, with the new marketing rules brought about by the internet, more and more entrepreneurs are finding their hard earned marketing dollars going down the drain.  What’s worse, these entrepreneurs are literally throwing the baby out with the bathwater as they revert back to the brick and mortar system that’s ultimately doomed to fail.  If you look closely enough though, you will see more similarities than differences between the real world and the internet when it comes to marketing.

Your Website’s Importance
Of course, a fantastic looking website is still a plus and with some work, most entrepreneurs can still benefit from their bits-and-bytes store in cyberspace.  A website though is the virtual equivalent of your actual store.  Thus, just as foot traffic and major crossroads affect your business, so do links and affiliations affect the performance of your website.  Unlike your actual store, however, you can actually increase or decrease the number of roads leading to your website by maximising the use of the following methods.

Search Engine Optimisation
Search engines are the popular navigation tools online – so you are likely to be visible to online users if you exist in the search engines’ maps of cyberspace.  Your existence in search engines’ maps is a function of several factors; among them are the number of inbound links to your website, the relevance of the keywords in your site and the number of visits your site gets everyday.

Building Links
To build links or e-roads towards your online store, you’ll have to leave a trail of “crumbs” for your customers to follow.  These “crumbs” can be in the form of interesting, informative and relevant articles posted in article directories and blogs; viral and relevant video clips in video blogs; helpful posts in forums and social networking sites; and all other content that includes a link back to your website.  Remember, the more links you have, the more roads lead to your business.

Optimising Keywords
Relevant keywords should also be part of your meta tags and content.  Thus, if you’re in the business of providing corporate giveaways, for example, you must make sure that the content of your site contains many keywords relevant to this business line such as corporate giveaways, corporate souvenir items, corporate gift items, etc.  If you fail to optimise your site for keywords that are relevant to your business, your target customers will not be able to find you through search engine queries.

Building Traffic
Traffic volume is important if you want to rank high in search engine results.  To achieve high traffic, you can pay affiliate marketers who will market your products or services in their websites for a cut of your profits.  Depending upon their influence in the internet, affiliate marketers can drive from hundreds to thousands of potential customers to your site.

The above tactics are pretty basic.  Monitor your website statistics and performance and refine your methods further to attain maximum results.

Growing Your Business: Top Five Tasks You Must Perform

In the world of business, nothing but change is constant – and change is the means by which the Darwinian process selects the businesses that are likely to survive.  Thus, for entrepreneurs, a stagnant business is almost always a dead business.

So what are the top five tasks that you must perform to grow your business to the next level?

Know who your customers and your most profitable future customers are:  At the heart of every business is a two way relationship between you and your customer.  Some businesses, however, operate for quite a number of years without taking the time to get to know their customer demographics and the preferences of their loyal customers.

At the start, doing “chance marketing and lucky targeting” may be fine; it is even understandable since you are busy dealing with other start-up matters.  If you want to grow your business, however, you must get to know your target market as well as your future potential market.  This will help you streamline your plans and set definite goals for expanding your marketing and advertising reach.

Use efficient and cost-effective advertising and marketing strategies:  Trying out all marketing and advertising methods then praying that one will work is not a very smart move.  When you don’t know which advertising/marketing methods are most effective for your business, you’ll lose a lot of money, you’ll soon run out of advertising money, and you’ll soon be overtaken by your much smarter competitor.

Create a brand:  Businesses that plan to make it big have to some day leave the realm of tangible competitive advantages such as superior product quality or faster delivery times and move on to the intangible aspects of competition.  Take notice of the biggest businesses around you.  How many of them talk about product specifications and features; how many are selling their brands and their products through psychological and emotional means?

“Nike:  Just Do It” – Targets customer’s feeling of confidence and self control when it comes to playing sports.

“HSBC:  The world’s local bank” – Targets customers’ deep need for personal service; indicates respect for cultural differences.

By moving into the realm of perceptions and deep rooted needs and wants of your customers, you are in effect positioning your business for the biggest prize of them all – a share of your target market’s minds.

Manage your cash flow:  Your most important tool in growing your business is your cash flow.  After all, it is from the cash flow that you will acquire the funds needed to jumpstart your expansion.  By integrating your cash flow into your expansion plans, rather than by making do with whatever is left, you are essentially directing and taking control of your business’ growth.

Know how to lead your people:  Your team is the most important aspect of your business.  In the end, your business will only be as good as the people running it; money or growth, after all, is first and foremost created in the minds of men.  Invest in the growth of your human resources, set aside funds for training, become a true leader of your people, learn how to motivate and inspire, and never stop learning and growing as a team.  Ultimately, your people will be your business’ greatest growth asset.

Are you making use of the PAYE subsidy?

Do you know that you could actually obtain financial assistance from the government if you outsource your payroll tasks to an accredited payroll services provider?  This government assistance is more popularly known as the PAYE subsidy that especially favours small employers like you.  If you are not taking full advantage of the PAYE subsidy, then you’re missing out on a great opportunity to streamline your business operations at the government’s expense. 

The Root of the PAYE subsidy

You are mandated by law to make deductions on your employees’ gross wages on behalf of the Inland Revenue Department.  This Pay as You Earn (PAYE) system has also since been expanded, so now employers are also required to deduct employee contributions and other financial obligations (e.g. payment for child support) from their employees’ salaries as well. 

On the surface, such an arrangement seems ideal.  The funds you are able to withhold can be used for business operations until such time when you are required to turn the deductions over to Inland Revenue.  Funds withheld from your employees’ wages could therefore help you recover from temporary cash flow problems. However, costs for non-compliance (e.g. you failed to deduct PAYE off your employees’ wages) are quite steep. 

By carrying out your payroll functions yourself, you incur opportunity costs.  The time, effort and money spent on making and preparing your employees’ payrolls and doing other payroll-related activities are resources that could have been spent on more important activities. 

PAYE Subsidy Basics

PAYE subsidy was the government’s response when it became apparent that the PAYE system represents a crippling inconvenience and a major expense especially to small businesses.  Through this scheme, the government would pay you money if you let a professional payroll services provider deal with your payroll. 

The PAYE subsidy works this way.  You have to outsource your payroll functions to an accredited PAYE intermediary or payroll agent.  Then, for every employee you have (the number of employees is capped at five), the government will pay $2 every pay day.  Of course, the subsidy is paid out as a lump sum and is paid directly to your payroll agent.  This way, you pay your payroll services provider only the balance after the government subsidy has been duly claimed and applied. 

Maximising PAYE subsidy benefits

It’s clear to see how you could benefit from the PAYE subsidy.  The direct benefit is the subsidy itself which can make payroll management outsourcing much more affordable for you.  Significant indirect benefits are also present, however. 

Get rid of penalties.  The burden of complying with government rules shifts from you to your payroll agent so you no longer risk being fined for non-compliance with tax regulations.

Manage your time better.  The payroll agency you appoint will pay your employees’ salary, will make deposits, will file the forms, and do everything else required in payroll management for you.  Thus, you get more time for more important endeavours.

Minimise employee disputes.  As a fringe benefit, you reduce complaints regarding incorrectly computed net wages since highly trained, experienced and professional accountants would be doing your payroll calculation for you. 

So, what are you waiting for?  Find your accredited payroll services provider at www.theofficeelves.com now and start maximising your PAYE subsidy benefits.

How Skype has changed the way we communicate

Communication is the act of transmitting thoughts, opinions, ideas, and information (the message) from one person (the communicator) to another (the receiver).  It is a process that requires a medium.

Traditional communication medium
Traditionally, business management communicated with employees through written memoranda.  The boss would dictate or type the message, make copies of the memo and distribute the same to the employees.

This day and age, however, a person reads, hears and sees so much that his mind is simply incapable of retaining every piece of information that it has received.  Among the information that a human being receives, written messages have the least chance of being retained.  This means that written memos can be very ineffective communication media.

Memos, aside from the fact that the messages they contain do not usually get retained, are also restrictive means of communication.  It is so formal that it restricts spontaneous and honest reactions.  It also does not facilitate interaction; it’s mainly used for top-down communication.

This does not bode well for people in lower levels; such employees couldn’t feel empowered and efficacious if their ideas, thoughts and opinions can’t even get heard in their business organisation.  The business also loses out since it couldn’t benefit from its people’s unique talents, skills and varying points of view; these could have been tapped had the business created a looping communication and feedback channel.

The Skype communication medium
Skype is a welcome alternative to traditional modes of communication.  It is an Internet Protocol or IP-based communication method that allows people who have a computer, an internet connection and the Skype client software – which can be downloaded for free – to communicate with one another.  Skype also makes use of various communication media:  text, graphics, sounds, and video.

The above qualities of the Skype communication channels have brought about three major changes to the way we communicate:

• We retain much more information.
Multimedia messages – those with both visual and aural elements – are much more easily retained than mere visual or mere aural messages.  Skype is fully capable of multimedia communication; in fact, Skype offers video calling for free.  Skype is thus a potentially effective medium for business communication.

• Employees and team members feel much more empowered.
Skype is not a top-down communication channel.  It offers free conference calls.  Thus nine people can communicate and interact simultaneously online.  This way, one person’s message gets transmitted to a lot of people – who can immediately react and give the original communicator their feedback.  Thus, communication channels are open between one user and each of the other participants in the conference.

Multi-channel communication empowers team members and employees to comment, suggest and – overall – improve on other people’s ideas and suggestions.  A company that uses Skype communication tools is thus able to tap into a wealthy reserve of creative talent and skill.

• Businesses go global –easily and inexpensively.
Skype calling, messaging, video calling, and call conferencing are offered for free.  Thus, businesses have found an easy and inexpensive way of expanding globally and communicate with independent contactors abroad, mobile employees and international clients.

Indeed, Skype is effective, is empowering; makes people more responsive and interactive, has a wide reach, and is free.  Definitely, it is one communication tool that you should look into.  Take a look at www.skype.com

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Podcasting for Small Businesses

Small businesses have found their perfect marketing method – podcasting – or have they, really?  Podcasting may be the next best thing since sliced bread but it isn’t truly that different from other marketing methods.  Podcasting, just like any marketing method has a good, a bad and an ugly side.

The Good:  Make Your Mark
Podcasting is a great branding tool for small businesses.  Big businesses have huge marketing and branding capital so they can buy TV and radio airtime, full-colour ads in local and national dailies as well as magazines, lease billboard space, and launch a comprehensive internet marketing campaign.  Small businesses have no such capacity, so unless they find an innovative branding method, their target customers will forever remain oblivious to their existence.

Podcasting can give small businesses stature in their customers’ eyes.  By choosing your podcasting content really carefully, you’d be able to build a positive image in your audience’s mind.  Through repeated exposure to your marketing message, moreover, your podcast subscribers become more familiar with your services and products.  And in marketing, familiarity breeds not contempt but trust – at least until you do something to forfeit that trust.

Podcasting also offers you a way to acquire your customers’ loyalty.  By podcasting content that repetitively and consistently assures your customers that you care for them and their needs, you’d acquire a loyal customer base.  Furthermore, podcasting interviews of your key and important personnel – for instance, interviews with you, the business owner – will give your consumers the feeling that they know you personally.  This personal touch is what mainly gives small businesses an edge over bigger and more anonymous corporations and businesses.

The Bad:  Can They Hear You?
Podcasting gives you a pulpit where you can preach and be heard, but it does let users choose whether or not they’d like to hear what you’re saying.  Users have ultimate control over what content they want to receive or if, in fact, they would like to subscribe to your podcasting feeds.  In a nutshell, podcasting lets you reach only those who want to be reached.

Some would say that this is, in fact, an advantage and not a drawback.  After all, if people chose you and your podcast, then it stands to reason that you gain interested and motivated listeners who would be much easier to covert to clients and buyers.  However, the fact remains that if you can’t convince people to subscribe to your podcast, then you simply don’t have an audience – and there’s nothing that your podcasting prowess can do to change that.

The Ugly:  Can You Afford It?
If small businesses want to gain the benefits of podcasting, they would have to invest in professional recording equipment and media editing software.  Such tools cost thousands of dollars which you may not have or are unwilling to spend on podcasting.  Then, you have to pay for hosting services and podcasting technology (you really don’t want a free host).

Some would argue that you don’t need expensive equipment to start podcasting.  They’d be right if we’re talking about personal podcasts; home-made podcasts do have quaint charm.  However, amateur recording just wouldn’t cut it for small businesses.  The truth of it is, if you want to be perceived as a professional outfit, you’d have to be, seem and sound like it.

What your business card says about your business

I am often asked about what details should go on a business card.  This article attempts to give my views.

In this day and age, information technology has become so advanced that everything, it seems, is done online.  Marketing is no exception – search engine optimization (SEO); pay-per-click (PPC) advertising; article marketing; directory placements, and such internet marketing tools have become buzzwords in the marketing world as a result of this ‘going online’ trend.

Nonetheless, the increasing level of internet usage and penetration (70.2% for the United States as of July 2007 according to Nielsen/Net Ratings) does not mean that you no longer have need for business cards.

Business Cards – Why do you need them?
In the world of stiff-necked, Saville Row suited businessmen (or their 20th century, dress-shirt-and-slacks equivalent) you’d feel mightily out of place if you didn’t have a business card to give out.  Truly, exchanging business cards with new acquaintances and possible business contacts is a tradition that you should never neglect.

It’s tradition…
Business cards are something that people expect to give out and be given whenever they meet someone new.  Business cards are not exchanged merely for advertising or marketing purposes; they are necessary reminders of people you have newly met.  Business cards, in effect, are actually some sort of social lubricant – easing new meetings along and making remembering other people easier on all the parties concerned.

Smooth operator…
Business cards also provide you with a way to advertise your services without seeming crass or obvious.  Upon introducing yourself and relating what you do, you simply hand out your business card and let it do your advertising and pre-selling for you.  No overt selling is required.  You can simply become the epitome of the perfect businessman – smooth, savvy and trustworthy – and thereby create a favourable impression on your potential client.  This way, you leave a lasting impression on your prospect without having to resort to pushy marketing techniques.

Latent marketing…
Business cards are effective marketing tools, too.  People usually collect and keep business cards – if not on their wallet or purse, then on their own card case or their cards drawer at their office.  People like being prepared for every possible eventuality so they are likely to keep your business card just in case they have need of your services in the future.

That’s the main advantage of business cards – staying power and latent marketing.  Even if those people who have your business card do not call you immediately, if and when they do need a service that you offer, they’d be much more likely to call you than some anonymous person or company that they find in the phone directory.  After all, they have met you or – in cases where their friends gave them your business card – at least their friends know you.  Business cards, therefore, give businessmen –especially small businessmen in the services industry – a trust-based, potential market.

The Ideal Business Card
Indeed, business cards are a definite requirement for any businessman, especially startup entrepreneurs.  If you don’t have them, be sure to have some printed out – fast.  Not all business cards are equally effective, though, so before you order some business cards, remember the following design basics.

The size…
Your business card should be small enough to carry around in your prospect clients’ wallet.  It should also fit standard card holders.  A business card with a 3.5” x 2” dimensions should do.

The look…
Definitely, your business card should look attractive.  Be sure to use colours that repeat your company colours but first, make sure that your colour combination really works for the target clients that you have in mind.  Your business card should be easy to read, too, so steer clear of fancy fonts that take too much effort to decipher.

The content…
Do not fill your business card with superfluous information (marital status and interests are definitely out).  Just put in the basics:  your name, company logo, company tag line or motto, company name, company address, telephone number/s, email address and company website – if you have one.

These are just the design basics.  You can innovate all you want – go for rounded corners, zany colors, etc. if you want.  Just remember not to go beyond the bounds of good taste.  Your business cards are not there to show that you’re creative (unless you’re in the creative designs field) but mainly to give your prospects a no-sweat means of getting in touch with you.  Therefore, one primary rule stands:  make your business cards easy on the eyes and easy to understand.