Teen Entrepreneurs with Epilepsy

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

For a Services Business, a Blog Trumps a Website

For a Services Business, a Blog Trumps a Website

via War Room Contributors by Martin Zwilling on 4/27/11

Blogging has come a long way in the past few years, from a social release for narcissists, to today’s required vehicle for promoting your consulting business and gaining valuable online exposure. Even with product businesses, it’s the ultimate way to build your brand credibility, bring in customer leads, and get feedback from your target market.

Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reach and hold that critical mass of online customers. If you can’t justify both a web site and a blog, skip the old-fashioned web site, and make your blog do double duty as described below.

The challenge, as with all new technologies, is to make it work effectively, and avoid wasted effort and expensive mistakes. Here are some tips I’ve gleaned from experience:

Lead with your blog. You should start blogging about your business before you have a product, to test interest and establish your credibility. Several free blog platforms, like WordPress, are so flexible that you can configure them as a website, as well as your blog, without separate hosting.

Add content regularly. Every business wants their web site to appear on the first page of search engine results from a relevant search (Search Engine Optimization). Blogs help because sites that update data frequently get higher SEO rankings. When you post to a blog multiple times each week, you content is constantly changing and growing.

Anchor the blog in your domain name. If you do have a separate web domain name, like ‘www.domainname.com’, then your blog name should be the domain name suffix ‘/blog’ or ‘blog.domainname.com’. Otherwise, your blog content will be indexed separately from your web site content, resulting in a lower overall Google rank.

Conversational style. Search the Internet for blogs in your industry and do a little research before you start. Studying other people’s blogs will help you identify what you like and don’t like, and how you want yours to look and feel. An informal writing style is generally recommended.

Add outgoing links. For example, if you mention an article you read in XYZ magazine, make sure to include a hyperlink to the article. Your readers will appreciate the option to view the sites you reference, and having links pointing to other sites will further improve your search engine rankings.

Create incoming links. Promote your blog by including your blog link in your e-mail signature, on your website, in social networking profiles, and by providing signed comments to other blogs on a daily basis. You should also submit your blog name to directories such as BlogCatalog and Technorati.

Leverage blog content. It doesn’t take long to build up a sizable amount of blog content. You can repurpose your posts into articles, books and reports. Many bloggers have found publishing success and Google ads revenue from the blog to be a substantial source of revenue to bolster their mainline business.

Finally, if you don’t have the time, energy, or skills to write a blog, it may be a good investment to hire a ghost writer, or hand the job over to your marketing executive. Don’t be shy, I don’t know many CEOs today that write their own speeches and marketing materials. Focus on what you do best, and let professionals do the rest for you.

To be successful, you have to get your message out there, and make your company stand out above all the clutter. Use the social networks, like Twitter, to ‘pull’ in the business. Be a blog apprentice today, and trump your competitors tomorrow.

Marty Zwilling

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5 Ways To Help Your Content Go Viral

5 Ways To Help Your Content Go Viral

via War Room Contributors by Small Business Trends on 4/27/11

Thanks to social media, small business owners and big brands have become obsessed with a common goal – getting their content to go viral. We’ve all seen that funny cat video on YouTube with 2 million views and know we want to know how that can be us. How we can use content and viral marketing to run, grow and promote our business. Whether you realize it or not – you’re a content marketer now, using your blog and your brain to publish content that people simply can’t resist passing on to their friends. Or at least that’s the goal.

If you’ve ever hit the ‘publish’ button on a post to only be met by crickets, you know that getting your content to go viral isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of viral success. What are they?

Take a look at the five tips below.

Master the Call to Action

A strong piece of content that doesn’t include an equally strong call to action is a piece of content wasted. One of the most important things you need to do as a content marketer is learn how to create calls to action that compel people to act and take action. If you want someone to retweet your post, to share it on Facebook or to post it to their LinkedIn group, you need to give them a strong reason to do so and you must tell them what that reason is. Sometimes it can be as simple as adding “please RT” or “please vote” to the end of your tweet and sometimes it’s going to take a little bit more ingenuity. But right there, in that moment and that CTA, is your chance to influence someone toward a viral action. Don’t let it slip by.

Act to engage the bored

When you’re trying to get a piece of content to go viral, your audience is not simply the person most interested in buying your product or using your service. You’re going after the “I’m bored” the “I hate my job” clan, as well. These are the people who spend their entire day sitting in an office reading blogs, scanning Twitter, and messing around on Facebook simply because they’re bored or have nothing better to do. To go viral, your content should be something that even normal people (aka people not affiliated with your world) will enjoy sharing and passing around.

Be conscious of publishing times

This sounds pretty logical, right? People need to be around in order to share your content. So if you’re publishing your killer blog post at 6pm Eastern on a Friday afternoon, you’ve probably already botched your attempt. Because no one is around. They’re off for the weekend or, if they’re on the West Coast, they’re getting ready to be off for the weekend. Be conscious of factors like this and plan around them. Research shows that people are more likely to share content earlier in the week, so if that’s your audience, that’s when you should be posting your most viral-worthy content. Also be aware of the time. If you’re a West Coast publisher, that may mean you need to write posts in advance and schedule them for earlier in the morning. If you’re posting content at 1pm Pacific, you’ve nearly missed an East Coasters entire day. This stuff matters.

Create stuff people want to read

Okay, so going viral isn’t just about poking the bored, it’s also about putting out material that provides real value. What does that really mean? For many audiences, it may mean being the first to break a big news story, holding a contest that generates a lot of interest through its prizes, or publishing an instructional How To that breaks down a problem for a large segment of your audience. If you’re not sure what your audience is looking for, I’d encourage you to check out this post on how to sculpt great content from the SEOmoz blog which I think does a great job illustrating how easy it can sometimes be to give people exactly what they’re after.

Break down the barriers

We’ve talked about this before – it you want people to share your content, you need to break down the barriers and encourage them to take that act. That means using social media buttons to make it easy for users to share your content, to use tools to see how they naturally share your content, and really making it part of your process.

Make no mistake – getting your content to go viral isn’t an easy task. If it was, we’d all be able to do it and it would lose its value. However, the list above runs through a couple of things you should be doing to at least increase your odds.

From Small Business Trends 5 Ways To Help Your Content Go Viral

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Federal Regulators Confused By Clever Credit Card Branding

Federal Regulators Confused By Clever Credit Card Branding

via War Room Contributors by Odysseas Papadimitirou on 4/26/11

If you own a small business, you’re likely aware that the protections granted consumer credit cards by the Credit Card Act of 2009 were not extended to what we commonly refer to as small business credit cards. But do you know why? No, it isn’t because of some fundamental difference between the products or because the protections fit the needs of the average consumer but not those of your typical small business owner. It isn’t even because the letter of the law dictates such a product divide. Rather, so-called business credit cards are not protected against things like increased interest rates on existing balances simply because of clever branding.

The CARD Act applies to open-ended consumer agreements, that much is clear. On the surface, it would therefore seem reasonable for business credit cards to be left out of this legislative protection, especially considering that Congress made a point of directing the Federal Reserve to study the applicability of these protections to business credit cards subsequent to the law taking effect.

However, let’s consider the word “consumer” a bit further. What if individual consumers are ultimately on the hook for use of their business credit cards? What if an individual’s credit history, and not that of a business, is a key determining factor of card eligibility? Would these cards truly be business credit cards? If these things were proven to be true, I think we would all agree that so-called business credit cards would actually be business-oriented consumer credit cards.

According to a Small Business Credit Card Study conducted by Card Hub, they certainly are true. What’s more, the study found that six of the nine largest issuers who offer business credit cards also make it a practice to relay business credit card usage information to individual users’ credit reports. Even more concerning is the conduct of HSBC, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank because not only are they likely to have similar policies in place, but they also refuse to be upfront and transparent with the public about their practices.

It therefore seems abundantly obvious that while credit card companies have positioned a certain product segment as business credit cards, these cards are, in reality, more consumer oriented than they are directly connected to corporations. The label “business” is merely misleading and reveals more about credit card marketing than it does the product to which it’s applied to.

As a result, it’s time for federal regulators to wake up and amend the scope of the CARD Act to include all consumer-oriented credit cards. Let’s avoid the confusion brought about by credit card company lingo and keep things simple. If an individual is held liable in any way for a card’s use, that card is a consumer credit card and the CARD Act should apply to it. If a business is solely liable, then it’s a business credit card and the CARD Act does not apply. Considering only medium to large corporations are even eligible for this latter card type, the CARD Act would therefore apply to the majority of so-called business credit cards in circulation today.
This article is from the CEO of Card Hub, Odysseas Papadimitriou. Card Hub’s goal is to help consumers find the best deals on credit cards, charge cards and prepaid cards.

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Monday, April 25, 2011

The Dukan Diet in a Nutshell

The Dukan Diet in a Nutshell

via Dukan Diet by admin on 3/29/11

Dukan diet’s key principles are based on the elimination of carbohydrate-rich foods and introduction of as many proteins as possible. Dukan has developed his method, which, when strictly followed, prevents the occurrence of the yo-yo effect.
Unlike in other diets, following the Dukan Diet your entire life is not tantamount to resigning from everything you like. It is enough (in the Stabilization phase) to eat the recommended products (protein-rich foods) for just one day a week. The diet is divided into four stages, also called phases, all to be followed to ensure that quick, easy and often spectacular weight loss occur and maintain.

Pierre Dukan also highlights that every phase plays an important role in shaping the psyche of an obese person. You should also remember that although you can eat as much as you like on a protein diet, it is recommended to develop a habit of starting to eat even before getting hungry. Firstly, it will help NOT getting the maximum calorific value of the meal. Secondly, it will result in being much less tempted to have any prohibited bites just out of compulsive fit of hunger.

Dukan Diet Explained

At this point I would like to make a digression on something…

In a moment I will attempt to describe all of the four phases of the dukan diet. I believe that what I write here is enough to start diet by yourself, but if you feel you could use some more detailed info note that there’s an ebook on dukan diet that provides much more detailed info (see the sidebar on the right or click here to get more information on the ebook).

Now, back to the point. Dukan Diet consists of 4 phases. They are as follows:

Phase I – The Attack Phase

(also known as Protein Phase or Shock Phase)

During this phase you can eat any quantity of products from specific groups, designated by Dukan. These include:

Lean meat: lean cuts of turkey, chicken or other permitted types of meat, beef (no entrecote), veal, horse (except for flank steak) – meat can be grilled, cooked or roasted in the oven (do not use additional oil or any other fatty substance)
Offal: beef and veal liver, tongues – do not eat greasy parts of offal though.
Fish: generally all fish – sardines, mackerel, tuna, salmon, bream, perch, merlan, yard, trout, sole, cod, hake and other white and lean fish, smoked fish, canned fish (only in brine).
Poultry: except duck and goose. The best choice is chicken and turkey (lean parts, no skin)
Eggs: unlimited (if your cholesterol level is OK). Organic eggs recommended.
Seafood: prawns, crabs, oysters – shellfish and crustaceans. Generally everything.
Non-fat / skimmed dairy products: yoghurt, cheese, cottage cheese, buttermilk, sour milk, quark, fromage fraise and skim milk.

To enrich the flavour of your meals you can use garlic, parsley, onion, thyme and other spices. You should not overdo salt – it retains water in your body. During this phase, you are not allowed to use sugar, but you can sweeten coffee or tea with a sweetener. You can eat as much and as often as you like. It is recommended to supplement the diet with 1,5 – 2 tablespoons of oat bran daily.

It is forbidden to eat anything outside of the list – sweets, fruit, fat dairy products, potatoes or pasta. It is also forbidden to drink fruit juices, but you must drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day – it is necessary for good filtration of kidneys, which are a bit strained by increased amounts of proteins in your system.

Phase I lasts for approximately 5 days, although its duration depends on the degree of obesity – the more obese you are, the longer the attack phase should last.

Further reading on Phase I:

Dukan Diet Phase I: How long does it take?

Attack Phase Memento Printable Sheet

Oat Bran in Dukan Diet

Dukan Diet Safe Food List: Pt. I Meat and Offal. Printable Sheet.

Dukan Diet eBook: The Secret of Celebrities

Phase II – Cruise Phase

Phase II introduces vegetables into your menu. You will be taking turns in having “protein-only days” and days in which the protein-rich foods can (and should) be combined with vegetables. Dukan suggests several ways to combine these two types of menu.

Protein diet may be used in the following systems:

1 on 1 (one day with vegetables, one without ‘em) – recommended for people who find it difficult to settle for monotonous protein diet,

7 on 7 or 5 on 5. For people who want to slow down the process of weight loss,

The cycle 2 on 5 is recommended, in which two days are the protein-only days, and the rest – vegetable ones.

You can read more about the Phase II scenarios and recommendations here:

Dukan Diet Phase II: Weight Loss

Not all vegetables are allowed. You should reject those which contain a large amount of carbohydrates (potatoes, legumes, rice, and artichoke). You can eat: tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, aubergines, peppers, carrots, beetroots, radishes, cabbage, celery, chicory. Mushrooms are also allowed.

The second phase lasts until the dieter reaches his or her desired weight. On average, it is assumed that one week of dieting stands for 1 kg or 2.2 pounds loss. In practice, this is an individual matter and duration of Phase II may differ for each person.

Phase III – Consolidation Phase

It begins at the moment of reaching your dream weight and lasts for 10 days per kilogram lost (or 5 days for every pound). At this stage, you adapt your body (and, what’s even more important – your mind), to include new products in your diet without strict nutritional regime, but with the knowledge that we will have to pay for “binge eating”.

At this stage in addition to all of the products introduced in earlier phases, you can eat: whole grain bread (not more than two slices a day), potatoes, cheese, pasta, rice (not more than twice a week). Two times a week we are allowed to have a sumptuous dinner with red wine, but at the cost of the next day menu being downgraded to the Phase I food selection.

This adaptation provides not only the space for our body to learn again how to digest carbohydrates, but it also allows you to get rid of the habit of compulsive eating and form the “counter-habit” of self-control and punishment (with protein-only day).

Further reading:

Dukan Diet Phase III: Condolidation before final Stabilization, What Can I Eat

Phase IV – The Definitive Stabilization Phase

After the completion of Phase III we are entering the final stage. The rules are simple – for the whole week you can eat what you want, and once a week you have to eat proteins only (such as in phase I). It is recommended to choose one day in a week, which will be your fixed day for proteins. Dukan advises Thursday, but it may well be any day of the week. Having a fixed day is important; it allows transforming a habit into a ritual, which is hard to break – thereby increases the chances that the diet will be maintained. Another important element of Phase IV of the diet is to consume three tablespoons of oat bran a day.

Of course, even during the final phase you should avoid sugar (do not sugar coffee or tea – you can use sweeteners instead, especially those of natural origin like stevia ~~or xylitol~~, more on sweeters in dukan diet here) and eating sweets is not advised ever.

How to Search for Local Jobs

How to Search for Local Jobs

via About.com Job Searching on 4/25/11

When you are seeking a job in a specific geographic area, the job search engines are an excellent source of local job listings. Job seekers can search specifically for jobs in the location where they want to work.
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5 Quick Ways to Liven Up Your Twitter Stream

5 Quick Ways to Liven Up Your Twitter Stream

via Mashable! by Erica Swallow on 4/24/11

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

With a billion tweets per week, Twitter has become a place for people and organizations of all types to share their thoughts, reading lists and whereabouts. Real estate pros, politicians, non-profits, journalists and small businesses are all using the social platform to connect with their communities and meet organizational goals.
Whether you’re a Twitter novice or tweeting pro, there are always ways to improve your presence on the microblogging service. Here are five ways to make your Twitter stream more valuable and dynamic for followers.

1. Get Visual

A sampling of photos recently tweeted by Gregory’s Coffee

If you’re at a loss for words, try sharing pictures or videos instead. Multimedia adds a new layer to your tweets and lets followers into your business’s otherwise-unknown world.

Gregory’s Coffee, an espresso bar with three locations in New York City, operates a lively Twitter stream, loaded with behind-the-scenes photos of latte art, pastries and employees. The photos give the coffee shop a warm and cozy persona, inviting tweeps to venture over to the shop for a nice cup o’ Joe.

Brands are using photo sharing apps in creative ways to bring fans closer to the action. Using apps, like Instagram and PicPlz, smartphone photographers can take advantage of photo-editing tools, including filters, that can make any picture look more interesting.

2. Get Physical

Social technologies such as Twitter aim to connect people. But the digital world has, in some cases, made it more challenging to genuinely connect with those around us. At tech events, for example, it’s not uncommon to see a group of people standing in a circle, tapping away on their smartphones. Business people should be cognizant of how they are using social media and understand if their behaviors are hurting or benefiting their relationships.

One way to use Twitter for physically connecting with colleagues and customers is to tweet out when employees or reps are attending industry events or making appearances at related venues. Such tweets invite real-life interaction.

The GEM Hotel, a boutique hotel with three locations in New York City, maintains an active presence on Foursquare, checking in to nearby venues that embody the lifestyle of a GEM patron. The hotel occasionally shares its checkins via Twitter and automatically tweets when it “becomes mayor” or unlocks a badge on Foursquare, adding a bit of playfulness and humanity to its Twitter stream.

3. Get Personal

With humble beginnings, many small businesses live on their stories. Talk to a small business owner, and you’ll likely discover a passionate individual who is happy to share every small detail about his or her company’s founding. You’ll learn where it all began, what the founding idea was, how the company grew throughout the years and what unexpected lessons were learned along the way.

In the spirit of that small-time, homey feeling, small businesses on Twitter can tweet about family events, employee softball tournaments and personal anecdotes. There’s a fine line between adding a personal touch and going overboard, though. Boloco, a Boston-based burrito chain that has grown substantially since its first opening in 1997, understands that balance.

Boloco’s Twitter stream is mainly composed of tweets to individuals. Tweet after tweet, marketing maven Sara Steele-Rogers and CEO John Pepper answer questions for and converse with Boloco fans. The two add a more personal touch, though, when special occasions arise. For example, a couple recently got engaged at a Boloco location — and the team was quick to congratulate the love birds on Twitter. Tweets such as this add a personal and intimate flair that showcases a business’s appreciation for its fans.

4. Get Inspired

It’s difficult to be creative all the time — when you’re in a linguistic rut, turn to other tweeters for inspiration. For small businesses, the first stop should always be those who are tweeting about you. When a jewel of an @mention appears, retweet it. Besides sharing a customer’s positive story with your followers, you’ll also be empowering that tweeter. It’s a great feeling when a brand you admire acknowledges your tweet with a simple retweet.

Trapp Family Lodge, a 2,500-acre resort in Stowe, Vermont, spends most of its Twitter stream on retweeting satisfied guests and upcoming visitors. When a user posts a image from the estate or calls out a great experience, you’re sure to find it on the Trapp Family Lodge Twitter account. Such tweets also double as customer reviews for the company, which can drive your business even more.

5. Get Smart

Twitter is all about value — users want value out of the accounts they’re following. Value can come in the form of exclusive deals, contests and even expertise. While deals and contests may take a bit more legwork to get off the ground, expertise is something that any small business owner or rep should be able to share at the drop of a hat.

Face Place, a spa with locations in Los Angeles and New York, dedicates its Twitter stream to providing daily skin care tips. Most recently, the spa has tweeted about makeup-removal tips, how blood sugar levels affect complexion and which foods are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for your skin.

Try spicing up your Twitter stream with tips and trivia related to your business. Your followers will appreciate the random facts you’re providing and tune in for the next tidbit.