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		<title>Track your online exposure with Google alerts</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/track-your-online-exposure-with-google-alerts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/track-your-online-exposure-with-google-alerts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1653</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In any type of business, it’s very important to find as many ways as possible to attract more clients. On the internet today, there are numerous methods people in business can utilize to drive traffic to their website. But how do you keep track of how you’re doing online? One of the most helpful ways is Google Alerts.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-write-a-headline-that-sells/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Write a Headline that Sells'>How to Write a Headline that Sells</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-make-google-adwords-work-for-you/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Make Google Adwords Work For You!'>How to Make Google Adwords Work For You!</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-hold-a-successful-online-meeting/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Hold a successful Online Meeting'>How to Hold a successful Online Meeting</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In any type of business, it’s very important to find as many ways as possible to attract more clients. On the internet today, there are numerous methods people in business can utilize to drive traffic to their website.  But how do you keep track of how you’re doing online? One of the most helpful ways is Google Alerts.</p>
<p>Businesses of any size that operate mostly on the internet can benefit from using Google Alerts. This is another valuable service from the world’s leading search engine Google that is very easy to use.</p>
<p><strong>What is Google Alerts?</strong></p>
<p>Google Alerts is a notification or alert system that informs you every time Google finds a web page featuring your name, business name, your articles and relevant keywords.  In fact, you can set an alert for any string of words you choose.</p>
<p>If you’re keen about monitoring where your business appears online or your articles are picked up by other sites in your specific niche, then it is worth your time to be using Google Alerts.</p>
<p>Google alerts can be found at <a href="http://www.google.com/alerts">www.google.com/alerts</a></p>
<p><strong>How to Set Up Google Alerts</strong></p>
<p>All you need is to set up a Google account and once you have your username and password ready, you can start using this effective alert system.</p>
<p>You can decide which types of alert you’d like to receive. There are six categories available such as news, blogs, web, comprehensive, video and groups. You can freely set up an alert for each category if you want.</p>
<p>As to the frequency of notifications sent to your mailbox, you can choose to get alerts once daily, as it happens or once every week. There is also another option that pertains to email length. In other words, you can decide if you’d like to receive up to 20 results or up to 50 results.</p>
<p>Normally, you would use keywords specific to your business when setting up a Google alert. You can create as many as a thousand alerts if you like. However, you may have to first delete some existing alerts or you can request that the notifications be sent to a separate email address.</p>
<p>Alerts are usually sent in an HTML format. However, you can choose to receive notifications in plain text only except for the video alerts. All you need to do is to go to the Manage Your Alerts page and change the format of the emails from the default HTML to just plain text and you’re done.</p>
<p>As an example, I’ve set up a Google Alert for Savvy Web Women and chose the category blogs. What happens then is that every time my business name appears in another blog, I get an alert. Whether it’s the article I wrote or an event I did that was posted on that particular blog, I am able to track who is sharing my content, utilising my resources and adding links back to my site.</p>
<p>So by using Google Alerts, you are able to find relevant back links to your site that search engines value most when ranking websites and blogs. This should be reason enough to inspire you to consistently promote yourself and your business on the internet. Once you’re consistent and with your alert system all set up, you can just let Google Alerts do the monitoring for you.</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Author Bio:</strong> Wendy Moore is the founder of <a href="http://www.savvywebwomen.com/">www.savvywebwomen.com</a> and creator of the Savvy List Building Blog – the information packed resource that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to better understand the internet to build a highly responsive, targeted list of clients specific to their business niche. To receive your free Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit <a href="http://www.wendymoore.net/">www.wendymoore.net</a>.</p></blockquote>




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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-write-a-headline-that-sells/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Write a Headline that Sells'>How to Write a Headline that Sells</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-make-google-adwords-work-for-you/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Make Google Adwords Work For You!'>How to Make Google Adwords Work For You!</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-hold-a-successful-online-meeting/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Hold a successful Online Meeting'>How to Hold a successful Online Meeting</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>A big thank you &#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/a-big-thank-you/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/a-big-thank-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:55:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1640</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Around 6 months ago - Chris Bates, Tim Gosper and I (Jake Thomas) were complaining that there wasn't really any decent small business resources available online that had everything we wanted - Networking forums, helpful articles and a friendly community.

After discussing it for a while we decided what the heck - Lets launch our own small business website!


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/quality-over-quantity-does-your-traffic-matter/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Quality Over Quantity &#8211; Does Your Traffic Matter?'>Quality Over Quantity &#8211; Does Your Traffic Matter?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/ideas-to-grow-your-business/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ideas to Grow Your Business'>Ideas to Grow Your Business</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-ways-to-build-your-marketing-list/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 ways to build your marketing list'>10 ways to build your marketing list</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Around 6 months ago &#8211; Chris Bates, Tim Gosper and I (Jake Thomas) were complaining that there wasn&#8217;t really any decent small business resources available online that had everything we wanted &#8211; Networking forums, helpful articles and a friendly community.</p>
<p>After discussing it for a while we decided what the heck &#8211; Lets launch our own small business website!</p>
<p>Over the months this website has grown quicker than any of us could have expected &#8211; Originally publishing articles twice a week, the sheer volume of quality articles we were receiving had us up that to publishing a new each week day. The networking forums have become a relied upon resource that members are wondering how they lived without!</p>
<p><strong>What caused us to grow this quickly?</strong></p>
<p>As much fun as it is taking all the credit, there really is no way we can &#8211; We are constantly receiving feedback that this community is like no other &#8211; It&#8217;s friendly, helpful, interesting and best of all, knowledgeable &#8211; That is all thanks to <strong>YOU</strong>!</p>
<p>Together we challenge each other to do things differently, to look at things in another way and best of all, to grow a better and more successful business.</p>
<p>Thanks to your incredible success in spreading the word, through Twitter, Facebook, other social media sites and to friends and family &#8211; Small Business Forum is now receiving tens of thousands if visits per month &#8211; These are business owners who come here to read what you have to say, to learn from the articles you write and some of the time, jump in and submit their own articles or network on the forums.</p>
<p><strong>So, a big thank you &#8230;</strong></p>
<p>From all of us here at SBFHQ &#8211; We appreciate all the fantastic things each of you are doing to grow this community &#8211; Whether it be submitting articles, sharing your knowledge on the forums or spreading the word.</p>
<p><strong>A special mention&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>To those who have come on board at SBFHQ with dedicated roles. With <a href="http://www.emroy.com.au">myself</a> as editor, <a href="http://www.frontbox.com.au">Chris Bates</a> as Technical support, <a href="http://www.frontbox.com.au">Matthew Keath</a> as our Facebook page Manager and <a href="http://www.wordmistress.com.au">Gina Lofaro</a> as our official copywriter.</p>




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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/quality-over-quantity-does-your-traffic-matter/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Quality Over Quantity &#8211; Does Your Traffic Matter?'>Quality Over Quantity &#8211; Does Your Traffic Matter?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/ideas-to-grow-your-business/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ideas to Grow Your Business'>Ideas to Grow Your Business</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-ways-to-build-your-marketing-list/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 ways to build your marketing list'>10 ways to build your marketing list</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Who is the face of your business?</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/who-is-the-face-if-your-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/who-is-the-face-if-your-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:02:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1614</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If I were to ask you what the face of your business is, you might respond by saying that it is perhaps your logo, advertising, brand or website.

Any one of those things could certainly be the most immediately obvious aspects of your business’ image, and they all have the potential to be tools for business growth.

However, would you agree that you are the face of your business?


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-things-to-do-when-business-goes-quiet/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 Things to do when business goes quiet'>10 Things to do when business goes quiet</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-must-haves-for-every-business-card/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 must haves for every business card'>10 must haves for every business card</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/5-simple-marketing-tips-perfect-for-small-business/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 5 Simple Marketing Tips Perfect for Small Business'>5 Simple Marketing Tips Perfect for Small Business</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If I were to ask you what the face of your business is, you might respond by saying that it is perhaps your logo, advertising, brand or website.</p>
<p>Any one of those things could certainly be the most immediately obvious aspects of your business’ image, and they all have the potential to be tools for business growth depending on your overall business objectives.</p>
<p>However, would you agree that you are the face of your business? This would be particularly true if you are the first person that your customers and potential customers have contact with.</p>
<p>As a small business owner you are a major part of the overall image and reputation of your business. Your passion, interest and expertise provide an indication of the customer service and quality of your business.</p>
<p>Imagine if the public face of your business was your satisfied and impressed staff and customers.  What effect would this have on your business in terms of attracting new customers and encouraging loyalty from your existing ones?</p>
<p>The reverse is also worth considering. Imagine if the public face of your business was staff and customers who were uninspired, disappointed or even outraged at your business?</p>
<p>That reputation would shout louder than any of your positive marketing tactics and would spread far and fast like a rumour weed. For example, to many the image of BP would be overtaken or greatly influenced by the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill and what has been said about it, rather than BP’s logo, website or advertising.</p>
<p>See your staff and customers as a newsstand that talks about your business. They are the owners of your brand and the broadcasters of your reputation.</p>
<p>You can be certain that your customers, previous clients, staff, associates, competitors and onlookers are talking about your business – behind your back.</p>
<p>Don’t get offended now – this is the highest good for your business, and is powerful when you give them good things to talk about.</p>
<p>In preparation for writing the book The Referral Engine, John Jantsch conducted an informal survey of several thousand small business owners. 63.4% felt that over half their business came by way of positive referrals. According to McKinsey &amp; Company, 90% of consumers consider word-of-mouth as the best source of information about products and services.</p>
<p>So give your staff, customers and potential customers something good to talk about, because they are going to talk anyway – particularly if you surprise them or trigger an emotional and passionate response.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that people don’t get emotional and passionate about ordinary products, a satisfactory result, or a good price. They talk about negative experiences. They also talk about positive things like personal touches, receiving more than was promised, having their expectations exceeded and things that make them feel great about themselves.</p>
<p><strong>The exciting thing is, this is something that small business can beat bigger businesses in, over and over.</strong></p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Author Bio:</strong> Phoebe Netto is the Managing Director of Good Business Consulting, a small business advisory. She is passionate about helping good small businesses grow through retaining their customers and attracting new ones. Having moved into the small business sector from a corporate background, Phoebe understands the dedication and diversity of small business owners. She is experienced and delivers results.<br />
<a href="http://www.goodbusiness.net.au/">Website</a> | <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.twitter.com/Phoebe_Netto">Twitter</a></p></blockquote>




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		<title>How to Write a Headline that Sells</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-write-a-headline-that-sells/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-write-a-headline-that-sells/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:13:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1595</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Words are very powerful. Whether spoken or written, words can influence people and they can persuade them to take action. Depending on how they are used, words will either have a positive or negative impact.

On the internet your message can be delivered with more impact based purely on how you choose to communicate to your readers and your unique choice of words.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-write-effective-articles/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to write effective articles'>How to write effective articles</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-rekindle-your-creativity/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to rekindle your creativity'>How to rekindle your creativity</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/should-you-write-your-own-website-content/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Should You Write Your Own Website Content?'>Should You Write Your Own Website Content?</a></li>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Words are very powerful. Whether spoken or written, words can influence people and they can persuade them to take action. Depending on how they are used, words will either have a positive or negative impact.</p>
<p>On the internet, the written word needs to be clear as it is the main method of communication, whether creating an article or blog post or writing sales copy on your website.  Your message can be delivered with more impact based purely on how you choose to communicate to your readers and your unique choice of words.</p>
<p>In writing content or copy for your website, starting with a good title is a must. The title, also called the headline, needs to grab the attention of the reader and provide an insight into what your site or article is all about.  The purpose of the headline is to be creative and catchy enough to encourage your visitor to continue reading the next line.</p>
<p>You have to keep in mind that most visitors will just scan a web page first.  If you have not grabbed them “at hello”, chances are they will quickly lose interest, move on to the next article or click away from your website.</p>
<p>A headline needs to be specific but should not be too long. Avoid general titles. In other words, you have to have a target market in mind to ensure your headline is clear, concise and delivers your message. Write a great headline first and you will find it easier to write your article or website copy or content.</p>
<p>An ideal technique in creating a headline that stands out is to write out several of them first and see which one sounds the best.  What feels right to you? Try going back to it several times to check your choice of words and how they are structured. Edit it a number of times to determine which one will have a greater impact on your readers and deliver the message you are looking to convey.  Doing this ensures that your headline is crisp and clear.</p>
<p>Let’s take a few examples. The title “Writing Blogs is Fun”, for instance, is quite general.  It says what you are trying to say, but if you look at another interesting angle for your topic, you can make a bigger impact.</p>
<p>If your target market is people looking for blogs that pay people to write, you might change the original title to something like “Writing Blogs Can Earn You Money” or “Earn Money Online by Writing Blogs or Blog Posts.”</p>
<p>When people, especially those who love to write, read this headline there is enough of a hook to encourage them to read on and find out how to earn money through blogs or posting on blogs.  What type of “hook” can you include in your next headline to attract the attention of your target market?</p>
<p>So remember, creating a specific headline that will grab attention will take some time, a little effort and a dash of creativity.  Continue to practice to hone your writing skills and you’re on your way to establishing a following of regular readers.</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Author Bio:</strong> Wendy Moore is the founder of <a href="http://www.savvywebwomen.com">www.savvywebwomen.com</a> and creator of the Savvy List Building Blog &#8211; the information packed resource that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to better understand the internet to build a highly responsive, targeted list of clients specific to their business niche. To receive your free Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit <a href="http://www.wendymoore.net">www.wendymoore.net</a>.</p></blockquote>




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<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-rekindle-your-creativity/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to rekindle your creativity'>How to rekindle your creativity</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/should-you-write-your-own-website-content/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Should You Write Your Own Website Content?'>Should You Write Your Own Website Content?</a></li>
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		<title>Are you turning your prospects, leads and enquiries into customers?</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/are-you-turning-your-prospects-leads-and-enquiries-into-customers/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/are-you-turning-your-prospects-leads-and-enquiries-into-customers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:36:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tips & Tricks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Working Smarter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1588</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Would you like to have more customers, greater consistency in your sales and cash flow? Are you afraid of getting a “no” and being rejected when you ask a potential customer for their business?

The key to your business success lies in your ability to effectively promote yourself and your business - Here are seven ways you can turn your prospects, leads and enquiries into customers.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/7-questions-you-need-to-ask-your-customers/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 7 Questions you need to ask your customers'>7 Questions you need to ask your customers</a></li>
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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Would you like to have more customers, greater consistency in your sales and cash flow?  Are you afraid of getting a “no” and being rejected when you ask a potential customer for their business?</p>
<p>The key to your business success lies in your ability to effectively promote yourself and your business, which includes overcoming your fears of getting a “no” and learning how to sell yourself and your products, services and skills with integrity.  Here are seven ways you can turn your prospects, leads and enquiries into customers.</p>
<p><strong>1.  Abundance versus scarcity</strong></p>
<p>Creating abundance begins with your thinking.  You may have amazing business building strategies, yet if your mindset is one of lack (including lack of self belief), it will prevent you from applying the skills you know, leaving your business in the same financial situation or worse.  Having your beliefs and values aligned with abundance will enable you to develop an attraction mindset so that you can attract even more customers.</p>
<p><strong>2.  Watch your assumptions</strong></p>
<p>What are you thinking and saying to yourself as you meet with prospects?  Are you thinking that they are not interested in your products, services and ideas or are you questioning the value you offer?  Research has shown that 80% of the people that walk into your store, call you on the phone or email you have already imagined owning a product or service like yours.  So you could be serving up to 80% of all prospects because if you don’t, your competitors will.  Imagine the impact on your bottom line if you had an 80% conversion rate!</p>
<p><strong>3.  Where is your focus?</strong></p>
<p>What you focus on you will create through your actions.  How much of your focus, time and energy are you spending on the people who say “maybe” or “no” to you?  Too many people in business spend too much of their time on the “maybes” and the “nos”.  Because their focus is caught up with getting these prospects to buy, they have very little focus left for following up the prospects that are really interested, so they miss out on their business.  Remember spend most of your time with the prospects that are ready to buy now and have a system for following up the rest at another time as appropriate.</p>
<p><strong>4.  Build the relationship</strong></p>
<p>Most people need more than one experience of you before they do business with you.  So rather than selling your product or service at the initial meeting, instead sell your relationship with them.  Build instant rapport, tailor your language to their preferred style, ask powerful questions and really listen to how you can best help them.</p>
<p><strong>5.  Serve the need</strong></p>
<p>Selling isn’t about telling – it is about asking the right questions, in the right way and at the right time… so that you can best understand the prospect’s needs and how you can best serve these.  Reading your prospects more effectively, assisting them in their buying decisions and really understanding what makes them tick will also help you to serve them better.  Also remember that if there is no need, thank the prospect, seek referrals and find another customer.  After all, there are plenty of customers out there for all of us!</p>
<p><strong>6.  Follow through</strong></p>
<p>It is only by following through and completing things that we achieve results.  Some people in business start strategies for generating leads, while others start to follow up and only see them through to partial completion.  The highly successful business people actually focus on a select number of strategies and follow each one through to completion and, therefore, achieve amazing results.  Put off procrastination and start following through your leads, prospects and enquiries and watch your sales grow!</p>
<p><strong>7.  Seal the deal</strong></p>
<p>Fear of rejection or fear of getting a “no” is the major reason preventing people from asking for the prospects’ business and closing the sale. Research shows that 90% of business people have a fear of rejection which stops them short of asking for the sale and this alone is costing Australian businesses millions in lost business each year!  Knowing exactly when to ask the prospect to buy from you is also very important.  Because if you ask too early, you can come across as being too pushy and if you ask too late, you can miss out on the sale and on serving your prospect altogether!</p>
<p>What is your biggest challenge when it comes to promoting yourself and your business?</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Author Bio:</strong> Dr. Vesna Grubacevic is a Performance Transformation Expert™ with Qt, an NLP Trainer, holds a PhD, BEc and has over 28 years’ business experience.  Dr. Vesna has a proven track record of assisting clients to transform their sales and staff performance.  For more techniques on turning your prospects, leads and enquiries into customers and for your free gifts, visit <a href="http://www.qttransformation.com">www.qttransformation.com</a> today.</p></blockquote>




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		<title>3 Step to an effective webinar</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/3-step-to-an-effective-webinar/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/3-step-to-an-effective-webinar/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:06:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1581</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Webinar marketing is becoming increasingly popular and is a simple tool that you can use to attract new and retain existing customers.

Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. 

There are three key steps you need to understand when running an effective webinar.


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Webinar marketing is becoming increasingly popular and is a simple tool that you can use to attract new and retain existing customers.</p>
<p>Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected remotely to other participants. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the attendees&#8217; computers or a web-based application where the attendees access the meeting by clicking on a specific link.</p>
<p>There are three key steps you need to understand when running an effective webinar.</p>
<p><strong>Step 1: Prepare</strong></p>
<p>Preparing for your webinar is an essential step. Many business owners and marketing managers get this first step wrong.  Initially, you need to ensure you have the right software for you.  There are many software packages on the marketplace at the moment, so be sure to compare and benchmark before choosing one.</p>
<p>Once you have selected the software, you have to become comfortable in using the software.  This shouldn’t take too long, and most software providers allow you to practice your webinar before running it live.</p>
<p>One of the key elements when it comes to preparing a great webinar is to ensure you get into the shoes of your prospect when putting it together.  What does your target market want? Many people who fail at webinars don’t spend enough time on this.  Its vital that you are extremely clear on exactly who will be on that webinar. The more specific the crowd you are looking to attract to your webinar the better it will be.</p>
<p>Its also vital that you spend a good amount of time designing your headline for your webinar and then 5-7 bullet points outlining the key benefits your webinar will provide.  This alone could increase the number of people joining your webinar by substantially numbers and is in fact , the number one key to an effective webinar – even higher than creating great content!</p>
<p>When you have designed a catchy headline (that gets the attention of your target market), you then need to set a date and time in the future to run your webinar.  Give yourself sufficient time to allow you to get the numbers you need. The ideal length for a great webinar ranges from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.</p>
<p><strong>Step 2: Promote</strong></p>
<p>You need to treat promoting a webinar like you would promoting any product or service.  Its really important that you invest 2 to 3 hours creating a detailed marketing plan.</p>
<p>There are many ways you can promote a webinar.  Here is a list of strategies</p>
<ul>
<li>Existing contacts</li>
<li>Using existing contacts to refer others (its really easy to get an existing contact or friend to forward on an invitation to a catch webinar)</li>
<li>Advertise on your website</li>
<li>On other peoples websites</li>
<li>Joint Ventures (other people to market to their list)</li>
<li>Post card campaigns to existing lists or to cold lists</li>
<li>PR</li>
<li>Via your sales team</li>
<li>Upsell after product sales on websites</li>
<li>Blogging</li>
<li>Email marketing</li>
<li>Blogging to other peoples lists</li>
<li>Advertising in newsletters that go out to your target market</li>
<li>Online forums where you target market are hanging out</li>
<li>Direct mail campaign</li>
<li>Video blogging</li>
<li>Ask for referrals when people register (eg free gift if you enter in someone’s name that would benefit from the webinar)</li>
</ul>
<p>When you have a number of strategies working for you, don’t be surprised with the number of attendees you will get onto your webinar.<br />
Its vital that you also have a ongoing campaign once people register for your webinar.  Just because they register, doesn’t mean they will show up.  Send at least 3-5 contacts to keep them engaged and build some excitement around your webinar.</p>
<p><strong>Step 3: Present:</strong></p>
<p>There is a formula that when followed correctly, will result in running a great webinar.</p>
<p>Remember – less is best.  Don’t complicate it with complicating slides.  Keep it simple.<br />
Also, learn the COUNTRY formula:</p>
<p>C:     Create Connection.  The first step on any webinar is to connect with the people on your webinar.  Meet them at their level.  Remember to smile while your presenting.  People can hear a smile.  Have fun and be confident.  Ensure your standing up when you deliver it<br />
O:     Open your customer up to being ok that you will offer the next step to them.  Simply ask your customer (at the start of the webinar) that will be discussing the next steps.  This one thing alone could double your conversion rates<br />
U:     Understand your customer.  Keep engaging your customer with their challenges and talking to their dreams and gaols.<br />
N:     Need for your solution.  Its important to help your client see how your product or service can fix their problem and why they need to buy from you<br />
T:     Tension.  Reveal your product and build tension.  Don’t rush the close of a webinar.  Be confident when you reveal your product or service<br />
R:     Reveal your offer.  Ensure you have a great offer for people on the webinar to take advantage of.  Remember – we want them to take ACTION<br />
Y:     Yield the results from your webinar.  Ensure you invite people to take action.  Explain to them exactly what you want to do. If you don’t get the results you were after, then a follow up campaign in the days following the webinar can double conversions.</p>
<p>Running a webinar is really exciting.  Its also a very easy process to follow, and like anything &#8211; once you have done one you will be amazed with just how easy it really is.</p>
<blockquote><p><strong> Andrew Roberts</strong> is a renowned Business Entrepreneur helping other people grow their business. Andrew is an expert at time management and helping people get a big return for less effort.  He dedicates his time to finding the ultimate niche that works for each individual business, and then works to establish a marketing and life plan that allows owners to achieve whatever dream they have.<br />
<a href="http://www.andrewroberts.com.au ">Website</a> | <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/andrewrroberts">Twitter</a></p></blockquote>




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</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Do you have a Business Continuity Plan?</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/do-you-have-a-business-continuity-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/do-you-have-a-business-continuity-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:13:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1572</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It ‘s 8am Monday morning and you receive a call from building management notifying you that a contractor has accidently cut a wrong cable and internet and telephony in your office are offline and potentially will be for days. What do you do?


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<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/five-top-tips-for-improving-business-efficiency/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Five Top Tips for Improving Business Efficiency'>Five Top Tips for Improving Business Efficiency</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It ‘s 8am Monday morning and you receive a call from building management notifying you that a contractor has accidently cut a wrong cable and internet and telephony in your office are offline and potentially will be for days. What do you do?</p>
<p>You are probably thinking to yourself that this won’t happen to me…Right? Well it can and it most probably will if you don’t plan for it. Accidents happen all the time so it is essential you have some form of contingency plan in place to ensure that your business can operate during a disaster or long period of downtime.</p>
<p><strong>Statistics </strong>–In the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_World_Trade_Center_bombing"><span style="color: #00000a;">1993 World Trade Center bombing</span></a>, 150 businesses out of 350 affected failed due to no BCP. Also more than 40% of businesses affected by the September 11 World Trade Centre attacks did have some form of backup system in place but had no infrastructure or business premises to relocate and restore to.</p>
<p>A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a document that basically outlines how the businesses core functions are restored and how they will operate during a disaster or disruption. It outlines responsibilities, what to do, when to do it, where to go, how to get there and a time-line to do it in.</p>
<p>For a small business the creation of a BCP is critical and very important. The key to mastering and getting though a disaster is planning, organising, managing and taking control. Find below key points to include in a BCP</p>
<ul>
<li>Identify any risks to the business
<ul>
<li>These may include floods, 		bushfires, power failures, and computer failures</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Identify the core Systems in the 	business and prioritise
<ul>
<li>These are most likely computers, 		email, internet, telephones, website (ecommerce) and any 		specialised application used</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Develop a recovery plan for the 	core systems in the business
<ul>
<li>Assistance from suppliers and IT 		are crucial as the majority of BCP involves recovering systems</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Create a ‘BCP Team’ and create 	a chain of command and assign responsibilities
<ul>
<li>Create a communications plan for 		members in the team</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Test the BCP Plan at regular 	intervals</li>
<li>Ensure proper maintenance is 	carried out to ensure that the BCP is valid and ready for a disaster</li>
</ul>
<p>A BCP gives you the peace of mind knowing that you have some form of plan for any disaster or unscheduled outage that may occur. There are many cost effective solutions available for small business so you are never too small to shop around. Time is Money so make sure you invest some time to plan to continue to make money when the unthinkable occurs.</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Author Bio:</strong> Jason Murray is the General Manager for IT at Bell Partners &#8211; Which provides outsourced IT Support and Consulting services.<br />
<a href="http://www.bellpartners.com/it/index.html"> Website</a> | <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/Jason_MurrayAU">Twitter</a></p></blockquote>




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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/how-to-plan-your-social-media-marketing-policy-on-twitter/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Plan Your Social Media Marketing Policy on Twitter'>How to Plan Your Social Media Marketing Policy on Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-things-to-do-when-business-goes-quiet/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 Things to do when business goes quiet'>10 Things to do when business goes quiet</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/five-top-tips-for-improving-business-efficiency/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Five Top Tips for Improving Business Efficiency'>Five Top Tips for Improving Business Efficiency</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>5 Steps to organising your email</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/5-steps-to-organising-your-email/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/5-steps-to-organising-your-email/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:00:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Email]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1566</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Email is a fantastic tool for small business - it has many benefits over other traditional communication channels. However, it has its issues, too, and can stress us out big time! We are now exposed to more information in one day than someone in the middle ages was exposed to in their whole lifetime. And a lot of that is email!

I teach this method in my workshops and with my 1:1 clients in their offices and they love it. Once you get the hang of it you won't turn back!


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/managing-email-when-youre-out-of-the-office/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Managing email when you&#8217;re out of the office'>Managing email when you&#8217;re out of the office</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/tips-to-help-you-become-digitally-organised/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tips to help you become digitally organised'>Tips to help you become digitally organised</a></li>
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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Email is a fantastic tool for small business &#8211; it has many benefits over other traditional communication channels. However, it has its issues, too, and can stress us out big time!  We are now exposed to more information in one day than someone in the middle ages was exposed to in their whole lifetime. And a lot of that is email!</p>
<p>I teach this method in my workshops and with my 1:1 clients in their offices and they love it. Once you get the hang of it you won&#8217;t turn back!</p>
<p><strong>1. Don&#8217;t use your inbox as a &#8216;Pending&#8217; or &#8216;Work in Progress&#8217; file.</strong></p>
<p>You will lose emails in the visual clutter and the number you keep will become unmanageable and stress you out. It needs to be completely empty at least once a day (and oh, how good it feels!)</p>
<p><strong>2. Create an &#8220;Action&#8221; folder for all the emails you need to action</strong></p>
<p>either to reply to or that trigger another action you need to take (such as call someone, edit a document, read and review something).  Move some of your most recent actionable emails from your inbox to the Action folder (from the last 2-4 weeks or so)</p>
<p><strong>3. Create some Groups using the Categories and/or Flag function</strong></p>
<p>Sort the emails in the Action folder by the categories so they&#8217;re all bunched together. For example my groups are &#8220;Clients&#8221; (in red, because they are number 1 priority!), &#8220;Business Development&#8221;, &#8220;Admin&#8221;, &#8220;Personal&#8221;, &#8220;AAPO&#8221;, &#8220;Professional Development&#8221; and &#8220;Writing&#8221;.</p>
<p><strong>4. Put the rest of your inbox backlog in a folder called &#8220;1 Backlog&#8221; </strong></p>
<p>The &#8217;1&#8242; will put it to the top of the list of folders in most programs so you don&#8217;t lose it!</p>
<p><strong>5. Process your inbox at least once a day</strong></p>
<p>This is the hardest part, commit to processing your inbox every day. Remember, nothing ever changes if nothing ever changes.</p>
<p>If you want to get control, you need to commit the time to it.  It should only take you up to 10 minutes a day. Spend only 3-5 seconds scanning the email and deciding if it&#8217;s an actionable email or not. If it is, it goes in the action folder and categorised. If not, it gets put in a reference folder or deleted.</p>
<p>To get rid of your backlog, each day drag 5 or so emails (more if they&#8217;re really old ones) into the inbox from your Backlog folder and slowly but surely that backlog will be reduced.</p>
<p>Now, you have an empty inbox (at least for a moment!) and you can get on with your work knowing you have no surprises hiding from you.</p>
<p>Do you enjoy the peace an empty mailbox brings? or are you snowed under with yours?</p>




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<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/tips-to-help-you-become-digitally-organised/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tips to help you become digitally organised'>Tips to help you become digitally organised</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/track-your-online-exposure-with-google-alerts/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Track your online exposure with Google alerts'>Track your online exposure with Google alerts</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>10 Things to do when business goes quiet</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-things-to-do-when-business-goes-quiet/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-things-to-do-when-business-goes-quiet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rhys</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1561</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How do you react when business goes quiet? Many businesses, at some time or other, experience quieter times. This could be due to the seasonal nature of a business, but more often than not, it'll be due to the success or failure of putting goals and strategies in place to ensure a steady flow of business.

Here are 10 things you can do when business goes quiet:


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>How do you react when business goes quiet? Many businesses, at some time or other, experience quieter times. This could be due to the seasonal nature of a business, but more often than not, it&#8217;ll be due to the success or failure of putting goals and strategies in place to ensure a steady flow of business.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s important to continuously monitor and reflect on the outcomes of your business strategies, and especially to take stock when business is quiet. This will help you plan the actions needed to result in you achieving your business goals.</p>
<p>Here are 10 things you can do when business goes quiet:</p>
<h3>1. Review existing or prepare new business and strategic plans</h3>
<p>You do have written ones, right? Clarify your business purpose and vision and ensure that the directions you&#8217;re heading in are aligned with your purpose and vision. Review the strategies you&#8217;ve been following and get clear on which ones are and which ones aren&#8217;t working so well for you.</p>
<h3>2. Review your numbers</h3>
<p>Get clear on which numbers will help you monitor your current as well as future success. How many new clients did you get/lose this month? How long does it take to see cashflow from a sale? How many sales calls did your sales team make and what was their conversion rate? What was the return on investment on your last advertisement? What is your staff turnover?</p>
<h3>3. Re-connect with your clients and customers:</h3>
<p>If you don&#8217;t already do so, create ways to maintain regular contact with your existing clients, for example through a newsletter, regular mail outs, or phone calls. You do have an up-to-date mailing or contact list for your current and past clients and customers, don&#8217;t you? If not, now&#8217;s the time to create one and start using it. If you need a reason to call them, ask them for ideas for your upcoming blog or newsletter. You&#8217;ll become aware of their current challenges and, needs and by doing so, you can ensure you stay relevant to them.</p>
<h3>4. Get testimonials and ask for business referrals from your clients and customers</h3>
<p>Your existing, happy clients and customers are the most likely people to refer new clients and customers to your business. Enlist their help in growing your client/customer base by asking them to provide you with testimonials of their experiences of using your product or service. Display these on your website or use them as part of your promotional materials to help your prospects decide if your product or service is right for them. Ask your clients/customers for referrals and let them know how much you value their referrals by acknowledging each one, for example, by providing them with a complimentary product, service or gift.</p>
<h3>5. Reach out to new prospects and introduce yourself to them</h3>
<p>Call potential ideal clients and provide them with something of value as a way of introducing yourself to them. For example, send them an article that would be of interest to them, or send them a small promotional product that is relevant to their needs and that they&#8217;d appreciate.</p>
<h3>6. Provide an outstanding customer service experience</h3>
<p>Treat your existing clients and customers in a way that makes them raving fans of your business and reward your staff for all the positive feedback received from your clients and customers.</p>
<h3>7. Acknowledge and thank your supporters</h3>
<p>Get in touch with the people who&#8217;ve helped you and express your gratitude. It could be clients or customers, suppliers, advisors, colleagues or other business referrers. Take them to lunch, out for a drink or simply write them a thank you note.</p>
<h3>8. Review your policies and procedure</h3>
<p>Are all of your policies, procedures, systems, forms used, promotional materials, signage, etc. up-to-date, or are you using outdated information or ways of doing things? Take some time to review and reflect on all these things to ensure they are maximising the effectiveness of, not hindering the success of, your business.</p>
<h3>9. Start creating some positive daily habits</h3>
<p>Reflect on your daily work habits and notice which ones are supporting your business growth and prosperity and which ones need tweaking. For example, you could start with doing at least fifteen minutes of marketing each day, regardless of whether you&#8217;re busy or quiet. This habit in itself could ensure a steady flow of future sales.</p>
<h3>10. Develop yourself and your team through coaching</h3>
<p>Your people are generally your organisation&#8217;s most valued assets, so it&#8217;s essential you give them opportunities to continually develop their capabilities, feel challenged and grow in their roles. Learn coaching skills so you can coach your team effectively and hire a well-qualified coach to coach you. Your coach will help you work on strategy, stretch your thinking and give you regular feedback to help you keep improving and reach your next level of excellence and success.</p>
<blockquote><p><strong> Author Bio:</strong> As a coach Tania Basheer is passionate about helping people create and live the life they have always wanted – their ideal business, dream career, more quality time, loving and fulfilling relationships, more energy, more balance and more fun! With a strong business and corporate background, she provides one-to-one coaching and mentoring through her business Blue Sky Coaching for business owners and senior executives, management and employees in service oriented organisations. More information about Tania can be found at <a href="http://www.blueskycoaching.com.au">www.blueskycoaching.com.au</a>.</p></blockquote>




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		<title>Are you covered with public liability insurance?</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/are-you-covered-with-public-liability-insurance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/are-you-covered-with-public-liability-insurance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BizDr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tips & Tricks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/?p=1552</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Whether you work in retail, hospitality, finance or engineering you’ve probably heard of public liability. In fact, most people probably wouldn’t even dare think of trading unless they had a public liability insurance policy in place.


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Whether you work in retail, hospitality, finance or engineering you’ve probably heard of public liability. In fact, most people probably wouldn’t even dare think of trading unless they had a public liability insurance policy in place.</p>
<p>Although in some industries, such as community organisations or property management it is compulsory to have public liability insurance, in many others it is often a pre-condition of trade or enforceable through business association memberships.</p>
<p>For example, a retailer in a shopping centre or a franchisee will almost certainly be required to have public liability as a pre-condition of trade. But what is it? In short, it protects your business for any physical injury or property damage suffered by a third party – potentially your customer.</p>
<p>So you’re an accountant and an elderly client slips on that shinny new wooden floor of yours – will your business compensate the client for medical bills with a few hundred thousand dollars out of its bank account? Probably not. Typically, businesses purchase between $10 million and $20 million worth of public liability cover. For office-based businesses, public liability can start from as little as $200, with doctor’s surgeries for example, starting at around $300 for $10 million worth of cover.</p>
<p>Of course, risk comes at a price and unfortunately if you happen to be in what an insurance company finds is a risky occupation, your business might have to pay a lot more for its insurance.  Businesses such as grocery stores for example, can expect to pay between $1,000 and $2,000 whereas pubs or clubs can fork out up to $5,000 or more. In fact, some businesses are considered so risky that they can’t buy any public liability insurance at all.</p>
<p>In a litigious environment such as Australia, it would seem prudent to ensure that you have adequate protection – particularly given that in Australia, there is no cap on the amount of compensation awarded to a claimant.</p>
<p>However, in a commercial sense it can mean the difference between new business and no business with customers often more comfortable using service providers with adequate protection – wouldn’t you?</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Author Bio:</strong> Vincent Moran, independent insurance specialist and chief blogger @ <a href="http://www.mybiz247.com.au">www.mybiz247.com.au</a> – a free resource on insurance for business in Australia.</p></blockquote>




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