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How to Reinvent Your Small Business Brand – #SmallBizChat Q&A

By on February 9, 2012 in Branding & Marketing, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat, Your Small Business

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Branding Strategist @DeborahShane. Deborah is the Author of Career Transition-make the shift and a nationally published writer and speaker. She hosts a weekly Blog, business radio show, and writes for several national blogs and websites including smallbiztrends.com, careerealism.com, American Express Open, Personalbrandingblog.com and Blogher.com. Deborah delivers smart ideas and solutions, which make her a popular go-to resource for clients and the national media. She has been featured on CBS, Fox, CNNMoney.com, HLNTV.com. Connect with her on the web at DeborahShane.com

Smallbizlady: Why are we talking SO much about personal branding?

Deborah Shane: It’s just not enough today to be in business or have a job. To be successful people have to develop a defining, distinctive personal brand that clearly communicates ‘who they are, what they do and what they stand for’ to make an impression and get noticed. The emergence of “personal branding” has been an outgrowth of the social media revolution. People getting more personal in their communications through the social medias is an amazing way to build brand awareness and credibility. For business, people want to know who is behind a brand now. The authenticity and transparency has become much more important to consumers. For entrepreneurs is vital to come out in front of your brand to let people know who you are and give people a glimpse of you.

Smallbizlady: We use brand and branding so interchangeably. Is there a difference and why is that important?

Deborah Shane: The brand is you: what you do, stand for and believe in. The branding is you in action: everything you do to market yourself online and in person. These work together and are mutually interdependent. Creating your brand first (the who/what/package), all the visual imaging, logo, colors, messaging about who you are and what you do has to come first. The branding (packaging/presentation), or all the marketing tools, and platforms you use to market and present yourself can only happen when you have the brand package.

Smallbizlady: What are the 3 things stand out brands have in common?

Deborah Shane: They know exactly who they, what they do and whom they serve. An example of this is: “I am a baker that makes mini gourmet cupcakes”, or “I am nature watercolor artist who paints wildlife and birds. Knowing your target audience and the psychographics of your customer is key for marketing to them.

Smallbizlady: What are the steps one should take to reinvent an existing brand?

Deborah Shane: The first step is to review and update the Messaging about what you do, your value proposition. Make sure it is still relevant and targeting your key niche and customer. These should be kept very current with what it is NOW not 2 years ago.
The second step is to review and update your Visual Presentation. The formats, styles, presentation of your logo, websites, cards, marketing copy, user experience should all be what you want people to see and what are the best practices of businesses NOW.
The third step is to use an Integrated Marketing approach for the ‘branding of your brand”. Review all the things you are doing to put yourself out there and make sure they are the best activities to reach your customer. Are they where your customer engages? Use these branding activities in tandem, together: social, email marketing, blogging, video, networking.

Smallbizlady: What kind of help does a small business need to reinvent their brand and how much should that cost?

Deborah Shane:
The DIY choice can work very well, as long as it is not taking too much time away from the other important things we need to do. Get a referral from people you know for marketing consulting, a graphic designer, website management and social media management. It is an investment you make in yourself and your business to look great and have a unified message. The prices can vary from the Elance.com type of site to a sold referral from your network. I highly recommend getting a referral, unless it is a very easy type of project.

Smallbizlady: Why is knowing your target customer and niche so important in small business branding?

Deborah Shane: By knowing this you can target the right media, messages and sales approach that is best for your target audience. Demographics plus psychographics gives you the best profile of your customer’s age, gender, background, and values.

Smallbizlady: How does someone build brand authenticity and credibility?

Deborah Shane: Demonstrate your brand’s core values as much as possible,. Have a defined, clear value statement and promise of who you are, what you do and whom you serve. Build your legacy and leadership by being consistent, authentic and telling your story, Strive to serving others. Reinvent and redefine yourself as things change, but be true to your core values. Don’t be afraid to fail, fall, show your vulnerability and celebrate perseverance and hope. Celebrate your sense of humor!

Smallbizlady: What social media platforms are best for building a personal brand?

Deborah Shane: Blogging is the best way to demonstrate your build brand and position you as an authority in your field. Email marketing can grow your personal relationships with your permission based list. Video can show your personality and allow people to connect with you more personally.
Facebook used more professionally on fan pages can get your people to engage, interact, rant, rave, discuss, ask questions all at the same time! It is an amazing engagement and branding tool.

Smallbizlady: How can you use multiple social media platforms together to build reach?

Deborah Shane: I have been combining my monthly themed email marketing newsletter with video, tele-calls, and articles on my blog. I also use my blog and email newsletter to promote my weekly business radio show, by highlighting upcoming and past shows and guests. I created a feature called “You’re in The Spotlight”, which combines all my digital assets: blog, radio show, email marketing, social media to highlight feature businesses and experts.

Smallbizlady: Why do some small business brands fail?

Deborah Shane: There are many ways that small business owners damage their brands including using multiple brands messages and/or images, inconsistent maintenance of blogs, and having no social media footrprint. You must have a professional brand image and logo that is on all of your web and hard copy materials. You must be able to commit to blogging two to three times a week, otherwise you shouldn’t bother. You must have a helpful website that tells people how you can help them within 7 seconds of them clicking on your page.

Smallbizlady: You talk about ‘accessorizing’ your brand like you do an outfit or your home décor, explain this?

Deborah Shane: In the fashion and design worlds, it’s that splash of color, pattern or grouping that catches the eye and grabs the emotion. So, why not apply this idea to ways you can accessorize your brand? Using stories, images, info-graphics, testimonials, color, video, etc to accessorize your brand and make your business more relatable to your target customer.

Smallbizlady: What are your top 3 tips for personal branding for 2012?

Deborah Shane: Reinvent and Leverage your talents and accomplishments. Use more video, testimonials, recommendations to create better results in your business.
Reimagine what success looks like and means to you today. Be realistic and put things in perspective for today, not 10 years ago.
Reinvigorate your visual brand and branding activities. Update your websites, logos, copy, messaging and business skills and make sure they are current and fresh. Network, network, network in person and online, and change up your routine.

Smallbizlady: You have 25 Free and Low Cost Ways to Market Yourself NOW! How can people get the complimentary copy of them?

Deborah Shane: Go to DeborahShane.com and sign up in the Join Our Community box and we will send them to you. That also get’s you in for our informative monthly letter and complimentary monthly tele-call.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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How to be a Successful Freelancer

By Melinda Emerson on February 6, 2012 in Branding & Marketing, How to Start

working freerlancer Most small businesses start today as a side hustle first. In fact, 1 in 3 Americans is a freelancer or temporary worker in the post-recession era, according to research by the Human Capital Institute (HCI). The majority of contract workers are part-timers, and their ranks are growing at more than twice the rate of full-time employees, the HCI reports.

The reality is that many people who lost jobs during the recession are putting themselves back to work by pitching their skills to companies, including their former employers, as “free agents.”

Your flexibility as a free agent can be appealing to employers who need to get the job done but don’t want to pay for things like health insurance, taxes and retirement benefits — which is associated with full-time employees. You can use this demand to your advantage and build a freelance business to support yourself, stay current in your field and keep moving in an unstable economy.

Here are five key attributes you’ll need to be a successful freelancer.

1. Be Professional. Just because you may be working from a home office doesn’t mean you forget your manners. The same standards of professionalism you used in the workplace apply as a self-employed professional. Set up a work space that is conducive to doing business and working long hours. Make sure you are in quiet surroundings when making calls — your clients should not hear the TV blaring, your child crying or the dog barking while they’re considering whether to give you money to work on a project for them.

2. Be Meticulous About Tracking Your Hours. It’s easy to lose track of the time you spend on a project when you’re not punching a time clock. Often, independent contractors find themselves spending more time on a project than they would have if they were working in a regular office environment. It is up to you to ensure that you’re getting paid for the work you’re putting in and complete projects in a timely manner. To set a realistic hourly rate, Michelle Mangen, president of Your Virtual Assistant, based in Sarasota, Fla., suggests surveying the competition. “When I first started my business as a virtual assistant, I asked other VAs what they charged, and that’s how I figured out my initial pricing strategy,” says Mangen. Be sure to include project management time in your bids; interaction with clients eats up lots of time.

3. Focus on a Niche Specialty. You cannot be all things to all people. Focus on a specific niche customer or industry. Examine your transferable skills, figure out the pain points of your target customer, find out where those skills are in demand, and go after the business. Also, seek out work that may fulfill a passion that you wouldn’t have gone after on a traditional job. For example, if you are a CPA who enjoys cooking, you could specialize in doing accounting work just for restaurants.

4. Build a Web Portfolio. Potential customers and recruiters will search online to find information about you before making contact. That’s why it’s essential to have a website and online presence that displays your expertise. Establish a LinkedIn profile to help you showcase your portfolio. (Read my article Are You Google-able?)

5. Be a Networking Machine. Don’t sit in your house and do all of your socializing online. Seek out local networking events and trade associations in your field and join the chapters in your area. Keep your elevator pitch handy. When you’re out in the community, whether you’re in transit to meet a client or running errands, talk up your business to your banker, your local merchants, and the parent on your child’s baseball team who is an executive at a company that could use your services. Carry business cards at all times. Make sure contact information is updated and includes all places they can find you online.

Finding work: Many websites help freelancers develop their businesses and stay sane in the process. Here are three good resources.

Elance. Site connects freelancers with companies looking for help.
Freelancer. Companies and entrepreneurs use this online hub to post their projects and expertise and find good matches. .
Guru. A freelancer marketplace that also handles payment processing. The site features profiles and websites of 250,000 active freelancers.

Do you have a favorite website for finding freelance opportunities?

This article was originally posted on www.secondact.com and the copyright is held by Entrepreneur Media.

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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Public Speaking: The Original Social Media

By Melinda Emerson on January 31, 2012 in Branding & Marketing

You’re blogging. You’re tweeting. You’re facebooking. You’re creating videos and articles and ezines.

All of that is great but let’s not forget that social media is – first and foremost – social! It’s personal. And that person is YOU.

The ultimate test of a thought-leader is the answer to one simple question: When you open your mouth, do people listen? Online, offline, in person, via email, via Skype, on Slideshare, on YouTube. The media doesn’t matter. The messenger (aka YOU) matters a whole lot more.

If Benjamin Franklin had social media, would he use it? You bet. Would it work for him? Absolutely. How can we be sure? Because when old Ben opened his mouth back in the 1770′s and 1780′s – people listened. The same could be said for Plato, Socrates, Shakespeare, Einstein, King, Jobs and Obama.

Long before social media – people rose to prominence using the influence of the spoken word. Articulation of powerful ideas – useful ideas – crazy ideas – revolutionary ideas – is what made people remarkable.

Whether you stood up to speak to an audience of Roman senators, a rowdy bunch of war protesters, a roomful of hostile reporters, or a boardroom filled with naysayers – the people who made a difference did so because of the power of public speaking to spread their ideas and change the course of events.

Public speaking – the original social media – is based on the same principles as today’s electronic social media. The key factors to your success are:
1. Have something worth saying
2. Say it in a powerful, simple and intriguing way
3. Deliver your messages with consistency, clarity and passion
4. Change the game – don’t blend in – very simply: stand out when you speak up

Let’s explore each of these in a bit more depth:

1. Have something worth saying. Craft your message by speaking to both the heart and the head. People are emotional creatures – tap into emotion to back up your facts, opinions, and recommendations. As business author Harvey Mackay likes to point out, “There are no business relationships – all relationships are personal relationships.”

2. Say it in a powerful, simple and intriguing way. Don’t mince words. Short sentences rule. People’s attention spans are shrinking daily. Keep it short, snappy and memorable. For example, when I speak on marketing I use the power of alliteration by sharing my philosophy that marketing needs to be easy, effortless and enjoyable. I call it the “3 E’s” and people remember it. Include hooks, tag lines, and memory devices when you speak and you will increase your influence and impact.

3. Deliver your messages with consistency, clarity and passion. Americans hate wafflers. Every political season, the worst you can call your opponent in a hotly-contested election is a “waffler.” It’s considered even worse than lying! Don’t be wishy-washy. Have a clear, strong point of view and hammer it home over and over – boldly, passionately and fearlessly.

4. Change the game – don’t blend in – very simply: stand out when you speak up. Boring doesn’t sell. Boring ideas die. Boring people lose. In short – you want to be the opposite of boring. You want to stand out from the crowd. As Steve Jobs encouraged us, “Think Different.” Where can you zig where everyone else zags? Where can you break the mold – or create a new mold that you (and you alone) are perfectly designed to fit in?

Follow these four principles and you will have mastered the original social media – no computer required!

Please share your comments, reactions, and questions in the COMMENTS area below.

As the founder of Do It! Marketing, David Newman works with professionals who want to establish their position as a thought-leaders and win more business, more easily and more often.http://www.doitmarketing.com

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SmallBizLady Q&A How to Build a Powerful Online Brand

By Melinda Emerson on January 30, 2012 in Branding & Marketing

How to become a powerful social media brand is a major factor in small business success these days. Beyond having a website, you need to make sure that you are out there demonstrating your expertise at every opportunity. There are those who believe that if they can’t find you or your business online, you do not exist. That may seem harsh, but think about how we all buy things now. We do not call 411, or look in the yellow pages, we all go look for information in search engines such as google.

As someone who has a powerful brand on the internet, I have recently been interviewed a few times about building an online brand and more specifically how I built the SmallBizLady brand and I thought the information might be helpful to all of you. So here’s the full interview.

1) Why does everyone whether they are in a career or business for themselves need to be aware of their online image?

Every 30 days people should Google themselves to see what is being said about them on the internet. If they Google themselves and nothing comes up that is a problem too. Everyone with a business or a job should at least have a LinkedIn profile, and if you run a business you should have a website. If you are really trying to build an online brand, I would also add Google profile, and Facebook Fan page to that as well.

2) How does one go about developing a strategy to build a brand online?

To build an online brand you must use the HELP mantra: Help Others, Engage People, Listen Carefully and Promote Yourself With Care. Traditional selling is dead. Your valuable content and helpful sharing will do the selling for you. No one wants to hear or read “Buy my stuff, buy my stuff,” they want to read about how you can solve their most pressing issue.

3) What is your advice for one trying to build their brand online?

Before you do anything online, you need to identify your niche target customer. Then you should employ a listening strategy to figure out where your target customer spends time online. Research the keywords people use most to search for your topic, service or product. Then develop your content strategy for how you will stand out in the marketplace.

4) How important is it to choose the right social networks? Which ones work best for what, ie. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc.?

In order to build an online brand you must first figure out where your target client spends time online, and become a part of the conversation. Everyone does not have to be doing everything. LinkedIn is perfect for people who need to network with senior executives and decision makers. Facebook personal accounts are great of keep in contact with family and friends. Facebook groups and fan pages are great for engaging with retail customers. Google+ is also becoming a major factor in communicating with your entire social rolodex, particularly if you are blogging.

Twitter is terrific for establishing thought-leadership and building community online. I convene my #Smallbizchat community live each week on Twitter, which has been a major factor in growing my online community. Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything. You can post text messages, photos, quotes, links, music and video from email and from any devices. I chose Twitter and LinkedIn to build my brand when I got started. I also used blogging as a key strategy to demonstrate my expertise and keep my website updated.

5) How important is messaging in social media? Should one stay on message at all times? When is it OK to go off message and be ‘social’?

It is critical to stay on message. It should be obvious who your customer is by what you share online and what you write on your blog. You can not write a blog about being an expert image consultant and the next day blog about a cat caught in a tree in your backyard. You will confuse people. I think it is important share personal things about yourself, so that people know that you are a real person but be strategic. Nobody cares what you had for breakfast.

6) Are there any special tools or apps on any social media sites that you would recommend? why?

I like www.Hootsuite.com to manage all my social media accounts. You can have up to 5 social accounts. I also have a virtual assistant that helps me manage my blog and some social media updating.

7) How does one go about earning a community of subscribers, followers, friends, etc?

Content is currency online. In order to attract subscribers, followers, likes and connections you need to add value to the conversation, create valuable blog content and engage the people who like your content.

8) How important is it to be discreet or cautious online? Any tips on what should be put online and what shouldn’t be?

You should not post anything online that you wouldn’t want to read in the newspaper. Everything on the internet can be found forever. Watch the loose talk on Facebook especially.

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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How To Use Trends Data To Grow Your Small Business

By on January 26, 2012 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Rieva Lesonsky @Rieva is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company specializing in covering small businesses and entrepreneurship. Before co-founding GrowBiz Media, Lesonsky was Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine. A nationally known speaker and authority on entrepreneurship, Rieva has been covering America’s entrepreneurs for more than 26 years. www.growbizmedia.com

SmallBizLady: Why is it important for small business owners to pay attention to trends?

Rieva Lesonsky: If you don’t keep up on what’s going on (what’s trending), then it’s all too easy for your business to stagnate. Trends often end up taking businesses in new directions, which can scare business owners who aren’t comfortable pushing the envelope. Following trends doesn’t necessarily mean changing your business every time you hear about a new trend, but you need to educate yourself enough to know when you should—and should not react.

SmallBizLady: Are trends the same as fads? How do you differentiate?

Rieva Lesonsky: At first glance it might seem that trends and fads are the same thing. They’re not, though trends can start out as fads (that doesn’t happen all that often). Fads have short shelf lives. They’re in, everyone buzzes about them, and then they’re out. You can make a lot of money from capitalizing on fads, but it’s quite risky. Timing is key—you not only need to know when to get in—but more important, you have to know when to get out. If you don’t time it right, you can easily be stuck with a lot of expensive excess inventory.

SmallBizLady: What insights can a small business owner get from trends?

Rieva Lesonsky: If you pay attention, you can take advantage of a trend and add a lot of money to your bottom line. Trends take many forms: they can be about business practices, new technology, consumer behaviors, new demographics with buying power, or brand new business opportunities.

SmallBizLady: Is learning about trends the same as conducting market research?

Rieva Lesonsky: Not really, though the results may be the same. Market research is a more formal process, grounded in science. There are some hard costs involved, and you usually have to get other people involved. Trendwatching is more about seeing and adapting, and depending on what your particular situation is, it can all come down to your gut feelings.

SmallBizLady: Doesn’t market research cost a lot of money to conduct?

Rieva Lesonsky: While there usually are some costs involved with market research, it’s a lot easier today to conduct research on a budget. It all depends on what you’re trying to find out. But a smart first move is to ask your customers. You can do this in-store if you have a physical location, or using an online survey tool. Survey Monkey, which just bought my favorite survey company Zoomerang, is cheap—and easy to use.

If you live near a university or college, and need more formal and/or extensive market research, consider approaching a professor at the business school and ask if the class can conduct your research for you as a class project. You’ll likely have to pay some reimbursement costs, but you’ll still save a fortune.

SmallBizLady: Is it expensive to keep up with trends?

Rieva Lesonsky: It sure can, but it doesn’t have to. For some industries, there are companies that specialize in observing and reporting on trends. It can be quite expensive to subscribe to these services, but many businesses swear by them. Other research firms create extensive research reports which can be purchased for several thousand dollars.

On the other hand there are lots of places to get trends info free—or for a relatively low cost. Many websites, magazines, newspapers and blogs can deliver a lot of trend information at a relatively low cost—or even for free.

There’s a lot of free information available from the government as well.

Really, it’s about paying attention. You need to be a participant. Know what people are watching on TV, what books they’re reading, what movies they’re going to?

SmallBizLady: What are some good places to find out about trends?

Rieva Lesonsky: Here are some of my favorite trend sites, and places to get info:

www.springwise.com, www.trendwatching.com, http://www.jwtintelligence.com/, http://www.npdinsights.com/, http://oxygen.mintel.com/index.html, http://www.hartman-group.com/, www.ibisworld.com, and you can sign up for my free weekly trends e-newsletter, TrendCast at www.smallbizdaily.com

I also get a lot of trends info from BloombergBusinessweek magazine, The NY Times and The Wall Street Journal.

One of my favorite sources is Census data and other government reports. It’s amazing what you can learn from perusing this data. For instance from looking at Census data several years ago I discovered we’re on the leading edge of a wedding boom, that will likely last for more than 20 years (and leading to yet another Baby Boom).

SmallBizLady: What are some trends that are going on right now that I should be aware of?

Rieva Lesonsky: In customer behavior, the trend is towards wanting value. Consumers aren’t necessarily looking for the lowest prices, but they want to make sure they are getting a good deal for their money.

In the world of technology we’re seeing several dominant trends, both which can result in increased productivity for us, and our employees. One is the continuing march towards cloud computing, which decreases costs, increases productivity and communication. I know some businesses that were able to go all virtual, because of cloud-based servers, saving the owner a lot of overhead.

Another is consumerization, which is the merging of our digital personal and professional lives. I’d also keep my eyes on gamification, which is increasingly being incorporated into business practices.

And mobile marketing is quickly becoming very important. Most businesses not only need a website, but they need one that is optimized for mobile devices.

SmallBizLady: We’re always hearing about how young people set the trends. Does that have influence on other demographics?

Rieva Lesonsky: Actually trends can start in any demographic, and affect (or should I say infect) other generations. Right now there are major trends going on in many demos. The over 50 crowd is acting younger, and many are not planning to retire anytime soon. They working, spending and are a great market to target. They’ve embraced technology more than people give them credit for.

Gen Y is having an impact, just by its size. They’re early tech adopters, and demand that workplaces offer better technology—and have had a lot to do with the consumerization and gamification trends.

The lines between the generations have blended to some degree, which is good news for business owners, giving us broader markets to target.

SmallBizLady: Are there some business niches that are particularly trendy right now?

Rieva Lesonsky: The senior market is quite hot. The oldest baby boomers turn 66 this year, but the youngest turn 48, so there’s a lot of years left to serve this market. There’s a growing need for services to address parents of these Baby Boomers as well, like adult day care, senior relocation services, and home health non-medical care.

Another market that’s trending is the beauty and health industry. We’ve seen significant growth in things like Pilates and yoga studios, and clothing, and in men’s grooming products. And there’s a ton of money spent by teens, tweens and even young girls on makeup.

SmallBizLady: There always seems to be a food trend in the US. What’s hot right now?

Rieva Lesonsky: So many—too many to mention actually. If you own a restaurant, even non-vegetarians are demanding more veggie choices. Hamburgers are going upscale, some burger joints have rebranded as burger pubs or burger bars, offering more exotic toppings, and meat, leading to more prices.

Mobile food is still hot—almost anything can be served from a truck these days, and the overheads costs are reduced. Many entrepreneurs who started in trucks, graduated into sit-down restaurants.

And of course the battle to rule the dessert realm continues. Many have tried, gourmet macaroons, donuts, pies in many forms—but cupcakes still rule.

SmallBizLady: What’s the one thing all small business owners need to keep in mind as they grow their businesses?

Rieva Lesonsky: Trends are important because they provide fodder for change. And that’s essential for the health of every growing business. You cannot, should not fear change. Embracing change will keep you ahead of your competitors, and in a better position to attract and satisfy customers.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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Branding Your Small Business

By Melinda Emerson on January 23, 2012 in Branding & Marketing

Branding is about getting your customers to see your company as an important key provider in addressing their needs and gives you a real competitive advantage. Once you have done thorough market research and checked out the competition, it is time to start developing your brand identity. Your brand is the name, design, or distinctive symbol you create for your product or service that makes you unique in the marketplace. It will convey your reputation, quality, uniqueness, and credibility so it is important that it be built carefully. Building a trusted brand requires knowing your target audience and building a strong relationship with them which will lead to brand loyalty. Yes, it takes time to communicate the character of your business, but it is time and money well spent because a positive brand usually means repeat business for your company.

Effective marketing cannot happen without a strong brand. Why do you need a brand? Erin Ferree, a marketing design strategist and owner of Elf Designs, says, “Forty percent of people better remember what they see than what they hear or read. So having graphics associated with your business will make you more memorable in the mind of a potential client.” A well-designed logo and effective brand gives you a major edge in competitive marketplace.

When it comes to developing your brand identity, there are two schools of thought. You can hire a firm to help you name and brand yourself, or you can pull together your kitchen cabinet of advisors and close friends willing to work for food and have a good old brainstorming session.

The benefits of utilizing a branding strategy are real and can help you do several things:

Look more established. It is very hard to fake it until you make it with an unpolished corporate image. Avoid clip art or homemade business cards.
Attract clients. Not using a professional logo on your marketing materials can keep you from getting a meeting with a perspective client. Corporations, in particular, are filled with gatekeepers whose job it is to screen small businesses. No one will risk their reputation on a small business that is not presented well.
Convey trustworthiness. A colorful, distinctive logo, professional collateral materials and up to date website shows that you are a serious about your business and committed to your clients.
Explain an unusual line of business. In a highly technical or off-beat industry, a professional logo can clarify visually exactly what you do.
Explain your company name. If your company name contains a fictitious word, jargon or an acronym, the logo can help explain its meaning. With compelling graphics, potential clients are more likely to remember you.

There are a few things you need to consider in creating your brand:

Your brand is a symbol of your promise to the customer. If you go to McDonald’s, there is a certain level of service, food quality and environment that is expected. When you see the golden arches, it symbolizes your expectations.

Get professional help with your logo. Hire a professional graphic designer to develop your logo. Do not, use clip art, free art on the web or (my personal favorite) stylized FONTS as your logo. This is not only unprofessional, but it immediately screams newbie small business owner.

Protect your brand/logo with a trademark. You’ll be putting your brand or logo on everything from your advertising to stationary. If your company is successful, competitors are not shy about stealing your business by duplicating your look. Trademarking your brand gives you protection and legal recourse.

Remember, that your brand is the starting point for how people perceive you. Be memorable and above all else, invest in a real logo.

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her one of the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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5 Tips to Create a Successful 2012 Marketing Budget

By Melinda Emerson on December 6, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business

It isn’t 2012 just yet. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be planning for it. For any business to be successful, it’s necessary to have a marketing budget. And while next year seems like a far off notion today, there is no better time to start establishing how you’ll invest your marketing dollars. Below are five tips to create an effective marketing budget (whether budgeting is your thing or not).

Start planning now. Waiting until the start of next year to do a 2012 marketing budget is a great way to have a disorganized budget that leads to mishaps. You need time to walk away from your initial budgeting ideas so you can come back to them with a clear head. And when the numbers don’t add up (and often they don’t) you need time to develop a solution.
Assess this year’s budget. One way to get started with next year’s budget is to have a grasp of what was hot and what was not during 2011. Were there areas you went well over budget? Were there categories in which you never spent a dime? Although this year’s activity isn’t an exact prediction of next year’s results, looking at your current expenses let’s you know where to make adjustments.
Include an income column. Not all marketing is an expense. When you host a webinar or luncheon and charge people to attend, you are not only marketing your business but also deriving income from that activity. Knowing what efforts bring in money is a great way to assess their impact on your business. It also shows what is worth continuing and what needs to be scrapped. If none of your marketing activities include income, it’s time to strategize a few income-producing endeavors.
Expect the unexpected. Keep in mind your marketing budget has many of the same characteristics as your personal budget. No matter how well you plan for every eventuality, something will come up without notice. Leaving a little wiggle room in your marketing budget for unexpected expenses lets you make sound decisions. Label a special column for emergencies so the wiggle money doesn’t get needlessly spent on something frivolous for the office.
Know the difference between a sound marketing strategy and a fad. You may have your heart set on a marketing tactic, but if it doesn’t support your overall business or the numbers just aren’t showing, it’s time to let go. If it seems that this tactic is being used by everyone else, keep in mind your business is different. What works for one business might not work so well for another. Know what your business needs so you can develop a unique, hard-to-copy marketing approach.

Creating a marketing budget (or any kind of budget, for that matter) is often NOT at the top of someone’s “favorites” to-do list. But with persistence and a willingness to get started early, the process can help you build a solid foundation for the upcoming year.

By day Morgan Leu Parkhurst helps individuals put the pieces of their marketing puzzles together. By night she teaches marketing to entrepreneurs. Morgan is also producer of the Magnetic Biz-Building Online Summit. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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What Can Twitter Do For Your Small Business?

By Melinda Emerson on December 5, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, How to Start, SmallBizChat, Social Media

I signed up for a Twitter account three years ago, and it truly changed my life. My Twitter anniversary was on December 2nd, and I thought it might be helpful for me to explain what my goals were for the social network. Now is a perfect time to step up your game on Twitter or finally get it going with a social media strategy.

I have never had a nickname in my life, but since my name Melinda Emerson was taken when I tried to sign up for Twitter, my buddy social media strategist, Cathy Larkin @Cathywebsavvypr nicknamed me @SmallBizLady. We now know that was the best branding accident that ever happen to me. We thought it would work, since it would help people know who I was and what my expertise was as a small business start-up and business development expert. We ultimately knew it would help me raise awareness to my book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months.

When you got on Twitter did you have a plan?

When I started out on Twitter I had two goals. First, I wanted to build an author platform to demonstrate my thought leadership on all things small business. Secondly, I wanted to make friends and attract my niche target customer; professional women 30+, who want to start or grow a small business. However, Twitter provided some unintended benefits as well.

When I first when on twitter I did three things each day. I shared a helpful article on small business, I tweeted out something personal about myself, and I answered someone’s small business question. Being helpful was my intent, and it served me well. I set up Google alerts on specific business topics so that I would always have fresh things to tweet. Once I got the hang of it, I made sure that I shared other people’s content more than my own.

I am now, a well-respected social media expert as a result of how well I’ve built my brand. I also am an active member of the Twitter community with over 125K followers. I tell people that I work Twitter like a job Monday thru Friday.

Why Twitter works for me.

Twitter is a micro-blogging platform designed for people who need the bottom-line and not much else. In short, if you can’t say it in 140 characters or less, forget about it. If you do not know who you are trying to talk with or attract forget about it. You need a content strategy in order to really be successful with Twitter.

In April 2009, I launched #SmallBizChat which is a Tweetchat (or Twitter Talkshow as I like to call it.) My professional background is as a television producer, so I approached my tweetchat like a TV new program. I developed a formula. We have an open, close and new question coming out every four minutes. Every Wednesday on Twitter to help entrepreneurs get answers to their small business questions with #Smallbizchat. To date, my co-host @TaiGoodwin and I have produced over 130 shows. By the way, New York Times Small Business Blogger Jay Goltz @JaySmallBiz is my guest this Wednesday. His topic is how to run a successful small business. He’s been an entrepreneur over 33 years, with five businesses so I think he knows a little something about it.

Twitter has grown my @SmallBizLady consulting brand. I have gotten several coaching clients and hundred of business contacts. I have also been invited for at least 50 speaking engagements, countless blog talk radio interviews, and thanks to this blog, I have been requested to write for several publications including smallbiztrends.com, secondact.com, black enterprise and essence magazines and quoted in many articles for publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer and Fortune. I have also had several TV appearances for NBC, MSNBC, and Fox News. These opportunities came just because of the content, resources and blog posts I tweet out regularly on Twitter.

Twitter is a great resource for a small business owners, particularly if you sell B2B or are in infopreneur. Try it you might like it.

Do you have any other suggestions for how Twitter can help a small business?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading smallbusinessexperts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small businessfailure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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How to Inspire More Digital Referrals

By on December 1, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat, Social Media

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wed on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Howard Yermish @hyermish, an expert in Internet strategy, website development, speaker and private trainer. His new project, “More Digital Referrals” is an online course delivered via email several times a week, with step-by-step instructions, video tutorials, and downloadable materials you can implement right away, launching in January 2012. Learn more and register for free at http://moredigitalreferrals.com.

SmallBizLady: How do you define a digital referral?

Howard Yermish: A digital referral “happens” when a person puts his or her own trusted reputation at risk with her or her own network of contacts for the benefit of someone or something else. When I post a link to my stuff on Twitter, you see it as self-promoting. When one of my clients posts a link to my stuff, there is added credibility. It is obvious to most people, but most business professionals focus on broadcasting as loud as possible, and skip referral marketing.

So many businesses pin their online success to Google. Google is like a reverse cold call. People click on random and unknown links in the absence of any knowledge or trust. If the sole purpose of your website is to try to catch random people who in effect accidentally clicked on your website, you start at a zero level of trust and loyalty.

SmallBizLady: What are the first steps for getting more digital referrals?

Howard Yermish: It may seem basic, but it starts with making connections. A powerful network is a messy combination of sheer number of people and loyal ambassadors. I actually focus on building a network of people that I can regularly refer business out to. Once you start building your network, the focus shifts to giving. It is exactly what #SmallBizChat is about, giving valuable information to a community of people. And when it was time for the @SmallBizLady to take the spotlight, the community was there to lift you higher than you could go yourself.

Philosophically it is an understanding of giving and taking turns. Once you know that you have been giving, you get “permission” to ask for help. When asking for help, you need to be specific. “I’m looking for anyone that needs to have their taxes done,” is an impossible request. That is everybody! “I’m looking for someone that has recently changed jobs,” is much more specific. “I’m looking for someone that just moved into an apartment in the city,” is specific.

People won’t make digital referrals in floods, so don’t expect it. Instead, put together many different trickles from multiple sources over a long stretch of time and you will stop caring about the random cold leads from Google.

SmallBizLady: Does this mean that a business professional doesn’t need a website?

Howard Yermish: Business professionals should have a particular “home base” to operate from. Ideally, this is a website, but in some cases a corporate entity or budget or time may get in the way. A LinkedIn profile can be a great home base, as could a Facebook page, Twitter account or Tumblr site. When it is your own website, that becomes the source of material that others can link to. When you rely on third-party sites, your tactics may change out from under you, like when Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter change how things work on their sites. Not having your own “source” is a risk.

Some business professionals have to work with a handicap as their corporate umbrella prevents them from using some of the Internet tools.

SmallBizLady: What are the key concepts for getting more digital referrals?

Howard Yermish: I’ll boil this down to four things. First, clarify and define your audience of prospective customers and referral partners. Don’t just talk about it, write it down. Next, stop trying to “hunt” for prospects online, instead focus on giving referrals. It allows you to model the behavior to your own referral sources. Third, learn to spot people that are raising their “virtual” hands and communicate this back to your referral sources. Finally, integrate your online activities with your traditional systems.

Referrals are a two way street. In order to receive a referral, you have to give a referral. So a core component to receiving a digital referral is giving digital referrals. Most don’t realize the importance of giving first. Most also don’t realize that referral marketing starts slow, but then builds and builds and builds over time.

SmallBizLady: So digital referrals are about using social networks the way Dale Carnegie may have?

Howard Yermish: If you have read Dale Carnegie, you will have a good sense of what I teach business professionals to do with the social networks. If Dale had Facebook, what would he suggest? I see books and websites focusing on “Influence” and “Trust” which is really what Dale Carnegie teaches. Remember that digital tools are not replacements for human connection; digital tools are conduits for human connection.

SmallBizLady: Does this mean that I should send email instead of hand-written notes?

Howard Yermish: If you have a habit of writing handwritten notes, extend that habit by also writing short personal email messages, or posting a note on someone’s Facebook wall. For example, you might meet someone at an after hours event and exchange cards. An email follow-up is a great action. But it should be about extending a conversation, not just a copy/paste of your marketing boilerplate text. If the email feels impersonal, you may be teaching the recipient that you aren’t really paying attention to them. When you value your audience’s attention, you make them feel special. As business professionals, attention is our most valuable and scarce resource.

SmallBizLady: LinkedIn seems very business focused, while Facebook and Twitter are more social. Should business professionals focus on LinkedIn?

Howard Yermish: Time and time again, I hear business professionals resist using social networks, claiming that they get their business through word of mouth. Their only real use of LinkedIn is to accept or ignore connection requests. My hope is that these same people will understand that LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are about two-way conversations rather than broadcast media. I see word of mouth really as referral marketing, and when someone on Facebook “likes” something or someone “retweets” something else, it can be the start of a referral. LinkedIn is a great place to start and get comfortable, but referral math gets much better when you are comfortable on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

SmallBizLady: What was your reason behind putting a system together?

Howard Yermish: I see people using social networks quite haphazardly. It’s why the corporate IT departments want to block their use. Sharing links to 20 stories from the New York Times every day is probably not an effective use of your time. Just like having a meeting agenda or an exercise routine, a system for using social networks should be obvious. You can track your own execution of the tactics and the overall performance of the system to generate referral opportunities.

SmallBizLady: Do you recommend that business professionals mix work contacts with personal contacts?

Howard Yermish: Business people will often give me the line, “But I don’t want to connect with people from high school or upload photos of my kids.” So don’t. Keep in mind that trust forms from common interests and experiences. Being part of the same high school or college class is a component of trust, sometimes enough to get your foot in the door. So don’t discount the “trivial” experiences.

That said, Facebook lets you categorize your friends into custom named lists, Twitter has public and private lists, Google Plus has custom named circles, and even LinkedIn lets you tag contacts. When you connect with people, you should be defining the reason or context for the connection. This way you stay organized and efficient.

SmallBizLady: How can you be most efficient with your social network activity?

Howard Yermish: Proficiency with the social networks does not make you efficient. It simply means that you can Tweet faster than the average bear. Proficiency doesn’t mean that you have to partake in every social network website available either. Exploring new outlets for creating connections is important, but it is rarely your main business focus.

If you do strength training at the gym, you probably have a system. A system that builds good habits and measures progress over time is valuable in every area of your life. Practicing your activities in the system will develop a more efficient use of social networks.

SmallBizLady: Are your methods appropriate for all types of businesses?

Howard Yermish: I don’t think that the system that I’m teaching in my “More Digital Referrals” course is appropriate for retail stores or “brand marketing.” I’m focused on the service business professional. There are a lot of business professionals that are really great at what they do for their clients and customers, but not great marketers. They don’t want to be labeled as marketers as they believe that it devalues their professional expertise.

SmallBizLady: What are some examples that you use to inspire digital referrals?

Howard Yermish: Each person has to explore this, but there are some basics that everyone can use. I like to promote one or two events that I’m attending each week. It’s not my job to be the event organizer, but the event will be better if more people are there. Posting a link to Facebook or LinkedIn with a comment about why you are going to the event is more interesting than a simple link.

When you learn something valuable from someone, that is a perfect opportunity to lift up the source. When I learned the math behind how my health insurance policy worked, I wanted to share, but my health insurance broker didn’t have a website or use social networks. I had no link that I could share and my own blog was the wrong venue.

Also, I recommend people participate in other people’s posts with comments. Participation should follow a few basic principals. Avoid criticizing or complaining about people, products or services. When using your sense of humor, self-deprecating works, but never ever make fun of someone else. I also recommend that people avoid getting into political debates online.

SmallBizLady: How do you go about putting together a system schedule?

Howard Yermish: It starts by creating three separate checklists: one for daily activities, one for weekly activities, and one for monthly activities. My previous example about promoting an event would go on my weekly checklist. If all I ever posted was links to events, people might learn to safely ignore my posts if they don’t like going to events. Using the checklists, you will develop good habits over time. At first, the checklists will be a way to help you get comfortable with the different activities. Many of the daily actions will become automatic. But the weekly and monthly activities are easy to forget.

The system also includes a score card for the referrals that you make to others: 1 point for posting someone’s link, 2 for an email introduction or recommendation, 3 for a warm lead, 5 points for direct business referral. It may seem silly at first, but it helps you improve and stay on task.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com

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How to Build a One-Person Franchise Business

By Melinda Emerson on November 29, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, How to Start, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady

The topic of equity isn’t exactly what I’d call, “top of mind,” with most of the prospective franchise owners that I work with as an advisor. Most of their energy is focused on things like potential locations for the franchises that they’re considering, or other minor details; like how much they’re going to make as franchisees. Equity? Who needs it?

Well, if you’re looking at becoming a franchise owner, I think that you need it. I’m convinced that you’re going to want something to show for all of your hard work as a small business owner, not to mention the up-front investment you made to get your business up and running. And you’ll actually have about 10 years to figure out how to come out a winner.

That’s because in the franchise world, most franchise agreements, (contracts) are 10 years in length. In most cases, you’ll have an opportunity to renew your agreement, so you can stay in business. Or, you can sell it. (You can usually sell your franchise business before the 10 year contract period is up. Make sure you know going in what your options are.)

This is Easy to Visualize

If you end up investing in a franchise that requires you to have a physical location, like a fitness franchise for example, in 10 year’s time you’ll probably have multiple locations. (That should be your goal.) So, if you kick back for a moment, put your feet up, and close your eyes, you should be able to easily visualize the 2 or 3 stores that you own. Are you with me so far?

Now let’s say that you’re getting towards the end of your franchise contract. Let’s also say that you’re approaching 60 years old, and are starting to think about other things…..like a beachfront condo somewhere, for example. Maybe you’re thinking about travelling. You’re actually having lots of interesting thoughts these days….and they all seem to have a common thread; they don’t involve you working!

Sell! Sell!

That’s all you have to do as a retiring franchise owner. Just sell your franchise business. I didn’t say that it would be easy…but, it can be done.

My friend Carol Roth shared 6 things that you’ll need to do to get your business ready to sell over at another friend of mine’s highly rated small business blog. It’s all about the preparation, and it needs to start when you first purchase your franchise. That means that you need to start thinking about your exit strategy the moment after you sign your franchise agreement, and send in your check for the franchise fee. Most franchise owners don’t do this. Go ahead; be the change.

If you go into your new venture with an “investor’s” mindset, meaning that you want to have a real return on your investment, and are able to keep that mentality front and center during the term of your agreement, you could be rewarded handsomely.

For One-Person Franchises

If you’re the owner of a franchise business that is home-based, or office based, you’ll have to do things differently though, to prepare it for sale. As John Warrillow, the author of “Built to Sell,” writes;

“The number one mistake entrepreneurs make is to build a business that relies too heavily on them.”

Now, let’s substitute “franchisee” for entrepreneur, so that I can show you what you’ll need to do if you’re a one-man or one-woman show, and you’d like to have an opportunity to create equity.

The only way that you’ll be able to sell your one-person business is to take someone on as an employee, and teach them how to be The Owner.

Let’s use a coaching-type of franchise business as an example, since they’re very popular, and have the added bonus of becoming the next bubble that’s going to burst.

(The reason that business coaching franchises are going to bubble over soon, is that there are so many of them around that will be approaching the end of their franchise contracts soon, and most of these franchisees don’t have an exit strategy.)

The Model

For around $80,000, you can become the owner of a business coaching franchise. Your role as the franchisee is to call on small businesses in your geographical area that may be interested in your consulting services. Some of the services that you offer may include business planning, sales and marketing program implementation, inventory management…basically anything related to the operation of a small business.

If you can convince enough of the people that you’re calling on to sign on for your services, you can do pretty well. But, since most of your clients engage with you on a short-term basis, you must continue to keep your sales funnel full. That means that when you’re not doing your paid consulting gigs, you’re either calling on potential new clients, or attending business networking events in order to keep your name front and center with fellow small business professionals.

You’re the business. For the most part, your clients aren’t buying your franchise’s brand. They’re buying you; you’re unique personality…your skills. They’re also buying what others are saying about you, and how well you perform. That’s a problem.

Fixing The Problem

In order to make your one-person franchise business one that can be sold someday, you’ll have to start to slowly remove yourself from the picture. That means that you’re going to have to start hiring others that can do what you do. One great thing about the franchise model is that it’s so system-oriented; it’s fairly easy to train new employees.

You can add new employees at any pace you want; just have enough of them to have the ability to start making some choices. The choices that you’ll be making have to do with finding a buyer. That’s right; as soon you start bringing employees on, try to figure out which one could potentially buy you out at some future date.

Still using the example of a coaching franchise, if you do this right, you could have 3 coaches under you who are all building a client base, which includes a revenue stream…one that doesn’t only involve what you bring in.

A business with money coming in from several different sources is a heck of lot easier to sell.

If you do this right, which includes proper planning that starts the minute you officially become a franchisee, you’ll have a real shot at building equity in your franchise business that can come in the form of an official bank check that you can use for that beachfront condo.

About the author:

The Franchise King®, Joel Libava, is provides franchise advisory services to those interested in exploring franchise ownership. He’s frequently called on by the media for his no-spin
insights on the world of franchising, and he wrote a book that puts would-be franchise owners into the driver’s seat called, Become a Franchise Owner!

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How to optimize search engine traffic on a time budget

By Melinda Emerson on November 22, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business

Websites can require a considerable amount of time to be optimized. The inclusion of social media into search results means a website will probably go unnoticed without a marketing or social media campaign. Creating a marketing effort is easy if you have a team. It can be daunting for small business owners that do not have a lot of time. But with patience, a small business can gather some keyword ideas quickly, then decide how to implement them over time.

Audit and compare your keyword terms

Go into your web analytics account and examine visits and time-on-site data of your keywords. You are gaining a sense for what has (and hasn’t) attracted visits. Note trends for increasing visits, a reasonable time on page/site (1-2 minutes is pretty good for a page), or a repeated appearance of a keyword. Trends are preferable to sudden spikes. Download the keywords you have gained over a past period. 90 days of data is a great starting point (but not an absolute). If you are not sure how to get started using Google Analytics, here’s an interview I did with Melinda Emerson earlier this year.

Now go into Google Adwords Manager or Microsoft Adcenter Manager. Both platforms can scan your site and return a query list of words based on the site content.

Next compare this generated list to the keyword report you have examined – you are now looking for scanned words that appear on your analytic list but really did not generate significant search traffic. These identified words are now the keywords on which you can focus your improvement efforts. A keyword density check can give further refinement, useful for a very long list.

An additional check is a site search, applicable if your site has a search window. Site search reports differ from search engine reports. The keywords in a search report are the content phrases used in a search engine; In short, a visitor saw the phrase and arrived on the site.

A site search report differs by showing keywords searched by visitors in the search box on your site. A site search analysis can reveal terms repeatedly sought but never found, leading to visitor loss. Site search reports are particularly useful for blogs, e-commerce, and sites with a considerable amount of content.

You can compare the site search reports against your search keywords results. Are there words or phrases that draw people initially the exit the site? Do these words appear consistently month after month? Repeated appearance means that your site is overlooking a topic or time that visitors expect. In short you are leaving money on the table.

Make a plan to put those words to work

With these overviews compiled into one list, you now have a set of words on which to focus your traffic building strategy. This makes the effort a bit daunting if the list is long. But the good news compared to years past is that social media has added to the ways you can go about increasing the discovery of your site. Here are a few ideas:

Create a paid search campaign (or PPC) that includes your target words. You can review competitiveness and plan a trial budget in your ad manager. Using paid campaigns can increase click through in many cases when a word appears on a search result in the organic and paid search results.

Are some words beyond your paid search budget? See if any of the words are used as a Twitter hashtag, then use these words in a Twitter strategy. You can try a specialty search engine such as 48ers to see Twitter-related query results. If the target word is a broad topic, consider joining a twitterchat based on that word.

Does the list spark a few ideas for new articles? Try writing new blog posts that incorporate these words in the title and text (Note: make sure your blog is hosted at the same service as your website to gain search benefits).

Consider if the title, meta description, H1 tags, and anchor text in your webpage code can be updated with the words you have selected. You can use the word in image descriptions as well.

Optimization takes time, but using a working plan, you can keep your website up to date until the next redesign.

Pierre DeBois is the founder of Zimana (www.zimana.com), a consultancy providing strategic analysis to small and midsize businesses that rely on Web analytics data.

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Are You on the Path to Reinventing Your Small Business?

By Melinda Emerson on November 15, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, Grow Your Business, Women in Business

Small biz owners are reinventing their businesses all the time, especially in this economy. Old ways of doing business just aren’t working anymore. I’d love to be able to tell you that there are set of linear phases that every small business owner goes through while you’re reinventing your business and marketing models…

…but if I told you that, it would be a lie.

But there are some well-known phases that you might go through, sometimes circling back to one you thought you already finished, and skipping others completely. All these phases require you to put on your CEO hat and take a step back from daily busyness to look at the big picture.

Here is a short list of some of the signposts you’ll encounter on the road to reinvention:

I know/feel/sense/think something needs to change – You find yourself pausing in the middle of the day and asking, “What’s next for me and my business?” People report feeling restless or frustrated, knowing deep in their heart and mind that the business needs a fresh new approach.

Finding clarity on goals – If you spend time tapping into your goals for your business (and for yourself personally), you’ll find that it’s easier in the next phases to explore and choose the right business model for you. Is there a particular problem you need to solve? A particular dream you’d like to achieve? Values you’d like to express into the world?

Exploring the possibilities – In this idea-generation phase you explore every aspect of your existing business model, looking for places to add, modify and discard. Since there are 9 areas to explore, you’ll have plenty of space to be creative. Even the craziest of ideas can be a springboard to a new business and marketing model.

Making a road map – This is where you design your new business and marketing model, keeping what still fits from your old model and mixing in the new ideas you’ve generated. This is also where you create your transition plan and map out where and when changes will take place, and what resources you’ll need to make it happen. Now you’re thinking like a business owner and not just a worker-bee!

Taking the journey – Implementing your business model changes can happen in a week or it can be a two-year process, depending on how complex the changes are and how many resources you have at your disposal. This is often a journey through the weeds and can be rough going. Why? Because you have to continue to run your existing business (unless you’re independently wealthy!) while creating your new business at the same time. Managing change can feel like a juggling act.

You’ll know when it’s time to start thinking about transforming your business. And now you know you’re not alone in thinking that way: people before you have been down this path and emerged victorious!

Where are you on the path to reinventing your business?

Karyn Greenstreet is a self-employment expert and business reinvention strategist. She shares techniques, skills and strategies about the 9 areas in your business where you can reinvent and transform. Visit her business reinvention website at www.RoadmapToReinvention.com

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3 New Ways to Network Your Small Business

By Melinda Emerson on November 8, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, Social Media

Recently, I’ve noticed a couple of interesting details about the e-mails I receive inviting me to connect online.

First off, I’ve been receiving more invitations than usual. Don’t get be wrong; this is just fine by me, but I started to get curious about why the number was growing at such a fast rate.

It was the second detail however, that really caught my eye: I was receiving invitations to connect on 3 sites that I had never heard about before the e-mails arrived.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it’s part of my job to keep up on all the ways a business can use the web. Because of that, I’m always looking at new solutions, tools and methods for marketing and managing a business online.

Given that, this upsurge in new business networking sites made me very curious about the new ways businesses are networking using the web so I decided to spend some time digging into the 3 new sites.

Not LinkedIn

When it comes to business networking online, LinkedIn is at the top of the heap. I am an avid LinkedIn user and have enjoyed seeing how the site has evolved from launch up to now.

Often, new online business networking solutions are “LinkedIn Wannabees”; sites that offer the same functionality and features. Sure some of them focus on smaller regions, specific industries and even other countries, but at the core they are the same solution in a different package.

In this case however, it became immediately clear that each of the 3 new business networking sites were not “LinkedIn Wannabees”. Each one brought something unique and different to the table and below, I’m going to dish on the details.

3 New Business Networking Sites to Try

Branch Out

Out of all three sites, BranchOut is the most like LinkedIn. The primary difference is that BranchOut is actually an app built on top of the Facebook platform and that means it’s completely integrated with everything Facebook.

That integration offers some handy features such as the ability to:

Invite and connect with Facebook friends on a professional level as well;
Post jobs to your company’s Facebook page; and
Easier that LinkedIn search capabilities that allow you to find folks in your network who work at specific companies (handy if you’d like to learn more about, or get a job at, that company).

Bottom-line: BranchOut allows you to leverage your personal connections in a professional way, opening up a huge world of opportunities.

Referral Key

With Referral Key, you get just what the name promises: a platform for sending and receiving referrals to and from your professional network.

One of the cooler features on this site is the ability to reward referrers for successful referrals. You set up your reward in your profile and then, when a successful referral occurs, you click the “Reward” button. After that, your referrer can select a reward from the options you choose to offer. Best of all, it’s all hands-off once it’s set up.

There’s also a handy search feature here that allows you to find professionals with many types of expertise. You can even use this to grow your local network by searching locally and connecting online.

Bottom-line: Referral Key is a focused system that greatly facilitates the time-honored tradition of giving, and receiving, referrals.

Commonred

Commonred is a young offering with a very interesting take on, and some really cool ideas for, business networking.

To start with, they take “common” to heart, offering you tons of data points you can enter in order to find people with whom you have something in common. Nothing is off the plate here with spots to record things such as companies where you’ve worked, places where you’ve lived, your favorite sports teams and even your hobbies and personal preferences.

With all that data, it’s easy, and fun, to search for other like-minded professionals. However, the data they collect is more than just functional; it forms the basis for starting conversations and building relationships both on and offline. In other words, it’s an “ice-breaker” and a pretty powerful one at that.

Two other interesting features of Commonred are:

Board of Directors – you can create a board of directors out of those people who “have your back”. These are folks who advise you, refer business to you and more. You can also be a member of a board for someone else. Though loosely structured right now, this can become a solid system for the mentoring that many business folks crave.
“Get a Meeting With” Contests – on a regular basis, Commonred holds a contest where the winner gets a meeting with industry bigwigs. To win, you need to enter the reasons why you specifically should get that meeting and then all members can vote on the entries. The entry with the most votes wins.

Bottom-line: Commonred is just ramping-up, but there is a lot of potential there for robust community building, practical mentoring and business networking. It needs to grow so give it a shot and invite your friends.

Matt Mansfield is the Head Tour Guide at Matt About Business where he helps entrepreneurs and Fortune 500

companies figure out what their business SHOULD be doing online. From providing global leadership as the head of e-business for a $1 billion manufacturer to designing the functionality and look-and-feel of an award-winning online student-learning environment, Matt has mastered the art of using the web to manage and market a business by connecting online strategies and tactics with real-world results.

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5 Things Wrong With Your Business Plan

By Melinda Emerson on November 7, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Cash Flow & Finance, Starting A Small Business

If you’ve taken the time to develop a business plan for your start-up business, you are on the right track. You have a roadmap that will help you with decision-making in your new enterprise. Take the time to be sure your business plan doesn’t contain any of the following shortcomings that will prevent your business from being effective. If you need help, check put my three part series on how to write a business plan for even more advice.

You haven’t researched your market. Many business owners don’t have enough information about who is buying their products and why. You need to find out who your ideal customers are, what their income is, what their buying habits are, and how they make purchasing decisions, for a start. You can do this by conducting surveys or polls online, interviewing people you consider potential customers, and searching for existing data on your demographic. Organizing the results will give you a clear picture of your customers’ perspective. This is an advantage when you develop messaging and begin to “talk” to them. All public relations and customer communications should center around customer pain points.

You haven’t researched your competitors. Know who your competitors are and stay up to date on their activities not only helps you make strategy decisions, it is a learning experience as well. You should know who has the best quality product or service at what price and who has the least, what customers are saying about the company, any financials made publicly available, and what kind of marketing or advertising they do. As you follow your competitors’ movements, you will be able to observe the rewards and consequences of their decisions on many levels, and adjust your own strategy to expand, advance, or target your market in new ways.

You haven’t planned for growth. A business plan is an action plan. It’s hard to motivate yourself, your employees, and your investors with research and projections. Be sure your plan outlines an actual plan for at least one future scenario. I say at least one because you should make plans for factors beyond your control that may derail your first plan.

You don’t know your numbers. Running a business is all numbers. Sales projections, production yields, profit estimates and more can swallow the heart of a business plan: the viability of your business model. Don’t get so focused on month-to-month numbers that you lose sight of whether your business idea, operations, and strategic decisions will allow those numbers to be actualized.

Your business plan is not up-to-date. If your plan is outdated, you will not be able to use it to run your business. Most business plans are created before launch. When your new business meets the real world, however, you often need to make adjustments that aren’t incorporated or reflected in your written plans. If you haven’t looked at your business plan in a while, ask yourself why. Is it because you’ve made so many changes to daily operations, or your numbers don’t correlate with what’s on paper at all? Take the time to sit down and go over your business plan once again and decide whether you need to make changes or make a new one that will better reflect your business’s current direction.

Do you have any other common business plans mistakes for small business owner?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.