As you have noticed it has been a while since there has been some activity on this site, which is because I have been on the run quite a bit lately. I apologize and if you would like to see more topics discussed please feel free to email me. Anyway, lately I have been running numerous consulting jobs and helping certain companies learn how to utilize social media. This helped spur a pumpkin patch of ideas on what you as a business can do to help promote your business over the Internet. Here are some of my ideas and I would enjoy hearing some of your thoughts on how to market your business. (more…)

This past week I had the opportunity to meet various business owners. Most of them were selling a product or service which was typical, but while all of them were approaching me I started to prejudge each of them before they even opened there mouth to present their product. Is this wrong of me or is this a natural human tendency? It appeared to me that this is just nature, but if you know this is natural then why aren’t some business owners trying to avoid immediate stereotypes or judgments? Why does this happen?  After much deliberation within myself I decided to come up with some guidelines that may help small business owners stand out from their competitors. (more…)

To all those small business owners trying to get a little more attention here is a tip for you! Have you uploaded a video about your business lately? Or have tried to start a viral video about a product or service you have to offer? If you start to use video you are expanding your channels of visibility which is a huge plus, but there are many numerous reasons well beyond this topic.

A big plus is the social media optimization you get out of using video. After doing some consulting for some clients I have been able to get many of my clients onto the first page of Google within hours of submitting videos and content for them. Is this magic? To some extent it is know which buttons to push and realizing which keywords will help you reach that status. A good place to start is uploading video to YouTube. (more…)

The new Facebook profile was changed to help give a cleaner presentation and make it simpler for users. However, I feel that the new profile was built to aid the developers. Facebook has taken away “The Wall” and has replaced it with an improved news feed. Why they didn’t just improve the feed and keep “The Wall” we will never know. (more…)

Over the past few weeks I have watched a major success story unravel wit the Tech Spot Store. They have don’t an amazing job of getting customers to their store, but they have also made sure to ask where people found out about the Tech Spot. The reason why this is important is so they can gauge which marketing is working and which marketing strategies are not. If you are not tracking your marketing results you are like a manager not keeping stats on your player at the game. How would you know who to take in and out of the next game. You want your best players to play. This is the same for choosing the right marketing channels.

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Many business owners know what to put their business cards, but overlook how their website acts as a virtual business card for their business. Having a website is half the battle, but if you want people to walk into your store or order from you online shopping cart how do you expect them to contact you without the information on your site? I am currently redesigning the site as many of you know, which you can see in the screen shot. If you look closely I have labeled ways my readers can get in touch with me. With technology advancing faster ever than before you can leave your customers numerous options to get in touch with you. These contact points include: social networks, your micro blogs, your blog comments, email address, video messages, and audio messages. 

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Every business storefront usually has a sign on the front of their facade, but what sets apart a good sign from a bad sign? More than likely the design and placement. These two are the most critical to sending the right signal to all those that drive by your sign. For instance the Flamingo Bowl (Picture on Left) was taken by me to display how an effective sign can lure customers. It was colorful, playful, and told me what the business was. It was also placed in a manner that I noticed the Bowling Alley from block away in downtown St. Louis. Does your sign lure customers into your store? If not then lets take a look at some steps to take to help your storefront. (more…)

I have just found something new for your business to look into at yellowpages.com. They are now letting businesses to add video to their listing on the website. What a great way to set an impression about your business on potential customers. 

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This weekend was a huge breakthrough for me on the power of people. People can make or break your business at any given time. But, the best is having people on your side that believe in your product or service. These people eventually become your best marketers. Chris Brogan said it the best by getting Pirates for your business at SobCon08. This means building an army that will help and spread the word about your business. But first lets look at three ways to build up that army of pirates.

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Just because you run a business doesn’t always mean you have to do all of the work. In fact, doing all of the work most of the time will result in you utilizing your time in an inefficient manner. If you have trouble doing something, like building a website or writing a nice press release, do not be afraid to outsource the job to help you save time. Think about it for a minute. You didn’t start your business to work more hours than the standard 40 hour work week, did you? Most of us started up a business because we wanted to do something that we enjoyed or gave us more time to spend with our friends and family.

Good news is that in the world today affordable labor is just a click away. Websites that allow you to pick help from the US include elance.com and craigslist.org. These two sites allow you to post ideas and put you in control of your future employee. I also recommend you looking at local universities to help you get your business moving. A lot of young college students have very open minds that may help you see outside the box. Another way to save time is getting a credit card that has a personal assistant that is tied to it. I have used my personal assistant not only for concierge services, but also collecting data and giving me summaries on industries. I usually call them before I go to bed and the information is in my mailbox in the morning. The last resource I suggest is using places Brick Work India. It is based out in India, but offers any possible service you can think of. I would make sure you ask for someone that is very fluent in English. Also, make sure you set guidelines with any of your helpers. Make sure you give them a clear outline of what your goals are for a particular task.

Let me once again stress that work you do is not always the most efficient use of your time. Instead of building a website you can be helping a customer or putting your budget together for next year. Remember you want to make money with the least amount of effort producing the best possible item. You would be amazed at how other human minds can produce a quality product without your physical presence. Lay out the guidelines for your task and let them do the work with timely check-ups. Take the extra time you have to build up your business in other ways or spend the free time with your family. Remember labor is resource that is valuable if YOU use it efficiently and properly.

If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions please email us at questions@businessonthemound.com.