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	<title>The Small BizNest &#187; Online Marketing</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/tag/online-marketing/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com</link>
	<description>Hatching the Future of Your Business</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:02:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Ex-Google Lawyer Says New Google Search &#8220;Bad For Internet&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/technology/ex-google-lawyer-says-new-google-search-bad-for-internet/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/technology/ex-google-lawyer-says-new-google-search-bad-for-internet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:02:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anti-trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[search marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=1268</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oh, and did I mention that he currently works for Twitter? “We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone,” the company said in a statement. “We think that’s bad for people, publishers, news organizations and Twitter users.” If you haven&#8217;t heard about the new Google+ [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Oh, and did I mention that he currently works for Twitter?</p>
<p>“We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this  information will be much harder for everyone,” the company said in a  statement. “We think that’s bad for people, publishers, news  organizations and Twitter users.”</p>
<p>If you haven&#8217;t heard about the new Google+ Your World, check out this article over at <a title="Google+ Enhanced Search" href="http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/10/google-search-plus/" target="_blank">Venturebeat.com</a>.  I&#8217;m not really sure this is a big deal at the moment, as Google+ adoption as slowed considerably, but, if it continues to gain mindshare, we could see another antitrust suit levied against the search giant.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/personal-results1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1271" title="Google+ Your World results" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/personal-results1-300x194.png" alt="" width="399" height="258" /></a></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Order Business Cards and Get A FREE Domain Name</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/order-business-cards-and-get-a-free-domain-name/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/order-business-cards-and-get-a-free-domain-name/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:30:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Offline Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strategic partnership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=1251</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MOO and Network Solutions have teamed up to bring a great offer to small business owners here in the US.  If you purchase MOO Business Cards or MiniCards between now and September 4th, you&#8217;ll get a free domain name from Network Solutions. It doesn&#8217;t get much easier than that.  MOO alllows you to create high-quality, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.moo.com/partner/netsol_domain"><img class="size-full wp-image-1252 alignleft" title="netsol moo" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/netsol-moo.jpg" alt="" width="347" height="347" /></a>MOO and Network Solutions have teamed up to bring a great offer to small business owners here in the US.  If you purchase MOO Business Cards or MiniCards between now and September 4th, you&#8217;ll get a free domain name from Network Solutions.</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t get much easier than that.  MOO alllows you to create high-quality, unique Business Cards or MiniCards where you can showcase yourself or business with a unique image on the back of each card.  Take advantage of this offer now.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Can You Afford To Ignore Mobile Marketing Any Longer?</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/you-cant-ignore-mobile-marketing-any-longer/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/you-cant-ignore-mobile-marketing-any-longer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:48:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economic Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business phone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=1221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This question is reminiscent of the discussions many of us had 10-plus years ago when business owners were contemplating whether or not they needed a website. In hindsight, it’s pretty easy to see that Bill Gates’ vision of “a PC in every home and in every business” has been realized and online search is now [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/blog"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1224" title="mobile marketing" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/mobile-marketing-300x199.jpg" alt="Mobile Marketing" width="300" height="199" /></a>This  question is reminiscent of the discussions many of us had 10-plus years  ago when business owners were contemplating whether or not they needed a  website. In hindsight, it’s pretty easy to see that Bill Gates’ vision  of “a PC in every home and in every business” has been realized and  online search is now universally available.</p>
<p>So,  before you ponder the merits of mobile marketing and your specific  business goals, let’s first take a look at evolving online marketing  tactics and the associated opportunity cost of excluding &#8230; [<a id="aptureLink_uYZ9xZIcdh" href="http://ow.ly/4kIDD" target="_blank">Read more at OPEN Forum</a>]</p>
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		<item>
		<title>What KPIs Should You Track?</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/what-kpis-should-you-track/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/what-kpis-should-you-track/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:35:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=1212</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The only way for you to accurately understand which Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you should track is to understand which answers you are seeking. Reports are useless if they don’t tell a story, give insights, and offer measurable/actionable tactics that help you achieve your goals. You must take a step back and develop a thought [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a id="aptureLink_iKJbZ4qhlu" style="float: left; padding: 0px 6px;" href="http://www.pemms.co.uk/assets/images/kpi.jpg"><img style="border: 0px none;" title="kpi.jpg" src="http://www.pemms.co.uk/assets/images/kpi.jpg" alt="" width="296" height="196" /></a>The only way for you to accurately understand which Key Performance  Indicators (KPIs) you should track is to understand which answers you  are seeking. Reports are useless if they don’t tell a story, give  insights, and offer measurable/actionable tactics that help you achieve  your goals. You must take a step back and develop a thought process that  maps KPIs to your overall business strategy.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s an example. Maybe  you’ve recently deployed Google Analytics on your website and you’re  wondering why you haven’t been able to leverage the great data that’s  being gathered such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Total Unique Visitors</li>
<li>Pageviews</li>
<li>Bounce Rate</li>
<li>New Visits</li>
<li>Traffic Source</li>
<li>Average Time On Page</li>
</ul>
<p><a title="Open Forum - John Joyce - What KPIs Should You Track?" href="http://ow.ly/46GPg" target="_blank">Read more&#8230;</a></p>
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		<title>Your Small Business And Technology: How Do You Maintain A Competitive Edge?</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/your-small-business-and-technology-how-do-you-maintain-a-competitive-edge/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/your-small-business-and-technology-how-do-you-maintain-a-competitive-edge/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:50:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Book Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business outlook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=1179</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is really the prelude to a book review that is forthcoming but I wanted to start the conversation about challenges facing small business owners when determining which technologies will have a positive impact on their overall business growth. The prevalence of open source development platforms has become a double-edged sword. The good news: Anyone [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a id="aptureLink_lcz1VZawCU" style="float: left; padding: 0px 6px;" title="The Small BizNest Book Review, The New Small" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thenewsmall.com" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft" style="border: 0px none;" title="The Small BizNest Review: The New Small" src="http://www.thenewsmall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/book_glow2.png" alt="The Small BizNest Reviews New Book, The New Small" width="186" height="256" /></a>This is really the prelude to a book review that is forthcoming but I wanted to start the conversation about challenges facing small business owners when determining which technologies will have a positive impact on their overall business growth.  The prevalence of open source development platforms has become a double-edged sword.  The good news: Anyone can develop applications fairly easily.  The bad news: Anyone can develop applications fairly easily.</p>
<p>There are so many choices that it&#8217;s impossible to keep abreast of new technology, new versions of existing products and new companies popping up in already crowded markets.  The alternative, however, is to stick your head in the sand and be left in the dust by your competitors.</p>
<p>Phil Simon has written a book that offers real world examples of small businesses that are enjoying success by harnessing the power of emerging technologies.  Please look out for a full review in the coming weeks and be sure to <a id="aptureLink_7Dj7vqbqd0" title="The Small BizNest Book Review, The New Small" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thenewsmall.com/" target="_blank">check out the book</a> yourself.</p>
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		<title>Does Your Website Suck?  5 Free Tools to Help You Find Out</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/does-your-website-suck-5-free-tools-to-help-you-find-out/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/does-your-website-suck-5-free-tools-to-help-you-find-out/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:07:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HubSpot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pearanalytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W3C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website tools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=1108</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Your site might look fine on the surface but it could have many issues you&#8217;re not even aware of and this could be hurting your lead generation and customer conversion efforts.  Here are five tools that will allow you to take a look under the hood and get an in-depth diagnostic view of your website: [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Your site might look fine on the surface but it could have many issues you&#8217;re not even aware of and this could be hurting your lead generation and customer conversion efforts.  Here are five tools that will allow you to take a look under the hood and get an in-depth diagnostic view of your website:</p>
<p>1)  <strong>Website Grader</strong></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://websitegrader.com/site/www.thesmallbiznest.com" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1109" title="Hubspot Website Grader Page for The Small BizNest" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Screen-shot-2010-10-29-at-8.38.36-AM.png" alt="Website Grade for www.thesmallbiznest.com" width="493" height="199" /></a></p>
<p>Website Grader actually gives your website a grade, X/100, based on it&#8217;s adherence to &#8220;searchability&#8221; best practices relative to the other sites that have been tested. (currently 2,973,941 sites have been graded)  A report is generated and offers areas for improvement including the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Checks for a blog and gives a grade</li>
<li>Number of indexed pages</li>
<li>Readability level</li>
<li>Inbound links</li>
<li>Do you have a permanent 301 redirect of yourcompany.com to www.yourcompany.com?</li>
<li>Is your domain going to expire soon?  (it&#8217;s important to show the search engines you&#8217;re in for the long haul)</li>
<li>Do you have an RSS feed?  Do you have a conversion form?</li>
</ul>
<p>2)  <strong>W3C Validator</strong></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://validator.w3.org/" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1120" title="W3C Validation Service" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Screen-shot-2010-10-29-at-9.13.18-AM.png" alt="W3C Validation Service" width="484" height="62" /></a></p>
<p>The W3C Markup Validation Service checks the markup validity of Web documents in HTML, XHTML, SMIL, MathML, etc. The whole concept behind the W3C organization is to encourage the use of standards compliant, user-friendly and accessible code. The feedback from this tool is extremely technical and would be best suited for your website developer.</p>
<p>3)  <strong>Pearanaltyics</strong></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pearanalytics.com" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1115" title="Pearanalytics " src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Screen-shot-2010-10-29-at-9.02.12-AM-1024x212.png" alt="Pearanalytics screenshot" width="517" height="106" /></a></p>
<p>Pear Analytics has a more friendly user interface and offers great detail on how to fix website issues and the degree of difficulty for each recommended change.  Some of the relevant checks they perform are as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>404 error handling</li>
<li>Do you have analytics installed?</li>
<li>Domain age (the older the better)</li>
<li>Duplicate content</li>
<li>Do you have a sitemap?</li>
</ul>
<p>4)  <strong>Reactionengine.com</strong></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.reactionengine.com" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1121" title="Reactionengine.com" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Screen-shot-2010-10-29-at-9.16.56-AM.png" alt="Reaction Engine" width="496" height="57" /></a></p>
<p>The Reaction Engine is another bare bones technical tool that is geared toward the developer crowd.  The key difference with this tool is that it analyzes the SEO performance of a URL based on a given key phrase.</p>
<p>5)  <strong>Woorank.com</strong></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.woorank.com" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1125" title="Woorank" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Screen-shot-2010-10-29-at-9.38.46-AM1.png" alt="Woorank" width="292" height="110" /></a></p>
<p>Woorank is a very comprehensive reporting tool with a great looking interface and the ability to save a copy of the report as a pdf.  You can drill down and gain a great deal of insight from stats such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Traffic to your site</li>
<li>Valid robots.txt file</li>
<li>Usability</li>
<li>Related websites</li>
<li>Directory listings</li>
<li>Social media presence</li>
</ul>
<p>The one caveat I did find when trying each of these tools?  Some of the results are inconsistent, for example, Pear Analytics reported that I did not have an H1 heading and the others saw that I did.  So, if you&#8217;re going to take the plunge and optimize your site using free tools, make sure you get a second opinion before making any big changes.</p>
<p>Of course, if you&#8217;re not comfortable doing this yourself, please reach out and we&#8217;ll give you a hand.</p>
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		<title>50% Discount for Small Business Technology Tour In Boston</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/small-business/50-discount-for-small-business-technology-tour-in-boston/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/small-business/50-discount-for-small-business-technology-tour-in-boston/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:31:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ramon ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business technology tour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[smallbiztechnology.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=1064</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Friends of The Small BizNest are eligible for a 50% discount on admission to the Small Business Technology Tour in Boston next week.  Ramon Ray, founder of Smallbiztechnology.com, has put together a great series of events to educate growing companies – whether you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner – in how to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://bit.ly/cngTBZ"><img class="size-full wp-image-1065  alignleft" title="Small Business Technology Tour 2010" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/smallbiznechtour2.jpg" alt="The Small BizNest invites small business owners to attend the small business technolgy tour " width="302" height="149" /></a></p>
<p>Friends of The Small BizNest are eligible for a 50% discount on admission to the Small Business Technology Tour in Boston next week.  Ramon Ray, founder of Smallbiztechnology.com, has put together a great  series of events to educate growing companies – whether you are an  entrepreneur or a small business owner – in how to use technology as a  tool to grow your business.  The next event will be taking place on October 25th at the Microsoft New England Research &amp;  Development Center. (<a id="aptureLink_ecXU1W0OsR" href="http://microsoftcambridge.com/Default.aspx">NERD</a>)</p>
<p>Check out our latest <a title="The Small BizNest Newsletter" href="http://bit.ly/b5lgqe" target="_blank">newsletter</a> for more information on enrollment and other cities where you can attend this great event.</p>
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		<title>Why Aren&#8217;t You Measuring The ROI Of Your Online Marketing Efforts?</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/why-arent-you-measuring-the-roi-of-your-online-marketing-efforts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/why-arent-you-measuring-the-roi-of-your-online-marketing-efforts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 13:38:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Local Business Center]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ROI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=970</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently participated in Omniture&#8217;s ﻿﻿﻿&#8221;2010 Online Analytics Benchmark Survey&#8221; and received a customized report from them yesterday and wanted to share some of the information with you.  It doesn&#8217;t take a genius to understand that businesses shouldn&#8217;t spend money on new marketing channels without having the ability to track their success, but that&#8217;s exactly [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/analysis.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-971" title="analysis" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/analysis.jpg" alt="Measure Your Marketing ROI" width="298" height="197" /></a>I recently participated in <a id="aptureLink_sXZFR9D62T" href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/omniture">Omniture&#8217;s</a> ﻿﻿﻿&#8221;<a id="aptureLink_5s7mZo9a78" href="http://www.omniture.com/press/839">2010 Online Analytics Benchmark Survey</a>&#8221; and received a customized report from them yesterday and wanted to share some of the information with you.  It doesn&#8217;t take a genius to understand that businesses shouldn&#8217;t spend money on new marketing channels without having the ability to track their success, but that&#8217;s exactly what the majority of us are doing.</p>
<p>The main takeaways from this survey are as follows:</p>
<p><em><strong>﻿﻿Key Web Analytics Challenges Include Talent, Measuring ROI and Multi-Channel Support</strong></em></p>
<p><em>Top challenges for online marketers include:</em></p>
<ol>
<li><em>Difficulty finding and training top talent</em></li>
<li><em>Determining what actions to take based on their data</em></li>
<li><em>﻿Maximizing marketing </em><a id="aptureLink_3rs1xaZ1lI" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rate%20of%20return">ROI</a><em> through full funnel measurement and automatic multi-channel integration.</em></li>
</ol>
<p>Do you find yourself or your staff spending large chunks of time  developing programs and campaigns, delivering them across an assortment of online marketing platforms and then wondering if they had  any impact?  It looks like you&#8217;re not alone.  The most telling statistic from this study is glaring proof that, since many of the emerging online marketing platforms are very much in their infancy, businesses are unable to track their success as illustrated below:</p>
<p><em>Marketers know which metrics are important to measure, however they are not capturing all the metrics they need to achieve their goals.  Eighty-two percent of survey responders believe ROI is somewhat to very important to measure, but only 30 percent of marketers can effectively measure marketing ROI!  Additionally, 86 percent of respondents think conversion rate is somewhat or very important to measure yet 27 percent of marketers cannot effectively measure conversion rates.</em></p>
<p>We all know measuring the success of offline marketing is difficult to nearly impossible but that&#8217;s because there&#8217;s no system available to allow for granular collection of metrics.  Conversely, online marketing offers so much data that we become overwhelmed by a never ending stream of seemingly valuable information .  They key, however, is knowing how to interpret that information and turn it into an actionable plan that exploits the repeatable successes you have unearthed.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re going to &#8220;try&#8221; a mobile marketing campaign, social media campaign or viral video campaign, make sure you develop a system to track and measure success against your business goals.  Work smarter and not harder.</p>
<p>Have a great Memorial Day weekend!</p>
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		<title>Be The Subject Matter Expert: Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part XVI</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/be-the-subject-matter-expert-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xvi/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/be-the-subject-matter-expert-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xvi/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 May 2010 13:22:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[answers.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[expert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin answers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Q&A]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[search engines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[subject matter expert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yahoo answers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=907</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you know the answer to a question, you had better raise your hand and let everyone know that you are a subject matter expert.  There are plenty of prospective customers out there looking for answers and all you have to do is share your experience and knowledge with them.  I use a service called [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Subject-Matter-Expert.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-908" title="Subject Matter Expert" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Subject-Matter-Expert.jpg" alt="Raise your hand and answer questions so people know you're the expert" width="198" height="297" /></a>If you know the answer to a question, you had better raise your hand and let everyone know that you are a <a id="aptureLink_LhKCNYh1dY" href="http://www.viralogy.com/experts/">subject matter expert</a>.  There are plenty of prospective customers out there looking for answers and all you have to do is share your experience and knowledge with them.  I use a service called <a title="Lotusjump Easy SEO" href="http://www.pjatr.com/t/2-12552-48595-20144" target="_blank">Lotusjump</a> (affiliate link) which automates the process of finding questions that pertain to specific keywords I have entered into their system.  Not only do I benefit from positioning myself as being knowledgeable in a specific area, but each answer posted is now an <a id="aptureLink_HO9vShcJig" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlink">inbound link</a> to my site.  There is a modest monthly fee for this service but it saves you a bunch of time and teaches you how and where you should be investing your SEO resources.</p>
<p>You would be surprised how many prospective customers are asking questions on sites like <a id="aptureLink_XmBqFSCwV3" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Answers.com">Answers.com</a> and <a id="aptureLink_ONQhvTZCgF" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo%21%20Answers">Yahoo Answers</a>.  And, for the most part, they&#8217;re more than happy to award you &#8220;the best answer&#8221; moniker for taking the time to give thoughtful and insightful answers.</p>
<p>Much like blogging, it might take you awhile to find your &#8220;voice&#8221; and style for answering questions but this will develop over time.  The most important thing to remember is that you don&#8217;t want to be the &#8220;blah, blah, blah, hey look at me&#8221; guy/girl.  Here are a few guidelines for effectively highlighting your knowledge and experience:</p>
<ol>
<li>Make sure the question is clear.  Don&#8217;t be afraid to ask for quick clarification.</li>
<li>Get right to the point.  Don&#8217;t yammer on like <a id="aptureLink_MNclp7shjE" href="http://fantasy411.mlblogs.com/ron-burgundy.jpg">Ron Burgundy</a> about being &#8220;a big deal&#8221;.</li>
<li>Be authoritative.  You need to do x, y and then z.   Don&#8217;t do a, b or c.</li>
<li>Tell them why.</li>
<li>When possible, insert links to your site, white papers, etc.</li>
</ol>
<p><a title="Online Marketing Ecosystem Order Form” target=" onclick="window.open(this.href,  null, 'height=668, width=680, toolbar=0, location=0, status=1, scrollbars=1, resizable=1'); return false" href="http://bit.ly/ap4YAB"><img class="size-full wp-image-913  alignright" title="Online Marketing Ecosystem" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/QA-Tools.png" alt="Online Marketing Ecosystem" width="254" height="228" /></a></p>
<p>Although it isn&#8217;t included in the image to the right, <a id="aptureLink_XAaJC0iJRv" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn">LinkedIn</a> is another great place for you to build your reputation as an expert.  Since this is a business site with millions of members the competition for &#8220;best answer&#8221; is substantial as compared to the standard answer forums.</p>
<p>Take a look at these sites to get an idea of the questions you can expect and study the responses of the people who have given the best answers.  It&#8217;s not that complicated.  People have questions and you have answers.  So, get to work!</p>
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		<title>Why Are There Bad Reviews Of Your Business In Google Maps?</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/why-are-there-bad-reviews-of-your-business-in-google-maps/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/why-are-there-bad-reviews-of-your-business-in-google-maps/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:32:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cusotmer feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Local Business Center]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Maps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reputation management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sentiment analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=881</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Did you know that people can post a review of your business in Google Maps?  Google also pulls reviews from other sites (Citysearch, Insiderpages) and automatically posts them to your business listing.  Strangely, as the business owner, you have very little control over these reviews so you&#8217;ll have to add this to your &#8220;watch list&#8221; [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Did you know that people can post a review of your business in <a id="aptureLink_zLymJOkPfv" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%20Maps">Google Maps</a>?  Google also pulls reviews from other sites (<a id="aptureLink_lhB1KgS2hj" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citysearch">Citysearch</a>, <a id="aptureLink_KWJySk2Rzm" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insider%20Pages">Insiderpages</a>) and automatically posts them to your business listing.  Strangely, as the business owner, you have very little control over these reviews so you&#8217;ll have to add this to your &#8220;watch list&#8221; for online reputation management.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://maps.google.com" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-882 alignright" title="How To Combat Negative Reviews" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Negative-Customer-Review.jpg" alt="Are there negative reviews of your business online?  Find them and  fix them." width="289" height="204" /></a><a id="aptureLink_VD5TrjY6C1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentiment%20analysis">Sentiment Analysis</a> is a quickly growing data set that listing services are collecting and publishing, so, what are your options when dealing with negative feedback that finds its way into your business listing?</p>
<ul>
<li>If a review was posted directly to your business listing in Google, you can flag it and then you&#8217;ll have to prove that the post violates published terms and conditions.</li>
<li>Are you able to identify the person who posted the negative comment?  If so, reach out to them, listen to their feedback and try to address their concerns.  Ask them if they would be willing to change or delete their negative review.</li>
<li>Google suggests you contact the webmaster of the 3rd party sites if the negative review wasn&#8217;t posted directly to your business listing.  Some of these sites do allow you to post a &#8220;response from management&#8221; but that won&#8217;t show up in Google Maps.  (Google does not allow you to post this type of response)</li>
<li>Google lists 5-6 reviews so  you can solicit new reviews from satisfied customers in an effort to push the negative ones off the page.  Be careful, though; too many reviews being posted in a short period of time will trigger spam alerts and hurt your ranking.</li>
</ul>
<p>Obviously, it helps to have a solid customer support system in place and an easy process for sharing feedback directly with you so these types of issues are not broadcast to the general public.  Reputation management is an important aspect of your daily marketing life and should be treated as such.</p>
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		<title>Using Foursquare To Build Brand Loyalty: Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part XV</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/using-foursquare-to-build-brand-loyalty-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xv/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/using-foursquare-to-build-brand-loyalty-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xv/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:28:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foursquare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Local Business Center]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=849</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Personally, I haven&#8217;t found anything useful about foursquare other than to compete for the Mayorship of a local health club with my friend Anand Rajaram over at Office Drop.  With that said, I do think businesses that exclusively operate locally can creatively leverage this type of location-based marketing service to &#8220;monitor and market&#8221; in real [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Personally, I haven&#8217;t found anything useful about <a id="aptureLink_PmvJMyClqF" href="http://foursquare.com/">foursquare</a> other than to compete for the Mayorship of a local health club with my friend Anand Rajaram over at <a id="aptureLink_uvV2Pdcx50" href="http://www.officedrop.com/">Office Drop</a>.  With that said, I do think businesses that exclusively operate locally can creatively leverage this type of location-based marketing service to &#8220;monitor and market&#8221; in real time.</p>
<div id="attachment_852" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 311px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://bit.ly/9wSE0a" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-852 " title="Location Tools" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Location-Tools.png" alt="small businesses can monitor and market to their customers in real  time" width="301" height="183" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click to view interactive online marketing  ecosystem.</p></div>
<p>If a business embraces a service like foursquare, they instantly connect with their customer base in a way that promotes customer loyalty and offers a compelling reason to come back. (along with bragging rights)</p>
<p>If there are people already visiting your establishment who use a smart phone, then all you have to do is notify them that you are offering specials via foursquare.  As stated on their website, &#8220;foursquare aims to encourage people to explore their neighborhoods and then <a id="aptureLink_momUc4VIWJ" href="http://apture.s3.amazonaws.com/00000127e295030c8ce1eae6007f000000000001.marsh_cafe_flyer.jpg">reward</a> people for doing so. We do this by combining our friend-finder and social city guide elements with game mechanics &#8211; our users earn points, win <a id="aptureLink_WP87qGIy4z" href="http://apture.s3.amazonaws.com/00000127e295cc8596b4ced1007f000000000001.southside_blackboard.jpg">mayorships</a> and unlock badges for trying newplaces and revisiting old favorites&#8221;.</p>
<p>In a difficult economy, a free cup of coffee or free appetizers at your favorite establishment means as much as the new lawn chairs my parents acquired from collecting <a id="aptureLink_GM2A1mlaCY" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trading%20stamp">S&amp;H Green Stamps</a> when I was a kid. (I know, I&#8217;m dating myself)</p>
<p>The ability for your customers to send out their location (your establishment) via social networks such at Twitter and Facebook creates a &#8220;viral invite&#8221; that can boost foot traffic exponentially.  There are also some fairly simple tools available to track your best customers, deliver special offers when someone checks in, and keep your best customers engaged and involved.</p>
<p>All you local business owners should at least give this a try and see if you can increase business by developing a marketing strategy around foursquare.  Trust me, you&#8217;ll still be way ahead of the curve if you do it now and you&#8217;ll have your system perfected by the time foursquare explodes.</p>
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		<title>Get People Talking About Your Business: Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part XIV</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/get-people-talking-about-your-business-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xiv/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/get-people-talking-about-your-business-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xiv/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:18:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Local Business Center]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Maps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yelp]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=833</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You need to get people talking about your business.  Period.  Your product/service must offer an experience that compels customers to talk about you and recommend your business to their network of contacts.  Of course, there&#8217;s a flipside to this equation and that&#8217;s when someone has a negative experience with your business and they decide to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You need to get people talking about your business.  Period.  Your product/service must offer an experience that compels customers to talk about you and recommend your business to their network of contacts.  Of course, there&#8217;s a flipside to this equation and that&#8217;s when someone has a negative experience with your business and they decide to share that information on <a id="aptureLink_YBJePXVuir" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social%20network">social networks</a>.  If you experience the latter, don&#8217;t run and hide; address the issue head-on and diffuse the situation within the same public forum it began.</p>
<p>To get started, visit each of these sites to determine if your business is listed and what people are saying.  Claim your business, manage the conversation and address issues as soon as possible.  You can&#8217;t make these sites go away so your best bet is to develop a strategy to make them work in your favor.  This is an yet another social medium that isn&#8217;t perfect and is  continuously evolving and your strategy will have to do the same.</p>
<div id="attachment_836" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 316px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://bit.ly/9wSE0a" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-836  " title="Customer Feedback and Ratings Sites" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Screen-shot-2010-04-07-at-8.19.25-AM.png" alt="customer reviews and ratings services for small business" width="306" height="166" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click to see interactive online marketing  ecosystem.</p></div>
<p>By now you&#8217;ve heard all the <a id="aptureLink_Aepi3R3qSV" href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-yelp7-2010apr07,0,5195556.story">hoopla</a> about <a id="aptureLink_2JsbaSUeZp" href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/yelp">Yelp</a> having &#8220;long faced criticism that it gives preferential treatment to  businesses that advertise with the company.&#8221;  Although Yelp maintains that there is no connection between the two, they did announce significant changes to the service this week.</p>
<p>Service providers like Yelp have proven how lucrative the local search advertising market is and Google is currently testing <a id="aptureLink_V4fqYe33Ax" href="http://www.google.com/help/lbc/enhancedlistings/">Enhanced Listings</a> in <a id="aptureLink_aZjPsu3WwF" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjeCmHwqVpU">Google Local Business Center</a> that would allow business owners to create a unique, differentiated listing.  Google&#8217;s beta service currently offers the following:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Add yellow tags</strong> to promote coupons, a photo of  your business, and more.</li>
<li><strong>Stand out</strong> in local business results on Google  &amp; Google Maps.</li>
<li><strong>See your performance</strong> in your account anytime.</li>
<li><strong>Cancel anytime</strong>. Pay just $25 a month.</li>
</ul>
<p>Will Google face the same scrutiny as Yelp?  We&#8217;ll have to see how this plays out but, if Google can collect $25 per month from a large percentage of small business owners, there&#8217;s a good chance we&#8217;ll see this rolled out in the near term.</p>
<p>The bottom line for businesses, especially &#8220;local&#8221; businesses, is to be  aware of all these feedback sites and to monitor your reputation  regularly.</p>
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		<title>Help Your Customers Support Each Other: Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part XIII</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/help-your-customers-support-each-other-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xiii/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/help-your-customers-support-each-other-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xiii/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:23:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=815</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Now that you&#8217;ve disseminated your message across the entire universe, how are you going to interact with  customers who are looking for guidance but are spread across so many different platforms?  Enter web-based community support tools. As you can see from the graphic above, there are several options available and one that I see more [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Now that you&#8217;ve disseminated your message across the entire universe, how are you going to interact with  customers who are looking for guidance but are spread across so many different platforms?  Enter web-based community support tools.</p>
<div id="attachment_816" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 477px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://bit.ly/9wSE0a" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-816 " title="Customer Support" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Customer-Support.png" alt="web-based community support tools" width="467" height="146" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click image to see  interactive online marketing ecosystem.</p></div>
<p>As you can see from the graphic above, there are several options available and one that I see more an more often (since they&#8217;re now supported in Facebook and Google) is <a id="aptureLink_BiKyvB3UBT" href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/satisfaction">Get Satisfaction</a>.  They allow you to interact with customers regardless of which community portal they&#8217;re using and are  easily extended throughout your Web presence via simple widgets and             open APIs.  A Get Satisfaction             community invites customers/visitors to participate in the conversation and  provides a platform for conversation anywhere             in the online experience.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Busy-Small-Business-Owner.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-823" title="Busy Small Business Owner" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Busy-Small-Business-Owner.jpg" alt="busy small business owner" width="240" height="320" /></a>Getting your message to the masses is only half the battle when it comes to building your <a id="aptureLink_LuNz5FPRMy" href="../../marketing/introducing-the-interactive-online-marketing-ecosystem/">online marketing ecosystem</a>.  You also have to consider which operational enhancements are required to automate the management of your online presence.  Proactively engaging prospects and customers allows for diffusing negativity and garnering valuable feedback and insight as you interact with your customers on an ongoing basis.</p>
<p>The greatest marketing challenge facing small business owners today is simple.  <strong>Lack of time</strong>.  But, if you can create a community in front of your support solution that lets customers and prospects get answers from each other             first, (often with faster response times than through  traditional <a id="aptureLink_c0xrJ3aemv" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issue%20tracking%20system">ticketing solutions</a>) you have created a virtual support department. You can publish, archive and search every exchange, so there’s never a need to  answer the same question twice.</p>
<p>So, the main thing to remember is that online marketing is no longer a unidirectional process &#8211; it has evolved into a <a id="aptureLink_9EV2QaN4QD" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual%20community">collaboration of community</a> where instant feedback and conversation can mean the difference between success and missed opportunity.</p>
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		<title>Add Personality To Your Website:  Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part XI</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/add-personality-to-your-website-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xi/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/add-personality-to-your-website-building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-xi/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:43:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microblogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=797</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There has been a great deal written over the past year regarding the value of including video on your small business website.  The two main objections we hear over and over again are 1) I don&#8217;t have the time to create video content and 2) I don&#8217;t have the budget for the equipment and editing [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There has been a great deal written over the past year regarding the value of including video on your small business website.  The two main objections we hear over and over again are 1) I don&#8217;t have the time to create video content and 2) I don&#8217;t have the budget for the equipment and editing software.</p>
<div id="attachment_798" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 252px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-798 " title="Add Video To Your Site" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Add-Video-To-Your-Site.png" alt="" width="242" height="204" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click to view interactive online marketing ecosystem.</p></div>
<p>Many of us said we didn&#8217;t have time to blog but now it&#8217;s a regular part of our daily/weekly routine and has become second nature.  So, the next logical progression is to begin integrating some interactive and engaging video content that will boost traffic and also keep visitors on your site longer.</p>
<p>Is there someone you would like to interview that your readers would find interesting?  Could you create a demo of a product or service that would be more compelling than a simple blog post?</p>
<p>So, you&#8217;re going to need a <a title="The Flip Video Camera" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theflip.com" target="_blank">video camera</a> (if you don&#8217;t already have one that can be plugged into your computer), <a title="Video Editing Software" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355114,00.asp" target="_blank">editing software</a>, and knowledge of integrating video into your website.</p>
<p>If you don&#8217;t feel comfortable getting involved in the editing and slicing of your content, you should check out a new service from <a title="Pixability" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pixability.com" target="_blank">Pixability</a> where they send you a Flip camera, you shoot your video and send the camera back, and they create a professionally edited video masterpiece and send it back to you.</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part X: Vertical Communities</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-x-vertical-communities/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-x-vertical-communities/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:36:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strategic partnership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=776</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Facebook and similar networks where &#8220;socializing&#8221; is truly the main objective can be ineffective marketing platforms for many businesses. I&#8217;m not saying that you shouldn&#8217;t have a fan page for your business but, what I am saying is that you have to prioritize the amount of effort you provision for each online marketing vehicle based [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="nofollow" href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmjoyce" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-780" title="Business People Connected" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Business-People-Connected.jpg" alt="Effective Use of Social Networks for Small Business Owners" width="288" height="204" /></a>Facebook and similar networks where &#8220;socializing&#8221; is truly the main objective can be ineffective marketing platforms for many businesses.  I&#8217;m not saying that you shouldn&#8217;t have a fan page for your business but, what I am saying is that you have to prioritize the amount of effort you provision for each online marketing vehicle based on simple ROTI.  (Return On Time Invested)  For each network, you must ask yourself 1) How do you find your target audience? 2) How do you convey your message in a way that is meaningful to them? 3) Should you be marketing to people who have become members of the mafia or have started a farm?  (you know exactly what I&#8217;m talking about)</p>
<p>Wouldn&#8217;t it make more sense to put your effort into a network of like-minded <strong>business</strong> people who are actually interested in professional networking, business deals and partnerships?  I have been using <a title="Small Businesses Should Use LinkedIn" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.linkedin.com" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> since 2003 when it was in beta and it is, by far, the most effective business networking tool I have ever used.</p>
<div id="attachment_777" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 339px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-777  " title="Vertical   Communities" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Vertical-Communities.png" alt="Vertical Social Networks for Small Business" width="329" height="206" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click  image to view  interactive online marketing ecosystem</p></div>
<p>Of course, the only way to know which network is best for your particular business model is to test both platforms.  An easy way to do this is to run some simple advertisements on <a title="LinkedIn Advertising for Small Business" href="http://bit.ly/anjlqZ" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> and <a title="Facebook advertising for small business" href="http://bit.ly/dk8azh" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.  You set all demographic criteria to narrow down your target audience.  You can also set a daily limit for spend and choose to pay per click (PPC) or per thousand impressions (CPM).</p>
<p>Building your marketing ecosystem is a balancing act where you must test, evaluate, rinse and repeat.  It&#8217;s important to build your online presence but it&#8217;s even more important to optimize your efforts which is a perpetual learning experience.</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part IX: Crowdsourced Buzz</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-ix-crowdsourced-buzz/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-ix-crowdsourced-buzz/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:25:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Build]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[building online presence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creating buzz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourced buzz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=756</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If the first two requirements of effective blogging are 1) an enticing headline and 2) valuable content, then #3 would be choosing a topic that is so hot that your readers are going to share it with the masses on sites like Digg and Reddit.  These types of crowdsourced buzz platforms allow the collective community [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_757" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 331px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-757  " title="Crowdsourced Buzz" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Crowdsourced-Buzz.jpg" alt="small businesses using crowdsourcing to create buzz" width="321" height="239" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">We &quot;digg&quot; the stuff you write on your blog!</p></div>
<p>If the first two requirements of effective blogging are 1) an enticing headline and 2) valuable content, then #3 would be choosing a topic that is so hot that your readers are going to share it with the masses on sites like <a title="digg for small business bloggers" href="http://www.digg.com" target="_blank">Digg</a> and <a rel="nofollow" title="reddit for small business bloggers" href="http://www.reddit.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reddit</a>.  These types of <em>crowdsourced buzz</em> platforms allow the collective community to drive awareness and create buzz around user submitted news and blog posts.  As you have more than likely already learned,  the more posts you write, the better you&#8217;ll be able to understand what type of headlines and content are catching people&#8217;s attention and you&#8217;ll begin to discover your &#8220;voice&#8221;.  Promoting your blog to these platforms is a bit different from the basic SEO strategy implemented within your site, so I&#8217;ll review some of the specifics to help you develop your own &#8220;external buzz strategy&#8221;.  (Since Digg is currently the most popular platform, I&#8217;ll use that as my point of reference when citing examples and tactics)</p>
<div id="attachment_764" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 333px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Crowdsourced-Buzz.png" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-764  " title="Crowdsourced Buzz Examples" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Crowdsourced-Buzz.png" alt="Crowdsourced buzz for small business" width="323" height="220" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click image to see interactive online marketing ecosystem</p></div>
<p>Once a post makes it to one of these sites, you can notify your network to start fanning the flames by voting and forwarding the link.  Of course, as is true with many of these &#8220;exposure platforms&#8221;, there is etiquette that must be followed in the course of presenting content to the masses.</p>
<p>Here are a few tips:</p>
<ol>
<li>Don&#8217;t submit your own content to Digg.  If possible, ask friends to submit for you.</li>
<li>If your friends are going to submit your content, make sure they also submit additional content from other sources at the same time.</li>
<li>As mentioned in the beginning of this post, write a compelling headline and description.</li>
<li>Be active in the Digg community by voting, developing your profile and inviting friends.</li>
</ol>
<p>This might sound like a lot of work but getting &#8220;Dugg on Digg&#8221; can drive substantial traffic to your site.  Actively participate in the community and you should be justly rewarded.</p>
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		<title>Optimizing For Google Images To Strengthen Your Keyword Exposure</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/optimizing-for-google-images-to-strengthen-your-keyword-exposure/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/optimizing-for-google-images-to-strengthen-your-keyword-exposure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:52:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Images]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=742</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Always be optimizing. This is the mindset required to drive and strengthen your online presence to the point where you are always &#8220;found&#8221; wherever people are searching for your keywords. This includes prospects who are searching Google Images.  You have to view images as additional mechanisms for delivering your keyword content. Believe it or not, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_743" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 319px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SEO-For-Small-Business.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-743  " title="SEO For Small Business" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SEO-For-Small-Business.jpg" alt="Optimize Images For Better Search Results" width="309" height="249" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Make Sure Images Help &quot;Tell The Story&quot; To Search Engines</p></div>
<p>Always be optimizing.  This is the mindset required to drive and strengthen your online presence to the point where you are always &#8220;found&#8221; wherever people are searching for your keywords.  This includes prospects who are searching Google Images.  You have to view images as additional mechanisms for delivering your keyword content.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, images do more than simply make a blog post more appealing to the eye.  They actually allow you to include additional &#8220;search engine friendly&#8221; content within your images that compliments your overall page/site SEO goals.  Once you implement this process in your overall routine, you&#8217;ll see it become more and more automatic over time.</p>
<p><a title="Website Optimization Using Images" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_system" target="_blank">Content management systems</a> (CMS), like WordPress, Joomla or Drupal help automate the process of optimization and keep you from having to write any html code yourself.  If you are actually writing your own code, the syntax is very straightforward and you can learn more <a title="Optimizging Image HTML For SEO" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>The main theme here is to treat images like the rest of your content and make sure you do the following 3 things:</p>
<ol>
<li>Give your image a descriptive title.  As soon as you download an image from a service like iStockphoto, change the cryptic file name that looks like 08948istockphoto23bizimage.jpg.</li>
<li>Make sure the body content and image content are consistent and working toward the same target audience.</li>
<li>When possible, choose content that is very popular at this moment in time and somehow relates to the information you&#8217;re presenting.  See my post regarding <a title="Susan Boyle Inspired Business Owners" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/small-business/dont-listen-to-what-other-people-say/" target="_blank">Susan Boyle</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>Just remember that content is still king and there&#8217;s no excuse for missing an opportunity to boost your exposure/rank with the search engines by delivering the most optimized content possible.  If you&#8217;re posting images on your websitesite/blog, you must now add &#8220;image optimization&#8221; to your regular operating procedures.</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part VIII: Sharing Content Outside Your Website</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-viii-sharing-content-outside-your-website/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-viii-sharing-content-outside-your-website/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[content management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[document management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=714</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The popularity of services like Scribd and Slideshare has proven the power of &#8220;content repositories&#8221; where you post marketing documents and leverage the high search rankings of these powerful content sites. It follows the same reasoning as listing your business with Merchant Circle or some other business community site &#8211; your website might not come [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The popularity of services like <strong>Scribd</strong> and <strong>Slideshare</strong> has proven the power of &#8220;content repositories&#8221; where you post marketing documents and leverage the high search rankings of these powerful content sites.  It follows the same reasoning as listing your business with Merchant Circle or some other business community site &#8211; your website might not come up on page 1 in Google search, but your business/documents listed on one of these repositories will come up on the first page.  Check out the services below and see how you can easily extend your reach by sharing your content outside of your actual website.</p>
<div id="attachment_715" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 439px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-715 " title="SharingContent" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SharingContent.png" alt="Content Sharing For Small Business" width="429" height="252" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click Image to View Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</p></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save"><img src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share"/></a> </p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Introducing The Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/introducing-the-interactive-online-marketing-ecosystem/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/introducing-the-interactive-online-marketing-ecosystem/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:16:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microblogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microcontent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Radio Adveristing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ROI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=636</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In an effort to offer the most value to our readers, we have created an interactive map of the Online Marketing Ecosystem. There are so many marketing technologies available that we felt it was important to present your options in one central location. This will be a &#8220;living&#8221; map and will be updated as often [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In an effort to offer the most value to our readers, we have created an interactive map of the Online Marketing Ecosystem.  There are so many marketing technologies available that we felt it was important to present your options in one central location.  This will be a &#8220;living&#8221; map and will be updated as often as needed &#8211; as long as you&#8217;re willing to share your ideas and suggestions with us.</p>
<p>Here are some simple navigation tips:</p>
<ul>
<li>Click and drag to move around the map</li>
<li>Hover over the small arrow next to the name of each tool to see/follow the external link</li>
<li>Click zoom in/out buttons at bottom of the window</li>
<li>Click &#8220;full screen&#8221; button to view in a browser window</li>
</ul>
<p><iframe width="550" height="400" frameborder="0" src="http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/public_map_shell/40479273/online-marketing-ecosystem?width=600&#038;height=400&#038;zoom=0&#038;no_logo=1" scrolling="no" style="overflow:hidden"></iframe></p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part VI: Friends And Family</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-vi-friends-and-family/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-vi-friends-and-family/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:41:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=617</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This one&#8217;s going to be quick based on the fact that most people are already Facebook users and understand the power of the platform.  As I have said over and over again (sorry for being a broken record), you have to present your business information in as many places as possible and that includes social [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_619" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 304px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business"><img class="size-full wp-image-619  " title="SocialNetworks" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SocialNetworks.png" alt="Social Networks For Small Business" width="294" height="222" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click Image to View Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</p></div>
<p>This one&#8217;s going to be quick based on the fact that most people are already Facebook users and understand the power of the platform.  As I have said over and over again (sorry for being a broken record), you have to present your business information in as many places as possible and that includes social networks.</p>
<p>As was illustrated in my last <a title="Small Business Play Book" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-v-create-a-playbook/" target="_blank">post</a>, you can automate the process of spreading the word across different platforms without actually having to manually do so within each application.  If you don&#8217;t want to post your marketing outreach on your personal page, make sure you create a fan page in Facebook and only post there.  Either way, your friends and family are great resources for creating word of mouth momentum.</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part V: Create A Playbook</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-v-create-a-playbook/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-v-create-a-playbook/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:45:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microblogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=599</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I mentioned in my last post that I would discuss the &#8220;how to&#8221; of implementing operational efficiencies within your social marketing efforts so let&#8217;s get to it.  Friends and clients are always asking me, &#8220;is this social media thing really worth the time and effort?&#8221;   My answer is, &#8220;it doesn&#8217;t have to take a lot [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I mentioned in my last post that I would discuss the &#8220;how to&#8221; of implementing operational efficiencies within your social marketing efforts so let&#8217;s get to it.  Friends and clients are always asking me, &#8220;is this social media thing really worth the time and effort?&#8221;   My answer is, &#8220;it doesn&#8217;t have to take a lot of your time as long as you 1) Carve out a set allotment of time each day to develop conversation points and 2) Identify the appropriate tools to automate and streamline the delivery process.  The graphic below is only a small portion of the tools  making up the &#8220;Twitterverse&#8221;:</p>
<div id="attachment_604" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 547px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business"><img class="size-full wp-image-604 " title="Twitterverse" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Twitterverse1.png" alt="Twitter Tools for Small Business Owners" width="537" height="437" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click Image to View Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</p></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p style="text-align: left;">As a consultant, I work with clients during regular business hours so it&#8217;s most efficient for me to execute social media tactics early in the morning.  The overarching goal is to remain top of mind within your &#8220;community&#8221; by consistently helping, sharing and soliciting feedback.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Here&#8217;s a quick example of linking together several tools to more efficiently bring your message to social media platforms:</p>
<div id="attachment_607" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 527px"><a href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business"><img class="size-full wp-image-607" title="SocialDistribution" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SocialDistribution.png" alt="Communicating Across Several Social Media Channels" width="517" height="260" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click Image to View Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</p></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p style="text-align: left;">It might take some time for you to figure out what tools fit your specific social media needs but, once you&#8217;ve identified the most effective system, you&#8217;ll actually find yourself able to focus on content creation instead of manual distribution.  You make time each morning to brush your teeth and have a cup of coffee so your social media efforts should be just as automatic.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I&#8217;ve shown you the tools; now it&#8217;s up to you to put them to good use.  Also, please let me know if there are any tools you&#8217;re using that you would like to share with us.</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part IV: Quick Hits</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-iv-quick-hits/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-iv-quick-hits/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:31:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microblogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microcontent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=580</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Even if you&#8217;re not microblogging yet you&#8217;ve definitely heard of Twitter.  Now there&#8217;s an entire category of similar tools available that I call Microcollaborsation platforms which allow you to present quick, concise messages to your target audience.  The only tool I have experienced from the graphic below is Twitter so that&#8217;s where I&#8217;ll focus my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Even if you&#8217;re not microblogging yet you&#8217;ve definitely heard of Twitter.  Now there&#8217;s an entire category of similar tools available that I call <em>Microcollaborsation</em> platforms which allow you to present quick, concise messages to your target audience.  The only tool I have experienced from the graphic below is Twitter so that&#8217;s where I&#8217;ll focus my comments.</p>
<div id="attachment_581" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 524px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business"><img class="size-full wp-image-581 " title="Microcollaborsation" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Microcollaborsation.png" alt="Microblogging Tools and Twitter for Small Business" width="514" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click Image to View Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</p></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">Everyone has a different system for consuming their daily dose of news and information so you need to make sure you&#8217;re presenting your message in the most effective manner for each area of your ecosystem.  In this case, let&#8217;s assume you have written a blog post and now you&#8217;re ready to alert the Twitterverse of your incredible wisdom and knowledge with respect to [insert subject here].</p>
<p>For Twitter, your headline has to grab the reader and compel them to click on the link.  So, as you develop your &#8220;hook&#8221;, ask yourself these questions:</p>
<ul>
<li> Is this relevant to my target audience?</li>
<li>Would my target audience find value in this information?</li>
<li>How do I create a sense of urgency?</li>
<li>How is this information different?</li>
</ul>
<p>Once you get the hang of it, you&#8217;ll want to add some operational efficiencies to the process which I will outline in a future post.  But, for now, go create some great content, put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and showcase your expertise.</p>
<p>[I will be publishing the online marketing ecosystem graphic (with links) in the coming weeks so stay tuned]</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part III: Spread The Word</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-iii-spread-the-word/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-iii-spread-the-word/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:50:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organic content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=560</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As you will read throughout this series of posts, creating content is only half the battle.  The real work is identifying and managing outlets where you can share your message and extend your reach. There are several blogging communities that allow you to create your own blog within a community and then, there are also [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_561" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 274px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business"><img class="size-full wp-image-561  " title="Blogging Communities" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Blogging-Communities.png" alt="blogging communities, bloglines, blogged, small business blog" width="264" height="185" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click Image to View Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</p></div>
<p>As you will read throughout this series of posts, creating content is only half the battle.  The real work is identifying and managing outlets where you can share your message and extend your reach.</p>
<p>There are several blogging communities that allow you to create your own blog within a community and then, there are also blog directories where your self-hosted blog content is aggregated and accessible to all visitors and subscribers.</p>
<p>Take a look around and research some of these sites and services to see where you can get exposure for your blog content.  Sites like <a title="Bogged.com" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blogged.com" target="_blank">Blogged</a> allow you to submit your blog and then will automatically pick up your posts as you release new content.</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part II: Start The Conversation</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-ii-start-the-conversation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-ii-start-the-conversation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:21:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chris brogan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind mapping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[search authority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=543</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Previously, I discussed building the foundation for your online marketing ecosystem by crafting your core message and consistently communicating it to your target audience by using the many online tools available to small business owners today.  But what are those tools? Several weeks ago, Chris Brogan wrote about using mind mapping to collect his thoughts [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Previously, I discussed building the foundation for your online marketing ecosystem by crafting your core message and consistently communicating it to your target audience by using the many online tools available to small business owners today.  But what are those tools?</p>
<div id="attachment_544" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mindmeister.com/40479273/your-business"><img class="size-full wp-image-544" title="Blogging" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Blogging.png" alt="Online Marketing Ecosystem for Small Business" width="300" height="205" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click Image to View Interactive Online Marketing Ecosystem</p></div>
<p>Several weeks ago, Chris Brogan wrote about using <a title="Mind Mapping" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map" target="_blank">mind mapping</a> to collect his thoughts and organize information for blog posts, speeches, etc.  I did some research and found a product called <a title="Mind Mapping for Small Business" href="http://www.mindmeister.com" target="_blank">MindMeister</a> that has allowed me to create a graphical representation of the online marketing universe.  Since there are so many communication tools/services/platforms  available, I&#8217;ve decided to break it down into bite size pieces starting with the easiest and most cost effective way for you to begin promoting your business online.</p>
<p><strong>Blogging</strong></p>
<p>The most powerful tool in your &#8220;let&#8217;s get found online&#8221; arsenal is a blog.  The top six blog platforms are listed in the graphic above with the most popular being WordPress.  ( I use WordPress for my blog and also as the <a title="Online Marketing Content Management" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_system" target="_blank">Content Management System</a> for my website)  I think WordPress is the best platform simply because of the seemingly endless supply of useful plug-ins and widgets that extend its functionality.  But, regardless of the platform, the most important advice I can offer is to make sure you choose a self-hosted solution. (see my <a title="Stop What You're Doing and Do These 3 Things" href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/stop-what-youre-doing-and-confirm-youve-done-these-3-things/" target="_blank">post </a>from Friday for more details)  And, finally, here are six reasons why your business needs a blog:</p>
<ul>
<li>Boost your organic rank (by consistently reiterating your core message and keywords)</li>
<li>Position yourself and/or your business as THE subject matter expert(s) which increases your &#8220;authority&#8221; with the search engines.</li>
<li>Start conversations with prospects, customers and peers by posting thought provoking advice, stories and anecdotes.  Believe it or not, blogging is very much a two way street.</li>
<li>Firmly establish and manage your online reputation by consistently sharing useful information with the very people who are searching for you online.</li>
<li>Your site visitors can choose to subscribe to your blog and receive the information in a way that suits them best &#8211; via email, straight RSS feed, or within their favorite feed reader.</li>
<li>The only cost you incur with blogging is time.</li>
</ul>
<p>Start the Conversation + Maintain Consistent, Quality Content = Acquired Authority and Trust</p>
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		<title>Stop What You&#8217;re Doing And Confirm You&#8217;ve Done These 3 Things!</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/stop-what-youre-doing-and-confirm-youve-done-these-3-things/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/stop-what-youre-doing-and-confirm-youve-done-these-3-things/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:39:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[301 redirect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[getting found online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[page titles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=516</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s Friday and we&#8217;re all busy trying to close out the week strong but there&#8217;s no time like the present when it comes to improving your chances of &#8220;being found&#8221; online.  I continue to see websites that could substantially improve their SEO with very simple changes but, for whatever reason, it never gets done.  So, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Three.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-517 alignleft" title="Three" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Three.jpg" alt="3 Things Small Businesses Need To Do" width="272" height="181" /></a>It&#8217;s Friday and we&#8217;re all busy trying to close out the week strong but there&#8217;s no time like the present when it comes to improving your chances of &#8220;being found&#8221; online.  I continue to see websites that could substantially improve their SEO with very simple changes but, for whatever reason, it never gets done.  So, I recommend you check the following and fix (if not today, over the weekend):</p>
<p><strong>Page Titles:</strong> Do you have page titles?  Do you succinctly describe the value you offer?  If the answer is, &#8220;no&#8221;, get to work.  Your page titles can be the most important search copy on your entire site.  Experiment.  Try different copy and see what performs best.</p>
<p><strong>Blog:</strong> Your blog is also very important to organic rank so you need to make sure your site, http://www.yourdomain.com, gets credit for that content.  This means you don&#8217;t want http://yourdomain.blogger.com or http://yourdomain.wordpress.com because the content is separate from your website.  Secondly, if you self-host your website, you want your content in a subfolder and not a subdomain. http://blog.yourdomain.com is seen by the search engines as a different domain, therefore, the content is not credited to http://www.yourdomain.com.  We recommend you use http://www.yourdomain.com/blog instead.</p>
<p><strong>301 Permanent Redirect:</strong> Do you know if http://yourdomain.com is permanently forwarded to http://www.yourdomain.com?  It seems like this is already done because they both take you to your website, right?  The easiest way to check is to visit http://bit.ly/duz3xu and type in http://yourdomain.com and click the &#8220;check redirects&#8221; button.  Here are the results from my check:</p>
<p>Checked link: <strong>http://thesmallbiznest.com</strong></p>
<p>Type of redirect: <strong>301 Moved Permanently</strong></p>
<p>Redirected to: <strong>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/</strong></p>
<p>If you don&#8217;t know how to do these things yourself, check with your hosting company, website developer and blogging forums for step by step directions pertaining to your specific configuration.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
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		<title>Need Real Time Analytics?  Announcing Small Biz Insight</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/need-real-time-analytics-announcing-small-biz-insight/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/need-real-time-analytics-announcing-small-biz-insight/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:12:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ROI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Small BizNest Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=503</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Small Biz Insight is a real time web analytics service allowing you to view up to the minute data on the traffic to your web site. Most services don&#8217;t allow you to make split second decisions because of a substantial delay in their delivery of your website data. Real time data lets you react to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Small Biz Insight is a real time web analytics service allowing you to view up to the minute data on the traffic to your web site. Most services don&#8217;t allow you to make split second decisions because of a substantial delay in their delivery of your website data.</p>
<p>Real time data lets you react to changes in your traffic <em>as they occur</em>. For example, if you had an article that hit the front page of a popular site like <a href="http://digg.com/">digg.com</a>, you would see the traffic spike in Small Biz Insight immediately, along with links back to the sources sending you the traffic. Knowing this, you could make changes to your site or to the article itself to take advantage of the situation.</p>
<p>If instead you relied solely on a service like Google Analytics, it would be up to 24 hours before you even knew about the traffic, and by then it would be too late to do anything about it.</p>
<p>Here is a partial list of the real time information available to you in Small Biz Insight:</p>
<ul>
<li>Customizable dashboard</li>
<li>Filtering and segmentation</li>
<li>Twitter analytics</li>
<li>iPhone version</li>
<li>Goals and conversions</li>
<li>Campaign tracking</li>
<li>Support for Google Analytics tags</li>
<li>Information on each individual visitor</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/SmallBizInsight2.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-514" title="SmallBizInsight" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/SmallBizInsight2.png" alt="Small Business Real Time Analtyics" width="519" height="293" /></a></p>
<p>There are two versions of Insight available &#8211; Self Serve for $9.95/month and Managed for $19.95 which will include customization and reporting services.  If you&#8217;re interested in learning more, please send us an email at info@thesmallbiznest.com or call us at (800)277-1187.</p>
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		<title>The Small BizNest Has Been Added to Alltop</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/the-small-biznest-has-been-added-to-alltop/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/the-small-biznest-has-been-added-to-alltop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:05:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alltop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=423</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that our site has been added to Alltop. (under the Small Business category)  You can think of Alltop as the “online magazine rack” of the web where they display the five most recent headlines of the &#8220;top&#8221;  information sources.  You can actually create [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that our site has been added to <a title="Alltop" href="http://www.alltop.com" target="_blank">Alltop</a>. (under the <a title="Alltop Small Business and The Small BizNest" href="http://small-business.alltop.com/" target="_blank">Small Business</a> category)  You can think of Alltop as the “online magazine rack” of the web where they display the five most recent headlines of the &#8220;top&#8221;  information sources.  You can actually create a &#8220;MyAlltop&#8221; page and identify the news sources you want to view on a regular basis and also share that custom page with others.  This doesn&#8217;t change the way you currently access our blog, it simply gives you another option for viewing our small business news and insights.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://alltop.com/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://badges.alltop.com/images/f_alltop_250x250.jpg" alt="Featured in Alltop" width="250" height="250" /></a></p>
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		<title>3 Things That Should Make A Small Business Owner Thankful</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/3-things-that-should-make-a-small-business-owner-thankful/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/3-things-that-should-make-a-small-business-owner-thankful/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:36:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=398</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;re living in a time where credit has dried up, the SBA seems to be stuck in quicksand and our government is bent on dictating healthcare legislation that will have a devastating impact on small businesses across the country.  So, what&#8217;s there to be thankful for?  Plenty.  Here are my top three: We&#8217;re lucky enough [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-399" title="treeinhand" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/treeinhand-300x249.jpg" alt="treeinhand" width="300" height="249" />We&#8217;re living in a time where credit has dried up, the SBA seems to be stuck in quicksand and our government is bent on dictating healthcare legislation that will have a devastating impact on small businesses across the country.  So, what&#8217;s there to be thankful for?  Plenty.  Here are my top three:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>We&#8217;re lucky enough to be in the middle of a marketing revolution and are only limited by our imagination and drive to succeed.</strong> So, let&#8217;s forget about the things we can&#8217;t control and perfect the ones we can.  We&#8217;re not sending out postcards and then sitting by the phone &#8220;hoping&#8221; someone will call.  We&#8217;re building brands and perfecting our methods for being found online.  We&#8217;re building communities.  We&#8217;re building trust.  We&#8217;re building the foundation for success.  This is really cool.</li>
<li><strong>There is an almost unlimited number of marketing tools and services available for free.</strong> We&#8217;re talking high quality, high value tools that allow us to develop a more scientific approach to the art of marketing.  As our marketing efforts evolve, we&#8217;re able to measure success and adjust our tactics accordingly.  Automation allows us to focus on our core business.</li>
<li><strong>We&#8217;re being forced to do more with less and this is a lesson we must all remember as we eventually head into economic recovery</strong>.  Just because we&#8217;re in a difficult economy doesn&#8217;t mean that we&#8217;re destined to fail.  Conversely, a strong economy doesn&#8217;t give you a green light to start blowing money on expensive  PPC campaigns.  Always operate within your means and be prepared for a rainy day.</li>
</ol>
<p>Let&#8217;s stay positive and finish out the year strong.  Happy Thanksgiving!</p>
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		<title>Building Your Online Marketing Ecosystem Part 1: The Foundation</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-1-the-foundation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/building-your-online-marketing-ecosystem-part-1-the-foundation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:35:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing Ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[messaging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organic rank]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strategic partnership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=364</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The first step of every business identity creation process is to build a solid foundation from which you can nurture a living, growing online presence. Because business owners become so entrenched in the day to day operations of their company, they don&#8217;t consider taking a step back to objectively reflect on the &#8220;state of the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-368" title="Building_A_Foundation" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/foundation2-300x199.jpg" alt="Building_A_Foundation" width="300" height="199" />The first step of every business identity creation process is to build a solid foundation from which you can nurture a living, growing online presence.  Because business owners become so entrenched in the day to day operations of their company, they don&#8217;t consider taking a step back to objectively reflect on the &#8220;state of the business&#8221;.  Much of what I&#8217;m going to tell you in this post might seem incredibly elementary and you might even want to say, &#8220;duh&#8221;, to me.  However, this simplified approach works even for an established business that wants to verify that their marketing strategy maps to their overall business goals.  Let&#8217;s begin:</p>
<p><strong>Who Am I?  Why Am I Here?</strong> Admiral James Stockdale, although he picked the wrong venue, asked two important questions that should be pondered by any business owner.  In many cases a business&#8217; personality is as important as the product/service being offered.  So, a clear understanding of &#8220;who&#8221; offers a identifiable persona to which prospective and existing customers can relate.</p>
<p><strong>What do we do?</strong> This can be one of the most difficult messages to nail down for a small business but it is vital to the success of your marketing initiatives.  Not only must you clearly articulate what you do but it&#8217;s imperative you differentiate your offering and communicate value.  Don&#8217;t get caught up in the trap of listing fifty features and all of the &#8220;cool widgets and gadgets&#8221; you have built.  Tell them how you are going to impact their bottom line and make them more successful.</p>
<p><strong>Who Cares?</strong> Rather than engage in outbound marketing to the masses, now is the time to identify the characteristics of your dream customer and focus on driving them to your site.  If you already have happy customers, reach out to them and ask if they would be interested in participating in a quick survey.  The data you collect will shed light on why they chose to do business with you, what you can do better and it gives you the opportunity to thank them for their business.</p>
<p><strong>Where Are They Looking?</strong> The final step, after identifying and segmenting your target audience is to understand where they go to find information about you/your product/your service.  There are the obvious places such as search engines but, to dig a little deeper, you have to do some research and identify specific places (websites, Q&amp;A sites, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) where people are talking about what you do and then you have to become an active participant by offering valuable information and linking back to your site where possible.</p>
<p>This entire process is continuous but it will organically build your brand and online presence over time.  You have to be committed to this process and willing to commit the necessary time and effort.  You will learn about the market, prospective customers, current customers, keyword strategy, potential new markets, and even potential partnerships with related businesses.</p>
<p>Once you identify the Who, What and Where, you will be better suited to develop your core message and consistently present it across all possible mechanisms.</p>
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		<title>Will Bing Twitter Help Your Small Business?</title>
		<link>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/will-bing-twitter-help-small-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/marketing/will-bing-twitter-help-small-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:01:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Joyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microblogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microcontent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/?p=348</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[First, Microsoft surprised us when they released bing and it was actually a useful alternative search engine.  Now, they&#8217;ve surprised again by beating Google to the &#8220;Twitter Integration Party&#8221;.  Instead of being sequestered to the Twittersphere, small business tweeters will now gain exposure to the 80% of internet users who don&#8217;t use Twitter. Ping and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-350" title="bingtwitter" src="http://www.thesmallbiznest.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/bingtwitter1-150x150.png" alt="bingtwitter" width="150" height="150" />First, Microsoft surprised us when they released bing and it was actually a useful alternative search engine.  Now, they&#8217;ve surprised again by beating Google to the &#8220;Twitter Integration Party&#8221;.  Instead of being sequestered to the Twittersphere, small business tweeters will now gain exposure to the 80% of internet users who don&#8217;t use Twitter.</p>
<p>Ping and FriendFeed allow you to distribute your &#8220;microcontent&#8221; across all social networks and, now, Bing (and, yes eventually Google) will index not only the text of the tweet, but the link content as well.  I&#8217;m not sure if there will be an adjustment required by users based on how the information will be presented but there didn&#8217;t seem to be an issue when Google added images and video to their search engine.</p>
<p>This is pretty powerful stuff for a small business owner and should allow them to expand their online presence without significant effort.</p>
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