small business tips

How To Use Twitter Cards For Your Business

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One of the major faults of Twitter is its 140 character per tweet limit. Despite it, creative small business marketers have been able to use the social media platform for years, successfully.

The latest feature Twitter has launched is its Twitter Cards, which have opened a whole new window of opportunities. I will go through the process of what Twitter Cards are and how you can use them.

The first question you may be asking yourself is “What are Twitter Cards?” Well, Twitter Cards are basically tweets on steroids. Along with your 140-character-message, you are able to attach videos, audio, download links, and images. These Twitter Cards are more appealing to users than your boring old text tweets. There are four types of Twitter Cards that are currently available.

Summary Card: The summary card is made to give your audience a preview of your content before clicking on it. The content above the card is your original tweet and in the card is a small preview of what the blog, that you linked, is.

Summary Card With Large Image: Just like before, your original tweet is shown above the card, but what gives this that special oomph is its large image. With great images comes more potential customers.

Player Card: This card is particularly cool because it allows you to upload a video and audio from within a tweet. It’s very handy and very engaging!

App Card: This last card is known as the app card, obviously aimed more towards mobile app vendors. You attach your app to your tweet and it allows users to download your app right from Twitter!

Another question you may be asking is “How do I use Twitter Cards?”

When it comes to using Twitter Cards, there are two challenges to overcome. First, they aren’t too easy to set up. Don’t let this fool you! Once you figure out how to use it and have everything in place, it will be super easy for you. Getting everything in place is just the tricky part.

Twitter provides useful documentation that can help get you started using their Cards, a simple overview for you to follow. If that isn’t helpful, then the best way to use Twitter Cards is via plugins and extensions. An example, if your website was built in WordPress, you can use the Jetpack or JM Twitter Cards plugins to start off your Twitter Cards. If this just sounds all too confusing for you, Twitter provides how-to docs, to help get you up and running using plugins and extensions.

The other challenge is, if you do not pin the tweet to the top of your Twitter newsfeed, then the card won’t be shown automatically. You want your audience to click “View Summary” on the right side of your tweet, to get the full effect. You can also guide them to click it by tweeting clever things, such as “Click the View Summary link to see what prizes we have in our giveaway!

Twitter Card Approval: Through all of those obstacles, you have one more until you are done, which is validation. According to the steps provided for you at the bottom of the page, you need to, “Run your URL against the validator tool to test. If you are working with a Player Card, request approval for whitelisting. All other Cards do not need whitelisting.”

The only way validation will be hard for you, is if you made a misstep while setting up your Twitter Card. Since Player Cards have more rules, validating them can be a bit more challenging.

If you think you can handle all of that, then you’ll be surprised at what value Twitter Cards can add to your social media efforts. Like I mentioned before, Twitter Cards can be appealing and engaging and that’s what helps boost your traffic to lead them to your marketing offers and messages.

Content originally published here

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Be Unique! Make Your Business Stand Out with These Tips!

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It’s always been hard to make your business stand out from the rest. In this day and age, it’s even harder. You need to play on and exploit the strengths of your business in order to come out on top. Here are some different things you can do to really help yourself stand out in the sea of small businesses today.

Create Content That People Will Care About

One of the main points to creating content is to get people interested. If you can get people interested in the content you are putting out, then chances are you will be able to get those same people interested in what your company is actually offering. Make sure that your content stands out, and it is something that people will actually be interested in.

Go Green!

This environment is the only one we have so, naturally, it’s important that we take care of it as best as we can. What was once a new business method, “Going Green” has become a staple of the modern business. Going green may not set you apart from business in general, but it could very well set you apart from business that you are in direct competition with. Customers love knowing that the businesses they support are supporting things like recycling and conservation so this should be a main focus for your business.

Understand The Context Of Your Content

You have to be aware of the context of your content. This means that if you are gearing your content to a certain demographic… You have to put it in a context that makes sense for that demographic. Speak the way your fan base speaks. Once you understand that, it’s easy.

Think About Your Website Before You Make Changes

When you redesign your website, make sure it looks clean and streamlined. Nothing is better than a clean, simple, well designed website that is easy to navigate. If people can’t find what they want in just a few seconds, they will take their business somewhere else. It should also be easy on the eyes.

Use The About Page To Get People Interested

Everyone always visits the about page first. So this is where you really want to put a lot of effort. You should use this page to sell yourself the best way possible and show your potential new clients what makes you special.

Use Images To Your Advantage

Image based marketing has become a way bigger deal in the last few years. People like to look at interesting things. Make sure you are catching someone’s eye and getting your point across at the same time.

Keep Your Message Consistent

Make sure you are keeping your content simple enough to understand, while still making it interesting. With so many businesses out there using the same tactics, one of the best things you can do is deliver a constant message and keep your goal in mind with all of the content you put out.

In today’s rapidly growing business world competition is stiff and there are always new companies sprouting up that have the potential to take customers away from you. The most important thing for your business is to stand out among all the others. Make sure people see your business and only your business. Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to having a truly unique, stand-out business model.

Content originally published here

Should Small Businesses Utilize Online Advertising?

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small business online advertising

Sometimes small businesses may not be sure of the best way to advertise and get the word out there about its products or services. Because advertising and marketing strategies are changing constantly to fit society and its needs, it can be difficult to decide which strategies will be most effective for your company.

Web analysts have been saying almost since the creation of the Internet that online advertising was going to take over the advertising world by storm. Online advertising has definitely made a huge impact, but it hasn’t quite taken the world by storm yet. According to years of research on the steady increase of online advertisement, the predicted “boom” in online advertising could definitely be right around the corner.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC are releasing some numbers that illustrate that a “boom” could be in store for advertising in the very near future. U.S. online ad revenues have increased 17 percent in the third quarter of 2010, compared to the same period of time in 2009. In just that quarter, ad revenues reached $6.4 billion, which is the highest recorded quarterly mark in history.

According to IAB, online video ads and traditional banners and pop-up ads are still creating an increase in revenues, but text ads that come along with search results represent the largest amount of revenue for online advertising. Their numbers for the first half of 2010 showed that search ads account for 47 percent of all online ad revenues. This is the exact same percentage that search ads had for the first half of 2009 as well.

Until recently, there were two different reasons for small businesses to be reluctant about utilizing online advertising. The first reason that companies were skeptical about adopting it as an advertising strategy was because of the perceived low rate of return for the ads. The second was the expected time commitment that was required to be able to manage an online ad campaign. This skepticism is starting to be relieved as new online ad services are beginning to target small businesses.

Pete Barlas of Investor’s Business Daily said that Google and various other search providers are trying to help small businesses overcome their hesitance about buying Web ads. He said that they are currently making it easier to select keywords and pick up other search engine optimization (SEO) tricks. Another important development is the increase in location-based services that offer customers discounts and rewards when they check in as they visit an establishment.

Recently Google released a new component for its Google Places services. This service was created in an attempt to make it as easy as possible for small businesses to profit from advertising online, and the newest developments really do help out.

Google’s Google Boost service is only available right now in select U.S. markets. It is a service that promises to feature three-line text ads in the Sponsored Links section of Google’s search page when individuals search for terms that have been specified by and for your business. This service is available for a mere $50.

Online advertising is definitely seeing a steady increase in use and profitability. Many small businesses still have concerns with the tactic, but I really feel that it is the direction that advertising is heading in. Everything is going mobile and paperless, and advertising is no exception. Online advertising is a great addition to small businesses’ already established advertising and marketing strategies. With the right attitude, dedication, and commitment, online advertising that could really increase profitability for your small business.

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The Five W’s of Marketing

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the five w's of marketing

Most people have heard of the Five W’s. They are who, what, when, where and why, and they are utilized by anyone from journalists to detectives to customer service representatives. Now when developing a marketing strategy, it is not only important to use these Five W’s but also to use them in a very particular order. Usually keeping the W’s in a certain order is not necessary, but with marketing it is definitely important.

To effectively formulate a marketing strategy, the best way to utilize the Five W’s is in the order of why, who, what, where and when. By following this pattern, much confusion and loss of precious time can be avoided. Many marketers think of utilizing what or where first, but doing this can definitely cause some issues.

By focusing on “why” first, many issues can be avoided. Companies should begin asking themselves why they are expending their limited resources on marketing. They should decide why they are spending this money on marketing instead of investing it in another area of the company. By asking these questions, it allows company executives to undoubtedly define their business and marketing plans. It also lets people deal with any sometimes unrecognized assumptions that they might have before getting too deeply into the strategy.

Some companies may have unrealistic marketing plans that need to face reality, while others might go in the advertising direction to solve a non-advertising problem. The “why” question can help a person to confront these problems head on before delving deeper into their strategy. It can be challenging at times to start with this question, but it is necessary to fully accomplish your goals successfully.

The second question for marketers to focus on is “who”. Who will help us accomplish our goals? Who will be receiving the message that we will be putting out? Who do we need to convince and win over in order to be successful? By asking this question, a company should then be able to clearly define its target audience. The better that the audience is defined, the more effectively the company will be able in addressing the three remaining W’s and formulating their marketing strategy.

“What” is the next question a company should ask. This question allows the team to figure out what they need to do for their target audience in order to accomplish their goals. This stage will include a variety of different important business decisions. A company will have to decide on things such as products, pricing, packaging, and policy. This stage is also where branding issues and personality dimensions for the brand and the task will be addressed.

“When” and “where” are the final W’s that should be utilized to formulate your strategy. These questions will allow you to figure out where and when is the best possible place to communicate your “what” and your “why” to your “who.” It will be necessary to make many tactical decisions during these stages, but if you have effectively utilized the first three W’s, then this should be much simpler.

Marketing principles can be simple at times and very complex at other times. If you follow the five W’s, I am certain that coming up with your marketing strategy will be much easier than you thought it would be. Who, what, when, where, and why are the perfect way to get things done. You just need to be careful what order you follow. By using them in the correct order, you are guaranteed to discover a much more successful marketing plan. So get started on your plan today and make sure to use the five W’s.

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Tips to Securing Your Business Network

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securing your business networkThere are a countless number of threats out there that are ready to compromise your company’s network, but thankfully, there are plenty of precautionary steps that can be taken to keep this from happening.

SMBs are particularly prone to the plague of cybercrime. Sometimes SMB networks simply do not have the necessary network security. This is normally due to the fact that most SMBs do not have the resources or expertise to ensure their network’s security. In many small office settings, an office administrator with only basic IT skills is in charge of network security. This can leave your company’s network open to numerous threats. Paulette Altmaier, VP of Dell Solutions, has said that 92 percent of businesses suffer some sort of computer attack in any given year.

All of these SMB network threats cause some serious concerns. In response to some of these SMB needs Dell has just recently announced their partnerships with Trend Micro and Juniper. They hope to collaborate in an attempt to present some SMB security solutions. Altmaier stated that Dell has decided to focus on SMB security because they “have the same complexity of security problems as bigger companies but lack the resources.”

One of the huge problems with security threats is realizing how they evolve to attack your network. Threats aren’t just delivered by spam anymore. They are everywhere. There are limitless ways that your network could be compromised. If you’re a small business owner and you don’t have the protection that your network truly needs, here are some tips to keep your business safe and secure.

1.Layered Security
This is absolutely necessary. You must have an anti-virus program running on every desktop in the office, but you must also make sure that every aspect of your network is protected. You must have something that manages and protects data at rest and in transit. Security methods like encryption can help you deal with things like this. You must also make sure to control mobile devices that utilize your network at all. The security simply must be layered.

2.Security Policy
The size of the company doesn’t matter; it is a good idea to have a security plan. Any business with a network could benefit from a security policy. If you educate your employees on your plan and update your plan for the newest technology, many security issues can be avoided.

3.Unified Threat Management (UTM)
These devices can really help with your security layering. A UTM will contain a firewall, content filtering, VPN, and intrusion detection technologies. Many of the UTMs now available are designed for easy use and do not need IT support.

4.Secure Endpoints
This is essential. An endpoint is anything that can attach to your network like a server or a USB drive. Threats can sneak right into your network through these means. There are plenty of different products available that can help secure your endpoints.

5.User Security
Companies must make sure to restrict the content that their users can see and not see. This really cuts down on the possibility of security threats. Don’t allow a free-for-all network at your workplace. If you monitor and control what is being viewed through your network, you can eliminate many security issues.

6.Mobile Device Security
Although security threats are not as serious on smartphones and mobile devices like the iPad, there is no reason that you should leave these devices unsecured. You should treat them like any other endpoint and make sure that they follow any of your company’s security policies.

7.Software Updates
You should always make sure that all of your programs and software are up-to-date at all times. This helps to make sure that you have the best possible protection.

Keeping your company’s network secure should be your top priority. No one wants to deal with the hassle and costs of cybercrime. With these tips you can easily boost your network’s security and keep your computers, information, and network safe.

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